428 Chap , 3. 'ri 1:xFoj`iti'v53 upon ;be 13a : ; f O B. Verf. í y ofd eul about ; for by the changewhich the fentence revealed worketh in man,the counfel ofG.od not revealed is effected.The ftnfirating the one, fulfills the other ; And the Lords defigne in . filch declarations of his mir,de,is tobring about or accomplifh his purpafes and counfells. God did purpofely declare or pronounce a fentence of death againft Hezekiah by the Prophet Ifdiah,to the intent that his counfell concerning the continuanceofHezekiahs life might be fulfilled. And he fent the Prophet ?onah, to publifh, a fentence ofutter deftruLion againft Nineveh,purpofely that his counfel concerning the prefervation ofNineveh might be accom= plifbed.The Lords counfel & purpofe was that IHez kiah fhould live, and recover out of that difeafe. But howdid he fulfill this? even by fending him a meflage of death, which caufed him to. weep. fore, and pray and cry earntfily to the Lord for life. Thtu faith the Lard, fee thine hottfe in order, for thou ¡halt die, and not live. Then he turned hisface to the wall,andprayed unto the Lord, Paying &c, But then it may be queftioned, was that wordache Lord true which he lent ro H.z,kiah by theProphet, faying,thora (halt dye. The fentence publifh:d was true,,,and would certainly havecome topaffeaccordrng to the order and working offecond caufes, for looking to them, Hizrkiabmutt die, his ficknes was untodeath ; In ehofe d:yet yeas HLzekish fc.ke unto death. Doubt- leffe his Phifitians and all that were about hire gave him over for a dead man. OnlyGod could reftore him, and the way wherein Ile would rahore himwas by prayer, So for Nineveh, ií`we confi- der the de(ert of their fin,the lenience was true.Nintveh (hall be deftro°, cd But the Lord iont his Prophet to tell them of their ap- proaching deftru6lion, that they might fait and turnefrom their evill wayes,and fohis purpofe for their prefervation might be ac- cornplifhed. Thus the outward fentence is changed, but the mind of God is not changed. And there changeable fenterces were de- creed by God, to bringabout his unchangeable decree. Fourthly, I anfwer ; When God is faid to repent,the change is not in God, but in us9, God is alwayes the fame, but we are uot..God is fomuch the fame; that he never alters, and man is fo little the fame, that he is alwayes altering; &.,when he bath done evil! it ¡s good for him that hers fo. God did not change,but Ni- atevehchanged by turning from fin,and Hezelkiahchanged by im- proving more.in prayer, and therefore he dyed not at that time, not
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