Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	harden_v	heart_n	pharaoh_n	2,001	5	11.6391	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08569	A learned and very eloquent treatie [sic], writen in Latin by the famouse man Heironymus Osorius Bishop of Sylua in Portugal, wherein he confuteth a certayne aunswere made by M. Walter Haddon against the Epistle of the said bishoppe vnto the Queenes Maiestie. Translated into English by Iohn Fen student of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of Louen; In Gualtherum Haddonum de vera religione libri tres. English	Osório, Jerónimo, 1506-1580.; Fenn, John, 1535-1614.	1568 (1568)	STC 18889; ESTC S100859	183,975	578

he saith vnto Moyses I wil haue mercie on whom I haue mercie and I wil haue compassion on whom I haue compassion S. Paule geueth a reason wherfore no man can possibly laie any vniustice to God For the defence of Gods iustice standeth altogether in his mercie For that often repetition of Gods mercie signifieth his great constācie in geauing mercie And the mercy of God quiteth his iustice of al slaūden As though oure Lorde him selfe should saie I am by nature so merciful that I pleasure in no thing more then in pardoning of syns and in keeping a most cōstant and euerlasting mercie to mainteine them whome I haue receiued into my protection It may therefore be sene very wel when I do punnish syn ▪ that such as are cōdemned do perish through their owne default For if thei would come to good order thei might obtein the like mercy and be saued But forsomuch as of their own accord thei estemed more darkenes then light bondage then freedom ▪ pouertie then riches death then life it was iust that they shoulde be throwen downe headlōg into bitter paine and torment And so by this place which S. Paul allegeth after a heuēli sort of the assured nes of Gods mercie we see his iustice vtterly discharged of al slander Wherfore in the calamity of the Iews no mā could finde any lacke of truth in God but he might well blame the vnfaithfulnes and wicked stubbornes of them that would not be saued by the mercie of God Then to cōfirme this saying ād to teach vs that al hope of saluatiō is to be referred to the merci of God which is so freely offred to al mē he saith It is not therfore in hi that willeth neither in him that rūneth but in God that taketh mercy Wil importeth a desire rūning signifieth an earnest endeuour to honestie the which both are comprehēded in the benefit of God For it is he the which with often calling vpō me causeth me to wil it is he also the which geueth a cheerefulnes vnto my wil. Howbeit neither my desire neyther my cherfulnes shal haue ani good successe vnlesse he of his mercie shall bring both my wil and my earnest endeuour to perfection For our strength is appaired our hopes vanish al to nothing so often as the mercie of God for our vnkindnes of heart departeth from vs. When I therefore doe any good woorke it is to be ascribed neither to mans will as being naturallie inclined to honesty neither to my earnest endeuour but only to the mercy of God But that it might appeare yet more plainely that the Iewes fell not through the vniustice of God as vngodlie men reported but through their owne vnfaithfulnesse and wilfull sinne he reherseth the like example of naughtines and lacke of beleefe For God vsed the like meanes in callinge Pharao to honestie and fraying him from vnbeleefe But he of a pride and stubbornes which was in him would abuse the mercie of God to his farre greater punishmente and damnation Vppon this S. Paule bringeth in these wordes For the Scripture saith vnto Pharao for this haue I stirred thee vp that I maie shewe my power in thee and that my name may be declared in al the earth In the which place two thinges are to be noted The first is that Pharao was not driuen to suche outrage by any violence o● force of Gods behalfe as S. Paule declareth him self unon after The other point is that the wickednes of Pharao was therfore tolerated a great while of God the most wise and bountiful Lord of al things which out of euil thinges draweth euermore some good and bringeth thinges disordered into good order that by shewing one example of ●●ueritie he might kepe a great many men in wel doing And this may appeare much better if we will trie the wordes at the Hebrew fountaine for this sentence might very well be translated after this sorte For this cause haue I suffred thee to stand that I may sh●we my power to theo and that my name may be honoured in al the earth He sayeth not I haue taken away thy wittes from thee and I haue caused thee to be madde that thou shouldest continually rebell against mee but I haue suffred thee a greate while and haue differred thy due punnishmente that I mighte reserue it to the greater setting out of my glorie and the saluation of many men He called Pharao both to faith and also to honestie But for so much as Pharao regarded not the goodnesse of God but ranne on like a wild colt vpon an vnbridled affection it stode verie wel not onely with Goddes iustice but also with his mercie that many menne should by the most iust example of Pharao be put in feare and so brought to good ordre For as the gouernours of common weales doe vse to out of with constant seueritie such as they can not redresse by lighter punishmentes to the ende that they may by the terrour of that punishment keepe the rest of the citizins in ordre euen so doth that most high gouernour shew sometimes an exāple of seueritie vpon them that wil not be refourmed but wil vpō sinne wickedly cōmitted heape a shamelesse defence that he maie by the deathe of those lewd persons benefite the whole and that he may in punishing the wicked shew many points of his high mercie What is the cause then that we see that word so often repeted And God hardened the heart of Pharao To hardē is to g●ue vnto wicked men which do abuse good thīgs vnto malice some matter with the which they may encreace their syn and stubbornes Knowest thou not saith S. Paule that the goodnes of God mooueth the to penāce But thou according to thy hardnes and vnrepentaunt hart doest treasure vp to thy self displeasure In like maner therefore God caused not that hardnes in Pharao but Pharao refused the mercie of God and of a certaine hardnes and frowardnes that was rooted in him abused the clemēcy of God vnto greater syn and so encreased the heape of Gods wrathe towardes him euery day more and more Now marke how wonderfully the Apostle linketh together his argumēts ▪ First of al he declareth that to be a true Israelite cometh not of mans nature but of the grace of God Then he confirmeth the iustice of God by the greatnes of his grace which is offred freely to al men that wil vse it For by that mercie it is euidently seene that such as perished perished through theyr owne default and this doth he declare more plainly by the example of Pharao the whiche refused the mercie of God and was willingly forlorne that it might be gathered by this that the Iewes fell in like manner through their owne wilful blindnes bicause their hearte was to obstinatly bent and har●lened in wickednes and that their dānation is not to be imputed vnto God which called them to saluation ▪ but vnto their owne naughtines and stubbornes