Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 11 · Verse 20
VERS. 20.
That they may walke in my ſtatutes, and keepe mine Ordinances, and doe them: and they ſhall be my people, and I will be their God. &c.
HEre is the end of Gods grace and goodneſſe towards them, with an aſſerting of ſuch to be his: and his promiſe to be their God.
Obſer.God multiplies mercies, when he is in a way of mercy; when he is giving out promiſes, he gives not one, or two, but many. Jer. 31.33.34. There is an heape of promiſes, ſo in Ezek. 36.25.26.27.28.29. There be eight or nine promiſes together. Hoſ. 14.4.5.6.7. Promiſe after promiſe is given out. Iſa. 60. Is full of ſweet promiſes, one after another. This is a ſweet Subject to meditate upon, but I come to open the words.
That they may walke:
Walking here is metaphoricall, taken from the motion of the body; moving by ſteps from place to place; and is applyed to the converſation and life of man, in a ſpirituall ſenſe, and imports progreſſe in the way of God, Pſal. 119.1.
In my ſtatutes.foreign
The Hebrew word Chukkim, notes rites pertaining to the Ceremoniall Law, cald alſo foreign, and not onelyonly …o, but Chukkim includes the whole Ceremoniall Law; the Seaventie doe ſometimes tranſlate it foreign, Commandement, which Mitzuoth properly ſignifies, containing the Morrall Law, or Tenne Commandements; and not foreign, but Deut. 4.40. They render Mitzuoth by foreign, and Chukkim by foreign. Epheſ. 2.15. Paul calls Chukkim, foreign, The Law of Commandements in Ordinances.
Mine Ordinances.foreign
Miſhphatim, foreign, Judgements, theſe ſome refer to the outwa…d policie of Iſrael, their civill eſtate, but ſtatutes and Ordinances are uſed promiſcuouſly: And here by them I conceive is ment, the whoſe Law of God revealed.
This walking in his ſtatutes is ſet out in holy writ, by ſuch expreſſions as theſe, Viz. Walking after the Lord. Deut. 13.4. Walking before God. 1 Kings 9.4. Walking in the light of the Lord. Iſa. 2.5. Walking in the truth, John, Epiſt. 3. Verſ. 4. Walking in the name of the Lord, Micah. 4.5. Walking according to rule. Gal. 6.16. And Walking with God, Gen. 6.9.
Keepe mine Ordinances.
Keeping imports, 1. Remembring, Luke, 2.51. Mary kept all theſe ſayings in her heart.
2. Holding faſt, 2 Tim. 1.14. The good thing committed to thee keep, that is, hold faſt; here we muſt take in both remembering and holding faſt, but in order to doeing; men may know, remember, and hold faſt the mind of God, but not doe the ſame. Deut. 5.1. Heare O Iſrael the ſtatutes and Judgements which I ſpeake in your eares this day, and keepe and doe them; the Hebrew is, keepe to doe them.
Doe them:
Doing implies, 1. The performing and practice of them. Pſal. 15.5.Facere …ſt exacte cuſtodire & decenter quicquam operari. He that doth theſe things ſhall never be moved.
2. Fullfilling of things required, 1 Kings 5.8. Saith Hiram to Solomon, I will doe all thy deſire, that is, fullfill thy deſire; both may be underſtood here, not ſimply to doe, but to doe exactly.
Obſer. 1.The end of Gods giving us temporall and ſpirituall mercies, is, that we ſhould be obedient unto him. He gathered them out of Babylon, planted them in Canaan, gives them oneneſſe of heart, newneſſe of ſpirit, &c. And why? that they might walke in his ſtatutes, and keepe his Ordinances. God hireth us with mercies to doe his will, Pſal. 105.43.44.45. He brought forth his People with joy, and his choſen with gladneſſe, and gave them the Lands of the Heathen, and they inheritied the labour of the People that they might obſerve his ſtatutes and keepe his Law. 2 Sam. 12.7.8.9. David was obliged by Gods bountie to obedience, why did God ſo much for his Vineyard, Iſa. 5.2. but that it might bring forth Grapes, the end of all mercies and meanes offorded us, were to make it fruitfull in obedience. All in Gods works, in his word, are ſo many inducements to obedience: God hath given us the Earth and fullneſſe of it, and the end is to provoke us thereby to walke in his ſtatutes. He hath given us his good word, choyce O…dinances, Heavenly Councells, pretious promiſes, profitable commands, holy examples, and his end in all theſe is to quicken us up to obedience. Its the end of Election, 1 Pet. 1.2. Its the end of Redemption, Luke 1.74.75. Its the end of our new Creation, Epheſ. 2.10. Paul beſeeches the Romans By the mercies of God, to preſent their Bodies a living ſacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Our mercies ſhould prevaile with us, we are Planted in a good Land, we have the dewes of Heaven, and fatneſſe of the Earth: God hath done great things amongſt us, and for us, we have had wonderfull Deliverances, and ſhall not we be incouraged thereby to walke in the ſtatutes of our God? Deut. 11.7.8. Your eyes have ſeene all the great Acts of the Lord which he did, therefore ſhall you keepe all the Commandements which I command you this day. Let the great things we have ſeen and heard put us upon obeying the Lord, and ſo obeying him that our obedience may be.
