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nal blessings; but of an external obedience to God's commands, which would have been followed with temporal favours; such as subduing their enemies under them, feeding them with the finest of the wheat, and satisfying them with honey out of the rock: in the same sense are we to understand the words in Isa. xlviii. 18, which usually go in company with these under examination, and are also to be read conditionally; If thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river; as they are by the Targum, the Septuagint, and Arabic versions, by R. David Kimchi, Junius, and Tremellius; and neither the one nor the other regard the spiritual, but temporal welfare of God's people Israel; nor do they contain a wish for that, but a declaration or an asseveration of it, on condition of their obedience to God's commands. The passage in Hos. xi. 8, which is sometimes joined with this, is a human way of speaking, as R. Aben Ezra on the place observes; and expresses God's compassionate concern for the temporal welfare of Ephraim and Israel, and not transports of affection, and desire after the spiritual welfare of any, much less of all mankind.

SECTION VIII.

For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.-PSALM CXXV. 3.

THESE words are made use of* to prove, that "saints, or true believers, or men once truly good, may cease to be so; for it is said, that they seem plainly to insinuate, that great and long oppressions might have this effect upon them; and surely that which God is thus careful to prevent, might possibly befall the righteous: there being no need of care to prevent that which he hath absolutely engaged to preserve them from." Strange! seeing,

ever.

I. The doctrine of the saints' final perseverance is so plainly intimated in the two preceding verses of this psalm: They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people, from henceforth, even for ever. If they that trust in the Lord, who are saints, true believers, men truly good, are as mount Zion; then they cannot be removed, neither from the heart of God, nor out of the hands of Christ; but will abide there for ever, and consequently cannot cease to be what they are. If, as the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about the same persons before described, who are his people, and that even for ever; how is it possible that they should ever perish?

II. These words are strictly connected with the former, and express a certain effect that should surely follow from the safe state and happy situation of such who trust in the Lord, for, or because it is so and so with them; therefore the rod of the wicked, the tyrannical government, oppressions and persecutions of wicked men, to which the saints *Whitby, p. 436; ed. 2. 425.

are often subject, shall not rest, always continue and abide, upon the lot, not the back, as Dr. Whitby cites the words, of the righteous; meaning either their persons or their goods; lest the righteous, who are made so by the righteousness of Christ, put forth their hands unto iniquity; that is, lest through the oppressions of wicked men, the instigation of Satan, and their own hearts, they should be moved to that which would dishonour God, bring a reproach on his ways, and wound their own souls; all which they may do, and yet not cease to be saints, true believers, truly good men; as the instances of David, Peter, and others, fully make appear. The righteous may put forth their hands unto iniquity, and fall into great sins, and yet not totally fall away, or so fall as to be lost and perish: total apostacy is not intended by putting forth their hands unto iniquity.

III. It is stranger still, that the care of God to prevent the righteous putting forth their hands unto iniquity, should be improved into an argument against their perseverance, and in favour of their apostacy. It will be readily allowed, that what God is thus careful to prevent, even suppose a total apostacy was meant, might possibly befall the righteous, should they be left to themselves, destitute of the powerful protection of God; nor would there be a possibility of its being otherwise; but since the care and power of God are so greatly employed about their preservation, it is impossible that it should befall them.

IV. It is an egregious mistake to say, that "there is no need of care to prevent that which he (God) absolutely hath engaged to preserve them from;" since God's engagement to preserve his people, is the true reason of the employment of his care about them; which is necessary to prevent their doing the iniquity, which otherwise would be done by them: God having absolutely resolved, determined, and engaged, that those that trust in him should not be removed, but abide for ever; therefore he will be round about them for ever, and take care of them that nothing hurt or destroy them; he will keep them by his power through faith unto salvation."

SECTION IX.

The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.PSALM CXlv. 9.

