lOO Vs. R.!.J3• An Expojition, 'With Notes CHAP.t. is, God only offereth the occafion,by domg good to his people ; the Egyptianpurfued them out ofenvy and jealoufie : God, I fay, only gave the occafion, did not refl:rain their malice, therefore he is faid to do it. There are other places which imply,that God harde~eth, blindetb finners, delivereth them over to areprobatefenfe, tofend thema frrong &bfion, as Rom. 1. z Thef.z.I 1. and inmany other places. I anfwer in general to them all: God by doing thefe things doth not tempt the good, that they may become evil, but only mofl: jufilypunijhcth the evil with evil; this hardening, blinding, is not a withdrawing a good quality froin them,but a puni£hment accord– ing to their wickednefs ~ particularly God is faid toharden, as he dothnotfoften; he cloth not infufe evil, but only withhold grace; hardnefs ofhr~Jrt is mans fin, but hardening, Gods judgment. So again, God is faid to ma~ blina,as he doth not i;;/ighten, as freez~ ing and darknefs follow upon the abfence of the Sun ; he doth not infufe evil, nor cake away any good thing from them, but only re– fufeth to give them more grace, or to confirm them in the good they have. So alfo God is faid to give up to luffs, when he doth not refrrain us, but leaveth us to our own fway, and the tempta– tions of Satan. So God is faid to.fend aftrong lye, when he fuffcr• eth us to be carried away with it. God indeed fore-feeth and know· eth how we will behave our !elves upon thefe temptations, but the fore-fight ofa thing doth not cau(e it. . Some urge that -x Kings 22. 22. Thou fhalt be a lyingJPirtt, ga forth and do.fo, and thou fhalt prevail With him : But that's only a Parabolical Scheam of providence, and implyeth not acharge and commijfion fo much as apermijfion. Others urge chafe places which do direcHy feem to refer fin to God, as qm,45. 5,8. Be not grieved nor offended, it W.u not you that font me hither, it W.u 11ot you, but God: The very fending, which was a finful act, is taken off from man, and appropriated to God. So 1 King1 12 ; 15. The King heark!nedtJot unto the people, for the Ct-iufe \V.u f rom the Lord: That rebellit'n there is faid to be from the Lord. I anfwcr, Thefe things are faid to be of the lord,becaufe he would dilpofe of them to his own glory and work out his own defigns .and ?ecrees. There are fame othe; places ur– ged, as whereGod 1S fatd to deliver Chrifl, to bruife and afftic& him,which was an evil aCl:, &c. but rhefe only imply aprov~denti~tl ajJiflance and co-operation 1 by which God concurrcth to every . aCtion
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