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
A45355	Deus justificatus, or, The divine goodness vindicated and cleared against the assertors of absolute and inconditionate reprobation together with some reflections on a late discourse of Mr. Parkers, concerning the divine dominion and goodness.	Hallywell, Henry, d. 1703?; Womock, Laurence, 1612-1685.	1668 (1668)	Wing H460; ESTC R25403	132,698	316

to or Reprobation from Eternal life and happiness For 1. If this were loving from eternity God could not afterward have given Jacob and the people of Israel a Law annexing a conditional benediction to it For that which God had decreed to them by an immutable and special Decree could not be promised to them under the condition of obedience for it implies a contradiction that a thing should be absolute and conditional at the same time and to the same persons 2. If this love were absolute and eternal to Jacob and his Posterity they could not then have fallen from Gods grace and favour which we find some of them did 1 Cor. x. 5. Heb. iii. 19. As therefore the love here mentioned cannot signifie an Election to eternal life so neither can the Hatred denote eternal Reprobation 1. Because 't is often taken otherwise in Scripture comparatively for a less degree of love and therefore may admit of a more candid interpretation Deut. xxi 15. If a man have two wives one beloved and another hated i. e. If he have one that he loves less then the other For it being lawful at that time to divorce their wives it would scarce ever happen what the text implies if hating were taken properly for who would retain a wife that he really and truly hated when he might put her away and take another which he loved better So Gen. xxviii 31. When the Lord saw that Leah was hated i. e. as in the precedent verse loved with a less degree of affection then Rachel After the same manner must the words of Christ be expounded in the Gospel Luke xiv 26. If any man cometh to me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hateth not his Father and Mother i. e. if he love not me more then them he cannot be a true Christian 2. That cannot be the object of such an eternal and implacable hatred which hath no cause of hatred in it but Esau had no cause in him that God should thus hate him Before the children had done good or evil Vers 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may here observe that they do very much misconstrue and misapply the words of the Apostle who make this the sense of them as if it were not at all requisite for obtaining life and eternal Salvation that we should live well and diligently attend to the exercise and performance of faith and good works This I say is a dangerous error and mistake and every holy man experiences the effects of the contrary to be most true For 1 Cor. ix 24. all Christians are plainly and distinctly commanded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to run that they may obtain the heavenly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and reward of their labours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all run but one obtains the prize 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so run that ye may obtain So likewise Heb. xii 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us run with patience And there is the same reason of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job vii 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine And upon this account incredulous and unbelieving persons are reprehended for this very thing that they Will not come unto Christ John v. 40. And Christ complains of Jerusalem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I would but ye would not Wherefore when it is said here It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth we must not understand it of that Will whereby a man would do what God commands him But the sense is this That it is not sufficient for the acquisition of Divine favour and grace that we seek it after any sort but it necessarily lies upon us and stands us in stead to endeavour after it by that way and means by which God hath declared to us it may be acquired And hence the Apostle gives an indication of the fruitless attempts of the Jews in contending with so much zeal and noise for the obedience of the Law when God required faith in his Son whom he had sent into the world of them and had openly declared that men should be accounted righteous not by the works of the Law but by the faith of the Gospel Verse 18. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hardens is by many misunderstood and therefore will need some explication That God hardened Pharaoh's heart the Scripture testifies but of the manner how it was done we are now to enquire Some understand this hardning of the heart to be a positive act of God either by conveying a new degree of obstinacy and refractoriness into it or by intending and corroborating that which was in it before But this is neither agreeable to the purity and simplicity of the Divine Nature nor consentaneous to any Oeconomy which God has yet manifested to the World for his Holiness is such that he cannot be the cause or Author of any Impurity or Rebellion which this way of solution would certainly charge upon him The Reverend and Learned Dr. Hammond in his Annotations upon this place observes That God is not said to harden Pharaoh 's heart although he predicted it before in Chap. iv 21. vii 3. till after the sixt judgment and the addition of a special warning given him by Moses before that and then 't is said Exod. ix 12. as it were in a new style The Lord hardens Pharaoh's heart By which computation of time when God hardned Pharaoh's heart he thinks it will appear what is the proper intimation of hardning viz. The total substraction of Gods grace of Repentance from him in the same manner as when one is cast into Hell which Pharaoh at that time had been had it not been more for Gods Glory to continue him alive a while in that desperate irreversible condition which sure was no whit worse to him but somewhat better and more desirable then to have been adjudged to those flames all that time But methinks with submission to more excellent judgments the main of this Explication is not so solid so rational and coherent as might be desired For 1. It may very well be question'd Whether those plagues which were inflicted on him after the immission of the sixt judgment and consequently after God is said to harden his heart were not as efficacious for his amendment and so designed of God as any of the former That they were sufficiently convictive and of force and power enough to subdue and conquer his untamed spirit if he would have made a right use of them is evident as well from Gods upbraiding the people of Israel of incredulity upon this very reason and account that they refused to be wrought upon by those many notable miracles and signs done in the midst of them Deut. xxix 2 3 4. as from the temporarious penitence and suddain sensibility of his miscarriage which the actual and present immission of judgment drew from him Exod. ix 27 28. I have sinned this time and so likewise Chap. x.

