Keach - Houston-Packer Collection BS537 .K4 1779

Part I. AN ANT HR 0 P 0 PATH Y. Angel, mw I kllow, &c. that is, by a manifc!1: and exte~nal Proof•.. thy hearty Faith and Obedience is nqw apparent. See Gen. XI. ~5· Deut. VIII. 2. and XIII. 3· Pfal.1<1V. 2. To this may be referred what Paul fays, Phi!. IV. 6. In every 'l"htng by Pray(r and Sup. plication let your Requefls be made known* unto God. By Prayers being made known unto God, he intimates th•t they are grateful to Jum, and alfuredly heard. See ACls x. 4· Pfal. i. 6. and xxxi. 8, 2, 19. JGNORANCE,.which is the oppofite to Knowledge, is attributed to God, by whic;h is denoted his Difp!eafure, Hatred, AngeP, and Averjation, !fa. l(l. 27· Why f.ayeflthQu, 0 'Jacob, and JPeakefl, 0 ljrael, My Way is hid from the L?rd? &c. that 1~, we ar~ hated and necr\ec'led by God, neither does he regard our Affms. Hence Cbrift fay~ to the Reproba~s in the Day of their Judgment, Matth. vii. 2}· I never knewyou, d.epart from me, ye that work Iniquity. See Matth. xxv. I2, Luke XIII. 25, 27,. &c. . To this Head may be referred thofe Q!!e!1:10ns wluch God afks as 1f he had been •g• norant, whereas in proper Speaking there is nothing hid from him, neither has he any Need of being informed, as Gen. iii. 9· ./lnd the Lord called un.to ./ldam, an.(i fil# utzto him, where art thou? This was no Interrogation of Ignorance, but a Summons to an un– willing Appearance, reducing intoAdam's Mind how much he was changed from that blelfed State of Immortality, after his Fall• .Ambrofet upon the Place lays, Where is that (well known guilty) Confidence of lhine? <J'hy Fear argues a Crime, and tlry Skulking, Prevarication. 'l"herifore where art thou!' I do not ~lk in what Place, kut in what State? Whither has !by Sin hurried thee, that tho~ hideft thyfeif from God, whom before thou haft fought. '!"his is more a Chiding, than a f!zyeflion; from what Good, from what Blejfednefs, from what Grace, and into what Mi. Jery, art thou fallm? Gen. iv. 9· ./lndthe Lord faid unto Cai~, Where is ./lbe!thy Brother? Auguftin :j: lays,. he afks not as an Ig.~orant, that would fam k~ow, but as a Judge to punifh the Gmlty- See Gen. xxxu. 27. Numb. xxll. 9· I Kmgs XlX. 9• I 0 . 2 Kings xx. '4• I5· .!fa. xxxix. 3• 4· So the ~eftions of Chrift, Matth. xxii. 20, 45· ·Luke viii. 45, &c. · To this may alfo be referred when God feems to deliberate, as if he had not known (or doubts) what to do. 'junius in his Comm.mtary, on Ezek. xx. 8. fays thus- God, that he may more amply 1hew the Wonders of his Mercy, feems in Scripture to ufe a Confultation with himfelt after the Manlier of Men, and then, as if fwayed by Mercy to his Creature, thou.,.h a Sinner, after his Difputes in his own Mind, and a (feemingly) doubtful Conflict~ in– clines at !aft to a Sentence of Mercy- of which there is an eminent Inftance in Hof. xi. 8, 9· How jhalt I give thee up, Ephraim? How Jhall I deliver thee, lfrae!? ~ Heart is turned within me, my Repentings are kindled together, I will not execute the Fiercenefs of my Anger, I wilt not return to deflroy Epbraim, for I am God, and not Man, &c. So when God is faid to fearch the Heart and Reins, which mu!1: not be under– ftood as if they were before unknown to him, but a moll: exact and infinite Know– ledge is denoted by this Phrafe. So Paul fays of the Holy Spirit, that it fearchefb all 'l"hings, yea, the deep 'l"hings of God, I Cor. ii. IO. Search and Inquiry goes before Knowledge in Men, and without it they can fcarce arrive at any certain Excellency in Science, therefore this Phrafe is only ufed to !ignify the infinite .Perfection§ of Know– ledge in ·the Holy Spirit by an Anthr-opopathy. REMEMBRANCE is attributed to God, fomctimes in good Part, fignifying that he will give Help and Relief unto Men after hard Calamities, in which he feeined to for– get them, as Gen. viii. I. A11d G0d remembered NMh, and every Beafl or koi11g 'l"hing: Upon which Luther in his Comment, fays. Although it be true, that God always re– members his, even when he feems to forfake them, yet Jvlofes here fignifit;s, that he: was mindful of them, even with RefpeCl to Senfe, that is, fo far as to make a fignal and manife!1: Difcovery thereof, which before by his Word and Spirit he had pro– mifed. See Gm. xxx. 22. Exod. ii. 24. I Sam. i. I I, 19. and feveral o.rher Places. Divine Rememb1·ance towards Men denotes the Benevolence, /lffetiioll, Grace and good Will of Jebqvah towards them, Pfalm cxv. I z. and cxxxvi. 23. Neb. v. I:J· ._ Tn1f1~w9.,. l Lib, u. contraFaujlum Manich. Cap. ro. t D• Parad, C. 14• § "'"'"if>a.1>t>a.1',, urtijfimafiitntia;. and

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