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THE doctrines of election and reprobation, and of particular redemption, are represented as contrary to the general mercy and goodness of God expressed in this passage: with a view to these doctrines, it is asked by one writer *, Why is it said, that his tender mercies are over all his works, if they are so restrained from his most noble creatures?" And it is observed by another †, "That it should not bo said, his tender mercies are over all his works: but his cruelties are over all his works." To which I reply,

*Whitby, p. 159; ed. 2, 155.

Curcella Relig. Christ. Inst. 1. 6, c. 6, sect. 8, p. 370.

I. That the said doctrines do not restrain the tender mercies of God in a providential way, of which this text only speaks, as will be shown hereafter, from any of his creatures; no, not even from the non-elect, or those who have no share in the special grace and favour of God, and who are not eventually saved; though these should not be reckoned God's most noble creatures*: for surely they are not more noble than the elect of God, or those who are saved with an everlasting salvation; or more noble than the angels, who stand, and never left their first estate in which they were created. Admitting also that these doctrines carried in them ideas of cruelty, and want of compassion in God to those who are rejected by him, and excluded from redemption by Christ; yet it should not be concluded from hence, that the cruelties of God are over all his works; since, according to the known tenor of these doctrines, some of God's creatures are chosen by him to eternal life, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and shall be certainly and eternally saved.

II. The said doctrines are not expressive of cruelty in God to mankind, nor inconsistent with his goodness and mercy; nor do they represent God less good, or less merciful, than the doctrines of conditional election and universal redemption do; nay, they represent him more merciful than these do, since they ascertain the salvation of some, whereas these leave the salvation of every man precarious and uncertain, if not impossible, depending upon the mutable will of the

creature.

III. These words are to be understood not of special mercies, or saving benefits, bestowed by God upon any of his creatures; but of his providential goodness, which extends to them all, even to the brutal world, to all irrational as well as rational creatures, as appears from ver. 15, 16, compared with Psalm cxlvii. 8, 9, who have no concern in election and redemption; so that if these words should be so understood, as to relate to the blessings of spiritual and eternal salvation, they would prove too much, more than our opponents desire; namely, that these blessings are provided for, and extend unto irrational creatures, yea, even to all the works of God, of every kind and sort. Therefore,

IV. The said doctrines are not at all repugnant to these universal expressions of God's goodness and mercy; since the non-elect, or such who have no saving benefit by the death of Christ, have a share in the providential goodness and tender mercies of God; who makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, and is kind to the unthankful and to the evil: nay, oftentimes the worst of men have the greatest share of the good things of this world; their eyes stand out with fatness, and they have more than heart could wish their temporal mercies are oftentimes larger than those that the dear children of God enjoy; and therefore are not what they have in common with the brutes that perish †; God takes more care of them than of oxen, or the fowls of the air, in a providential way; though they despise the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longWhitby, p. 159, 177; ed. 2. 155, 173. Vid. Whitby, p. 159; ed. 2. 155.

suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth them to repentance; but after their hardness and impenitent heart, treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

SECTION X.

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? Turn ye at my reproof, &c.-PROV. i. 22-30.

THESE are the words of Christ, who, under the name of Wisdom, is represented crying without, and uttering his voice in the city, in the streets, in the chief place of concourse, in the opening of the gates; which is to be understood of the public preaching of the word, either by Christ himself, or by his ministers. What is advanced from these passages in favour of any part of the Arminian scheme, will be considered in the following order:

I. It is said, that from hence "it is very evident, that it was primarily the counsel and will of God, that even they who would not turn, would not repent and accept of salvation, should believe and come to repentance, and be made partakers of it :" in which I observe,

1. That this writer, with the Remonstrants, supposes an antecedent and consequent will in God, when he says, that it was primarily the counsel and will of God, &c. as if what was once the will of God is not now his will; which is contrary to the immutability of his nature and will; who is in one mind; and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doth. What is once his will, is always so; nor can it be made null and void by the will of man.