16 17. That those after-judgments were also intended of God for the emendation of this obstinate King is I think as clear from the expostulation of Moses and Aaron with him Exod. x. 3. 4. How long wilt thou refuse to humble thy self Let my people go which plainly supposes both that the designation of the Judgment was to humble him and that there was a possibility still of reducing him to that pliable and sequacious temper And if it were otherwise these and the like menaces and threatnings If thou refuse to let my people go I will do thus and thus unto thee would be wholly supervacaneous and ineffectual Nay they would argue an unworthy exprobration in God of his obstinate detention of the people and refusal to submit to his will when he had not strength and power sufficient to attempt the contrary 2. It may well be doubted Whether that Divine Goodness which is alwayes ready to breath upon the least spark of the life of God in every rational Being and assists every good motion and forwardness towards the formation of Gods holy image in every man would not likewise have been as urgent and efficacious in Pharaoh for the mollifying his obdurate spirit before he was taken out of the world had he rightly and duly managed those heavy punishments in order to his melioration i. e. if he would have complyed with the will of God The sum of all therefore seems to be this That Almighty God the ever-wise and benign Creator of all things being conscious to all the affections intrigues and hidden recesses of the spirit of Man only knows how and when to apply a soveraign remedy and like a skilful Chirurgion proportions his medicaments to the nature and quality of the wound and seldom makes use of those more ungentle wayes of cauterizing and excision till necessity and the preservation of the whole urge him to it And even in this singular instance of Pharaoh we may trace the footsteps of Gods benignity and love as that Holy and Pious Father excellently well observes Origen Philocal cap. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore we may well interpret this hardning which is attributed to God to consist not in any positive act nor yet in the total subtraction of his grace but to be an accidental effect of his kindness and mercy toward Pharaoh in removing that sharp and uneasie though salutary discipline which being not carefully and rightly made use of became an occasion of a greater hardness and obduracy As saith the Father in the same Chapter when a Master forbears to punish a wicked servant he sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have spoiled you and I have made you wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. In like manner those things which proceed from Gods benignity and goodness as if they had been the cause of Pharaoh 's obduracy are said to harden his heart And the Philosopher spake true when he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That it is the greatest evil that possibly can befal a Criminal to be suffered to continue unpunished in wickedness Verse 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To shew his displeasure i. e. The effect of his displeasure to punish by a notable and exemplary way as he did Pharaoh so the word is used Luke xxi 23. For there shall be great distress in the land 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Punishment and Judgment the effect of Wrath upon this people So likewise Rom. iii. 5. Is God unrighteous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who punisheth or taketh vengeance So that this is far from what Beza and other Supralapsarians would inferr as if this Demonstration of his anger were the prime and ultimate end which God proposed in the eternal Reprobation of Men. For what can we imagine more inconsistent and unsutable with the Divine Nature then to be eternally angry with the innocent and undeserving And what more contradicts the gracious Revelation of God whereby he declares himself propense to Mercy and slow to Anger against impenitent sinners then this which makes him equally displeased with the guiltless and criminal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Suffered with much patience and longanimity punishing them not so oft nor when he might justly do it but letting them take as it were the reins into their own hands and break through all the fences and hedges whereby the Divine Goodness sought to restrain them into exorbitancy and impiety and so render themselves more uncapable of a mild and gentle Oeconomy This being the genuine sense we can in no wise approve of their extravagant conjecture who take to themselves the liberty which they thanklessly give to God of making their wills and fancies the rule of their interpretations and actions that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is only a bare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or forbearance of punishment complicated and conjoyned with a peremptory purpose of eternally excruciating and damning those who were designed to destruction For doubtless this longanimity of God contains and runs upon the supposal of antecedent Exhortations Threatnings and Promises as so many gracious methods to reduce men to Repentance which cannot without clear hypocrisie and dissimulation be affirmed of Reprobates in the Supralapsarian sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction Here the Supralapsarians endeavour to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Creari * Vide Beza in hunc locum whereby they would obtrude that God creates men vessels of wrath on purpose to destroy them without any consideration had to any qualifications whatever which being a Doctrine so absurd and unbecoming the Majesty of an Al-wise and good God it will be confutation enough to any rational person to rehearse it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore is an Hebraisme for there being but few verbals in the Hebrew tongue a Particle is used for a Verbal and signifies no more then fit or ready as Luke vi 40. The Disciple is not above his Master 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but every one that is perfect shall be as his Master For the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies fit and is usually rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes from the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which sometimes is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal lxviii 10. lxxiv. 16. lxxxix 38. By vessels of wrath then are meant men who by their own voluntary and heynous transgressions become so far liable to Gods judgment that his wrath may without any appearance of injustice be poured on them as vessels fit for no other use and the adaptation or fitting of them for a severe destruction must be attributed to themselves and to the inflexibleness of their irreclaimable dispositions Thus men are said in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to fit themselves to destruction in the same sense as they are said to wrong their own souls and to love death Prov. viii