A commentary vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul to Philemon, and to the Hebrewes together with a compendious explication of the second and third Epistles of Saint Iohn. By VVilliam Iones of East Bergholt in Suffolke, Dr. in Divinity, and sometimes one of the fellowes of the foundation of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge.

VERSE 8.

WHat then? He doth not say, stop not up your yeares: we must not doe that neither: but it is in vaine for the eare to heare, if the heart bee hardned: therefore first he be∣ginneth with the heart. God opened the heart of Lydia. The heart is the principall thing which GOD requireth in the hearing of the Word. In vaine doe wee heare with our eares, if our hearts bee not opened: therefore sayes the Holy Ghost, harden not your hearts.

GOD hardeneth the hearts of men, and men harden their owne hearts.

He hardned the heart of Pharaoh, and Deut. 2.30. GOD hard∣neth not only permissivè, but also activè: the LORD hath a kinde of act in it, his providence is in it. He gave up the Gentiles unto their owne lusts, Rom. 1.24.* 1.1 Hee sendeth the wicked strong delusions to be∣lieve lies. He did not only suffer Pharaohs heart to be hardned, but he hardned it indeed: How? Not infundendo malitiam, by infusing evill into our hearts, for they be as pots full of all impiety already: GOD needs not, nay GOD cannot, it is repugnant to his nature, to put any evill into us: yet hee doth not harden onely subtrahendo gratiam, though that bee one meanes; but by having an operation in the action: yet so as he is free from the least imputation of sinne. As hardnesse of heart comes from GOD, it is a punishment of sin, of our former contempt of his grace and mercie offered to us: as it proceedeth from our selves, it is a sinne, yea an horrible sinne.

To conclude, we first contemne that grace which should soften our hearts, and then God hardens them.

We our selves, properly to speake, are the hardners of our own hearts. GOD gives us his sacred word as a trumpet to waken us out of sinne, he sends us his Ministers and Preachers, as bells to toll us to the kingdome of heaven: they will us in GODS name to believe in CHRIST, to forsake our sinnes, be they never so neere or deere unto us: we for all that, harden our hearts, that those hea∣venly admonitions cannot enter into them. Let God say what hee will, let him preach by his Embassadours; we will still continue in

unbeliefe and dwell in our sinnes: we say with them in the Gospell, we will not have this man to reigne over us.* 1.2 Sinne shall be our King, Lord and Master. CHRIST IESUS shall not rule us by his word and Spirit. This is the hardnesse of heart that is in us by na∣ture. Oh Hierusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children to∣gether, and yee would not? Matth. 23.37. The LORD sent his Prophets early and late: 2 Chron. 36.16. and in Zach. 7.12. there is a wonderfull example to this purpose.

This hardnes of heart reigneth exceedingly at this present day, yea even in those townes where there is most plentifull preaching. Therefore let us intreat the LORD to give us a new heart, to take from us this heart of stone, and give us an heart of flesh: let us desire him, by the dew of his spirit to mollifie our hearts, that the heaven∣ly doctrines, exhortations and admonitions delivered to us, may sinke deepely into our hearts, and make a conversion of us: that our hearts may melt, as Iosiah's did at the hearing of the law. Nothing can enter into that which is hard: if the ground be hard, it cannot receive the seede: if the Waxe be hard, it cannot take the impres∣sion of any seale: and so long as our hearts remaine hard, they can∣not receive the immortall seed of the word, nor the print of the Spirit, which is GODS seale. Wherefore let us be suiters to God, to soften our hearts daily more and more. Above all evills, the Lord deliver us from hardnesse of heart, for that is the ready way to hell. When yee be at Sermons, harden not your hearts against the vices, that are reproved, but tremble at the word of GOD, bee grieved for your sins, open the doores of your hearts to the Lord Ie∣sus which standeth knocking at them with the hammer of his word, that he may come and suppe with you in this life, and you dine and suppe with him in the life to come.

From this hardnesse of heart he disswadeth them, by the feare∣full judgement of God, that fell upon their fathers for it: which he propounds first generally.

In the provocation. Hebr. (Meribah:) in the chiding and con∣tending, when the fathers chode and contended with Moses: which Saint Paul calls an exacerbation or provocation, because God by that was provoked to anger, in so much as he became very bitter in words and deeds towards the Israelites.

Doe not you dance after that Pipe, and walke according as they did.

Temptation. Hebr. (Massah,) which is expounded afterwards.

It is a question among interpreters, to what place of the Old Testament Saint Paul heere alludeth. Some referre it to that, Numb. 14. Where after the returne of the Spies they despaired of entring into the Land of Canaan, and murmured against GOD and Moses.

Others, to that. Exod. 17. where water came out of the rock: whereas before, they murmured for want of water. There may be some allusion to both places: for the one place hath her name of

the contending, and tempting, and is called, (Massah and Meribah;) and in the other place is contained the forme of the oath that God used.

Neverthelesse, it were fittest to expound it generally of the stubborne and contumelious behaviour of the Israelites in the wil∣dernesse, then of any one particular temptation.

1. Because he names no particular place, but the wildernesse in generall.

2. Because the tempting he speaketh of here, lasted the whole forty yeeres.

3. The word, (day,) is often taken in Scripture not for any set and prescript time, but for an indefinite time, a continuance of time, Ioh. 8.56. Psalm. 25.5. all the time that the temptation lasteth, Psalm. 50.15. As (to day) in the former verse was largely taken: So here.

4. Num. 14.22. It is apparant, that they tempted him many times.

Then he describeth it by all particular circumstances belonging to it.

1. By the place where this sinne was committed, in the wilder∣nesse, where they were subject to innumerable dangers, scarsitie of meat and drinke, to the invasion of wild beasts, compassed with enemies on every side: yet the LORD was as a wall of fire round about them, hee carryed them on Eagles wings, he suffered none to doe them any wrong, but reproved Kings for their sakes. Notwithstan∣ding in this place where they were continually under the wings of GODS protection, they tempted him and provoked him to wrath: as if the Child should scratch the nurses face, when hee is in her armes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Thes. 2.11.
• * 1.2

  Luk. 19.14.