The Justice of Mercy and Hardness

He says that a just and powerful judgment, contributing to the common benefit of the world, is unmerciful toward the one being judged—since indeed it is unmerciful—and is a judgment of mercy toward the one who has not acted mercifully. Pharaoh, through the Israelites, has shown that mercy is nothing other than all harshness. Therefore, he has taken away the mercy of the one who did not provide this to others, just as the Savior says regarding the opposites, concerning those who surrender and being surrendered; he acts justly according to the equality of judgment and the retribution of righteousness, but not to show mercy to the sinner is no longer guarding the equal standard regarding other sinners who were shown mercy.

Therefore the apostle proceeds again: 'So then, whom he wishes to show mercy, whom he wishes to harden' (Romans 9:18), and the following. For he who, he says, does not attain equality toward other sinners, but instead of being shown mercy, or toward a transition of wickedness, is called to suffer the opposite and is handed over to be hardened, how could he still justly receive the reproach from God, seeing that he does not attain equality with those being shown mercy?

For neither is Pharaoh hardened, nor is anyone else among those falling into judgment able to resist or to be the cause of the hardness of the one being hardened. This is clearly evident also, but where he says: 'O man, even for your sake, seek the divine mystical reason for this inequality.'

For indeed, it is said beforehand that the not showing mercy to the sinner is outside of injustice, being a matter of providential wisdom, not of judicial retribution.