1. Generall, God requires, you ſhould walke in all his wayes. Deut. 10.12.
2. Heartie, yea with the whole heart, Deut. 26.16.
3. Conſtant, Deut. 4.9. Gal. 6.9.
4. Willing, chearfull, Phil. 2.14. Deut. 28.47.
5. With ſtrength and courage, Joſh. 23.6.
If we doe not walk in the ſtatutes of the Lord, and keepe his commands, we know not God, 1. John 2.3.4. We doe not love God. 1 Joh. 5.3, Nor Chriſt, Joh. 14.15. Our prayers will be unfruitfull, and ſucceſleſſe, 1 John 3.22.
2. Note that walking in Gods ſtatutes, keeping his Ordinances, and doing his will, doe evidence the worke of grace in the heart, and what the man is. God would give them oneneſſe of heart, newneſſe and tenderneſſe of ſpirit, that they might walk, keepe, doe, &c. If then they did ſo, this declared what was within, Luke 1.6. Zacharie and Elizabeth were both righteous before God; walking in all the Commandements and Ordinances of the Lord, blameleſſe; their w…lking witneſſed their righteouſneſſe, ſee 1 John 3.10. 2 Chap. 29. Luke 6.44. What ever the fruit is, ſuch is the Tree; Figgs doe not grow upon thornes, nor Grapes upon brambles, where you finde Grapes it is a Vine, and not onelyonly doth God and Chriſt know them, but Mat. 7.16. you ſhall know them by their Fruits, not by their leaves, but their fruits; not ſome few actions, but by a dayly obſervat…n of them; ſometimes delay and times alwayes attention is required to diſcerne them, 2 Tim. 3.5. Having a form of godlineſſe, &c. this may be diſcerned, for verſ. 9. Their folly ſhall be manifeſt to all men. James 2.18. Works …re the glaſſe, picture, Child of faith, Adam begat a Sonne after his Image, and faith begets Children after its owne Image, Abrahams offering of his Sonne dec…a…ed his faith. Heb. 11.17. Works juſtifie faith, and faith juſtifies the man. Some doubt whether works will prove grace, whether ſanctification will evidence juſtification: But John tells us there is a witneſſe of Water as well as of blood, and of the ſpirit, 1 Joh. 5.8. if the Law written in Bookes may be knowne, and the ſenſe of it evidenced by Commentaries, ſurely the Law written in the heart, may be knowne and evidenced by works.
3. Grace in the heart will appeare in the life, if there be a new ſpirit, a tender heart, there will be walking in the Statutes▪ A new ſpirit cannot be impriſoned within, but it will breake out into action; when the ſeed is ſowne in good ground, it will not lye long under ground, but ſpring forth, Marke 4.20. Grace is light, and that will manifeſt it ſelfe, verſ. 21.22. God hath determined, that hidden things ſhall bee manifeſted; grace cannot alwayes be hid, 1 Pet. 2.9. Such vertue will out. 1 Theſ. 1.5.6.7. The Coritnhians were the Epiſtle of Paul written in his heart, read and knowne of all men. The Romans faith was ſpoken of throughout the World; Rom. 1.8. That was in all the Churches of the World. So their obedience, Chap. 16.19. There be diverſe things cannot be hidden, as the light, fire, life, the wind, a ſpring; and of this nature is grace, which is all thoſe, its light, and fire, John was a burning and ſhining light: Its life, Luke 15.24 Its the wind of the ſpirit, Cant. 4.16. Joh. 3.8. Its a Spring, Joh. 7.38. A good Tree cannot bring forth evill fruit, and it cannot but bring forth good fruit, Acts 4.20. We cannot but ſpeake the things we have heard and ſeene, Paul when converted preſently ſaid, Lord what wilt thou have me to doe? He would not be idle, but doing the will of the Lord Chriſt.
