ufe of to convince fuch of the neceffity of repentance, and of their want of it; and fo God may in this way bring his elect to it, according to his eternal purposes and defigns. Moreover, turning from tranfgref -fion does not intend the firft work of internal, faving converfion, which is wrought by the powerful and efficacious grace of God, and in which men are purely paffive; but an external reformation, or a bringing forth fruits meet for repentance; in which perfons may be, and are active; fince it is not reasonable to fuppofe, that the house of Ilrael, and every one of them, fhould be in an unconverted state. Befides, fome give the fense of these words thus; not turn your felves, but turn others, every man his neighbour, or his brother; fo R. Sol. Farchi, R. David Kimchi, R. Sol. Hammelec, and fome Christian interpreters.

III. The ruin the houfe of Ifrael was in danger of through iniquity, and which they might efcape by repentance and reformation, was not eternal, but temporal; fo iniquity shall not be your ruin, bwon, a stumbling block to you, an hindrance, an obstruction, lying in the way of your enjoyment of temporal bleffings; therefore caft away from you all your tranfgreffions. This fense of the words may be confirmed from the advantages propofed to fuch who

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Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions, whereby ye have tranfgreffed, and make you a new heart, and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O boufe of Ifrael? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God: Wherefore turn your felves, and live ye.

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HIS paffage of fcripture is frequently ufed by the patrons of free-will, and oppofers of God's grace, in which they imagine the power of man in converfion, is ftrongly afferted, and the doctrine of reprobation fufficiently difproved; but whether they are or are not, we fhall be better able to judge when the following things are confidered.

I. That the exhortation to caft away their tranfgreffions from them, regards either their fins themselves, which they had committed, and fhews, that they were not only unprofitable, but pernicious, and fo to be dislik'd and abhorr'd as such things are, that are proper to be caft away; or else the punishment due to

* Remonftr. in Coll. Hag. Art. iii, iv. p. 216. A&, Synod. p. 78, &c. Curcell. 1. s. c. 6. §. 1. p. 353. & 1. 6. c. 14. §. 8. p. 408. Limborch. 1. 4. c. 5. §. 2. p. 331, & c. 13. P. 374.

their fins, which they might have removed and caft off from them by their repentance and reformation, and is the fenfe Kimchi gives of the words; or rather those things, particularly their idols, by which they tranf greffed. Now let it be obferved, that this phrafe of cafting away tranfgreffions, is no where else used, is peculiar to Ezekiel, and fo may be best interpreted by Chap. xx. 7, 8. Then faid I unto them, Caft ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not your felves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me; They did not every man cast away the abōminations of their eyes, neither did they for fake the idols of Egypt. Now these idols were the abominations of their eyes, were the cause of their tranfgreffions, or that by which they tranfgrefed, which their own hands had made unto them for a fin1; and what they had power, or were able to caft away from them; and no ways militates against the neceffity of an unfruftrable operation in conversion.

II. The other exhortation, to make them a new heart, and a new fpirit, admitting that it defigns a renewed, regenerated heart and fpirit, in which are new principles of light, life and love, grace and holiness, it

will not prove that it is in the power of an unregenerate man, to make himself fuch an heart and fpirit; fince from God's commands, to man's power, non valet confequentia, is no argument: God commands men to keep the whole law perfectly; it does not follow from hence that they can do it; his precepts fhew what man ought to do, not what he can do: Such an exhortation as this, to make a new heart, may be defigned to convince men of their want of one, and of the importance of it, that withbut it is no falvation; and fo be the means, through the efficacious grace of God, of his elect enjoying this bleffing; for what he here exhorts to, he has abfolutely promised in the new covenant; A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. Though it ought to be observed, that thefe words are not spoken to unconverted perfons, but to the house of Ifrael, every one of them; who cannot be thought, efpecially all of them, to have been at that time, in an unregenerate ftate; and therefore must not be understood of the firft work of renovation, but of fome after renewings, which were to appear in their external converfation, and fo the words have the fame fenfe as thofe of the apostle Paul to the believing Ephefians", Be ye renewed in the fprit of your

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m Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 4 Eph. iv. 23, 24.