do what he commands; and the tenor of those prayers is only to afford his assistance to help our infirmities when we are truly willing and desirous to perform our duty by virtue of those inducements he hath already laid before us; for if in such cases the whole was to be done by God immediately, not by way of persuasion only, but by unfrustrable influence, his command to us to do it, could only be to this effect, "do you upon your utmost "peril what I alone can do, or be you gods:" for a command to men to do what divine power can alone effect, doth signify no less; and we by praying he alone would do what he requires us to do, pray in effect to be excused from obeying his commands, and that he would do himself what he expects from us.

First. Then seeing the same God who promiseth to ʻ circumcise the hearts'" of his people, requires them to circumcise their own hearts," and calls upon the men of Judah to circumcise themselves, and take away the foreskins of their hearts, lest his fury break forth upon them, and threateneth to punish all the house of Israel because they were uncircumcised in heart,' and yet he cannot rationally be supposed to punish and break, forth in fury on them, because he had not performed his promise, it is demonstrably certain that promise could not signify that he alone would do that work without their concurrence, or their endeavour to do something towards it; so, that it is superfluous to add that this promise was apparently conditional, viz. if they would call to mind the blessings and the cursings which he had pronounced, verse 1, and turn to the Lord their God;' (verse 2;), or that it is a promise made to all that were brought back into the land from their captivity, and to all their seed, and so to many who were not elected; to nations, not to particular persons.

Secondly. Seeing God so frequently requires of the same persons that they should turn themselves from their transgressions, promising life to the penitent because he considereth and turneth away from his iniquity,' and threatening that if they would not turn, they should die in their sins;' seeing he complains so oft of his own people, that they would not turn to him that smote them,' and of that very Ephraim which made this prayer, that 'they would not frame their doings to turn unto the Lord,' (Hos. v. 4.) it must be absurd to urge this prayer to excuse men from

a duty required by God under such dreadful penalties. Add to this, that by comparing this prayer with the preceding chapter, in which God promises so oft to turn their captivity, it appears this is only a prayer that God would bring them out of that thraldom, like that of the Psalmist, turn our captivity, O Lord.' (Psalm cxxvi. 4.)

OBJECTIONS SIXTEENTH and SEVENTEENTH. "God promiseth to write his law in the hearts of his people, and to put it into their inward parts;c that he will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear him for ever, and will make an everlasting covenant with them; that he will not turn away from them to do them good, but will put his fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from him'." (Jer xxxii. 39, 40.)

ANSWER. These promises are made expressly to the whole house of Israel, and to all the children of Israel and Judah,' to all with whom the old covenant was made, and whom God 'brought out of Egypt,' and would bring again' out of captivity;" it therefore, by the second general rule, can be no promise made to, or covenant made with, the elect of the house of Israel and Judah. (i.) Because then the whole nation of the Jews must have been elected and converted. (ii.) Because it is made with those who "kept not his former covenant, and therefore he regarded them not;" whereas the elect always persist, say these men, in their covenant with God, and he doth always regard them; they always are his people, and he is still their God; this therefore can be no new covenant with them. And therefore,

ANSWER SECOND. These words, "I will put my law or my fear into their hearts, and write it in their inward parts," import two things; First, that he would clearly make known his will to them, so that they need not be at much pains to find it out, as in these words; "the commandment which I command thee this day is not hidden from thee, neither is it far from thee, the word is near unto thee in thy mouth, xai év tỹ napdıg oỡ, and in thy heart, that thou shouldst do it; see, I have set before thee life and death;" and so, saith the apostle, is it with the word of faith which we preach," it is nigh to the christian in his mouth to confess, and in his heart to believe it. And the law written "in the hearts of

c-Jeremiah xxxi, 33.

d Deuteronomy xxx, 11, 14, 15.

Romans x, 8, 9.

the Heathens," (Rom. ii. 15,) is the law so plainly taught them, that their own consciences, do inwardly condemn them when they do transgress it. Heuce the effect of writing this law in their hearts bere, and Heb. vin. 11, is this, that "they should all know him from the least to the greatest." So Jerom, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Cvel of Alexandria. See the note on Heb. viii. 13.

