men, it only implies, that fuch wisdom in them would be well pleafing to him. Befides, fuch a mode of fpeaking may be used, either by way of complaint of ignorance, or as expreffing pity for it, or as upbraiding with it, and that in order either to bring to a sense of it, and encourage to apply to him for wisdom, who gives it liberally, or to leave inexcufable. But,

V. The words are not deliver'd in the form of a wifh, but are an hypothetical propofition. The Hebrew word 15, fignifies if', and the whole verse should be render'd thus; If they were wife, they would understand this; they would confider their latter end: And fuppofing them to be understood in a spiritual fenfe, the meaning is; had they been wife to do good, as they are to do evil, they would have understood the things that belong to their fpiritual peace and welfare, and would have seriously confider'd the laft iffue and end of all things, and themselves; but they are not wife in things divine and spiritual, and therefore have no understanding of

The three Targums of Onkelos, Jonathan and Jerusalem, render it by 1, if; as do alfo R. Sol. Jarchi, R Aben Ezra, and R. Levi Ben Gerfom, in loc. So Nolaius in Concord. partic. Ebr. Chald. p 503. tranflates the words, si faperent, intelligerent ifta; fo the Arabic and Syriac verfions. The Septuagint feems to have read for 12, fince they render them ἐκ ἐφρίνησαν συνιέναι, they were not wife to underland, fo the Samaritan verfion.

them;

them; nor d their finful a days, how from nor that av

after death. 23 ther they fral g

VI. After a

ftood of the
concerns the
any. Inftance
people of Iran
7, 8, 9, 10, 11:2
many fine agam:

to him, are y

which drew Gore

tion agamft Le of many fevere

22, 23:24:25 cuted of the

of the enemy

bans toemiers fer, Oures.

done all tax. ver et

were C TRICOT RULE

there an u

for if the had ter
underfoss for.
to 1.12.
people of Irae. wa.
them; for otIKI WAS

a thousand, i. e. one Gentile a thousand If raelites; and two put ten thousand to flight, except their rock had fold them, and the Lord bad fhut them up? ver. 30. They would also have confider'd their own end, or what must befal them in length of time; that as God had, cut off and destroy'd his people Ifrael for their fins, fo they might expect the fame destruction for iniquities of a like kind. Now fince this is the plain and obvious sense of the words, they cannot be ufed with any propriety in the controverfy about the doctrines of diftinguishing grace.

NU MB. VII. Pfal. lxxxi. 13, 14.

O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Ifrael had walked in my ways: I should foon have fubdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adverfaries.

'HIS paffage is produced by the Re

Tmonftrants, to prove the refiftibility

of the grace of God in conversion *, in favour of the defectibility of the faints, and by a late writer, as irreconcileable with God's decrees of election and reprobation, and the doctrine of particular redemption,

* In Coll. Hag. Art. iii, iv. p. 216, 219. Art. v. p. 15. Ed. Bert.

whitby, p. 77, 181, 222.

and

and as proving that men have a fufficiency ability to do what God vithes they woul do. But let it be consider'd,

I That admitting the words contain : with and ienire or God for the ritua welfare and convertion of men, then a vita can only be icribed to im 11 gurative ente, is has been bierved uncer Withing canner

ceding mumper.

buted to God in uch fente as in
who often withes for that veniun
dower to perform anathemand fo
be done by her and
of God. viour impeachla
ence. When God :

a thousand, i. e. one Gentile a thousand If raelites; and two put ten thousand to flight, except their rock bad fold them, and the Lord bad fhut them up? ver. 30. They would also have confider'd their own end, or what must befal them in length of time; that as God had, cut off and destroy'd his people Ifrael for their fins, fo they might expect the same destruction for iniquities of a like kind. Now fince this is the plain and obvious fenfe of the words, they cannot be ufed with any propriety in the controverfy about the doctrines of diftinguishing grace.

NU MB. VII. Pfal. lxxxi. 13, 14.

O that my people had hearkened unto me, and · Ifrael had walked in my ways: I should foon have fubdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adverfaries.

'HIS paffage is produced by the Re

Tmonftrants, to prove the refiftibility

of the grace of God in converfion, in favour of the defectibility of the faints, and by a late writer, as irreconcileable with God's decrees of election and reprobation, and the doctrine of particular redemption,

* In Coll. Hag. Art. iii, iv. p. 216, 219. Art. v. p. 15. Ed. Bert.

y whitby, p. 77, 181, 222.

and