4. It is not from mans ſtrength but Gods grace, that any walke in his ſtatutes, keepe his Ordinances and doe them; I will take away the ſtony heart, give them an heart of fleſh, and put a new ſpirit within them, that they may walk, keep, and doe: Man is a feeble, impotent Creature, he cannot thinke a good thought, make an haire white or black, and how then can he walke in the Statutes of the Lord? Satan is powerfull and politick, he makes ſtrong aſſaults, and ſuch, as that if God did not aſſiſt by his grace, we ſhould fall every moment; hence thoſe expreſſions of David, Pſ. 119.5.35.36. Moſes and the Covenant of works, cald for obedience, contributed no ſtrength, but God in Chriſt gives ſtrength, to do what is cal'd for, Ezek. 36.27. I will put my ſpirit within you, and cauſe you to walke in my ſtatutes and yee ſhall keepe my judgements and doe them. Heb. 13.20.21.
5. Gods ſtatutes and Ordinances are to be the Saints way to walke in, and rule to walk by; ſtatutes, Ordinances are cal'd wayes, paths, Jer. 6.16. Young men muſt cleanſe their wayes according to the word, Pſal. 119.9. David would have his ſteps ordered by the word, verſ. 133. The word is the way to walke in, and a rule to walke by, we muſt try all ſpirits and doctrines by it, Iſa. 8.20. 1 Theſ. 5.21. 1 Joh. 4.5. Acts. 17.11. All things we beleive, Acts. 26.27. Epheſ. 2.20. John 20.31. Gal. 1.8. All things we practice. 2 Tim. 3.15.17. Eccleſ. 12.13. Mat. 28.20. What God and Chriſt command muſt we obſerve not what others. Iſa. 8.11. Walk not in the wayes of this People, not in the light of our owne fire. Iſa. 50.11. Not after cuſtomes of men. Acts, 21.21.
6. Thoſe God reneweth by grace, giveth newnes and tendernes of ſpirit unto, he lookes they ſhould make progreſſe in his wayes, keepe in mind his Ordinances, and doe them exactly, fullfill them, Deut. 6.17. You ſhall diligently keepe the Commadements of the Lord, and his Teſtimonies and ſtatutes, Pſal. 119.4. Thou haſt commanded to keepe thy precepts diligently. The Hebrew is Valde, greatly, the Septuagint, vehemently,foreign and the Vulgar, Nimis, too much, which Expreſſions ſhew, that we ſhould endeavour to the utmoſt to keep them, God expected they ſhould keep the Sabbath exactly, Iſa. 58.13. And ſo the reſt of his commands.
They ſhall be my People, and I will be their God.
Theſe words have two things in them.
1. Gods aſſerting them to be his people.
2. A gracious promiſe to be their God.
You have theſe words often mentioned in the Book of God, once in Levit. 26.12. Seaven times in Jeremiah, Chap. 7.23. 11.4:24.7:30.22:31.1.33:32.38: Foure times in our Prophet Ezekiel, Cha. 36.28: 37.23.27. And here in this Verſ. Once in Zacharie, Chap. 8.8. Twice in the new Teſtament, 2 Cor. 6.16. & Revel. 21.3. In all they are 15 times ſet downe, which intimates to us that there is great weight in them, that they are of great conſideration and uſe.
foreignThey ſhall be my people.
Hebrew is, they ſhall be to me, in Populum, for a People. And ſo I will be to them Lel…him in Deum, for a God. I will ſhew you.
1. What is imployed in theſe words, They ſhall be my people.
2. Wha… in the other, I will be their G…d,
They ſhall be my people.