Secondry. An acticating them on the soul by the Holy Spirit, so as that they may be stili fresh upon the inemory. So Deut. vi. 6, "these words that I command thee this day shall be in thy heart:" that is, saith B. Unel, they shall be written, Das

- (al luach libbechem,) UPON THE TABLE OF YOUR HEARTS: So Prov. iii. 1, 3, "my son, forget not my law, but let thy heart keep my commandments; write them upon the table of thine heart." And again, chapter vii. 1, 3, "my son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee, bind them upon thy finger, write them upon the table of thine heart." Thus the sin of Judah is said to be writ upon the table of their hearts; as if their memory of, and affection to, it could scarce be obliterated. And Clemens gives this commendation to the church of Corinth, that "the commandments of the Lord, ἐπὶ τὰ πλάκη τῆς καρδίας αυτῶν ἐγέγραπτο, WERE WRITTEN UPON THE TABLES OF THEIR HEARTS.' "g seeing God so expressly required of his people that they should 'lay up his words in their hearts and souls,' (Deut. xi. 18,) that they should "write his commandments upon the table of their hearts," and by this prophet Jeremy, that 'his law should not depart from their hearts,' (2 Macc. ii. 3,) it follows by the rule laid down in answer to the former objection, (1.) that these promises cannot be so understood as if God by them engaged to do that whole work which he hath engaged us so expressly to perform. And therefore,

And

2. The promise made, Jer. xxxii. 39, 40, is plainly conditional. "I will gather them, &c. verse 37. If they will diligently learn the way of my people. Chap. xii. 16. I will give them one heart, and one way that they may fear me," &c. chap. xxxii, 39, 40, that is, when they shall return to me with their whole heart, chap. xxiv. 7, and not feignedly, as chap. iii. 10. See Gataker there.

If they will 19. Incline

' And then they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Ibid. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good, verse 40. call him Father, and not turn away from him. Jer. iii. your ear, and come unto me; hear and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. Isa lv. 3. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me' Jer. xxxii. 40. This doubtless was God's end, as it was also of his punishments; "for," saith he, "they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity, that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me." Ezek. xiv. 10, 11. But this was not the event; for God saith in this very prophet "I have caused to cleave to me the whole house of Israel, and the house of Judah; but they would not hear."h

3. This text only contains a promise that when the Jewish nation shall be converted at the close of the world, they should never fall off any more from being his people, as they had done before. See Gataker, and the note on Heb. viii. 13.

i

"God

OBJECTIONS EIGHTEENTH and NINETEENTH. saith concerning his people, 'I will give you one heart, and I will put a new Spirit in you, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them an heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances.' And again, I will sprinkle clean 'I water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness, and I will put up my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments to do them;'* where a new heart and spirit are said not only to be given, but put into them by God, and therefore they were to do nothing towards it."

ANSWER FIRST. The arguments taken from both these places have two of the general faults which render all arguments of this nature null, v. g. (1.) That they speak of all the whole house of Israel, (chap. xi. 15. xxxvi. 21, 22,) to all that were "gathered out of all countries, and brought to their own land.' Verse 24. And then it is certain from the second general rule, that it belongs not to the elect only. It is also certain from the event, if it respect their return from the Babylonish captivity, that it must be conditional; the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and especially

the complaints of the prophet Malachi, shewing, that they were never fulfilled in many of them; and from Ezek. xi. 18, which speaks of those "whose heart would still walk after their detestable things:" or else it relates to the conversion of the Jewish nation yet to come; of the whole house of Israel; and then it can relate to them alone, and all christians may as well expect to be exempted from famine, xxxvi. 30, and to have "increase of corn," verse 29, and their "waste places and fenced cities built," verses 35, 35, as the other blessings promised here. Moreover, according to this exposition, it must follow that not one good man came out of the captivity, not one of them with a new or a clean heart; but all of them with a heart of stone, which was to be taken away.

ANSWER SECOND. This objection is contrary to the other general rule laid down in answer to the fifteenth Objection; for God expressly doth command them by the same prophet "to make themselves a new heart, and a new Spirit," chap. xviii. 30, 31; and elsewhere saith unto them, "wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Isa. i. 16. O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved." Jer. iv. 14. And St. James speaks to the same people thus, "wash your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded." Chap. iv. 8. All which things do assure us, that something was required on their parts towards the completion of this promise. God therefore may be, and is, in scripture, said to do these things, when by his providential dispensations, his rich mercies, or his judgments, or his miraculous dealings, he doth that which affords a powerful inducement to engage men to cleanse themselves from their defilements, and turn to him with a perfect heart; and doth design these actions for such ends, though through the wickedness of men the event proves often otherwise. Thus God declares that he would purge his people by his judgments; as when he saith, "I will turn my hand upon thee, and (by the calamities I shall inflict upon thee) will purely purge away thy dross." Isa. i. 25. And that he will "wash away the filth of the daughter of Zion, and purge the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning." Isa.iv.4.—By his mercies, as when he saith, "I drew them with the cords of a man, the cords of love." Hos. xi. 4.-By his miracles,