tion of men, but of the temporal fafety and happiness of the people of Ifrael, had they acted according to the advice given them; in returning and reft fhall ye be faved, h. e. if ye return from the evil counfel ye have taken, which is not of me, faith the Lord, ver. 1. and reft quietly in your own land, and do not walk to go down into Egypt, nor feek to Pharaoh for help, ver. 2, 3. ye shall be faved, you fhall be in fafety, no enemy shall break in upon you, or difturb you; in quietnefs and in confidence fhall be your strength; your ftrength is to fit ftill, ver. 7. quietly to abide in Jerufalem, in your own cities, and truft in my power and protection, then ye need not fear any enemy; and ye would not; but ye faid, for we will flee borfes, to Egypt for horfes, or upon borfes, which we have had from thence; therefore fhall ye flee; we will ride upon the fwift; therefore they that pursue you shall be swift, meaning the Chaldeans; one thousand fhall flee at the rebuke of one, at the rebuke of five fhall ye flee, till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an enfign on an hill. Now as this appears from the context, to be the plain and genuine sense of the words, they can be of no ufe to prove what they are cited for, and ought to have no place in the controverfy about free-will, and efficacious grace.

by, unto

a

HESE words are no cil, myse tion, or offer of grace te itai. finners, fince they are ipoken en last, scha were thirty; that is, who, a tomat fenfe, were thirsting after pardon of juftifying righteoufnels and falvation by Chrift, after a greater knowledge of him, communion with him, conformity to him, and enjoyment of him in his ordinances, which fuppofes them to be fpiritually alive, for fuch who are dead in fin, thirft not at ter the grace of God, but the lufts of the flesh; they mind and favour the things of the flesh, and not the things of the fpir only new born babes, or fuch who we wor again, are quicken'd and made with, w fire Chrif, his gun, and the ferre m of the word, and how buy you thereby: Belle, ma gelen sa are reprefer to t

though re

have nothing

chafe any thing for themfelves; yet they fancy themselves to be rich, and increased in goods, and ftand in need of nothing; whereas the perfons here encouraged are fuch, who not only have no money, but know they have none; who are poor in fpirit, and fenfible of their fpiritual poverty; which sense arifes from the quickning influences of the Spirit of God upon their fouls; nor are Ifa. i. 18, 19. Luke xiii. 3. John iii. 16. and viii. 24. any offers of grace as they are with this reprefented to be.

II. They do not exprefs any power or ability in unconverted perfons to come to Chrift, feeing they are not directed to fuch, as is before obferved; befides, neither Chrift, nor the grace of Chrift, are defigned by the waters, but the ordinances; the allufion being, as is thought by fome, to maritime places, or fea ports, where fhips of merchandize unload their traffic, and people refort to buy things neceffary for them. Now where thould hungry and thirty fouls, and fuch that have no money attend, but on the ordinances, the means of grace? where they may expect to meet with Chrift, and of his fulness receive, even grace for grace. Nor,

Gataker in Poli Synopf. in loc.

III. Do

III. Do they declare any una in creatures to procure any "MINE selves by their works; for the ...neg bought, wine and muk, uitate D perfons, fignify either the

goipel, or the blettings or

are freely given. Buying e not in a proper fente, cre

fideration can be given

but in an improper

which thete thing: wers

without rice; a

e

T