mercy on whom he will, and he punishes whom he will.' Nor is it entirely destitute of philological support. In Job 39 : 16, it is said of the ostrich, " She treateth hardly her young." But, on the other hand, it is liable to serious objections. 1. It is certain that it is a very unusual sense of the word, and opposed to the meaning in which it frequently occurs. There should be very strong reasons for departing from the usual meaning of an expression so common in the Scriptures. 2. It is inconsistent with those passages in the Old Testament which speak of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. 3. It removes no difficulty ; for what, according to the usual sense of the word, is here said, is frequently said elsewhere.
The common sense of the word is, therefore, doubtless to be preferred, whom he luill he hardens. This is by many understood to express a direct and positive influence of God on the soul in rendering it obdurate. But, in the first place, this interpretation is by no means necessary, as will presently be shown ; and, in the second, it can hardly be reconciled with what the Bible elsewhere teaches of the divine character.
2. Others think that this phrase is to be explained by a reference to that scriptural usage according to which God is said to do whatever, in- directly and incidentally, results from his agency ; on the same princi- ple that a father is said to ruin his children, or a master his servants ; or that Christ is said to produce wars and divisions. Thus, Isa. 6 : 10, the prophet is commanded to make the heart of the people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, &c., as though to him were to be ascribed the incidental results of his preaching. In the same way the gospel is the cause of death (not of misery only, but of insensibility also) to those who hear and disregard it.
3. Nearly allied to this mode of explanation is that w^iich rests j on the assumption that God is said to do what he permits to be I done. Reference is made to such passages as the following. 2 Sam. I 12: 11, "I will give thy wives unto thy neighbour," i. e. I will per- ; mit him to take them. 2 Sam. 16 : 10, "The Lord hath said unto ! him, curse David." Isa. 63 : 17, " O Lord, why hast thou caused us ; to err from thy ways, and hardened our hearts from thy fear." Deut. I 2 : 30, " For the Lord thy God hardened his spirit (Sihon's), that he
might deliver him into thy hand." 1 Kings 11 : 23, " The Lord stirred up another adversary." Ps. 105 : 25, " He turned their hearts to hate his people." In 2 Sam. 24 : 1, God is said to have moved David to number the people; but in 1 Chron. 21 : 1, Satan is said to have pro- voked David to number Israel. From these and similar passages it is evident that it is a familiar scriptural usage, to ascribe to God effects which he allows in his wisdom to come to pass. Hence almost every thing is, at times, spoken of as if it was produced by divine agency, although, in a multitude of other places, these same results are referred, as in some of the examples cited above, to their immediate authors. According to this mode of representation, God is understood as merely