1156, Book.'V. Looking unto j.e{us. Vcdc I) l;cv i:•. t 6 4 r , 4J.. . we are all here .btfore tlm in our trFfP. aJTes, for we Oln!1ot ftand before thee, bccaufe 'f thu. Behold here. we are, rebels . we are .;, here are Ol1r heads and throats before the naked poynt of thy vengance, ifnow thou fhouldefr t'ake us trom our knees, and throw us into hell, ifwe mu(t go from our prayers to damnation, we cannot but fay tha-c thou art jufr and righteous ; oh its mercy, its mercy indeed that we have been fparcd;. its jufr ami. righteou1 with God that we fhould be damned. - In this more efpecially !yes felfe-condemnation ·; it makes a man to trample upon his own felfe, it · makes a man freely to accept of damoation ; They foal/ . accept of the punifoment of their iniquit] , and then will I re-- member my covenant. 'YPith 'Jacob ; they fave God (as. it wer~) a la-bour, illdging themfdves, that they may ~t. be, j~dged. 4· We mufr pl~ade pardon, and cry mightily to God in_ Chrifr, for the remiffion of all our fins . This is the way of. judging our felves, we fee nothing but hell and damnation in our [elves, _but then we fling down our felves at .Gods gate of mercy; we defpai.re not in God, though in our felves; God in· Chrift is gracious and merciful, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion, and finne; and hence we make bold to imreate the Lord for . Chrifrs fake to be mercifulto,us ; furely herein !yes the difference betwixt nature and grace ; the natural man may fee his, finnes , and confeife his Gnnes, and judge himfelfe for his Gnnes, thus- Saul did ,_ and thus 'fuaM did; but then they -defpaired in. God, and,were damneG indeed; now: the-gracious man hath a confcience · within that reprefents to him his damned efrate, hue witball it reprefents to him theJree grace of God injefusChrifr, · and fo he only defplyresia himfelfe, and not in his God 1 now thus far good ; come Chrifria!'ls L do we defpaire in our fel-ves ? dow.: fl ing off all our owh hopes, . and.our own..dependencyes, hangings, holdings on duties, purpofes, graces; performances? and do we go to God in Chrifr; and: tell him, we hang upon nothing_ b:1t the meer mercy , the fr ee grace of 6od· in Chrift, and there/ore . Lordpardvn; LordfGrgivef or thy-Names(ak,f; promifefa~e, mereyes fakf, anJ f or the L ord 'fejuJ fa/ze ; 0 let fr ee grace have his. work_ ; L@rd g!orijie thy N 11me, aHdglorifi etherir;hesof th]grace in j 11ving m ; why,this is the bell: hold in the world, though the ·· world .
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