1. They ſhall acknow edge me to be their God, they ſhall not owne any other God. There is difference betweene knowing and acknowledging; you may know ſuch an one to be a child, but not acknowledge him to be your child, you may know ſuch Townes, Countries, Kingdomes, but not acknowledge them yours. This phraſe, My people, imports acknowledging God to be theirs, Pſal. 48.14. This God that dwells at Jeruſalem that breaks the Ships of Tarſhiſh, this God is our God for ever and ever, Pſal. 77.13. Who is ſo great a God as our God. Here is acknowledgement of God, not onelyonly to be great, but to be their God. Iſa. 25.9. This is our God, and we have waited for him, Exod. 29.45.46. I will be their God, and they ſhall know that I am the Lord their God. That is, they ſhall acknowledge me to be ſo, its cald vouching God to be their God, Deut. 26.17.
2. They ſhall worſhip me onelyonly, Exod. 5.8. Let us goe and Sacrifice to our God, not to other Gods; when a people is Gods people, they are poſſeſſed with apprehenſions of his glory, greatneſſe, authority, over them, and infinite worthineſſe to be honour'd, ador'd admir'd and magnified by them; and will ſay as its, Pſal 95.6. Oh come let us worſhip &c. And as its, Hoſ. 14.8. What have we to doe any more with Idols: they would not meddle with the worſhip of the Nations, their owne inventions but they would worſhip God, and him onelyonly, Joel. 2.27. 1 Sam. 12.24. Pſal. 147.1. Rev. 19.1.
3. They ſhall truſt and rely upon me, and not any other Gods, or armes of fleſh, Hoſ. 14.3. Aſhur ſhall not ſave us, we will not ride upon Horſes, neither will we ſay any more to the worke of our hands, you are our Gods, for in thee the Fatherleſſe find mercy. Zeph. 3, 12. Pſal. 9.10.
4. They ſhall be a People unto me; when God takes a people to be his, they are holy unto him, Deut. 7.6. Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, God ſeparated them from the World and other Nations, to be holy unto himſelfe, therefore it follows, The Lord thy God hath choſen thee to be a ſpeciall people unto himſelfe, Levit. 19.2. Hence they were cald an holy Nation, Exod. 19.6.
5. They ſhall hearken unto my voyce and doe my will and yeild obedience unto me, Jer. 7.23. Obey my voyce and I will be your God and yee ſhall be my people, Joſh. 24.18. We will ſerve the Lord for he is our God. Deut. 6.17. Pſal. 50.7.81.8.13
6. They ſhall love me and lay out their ſtrength for me, Deut. 6.5. Thou ſhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy ſoul, and with all thy might. Mar. 12.30. is added With all thy mind, If God be ours he muſt have all; Pſa. 68.28.
7. They ſhall ſtand for my glory, and make my name honourable, Iſa. 43.21. This people have I formed for my ſelfe; they ſhall ſhew forth my praiſe.
I will be their God.
Theſe are gratious words, and they doe import much.
1. The free grace of God in pardoning their ſins, Jer. 31.33.34. When he ſpeaks of being their God, he tells them he will forgive their Iniquity, and will remember their ſin no more, Pſal. 85.2. Thou haſt forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou haſt covered all their ſin. The word Forgiven, ſignifieth, to lift up, and take away, ſin is a great burden, when God becometh a God in mercy to a People, then he takes off that great Burthen, he lif… it up, carries it quite away, and its hid out of ſight, and remembrance, Hoſ. 14.4.
2. The preſence of God amongſt them, Levit. 26.11.12. The Jewes were Gods people and he ſaith, I will ſet my Tabernacle amongſt you, and will walk among you, and be your God, and …ou ſhall be my People. The Tabernacle and walking, were arguments of his preſence, and evidenced him to be their God; God is eſſentially preſent every where, but eſpecially preſent with his People, Rev. 21.3. No Creature, no Angel, no repreſentation of God, but God himſelfe ſhall be with them; as a Father with his Children, as a Husband with his Wife, God will not onelyonly be with them, but in them, 2 Cor. 6.16. He will indwell in them and walke in them.foreign.
3. The peculiar and ſpeciall care of God over them, Deut. 32.10.11.12. The Lord was as tender to them, as any Creature could be to her young; the Eagle is very carefull of her young, carrying them not in her Tallons, but on her wings; So God deals by his People, he preventeth harms that might befall them, Pſal. 68.7. He went forth before his People, and did march in the front of them through the Wilderneſſe, Pſal. 77.20. Iſa. 26.20. God doth provide for, and protect his People, Deut. 33.27, Pſal. 125.2. Iſa. 4.5. Ʋpon all the glory ſhall be a defence.
