Objections 14 & 15: Circumcision of the Heart – Whitby’s refutation of Arguments in favor of irresistible grace
V. OBJECTIONS FOURTEEN and FIFTEEN. "God promises ' to, circumcise, the heart,' (Deuteronomy 30:6) and Ephraim prays thus, 'turn thou us, O Lord, and so shall we be turned (Jeremiah 31:18) he therefore only does these works in us, and we are purely passive."
ANSWER. Now in answer to such texts as these in general, I lay down this as a most certain rule, that when God does require us to do what he himself does promise, and hath made it our duty to, perform, his promise is only to perform what is requisite on his part towards the work, he certainly expecting we ourselves should 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 gods!"
For a comand to men to do what divine power can alone effect, does 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 promises to 'circumcise the hearts' (Deuteronomy 30:6) of his people, requires them to ' circumcise their own hearts,'(Jeremiah 4:4, 9:26)' and calls upon the men of Judah to 'circumcise themselves, and take away the foreskins of their hearts, lest his justice break forth upon them,' and threatens 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 endeavor 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 cursing which he had pronounced, verses 1& 2, and 'turn to the Lord their God;', 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 considers and turns from his iniquity,' and threatening that if they would not turn, ' they should die in their sins' seeing he complains do often 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;' (Hosea 5:4) it must be absurd to urge this player 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 often to turn their captivity, it appears this is only a prayer that God would bring them out of that slavery, like that of the Psalmist, ‘turn our captivity, O Lord.' (Psalm 126:4)
ANSWER. Now in answer to such texts as these in general, I lay down this as a most certain rule, that when God does require us to do what he himself does promise, and hath made it our duty to, perform, his promise is only to perform what is requisite on his part towards the work, he certainly expecting we ourselves should 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 gods!"
For a comand to men to do what divine power can alone effect, does 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 promises to 'circumcise the hearts' (Deuteronomy 30:6) of his people, requires them to ' circumcise their own hearts,'(Jeremiah 4:4, 9:26)' and calls upon the men of Judah to 'circumcise themselves, and take away the foreskins of their hearts, lest his justice break forth upon them,' and threatens 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 endeavor 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 cursing which he had pronounced, verses 1& 2, and 'turn to the Lord their God;', 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 considers and turns from his iniquity,' and threatening that if they would not turn, ' they should die in their sins' seeing he complains do often 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;' (Hosea 5:4) it must be absurd to urge this player 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 often to turn their captivity, it appears this is only a prayer that God would bring them out of that slavery, like that of the Psalmist, ‘turn our captivity, O Lord.' (Psalm 126:4)
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