II. of a Metonymy of the Effect

    CHAPTER II.

    OF A METONYMY OF THE EFFECT

    A Metonymy of the effect is, when the effect is put for the efficient cause, which is done three ways, as,

    1. When the action or the effect is put for the author or person effecting.

    2. When a thing effected by an instrument, is put for the instrument or organical

    cause.

    2. When the effect is put for the thing or actioneffecting.

    1.The Action or Effect is put for the Author or Person effecting.

    As Ge 15:1, "I am (says Jehovah to Abraham) thy exceeding great reward," that is, I am a most liberal Giver of reward, De 30:20, "He is thy life and length of days," that is, he is the cause of it. Ge 49:18, "I have waited for thy salvation," that is, the promised Messiah, the Author of salvation, as Lu 2:30, where Simeon says, "Mine eyes have seen my salvation," that is Christ. All the flesh shall see to swthrion ton Oeon the salvation of God, that is, a Saviour. See Isa 49:6, etc., Ps 3:3-4, and Ps 106:20, and Ps 27:1, "Thou art my light, salvation, strength," etc., that is, the Author and cause of them; so Ps 18:2, and Ps 22:20, and Ps 33:20, and Ps 46:2; Jer 16:19, and Ps 23:6; Joh 11:25, and Joh 14:16; 1Co 1:30; Eph 2:14; 1Jo 5:20, and Heb 5:9; Ro 15:5,13; 2Co 1:3; Lu 1:50.

    Lu 11:14, "And he (viz. Jesus) was casting out a devil, and it was dumb; "that is, he made the man (in whom he was) dumb, or suffered him not to speak, and so was the cause of dumbness. See Mt 9:32-33, and Mr 9:17,25; Lu 13:11.

    It is said, Ge 26:35, "That Esau's wives were a grief of mind," or as the Hebrew says, (bitterness of spirit) unto Isaac and Rebecca, that is the cause of sadness and trouble of spirit. See Ge 25:23; Ne 12:31; Ro 13:3, "Rulers are not a terror (that is a cause of terror) to good men," 2Co 1:14, "We are your rejoicing, as ye are ours."

    The Greek is kauxhma, which signifies (glorifying or boasting,) that is, the cause of your rejoicing and glorying, inasmuch as we instructed you in the Gospel, which is the way of salvation, and you likewise are our glory, inasmuch as we have won you to Christ, 1Th 2:19-20; Ro 5:5.

    2. When a Thing effected by an Instrument, is put for the Instrument or Organical Cause.

    Glory is put for the tongue, Ps 16:9, "My heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth," that is, my tongue, because it is the organ by which God is and ought to be glorified, suitable to Ac 2:26, "Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad." See Ps 30:12,12, and Ps 5:7,9.

    Power is put for the organ exerting power, as Ro 1:16, "The gospel is (dunamiv) the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; "that is, the gospel is the means or organ by which God exerts or puts forth the power of his salvation to believers, Eph 1:19.

    Victory is put for the instrument of overcoming, as 1Jo 5:4, "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith; "that is, the instrument of victory, Eph 6:16.

    Life is put for the means of its preservation, De 24:6, "No man shall take the nether, or the upper millstone to pledge, for he taketh a man's life (or XXXX, soul) to pledge,"that is, the instruments that are necessary for the preservation of life, Pr 7:27; life is put for food and maintenance, Lu 15:12, "He divided unto them," ton bion, his life, that is, his estate; or, as we translate it, "his living." Hesiod, Lib. 2. calls money the soul of a man:

    Xrhmata gar ynxh peletai deiloisi brotoisi.

    1. When the Effect is put for the Thing or Action effecting.

    This species of a Metonymy is distinctly found in nouns and verbs, as when the effect is put for the cause materially, as 2Ki 4:10, "There is death in the pot," that is, deadly poison, which will cause death. So death is put for great perils and dangers, troubles or calamities, which cause death, Ex 10:17; Ro 7:24; 2Co 1:10, and 2Co 11:23. And for the plague, Re 6:8. See Pr 11:23; Jer 3:24. Shame is put for an idol, Jer 11:13; Ho 9:10. The reason of the name you may see Jer 48:13, "And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence. See Eze 44:18; Ho 12:1, "Ephraim daily increaseth lies and desolation;" that is, he commits such evils, that nothing can be expected but desolation and calamity.