4. Deliverance, if in ſtreights, dangers, miſery, Exod. 3.10. I have ſeen the oppreſſion, come now therfore and I will ſend thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayeſt bring forth my People out of Aegypt. Ezek. 37.12. Behold O my People, I will open your graves, and cauſe you to come up out of your graves: Where God is a God to any, he is a delivering God, he is affected with their condition and ſufferings, Exod. 3.7. Iſa. 63.9. 1 Sam. 9.16. Iſa. 3.15.
5. Singular comfort, Rev. 21.3.4. They ſhall be his people and God himſelfe ſhall be with them, be their God, and he ſhall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there ſhall be no more death, nor ſorrow, nor crying, nor paine, Iſa. 40.1.49.13.30.26.51.3. He doth encourage and hearten them. Iſa. 41.10.
6. Speaking and pleading for them, Iſa. 51.22. Thus ſaith the Lord, the Lord and thy God that pleadeth the cauſe of his people. Their cauſe is many times like to ſuffer, men are unwiſe, unfaithfull, mannage it ſtrangely, but God will plead the cauſe of his people, and he will not do it faintly, as if he cared not whether his people ſhould have the day or no; but to purpoſe will he doe it, Jer. 50.34. Their redeemer is ſtrong, the Lord of hoſts is his name, he ſhall throughly plead their cauſe that he may gaine leſt unto the Land, and diſquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. Mica. 7.9. Joel 3.2.
7. Exalting and honouring of them, Deut. 26.18.19. The Lord hath avouched thee to be his peculiar people, and what then? To make thee high above Nations, in praiſe, in name, in honour. God makes his people renewed, Iſa. 28.5. He is a Crowne of glory unto them, Iſa. 60.11. Thy God thy glory, Jer. 2.11. Iſa. 43.4.
8. Teaching and inſtructing of them, Iſa. 28, 26. his God doth inſtruct him to diſcretion, Iſa. 51.4. Hearken unto me my people and give ear unto me my Nation, for a Law ſhall proceed from me and I will m…ke my judgement to reſt for a light of the people, Deut. 4.36. Iſa. 48.17.
9. Delight in them, Iſa. 65.19. I will joy in my people, no freinds can rejoyce more in one another, no bridegroome more in his bride, then God in his people, them he calls his ſtrength, and his glory, Pſal. 78.61. Yea a Crowne of glory, Iſa. 62.3. Thou ſhalt be a Crowne of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royall diadem in the hand of thy God. No King can delight more in a Crowne then the Lord doth in his people, which are his Crowne, Gods people are near unto him, Pſal. 148.14. They are his jewells, Mal. 3.17. His Portion, Deut. 32.9. His Heritage. Joel. 2.17. His peculiar Treaſure, Exod. 19.5. The Hebrew Word Segullah, noteth an exquiſite treaſure, a thing very deſirable, ſingular and peculiar, Eccleſ. 2.8. The peculiar treaſure of Kings; Aquila hath it ſubſtance; Vatablus a treaſure intirely beloved: Gods people are his choyce treaſure, dearly bloved. Things we delight in, we oft thinke upon, and ſpeake of, and you may find this expreſſion oft, Viz. His treaſure or peculiar people, its in Deut. 7.6. ſpeciall people, its the ſame word; ſo in Deut. 14.2.26.18. Pſal. 135.4. Titus 2.14. 1 Pet. 2.9.
10. Bleſſing and communicating choice and ſatisfying mercies, where a People are his he will Crowne and load them with variety of bleſſings. Pſal. 3 8. Thy bleſſing is upon thy People, thy people are diſtingu ſhed from all others, and thy bleſſings are diſtinct from all others: Gods bleſſings note a plentifull beſtowing of all good things as appeares, Gen. 24.35. Epheſ. 1.3. Among his people are all his ſprings, the lower and upper ones. He bleſſed them with choice mercies, with his ſecrets, Pſal. 25.14. With his name, Dan. 9.19. Iſa. 63.19. The Shulamite was ſo cald from Solomon, Cant. 6.12. When God takes a people to himſelfe, that people is marryed unto him, and it hath his name, the Church is cald Chriſt, 1 Cor. 12.12. With his holyneſſe, Hebr. 12.10. With the divine nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. With grace and glory, Pſal. 84.11. Yea with ſatisfying mercies. Pſal. 65.4.36.8. He will ſatisfy them with goodnes, Jer. 31.14. With himſelfe, Gen. 15.1.