2. That he mistakes the counsel of God here, as also in Luke vii. 30, for the intentional will of God, respecting the faith, repentance, and salvation of persons; when it designs in both places, God's will of command and approbation; and is expressive, not of what God intended and designed concerning these persons; but of what was their duty, and which would be grateful to him, and approved of by him for had it been his intentional determining will that these persons, who rejected and despised his counsel, should believe, repent, and be saved, they would have believed, repented, and been made partakers of salvation; for who hath resisted his will?

II. It is intimated from hence, that man does not lie under a disability to believe, repent, and turn to God; and it is asked†, "To what purpose did Wisdom say to them, who were thus disabled, Turn you at my reproof? Or could she, without insulting over the misery of fallen man, thus laugh at the calamity they never could prevent ?" To which I reply,

1. That the exhortation, Turn ye at my reproof, is not to repentance and conversion, but to an attendance to the external ministry of the word. Reproof is the same with counsel, in ver. 25, 30, where they are joined together, and put for each other, and design the word preached, which reproves of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and it * Whitby, p. 72; ed. 2. 71. † Ibid., p. 252; ed. 2. 246.

is not turning at but to this reproof which is exhorted to; for the nawn, should not be rendered, turn ye at, but to my reproof; so Arias Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus, Junius, and Tremellius, read them;

,למכסגותי תתפנון,and the meaning is either as the Targum interprets them

turn your face to my reproof, and not your backs; or as Aben Ezra, turn ye, that is, your ears, to hear my reproof; and do not pull away the shoulder, or stop your ears. Now it is certain, that man does not lie under a disability to turn his face and ears to the external ministry of the word; though so depraved are the inclinations and will of man, and such a lover is he of simplicity and scorning, and such a hater of true, useful, and spiritual knowledge, that he had rather hear an idle story told, or the Scriptures burlesqued, than an honest, serious sermon, which is reproving, searching, and informing.

2. The calamity of these persons did not arise from a disability to do what they were exhorted to, but was owing to a neglect of what they might have done; for they could have attended the ministry of the word, observed ordinances, and turned their faces and ears to the reproof of Wisdom; but they hated knowledge, and the means of it; they despised sermons, laughed at ordinances, and treated with the utmost contempt every admonition, counsel, and reproof; therefore they did eat of the fruit of their own ways, and were filled with their own devices, ver. 31; there was a just retaliation made to them; they were paid in their own way; it was a righteous thing with Wisdom, and no insult on their misery, to laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear came upon them.

III. This passage is produced in favour of sufficient grace given to men, to repent, believe, and convert themselves; and to prove that God's calls, invitations, and messages, by his prophets, are sufficient inducements to procure reformation and repentance. To which I answer,

1. It is plain that the persons here spoken of, called unto, exhorted, and threatened, had not sufficient grace; since they are represented as fools, scorners, lovers of folly, haters of knowledge; who despised the counsel of Wisdom, and rejected her reproof.

2. Nor should this be concluded from the encouragement that Wisdom gives, to turn to her reproof; saying, Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you; since this is not to be understood of the Holy Ghost, and of the dispensation of his extraordinary gifts, or of saving grace; for when he is promised in either of these senses, it is expressed by a different phrase than what is here used; he is promised to be poured out upon, and not as here, unto the sons of men: see Isa. xliv. 3; Ezek. xxxix. 29; Joel ii. 28. I observe that Dr. Whitby, whenever he cites the passage before us, inadvertently transcribes it as though it was read†, I will pour out my Spirit upon you, when it is unto you. By the Spirit, we are to understand the mind of Wisdom; so the word

is used in Prov. xxix. 11; and by pouring it out, a large and full revelation of it to the sons of men, as it is explained in the next clause, I will make known my words unto you.

*Whitby, p. 250, 251; ed. 2. 244, 245.

† Ibid., p. 181, 251; ed. 2. 177, 245.

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