u4 Book. III. Looking 1111M tfefus. Chap.2. Sed:.4. ' fore he will do this great thing, all that that thou hafr to do and all that God requires of thee, i~ onely to beleeve; indeed thou haft no part in Chrift, no part in.the covenant of grace if thou wilt not beleeve; faith is the condition of the covenant ofgrace ; and therefore either beleeve , or no covenant. I know it is not.eafte to bcleeve; nay, it is one of the hardell: things under heaven to perfwade a ioul into faith : what? will the great Godofheaven mak,s 11 covenant with fuch .r wretch 111 I 11m? I cannot heleeve it. why? what's the matter ? 11h my fins my jin1 , m1 fin! ! God is a confuming fire againft fuch, he c11n~t endure to behold iniquity ; !itt le hope1 that ever God fbould enter inte a covenant with me. But to help on, or to allure a foul in confider 0 thou foul of thefe following paifages. ' 1. Confider of the fweet and gracious nature of God: that .which undoes broken hearts, and trembling fouls, it is mifcon- .ceivings ofGod : we have many times low, diminilhing, extenuating thoughts of. God~ •goodnefs , but we have large thoughts of his power and wrath, now to reetifie thefe mifap· prehenfions, confider his name, and therin his nature, the Lord, the Lord,. merciful/, andgracim1, long-f u.fferin,~, and abundant in gsodneffe, and truth, k§eping mercy for thoufandJ,forgiving iniquity, tran[greffionJ, 11nd Jim; and that will by no mean1 cleare the guilty, .J!;cod• 34· 6. 7 vijiting the iniqt~ity ofthe f'aeheri npon the children, ilnd upon the ·children! children unto the third and fourth generation. 0 terrible text fayes the foul, alas I am guilty ofthoufands offins; and if this be his Name I am undone,woe to me and mine unto the third and fourth generation. But confider againe,aad inthis defcription .of God we lhall fin de an ocean of mercy, to a drop of wrath; a fea of oyle to an halfe drop of fc-alding l~ad. For,-. - 1, God doth not begin, the Lord, the Lord, that will !Jy no m.e11ns c.feare the guilt);' but, the Lml, the Lord, mercifa!l, and gra~iom, long-[uffering; this is the firft and greatefl: part ofhis Name; God 'is loath to fpeak in jufiice, and wrath; he keeps it to the lafr; mercy lies uppermofr in Gods heart; if the fentence muft come, it lhall be the lafl: day of the aC. fize. · z. Mapy words are ufed to fpeak his goodneife: merciful, gracioHs, long-fujfering, 11nd t1b11ndant in goodneffe, k,seping mercy • for
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