Obſer. 1.God prepares a people for himſelfe, and then marries that people unto himſelfe; he gives them oneneſſe, newneſſe, tenderneſſe of heart, and ſpirit, and then they ſhall be his people, and he will be their God, Ezek. 16.6.8. When thou waſt in thy blood I ſaid unto thee live, I ſpread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedneſſe, and thou becameſt mine, when Abraham was come out of his Country, had left his idolatrous wayes, walked uprightly before God, then he hears I am thy God and the God of thy ſeed, Gen. 17.7. This is the way of Chriſt, Epheſ. 5.26.27. He is ſanctifiing and cleanſing of his Church that he may preſent it to himſelfe a glorious Church without ſpot.
2. Its great happineſſe to have God to be our God; many thinke happineſſe to lye in other things, but in nothing elſe, onelyonly in this it conſiſts, Pſal. 33.12. Bleſſed is the nation whoſe God is the Lord and the people wbom he hath choſen, for his owne inheritance. They are the bleſſ…d people, Pſal. 144.15. It is not thouſands of Cattel, ful barns, laughter in the ſtreets, peace and plenty, which make a people happy, the happineſſe of a people is, in having God to be theirs. Great parts, honours, friends, eſtates, doe not happifie a man; but happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his helpe, whoſe hope is in the Lord his God. Pſal. 146.5. When God is the God of a people he will doe great things for them, 2 Sam. 7.23. He wil ſhew them the power of his workes, Pſal. 111.6. He will not leave his people, 1 Sam. 12.22. When Heaven and Earth ſhake the Lord will be the hope of his people, Joel 3.16. The Hebrew is,foreign the place of repaire or harbour.
3. It is free grace and favour that God doth take any people to be his, and becometh a God unto; people chuſe not God, he ſaith They ſhall be my people and I will be their God. We are vile in our natures, wicked in our works, no lovelineſſe or profitableneſſe is in us, or by u…, Ezek. 16.5.6. When thy perſon was loathed and thou waſt polluted in thy blood I ſayd unto thee live. There is nothing in a Nation that ſets his heart a work to doe a people good, it was not their greatneſſe moved him, Deut. 7.7. They were the feweſt of all people, nor their goodneſſe, for what was their father Abraham, Joſh. 24.2.3. Terah, Abraham, and Nachor, were idolaters, they ſerved other Gods, ſaith the text, and I took your Father Abraham, ſo when God tooke his ſeed in Aegypt, they were idolatrous, Ezek. 20.5.6.7. There is no righteouſneſſe in people to moove God, neither can any ſin in them hinder God from putting forth acts of his free grace, D…u. 32.10. Speaking of Iſrael, he found him in a deſart Land, and in the waſt howling Wilderneſſe, to which ſome alluſion may be, Cant. 8.5. God found out and tooke this people in a wicked loſt, diſtreſſed, condition, and brought them out by his power and made them his people by his grace, 1 Sam. 12.22. It pleaſed the Lord to make them his people.
4. God doth not equally diſpenſe his grace and favour; ſome are his people and he is their God, others are not; many Nations were left, when the Jewes were taken, yea all other Nations, Amos 3.2. You onelyonly have I knowne of all the Families of the Earth. The Lords favour fell upon the Jewes and not others. Some infer from Gen. 22.18. In thy ſeed ſhall all Nations of the Earth be bleſſed▪ that God loves all equally, at that time he did not, the words are a promiſe of what ſhould be, not of what was, neither is it ſo now: for if he l…ves all alike, why doth he deny the means of grace to many Nation? why doth he not bleſſe and make the ſame effectu…l, equally to al where they are. Beſids ſuch an opinion over …ow Election, Gods dominion over the Creatures, and his freedome in diſpenſation of grace and mercy, John 10.26. Acts 13.48.
5. Thoſe are the Lords have a ſtrong ground to plead with God in prayer for any mercy. Where is relation and intreſt, there is encouragement to aske, if God be ours and we his, ſurely we may plead with him for great things in our prayers. The people of God did ſo of old, Jer. 14.9. Pſal. 80.4. Iſa. 64.9. Deut. 9.26. 2 Chron. 20.12. Chap. 14.11.