Chap. 2. SeCl:. 2. Jtmking unto 3jefn~. Book IIJ. 9) as re~cberh inwardly, dearly, experimemally, and fweetly: no man in the world can fay rhis, or do this, but Jefus Chrift, rhe great Prophet of the Church, w~wm God harh raifed up like nmo J11o(es, , or for above Mofes; Oh my Soul confider 1fthou art rhusraughr of God. 4· Jwill forgive their ir1iquity, and /will remember their fin; no more. Confide; of Rom: 4, 1· this! Ble(Jed..re they who(e iniquities are forgi'llen, Mdwhofe fins 13re covered. Conllder 0 my foul, fuppofe rhy cafe and thy condition rhus : As thou livefi under Laws of men, fo for the tranfgreflion of thofe Laws thou art called to account; the Judge weighs, and gives an impartial and jufl: judgment, he dooms thee to the Axe, or Rack, or \Vheel . and becaufe of the aggravation of thy Crime, he commands thee to be tortured J;ifurely, that Bones, Sinews, Lights, Joints might be pained, for twenty, thirty, forty, fifry yell's ; that fo much of thy flelh Dwuld be cut off every day ; that fuch and fuch a Bone 111ould be broken, fuch and fuch a day ; and that by art the flelh lhould bereftored, and the Bone cured again; that for fo many years as is faid, thou migluefi be k-ept every day dying, and yet never die; that all this while thou muft have no Deop, nor eafe, nor food, nor cloarhing convenient for thee; that whips of Iron, Lalhes and Scourges of Scorpions, that Racks, Wheels, Cauldrons full of melted Lead lhould be preeared inftruments of thy continual, horrible, terrible torments; in this cafe fuppofe a mighty Prince, by an Act of free and fpecial Grace, flwulddeliver thee from thispain and torture, and not only fo, but fl10uld give thee a life in perf<ct healrh, fl10uld put thee into a Paradife of pleafures, where all the honour, acclamations,love and ferviceof a world of men and Angels fhould await thee, and where thou ll10uldeft be ekvated to the top of all imaginable happinefs, above Solomon in his higbe!t royalty ,or A dam in his firfl innocency; where not this mercy? wouldeft thou not think it the bighe{\ act of grace and love, that any creature could extend to hisfellow-creatu.re? and yet 0 my foul, all this is nothing buc a lhadow ofgrace in comparifon of the love and rich grace of God in Chrift in the juftification of a finner. If thou haft a right to this promife, I willforgive thy iniquity, and !will remember thy fin no more, Thou art delivered from eternal death, and thou art entitled to an eternal King~ dom ; 0 know thy blelfednefs aright! con/ider how infinitely thou art engaged to God and Cbri!t, and mercy, and free-grace ! this prom& founds forth nothing but grace and ble/11ng; grace from,God, and blefling on us; it isgrace, becaufe nothing but grace and mercy can forgive: it is grace, b~caufe God, if be will, bath power in his band to revenge ; he doth not pafs by /in as men do offences, when they dilfemble forgivenefs; they may forgive, becaufe they have not power to avenge; it is otberwife with God; D:u•;'l'·:l~· To me •belongs Vengea11ce and Recompence , faith God : He is able to dellroy, and Exod. 3 ,. 1• yet he chufech to torgive; this .is his Name, jfrong andgracious. 0 my Soul thou art apt to complain, what ? trill the Lord forgive my fins ? what rcafon h.rh God to look, on me, to pardon me, to pluc/z.me as a firebrand out ef the fire of hell.? 1rhy Jb~uld God forgive me .? but now confider (if thy heart be humbled)– the Lord wdl do 1t.- · I, Becaufe he delightet!J in mercy; it is a pleafure to God ro forgive fins : ne\·er did M' h ' ; we take more pleafure, no.r fo m~ch pfeafure in acting and committing of fin, as he •<• ' 7' 18 •· doth 111. the pardoning of /m ; he .'s the Father of mercies , he delights in mercy as a • Cor. r.3.: F~ther mlus Children; 1t doth h<m good to fee the fruits of his own mercy, in ca– kmg away the /ins of his own people. . 2. B;caufe it is his puq:ofe which he bath purpofed within himfelf from all erer– mry? tmswas the greatdellgnofGod (a> you have heard) to make his grace glorious m tbofe whom he intends to _fuve; he will have the pr«ife of the glory of hh grace : Eph. t. 6, he Will not lofe Ius glory ; he w11l be ~dmired in hi& Saints· he will make the world to • The1~ t. IQ. wonder~ when it fhall be known whm fin bath been commit;ed by them, and pardon- \\ ed·by him, And hence it is that God> people are called Velfels of Mercy, that he mtght mal(r k_nown the riches of hi; glory on the vejfols of mercy; for, as velfels are or may be filled up to the brims, fo the velfels of mercy ilJall be filled with mercy up Rom. 9 • , 3 , to the bnm, that ebe richos of his glory in the pardon of fin may be feen and known to the wonder of all the world. 3· ~ecaufe it !s his nacure and inclination to pardon fin: this appears, I. ln fhe p~ocla1mmg of h1s Name, the Lord, the Lord, merciful, and gracious, /ong-fulfering, Exo1. 34 ,5; a 1md~11t m goodnefs and trllth, k;epmg mer~y for thoufands, forgiving iniqE<ity, ""d rranfkrcjfion, ~nd fin. 2,ln
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=