Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	harden_v	pharaoh_n	plague_n	2,988	5	10.1557	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51734	De termino vitæ; or The term of life Viz. Whether it is fix'd or alterable; with the sense of the Jewish doctors, both ancient and modern, touching predestination and free-will. Also an explication of several obscure passages and prophecies in the Old Testament; together with some remarkable customs observ'd by the Jews. Written in Latin by the famous Menasseh Ben Israel the Jew and now translated into English. To which are added, the author's life, never before publish'd; and a catalogue of his works.; De termino vitæ. English.	Manasseh ben Israel, 1604-1657.	1700 (1700)	Wing M374; ESTC R217049	59,956	151

upon those words Gen. 39.10 He hearken'd not unto her to lie by her or to be with her He would not lie with her in this World lest he should suffer with her in the next Now because these Actions depended upon both their Free-wills therefore one deserves Eternal Praise and Glory and the other Everlasting Disgrace and Ruine If we allow any such thing as Rewards and Punishments we must necessarily admit of Free-will Wherefore God always supports and helps those Persons that mind their Duty and are industrious but disregards the Lazy and Slothful SECT 10. As to the third thing I am to prove Maimonides affirms that if men's Sins are very heinous and notorious there is no room for Repentance and in confirmation of his Opinion he us'd to alledge that of Isaiah 6.10 and 2 Chron. 36.16 So that according to him God harden'd the Heart of Pharaoh for his Sins Exod. 14.4 Likewise Sihon and Og King of Basan were so wicked that their Repentance could not avert their Punishment Agreeable to this Opinion it is that God sometimes takes away Free-will from Sinners Certain it is that God deprives Men of their Estates Honours Life and Liberty for their Iniquities The Ancients too were of this Mind But what we read in Tanhuma is worth our Observation Three things says the Author God has put into our Power viz. our Hands Feet and Mouth and there are three things which are not in our Power viz. our Eyes Ears and Nose for we see hear and smell many things that are offensive to us God oftentimes debars us the use of those things which are in our Power by reason of our Sins Thus God wither'd the Hand of Jeroboam which he reach'd out to seize the Prophet and made Balaam bless the Israelites whom he design'd to curse Therefore it is evident that God very often obstructs Men's Actions and can abridge their Power Hence Abravanel confesses that when God intends to reward or punish any Person nothing can prevent it An instance of this he says we have in the Infatuation of Achitophel because God was resolv'd to punish Absolom To this belong the words of Jerem. 10.23 2 Sam. 17.14 Isa 14.27 Isaac Arama is of opinion that Repentance is never too late For says he it is always acceptable to God But he affirms that for the Murder of our Neighbour Repentance is ineffectual and therefore we can't escape Punishment for that If I may have leave to declare my Judgment in this Case I do firmly believe that God never forces or takes away the use of our Free-will but always mercifully disposes the means as they are more or less agreeable to our inclinations like the primum mobile which carries round the inferiour Orbs yet every one of them hath a distinct Motion I shall illustrate my meaning by this Example God design'd that the Israelites should continue in the Egyptian Bondage so many Years and that Joseph should be advanc'd above all his Brethren Now God compell'd no body to accomplish this Design but he only so order'd the means that Joseph might be sold to the Midianitish Merchants and then this way he might come into Egypt In like manner God intended to display the miraculous Signs of his Power among the Egyptians but how by hardening Pharaoh's Heart so that he should have no use of his Free-will No but by so contriving it that the King might have occasion by the free Use or rather the Abuse of his Will of hardening his Heart Thus when he saw his own Magicians work the same Miracles which Moses's did he disregarded them He perceiv'd that the Plagues could be easily remov'd and so was not much concern'd at them but obstinately refus'd to dismiss the People till he was surpriz'd with the Slaughter of his Son and all the First-born of his Subjects Thus we must understand that God harden'd the Hearts of Sihon and Og the King of Basan For the Israelites had sent Messengers to the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites to request a Passage through the Borders of their Country but being deny'd they went another way Now Sihon and Og expected that they would do the same to them but when they saw they would not they took up Arms and stiffly oppos'd their Passage but unhappily for they were presently conquer'd Here God only gave an opportunity to their perverseness but did not in the least force their Wills that he might punish them God also determin'd to divide Solomon's Kingdom but which way did he effect it not by compelling Rehoboam but by giving occasion that by the Advice of his young Counsellours by whom he was directed he might refuse to lessen the People's Taxes and so Abijah's Prophecy was fulfill'd Thus I think all the Places where God seems to deprive Man of his Free-will that he may punish him may be explain'd For as Princes know how wisely and prudently to manage their Affairs that they may obtain their Designs So does God who is the King of Heaven and Earth in like manner dispose all things without impairing our Free-wills that he may effect his Resolutions that he may mercifully recompence some and justly punish others To this belong the words of Solomon Prov. 21.1 The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the Rivers of Water he inclineth it whithersoever he will He does not say he forceth but inclineth and this is all that I propos'd to prove SECT 11. There still remains one difficult and intricate Question which I will endeavour to solve and it is this How can Man's Free-will and God's Fore-knowledge be reconcil'd together This seem'd inexplicable to Cajetan very crabbed to Vasquez and the Jews unanimously confess that it is very abstruse Hence Maimonides says that God's Knowledge is not an Accident as Man's is but is the very Essence of God Wherefore as Men can't comprehend the Essence of God according to that in Exod. 33.20 There shall no man see me and live So neither can they apprehend how God fore-knows things Isaiah 55.8 It is evident says the same Author that Men have Free-will and no Body doubts but God knew all things from Eternity but it is still a Question how God knows things and yet Man have the Liberty of his Will For to enquire which way God knows things is as much as to desire the Knowledge of God himself both which cannot be attain'd in this Life To this belongs the Answer of Bias who was ask'd how God was acquainted with humane Affairs and Actions It is certain says he there is a God whose Providence is over all and it is likewise certain that we have a Free-will but how God knows our Actions is easie to conjecture but difficult to explain R. Abraham Bar David a Rival of Malmonides says that Maimonides indeed did propose the Question but did not answer it and therefore he had better have let it alone Wherefore this Rabbi offering his Opinion to explain the manner of God's Prescience