    See more examples, La 2:14; 1Co 12:6,8; 14:3, "He that prophesieth, speaketh unto men edification, (so the Greek, lalei oikodomhn kai &c.,) and exhortation, and comfort," that is, an edifying, exhorting, and comforting speech.

    Sometimes the effect is put formally for the cause, as De 30:15, "I have set before thee this day, life and good, death and evil;" that is, I have clearly showed and laid before thee what is the cause and original of each, or for what cause and reason, either of these was to come upon thee, viz., to love and obey God brings life and good; but rebellion, sin, and disobedience bring death and evil, as the following verses made evident. This is called, Jer 21:8, "The way of life and death." See more De 32:47; Pr 19:3, and Pr 20:1; Isa 28:12, "This is rest," that is, the cause of rest, or the way and manner of arriving at it. Ho 4:18, "Their drink is sour" (or gone;) that is, their cause of recess from God, or that which made them backslide, as ver. 11, (Ho 4:11) "Whoredom and wine, and new wine taketh away the heart." Which words, (viz., take away the heart) are emphatical, for they denote that they were (as it were) wallowing in these evils, when they gave themselves to whoredom and drunkenness. They saw and knew what was better, and approved them,[i] but they followed the worse, and so the devil keeps them that are drowned in these wickednesses (as it were) captives, 2Ti 2:26; for the Hebrew word here, is used when they speak of such as are taken and detained by force, Ge 14:11-12; Jos 11:19,23, etc., Mic 1:5, "what is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?" That is, as Kimchi (in lib. Radicum) expounds it, was the cause of the defection of Jacob? was it not the cities of Samaria, etc.: see Hab 2:5; Joh 3:19 "And this is the judgment or condemnation;" that is, the cause of it, Joh 12:50, "And I know that his commandment is life everlasting; that is, the cause or organ by which everlasting life is obtained, for he speaks of saving knowledge by the gospel, Ro 7:7, "Is the law sin?" that is, the cause of sin in or by itself. So Ro 8:6, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace;" that is, the cause of death, and the cause of life and peace, as ver. 10. (Ro 8:10) See Php 1:13; Heb 4:1, and Heb 9:14,[ii]) and Ro 4:23.

    [i] Video meliora, proboque; deteriora Sequor. Ovid

    [ii] Here the scanned PDF indicated this reference to be Hebrews xix, as this means chapter 19, I concluded it to be a printer's mistake and looking at Heb 9:14 determined that passage showed the concept of cause and effect under discussion. (de)

    In verbs, to joy and rejoice are put for to be freed, or delivered from evil, and to be or do well, which is the cause of joy, Ps 70:4, "Let all those that seek thee rejoice, and be glad in thee; that is, let them be freed from all evil, that they may have cause of joy. The cause and effect are joined, Ps 5:11-12. To be ashamed and confounded, signifies a falling into calamities, and be exposed to violence which is the cause of confusion, Ps 25:1-2, and Ps 3:8,8, and Ps 31:2, and Ps 119:115-116, etc.

    To please signifies good behaviour and honest respect, which is the cause of complacency, as Ro 15:2, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for good to edification." See Erasmus upon the place, 1Co 10:33.

    Haste or flight is put for shame and confusion, Isa 28:16, "He that believeth shall not make haste;" that is, he shall not be confounded, as Ro 9:33, and Ro 10:11; 1Pe 2:6. The effect and consequence of confusion is flight, or a hasty getting away from the sight of men this also signifies calamities and punishments, as limited before, see Ps 74:15; Isa 28:28; Ec 11:1; Job 28:5; Ps 104:13-14; Isa 47:2, and Isa 33:12; Jos 11:8, and Jos 13:6.