form of the Veſſel, but made it into another form ſuch as he liked Perrys. |
beſt. | — ſ! 5 Then the word of the LOR D came unto me; .
ſaying, ih G O houſe of Iſrael cannot I do with you as this pot-= | il
tere* faich the LORD : behold * as the clay 3s in the *Ifi 643:
potters hand,ſo are ye inmine hand,O houſe of Iſrael f.
e God now expoundeth to the Prophet his deſign in bidding hint - goto the Porers Houſe, it was to inſtru or confirm him in the power that he had over his creatures. f For, faith he, as is the clay to the potter, ſo is the Houſe of Iſrael! ( and indeed ſo are all the Sons and Daughters of Men ) unto God, .God hath the ſame power over them, that a p:tter hath over the clay,and a greater right to do what he pleaſeth with them, than any potter hath relating to the clay; The clay is but the Potters Purchaſe, not his creature; but Man is Gods creature, God by his Prophet 1/aiah made uſe of the ſame ſimilitude, 1/ai. 45.9. So doth the Apoſtle, Rom. g. 20. | That God hath an abſolute ſoveraign power to do what he pleaſeth | with theWork ofhisHands,can be denied by noMen of ſenſe, whethet ] God uſeth this his Soveraignty in the eternal puniſhment cf ſinners ; that is another thing ; he hath a ſoveraign power, bur he. aQtet as a juſt Judge,rendring to every Man according to his Works.
7 At wkat inſtant ſhall ſpeak concerning a nation; and concerning a kingdom tov pluck up, and to pull | down, and to deſtroy it = | . WW _ & God thus ſpeaketh concerning Nations, and Kingdoms more [| 1mmediately in his word, or more mediately by his Prophets and I} Miniſters, he told Jeremiah. chap. 3. 10, that he had ſer him over Nations, to root out, and to pull down.
8 * If thac nation againſt whom. I have pronounced, + x;ej;, turn fromtheis evil b, I will repent of the evil that I 18. 2. &
thought ro do unto them 5. | 33* its + If that Nation leaveth off thoſe ſinſul courſes, which I have
by my P:ophets threatned with Judgments. 71 will alſo turn from
the methods of my ſevere Providence which I had r:folved in caſe
of their impenitency to proceed in againſt them. There is a diffe=
rence betwixt Repentance in Man, and Repentance as it is attribured
to God, Repentance in Man muſt be, not only a change in AQ@ion,
but a change of Heart ; Repentance as attributed ro God,' never
ſignifierh a change of Hearr, or Purpoſe, or Counfels, but only a
change in a&t.on, an alteration of che courſe of his Providence.
Hence God in Scripture isfaid to Repent as in this Text, and Jonah
3 10. Ard iris alſo ſaid of him, that he is not as Man that he
ſhould lie or repent, Numb .23.19. 1 Sam, I5- 29. God never changeth.
bis Counſels, or Purpoſes, though he often varieth his ations of
Providence, according to the Behaviours of his Creatures.
9 And at whatinftant [ ſhall ſpeak concerning a na-
tion, and concerning a kingdom to build, and to
plant zf. | | ; "- _ To If it do evil in my ſight,that it obey not my voice;
then F will repeat of the good wherewith I ſaid F
| wou!d benefit them .*. | | .\, Speaking Verſe 9g. and repenting Verſe 10, muſt be underſtood in the ſame ſenſe as in the two former Verſes. The reaſon of this is; becauſe in all Gods Threatnings and Promiſes of this nature there is. a condition either exprefled or underſtood. Gods Threatnings of evil muſt be underſtood with this condition, unleſs Men and. Wo-. men repent and turn from their evil ways: And his Promiſes of good muſt be underſtood with this co::dition, if r16ſe to whom they are made be a willing and obedient Pcople, and keep in the way of the Lords Sratur -s. 11 4 Now therefore go to, ſpeak tothe men of Ju- dah, and to the' inhabitants of Jerufalem, ſaying, Thus #*, xs ſaich the LORD, Bebold IT frame evilagainſt you; and 17.12, 13. devile a device againſt you : * return ye now every one Chap: 7: 3- from his evil way, and make your ways, and your do- E = ings good þ&. .- £68 EI ISO ' .k& The Lord fixeth a particular application to the mote general
——"— _ -
Dodcrine which he h:& before delivered. God ha@ told this Pco- 6H 4 ple,
4 ry
KE Be
Avi. TE RIE le, though h2 hal by his Prophzt denounced his Wrath, and Bug hy ihe t) luck them up and deſtroy them, yet if they turged fron th-ir finful Courſes, he would thew mercy to thim and alcer the courſe of his P:ovidence. Now he tells thera, that this was their caſe, God had a Work upon the Wheel againſt them, and was framing evil again them, and bringing ruine upon them, therefo:e it was their wiſdom,now to return from their evil ways,. xd to make their doings good. Thoſe who think that theſe Exhaitations are vain,if Man hach not a power in him ſcIf ro turn from: his.cvil way, ought to con'ider, that none denicth that Man hath a power in kimſeif by vectue of t 1at common Grace of God which he denieth to no Maa,to turn from ſuch evil courſes as were before m:ntioned, wiz. not to carry out Burdens upon the Sab- bath day, not:to bow down t-, and worſhip Idols, bat ro worſhip the true and living God according to the preſcription of his Word. Tn-tho:t;there is noMan but hath a power to do muchmore than he doth do,and ſo much as may ſerve to avert temporal Judgment, and although no Man withour ſpecial Grace, beyon.| the outward means of Grace, hath a power to do whatſoever God requireth in: order to his Salvation, yet he hath a power to do ſo much,as if he doth, no inſtance can be g venof any to whom, ſo doing.God denied his ſp:cial Grace,inabling him to do whatſoever God requizethof him in order to Eternal L te. ; : ho 12 Andq they ſaid *, There is no hope 7,but we will hap. walk after our own devices, and we will every one do 25. the imagination of his evil heart m. E | E I There js no hope of us, thou doſt but labour in vain in talking to us. m For we are reſolved to run on in our former Race, Ic cannot be imagined that they ſhould call the Imaginations of their own Hearts evil,ualeſs it were inderifion. The fum of what they
. ». 4 x ,C .
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to us weare ref Ived upon our Courſe, and if thou calleſt our Hearts evil, we cannot help that,acc:1d ng to the Purpoſes, Coun- ſels and thoughts of thoſe our evil Hearts we are reſolved to ſteer our Courſes, we will not be guided by thee.
123 Therefore thus faith the LORD, * Ask ve now 5% amoagt tne heathzn, Who hath heard fuch things? * The virgin of Iſrael, hath done a very horrible thing ».