Christ, and not that they fhall hereby procure and obtain the thing it felf; though after all, neither evangelical repentance, and internal converfion, nor the grace of pardon are here intended; not evangelical repentance and internal converfion, as has been before obferved, nor the spiritual bles fing and grace of pardon; for though par don of fin is fignified by blotting it out, Pfal. li. 1, 9. Ifa. xliii. 25. and xliv. 22. yet forgiveness of fin fometimes means no more than the removing a prefent calamity, or the averting of a threaten'd judgment, Exod. xxxii. 32. 1 Kings viii. 33, to 39 and is the fense of the phrafe here. Thefe Jews had crucified the Lord of glory, and for this fin were threaten'd with miferable deftrution; the apoftle therefore exhorts them to repent of it, and acknowledge Jefus to be the true Meffiah; that fo, when wrath fhould come upon their nation, to the utter moft, they might be delivered, and faved from the general calamity; which though would be terrible times to the unbelieving Jews, yet would be times of refreshing to the people of God, from troubles and perfecutions. Though the laft caufe may be confider'd, not as expreffing the time when their iniquities fhould be blotted out, but as a diftinct additional promife made to penitents, and be read with the other, thus ; your fins may be blotted out, that the That A times of refreshing may come; as they are by the Syriac and Arabic verfions, and to which the Ethiopic agrees, and is the reading preferred by Lightfoot; and the fenfe is this; Repent of your fin of crucifying Chrift; acknowledge Jefus as the true Meffiah, and you fhall not only be faved from the general deftruction of your nation, but fhall have the gospel, and the confolation of Ifrael with you. Jefus Chrift, who was first preached unto you, fhall be fent down unto you in the refreshing confolatory ministry of the word, though he, in persoh, must remain in heaven, until the times of reftitution of all things. NUMB. XXXIII. Acts vii. 5 I. Ye ftiff necked and uncircumcifed in heart and ears, ye do always refift the Holy Ghost: As your fathers did, fo do ye. T Hough these words are not once cited or referred to by Dr. Whitby, as I remember; yet inasmuch as the Remonftrants" have never failed to urge them in favour of the refiftibility of God's grace in convert.sa, and to prove that that work is not WIPALA ↑ It Col. Hag hr it, in & 215 king why Po &c. Limpuiet. by an irresistible power, and that men may have fufficient grace for converfion, who are not converted, it will be proper not to omit them; their argument from them ftands thus; If the holy Spirit may be refifted when he acts in man, with a purpose and will to convert him, then he does not work converfion by an irresistible power, but the holy Spirit may be refifted, when he acts in man with a purpose and will to convert him. Therefore, &c. But, I. That the Spirit of God in the operations of his grace upon the heart in converfion, may be refifted, that is, oppofed, is allowed; but that he may be fo refifted as to be overcome, or be hinder'd in, or obliged to cease from the work of converfion, fo as that it comes to nothing, where he acts with purpofe and will to convert, must be denied; for who bath refifted his will? who, in this fenfe, can refift it? No one inftance of this kind can ever be produced. II. It should be proved, that the Spirit of God was in these perfons, and was acting in them with a defign to convert them; and that they had fufficient grace for converfion given them; and that that grace was the fame with that which is given to perfons who are only converted: Whereas it does not appear that they had any grace at all, fince they ftile manner, and fitly expreffes their ill treatment of Christ and his ministers, by falling upon them, and putting them to death; which is the refiftance here particularly design'd, as is manifest from the following words, as your fathers did, fo do ye; which of the prophets have not your fathers perfecuted? And they have flain them which shewed before of the coming of the just one, of whom ye bave been now the betrayers and murderers. NUMB. XXXIV. Rom. v. 18. Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even fo by the righteoufness of one, the free gift came upon all men, to juftification of life. TH HESE words ftand as a proof of general redemption; and the fenfe given of them is ', that Chrift died for the juftification of all men; and that juftification of life was procured by him for, and is offered unto, all men; it being apparent that the apoftle is comparing the condemnation which is procured by the fin of Adam, with the free gift of juftification procured by the fecond Adam, as to the extent of perfons con * Whitby, p. 113, 117, 113. cerned |