Chap.~. Seers. L1#1eing rmt1 1efus. Book III. for thouf.tnds,forgiving iniquity, tranfgre.J!iQn, and Jin; here be fix ieveral phrafes, to fhew the riches ofhis goo dnelfe, but wheR he fpeaks his wrath, whathaft makes he over it! ther•s only two expreffions - of that; it wasa theame he took no delight in; Ira. 18 .u Judgement is his work.. , his ftrange w~rk... ; for he doth L~tt1.3·3l no1affiiEt willingly , nor g~ieve the children Gj men. 3. There's a chfference tn the expreffion; when God fpeaks of mercy, he exprelfeth it thus, abundant in mercy; kfrping mercy for thoufands. ~u t in vifiting finnes , .it is not to thoufanas, ~ut on ely to the thlrd or fourth generatiOn. Surely mercy re;oy- Jallt.l,IJ; ceth againft judgment. God woula fhew mercy to thoufands , rather then he would deftroy three or foure. 4·What if by no meane God will clear the guilty ? fiubbornly guilty i yet never will he defiroy huinble foules that lie at his feet , and are willing to h~ve ntcrcy on his ea~e tearmes. How Hoflr.s 9 jbali I give thee up Ephraim , how foal! I dtllver thee 0 Ifrael ? how jb~t.il I makff thee as Admah ? how foal/ I Jet it as Z eboim ? my heart is tHrned-within me, mJ repentings are kjndled together, I 'lllill not execute the ftercenelfe of his angel' , I 'lllill n~t deftroy E· phraim, for I am God andnot' man, the Holy One in the middeft G/ thee; 0 my foul! why fiandefi thou at a difiance with God?why doft thou fancy aLion in the way ? 0 believe in God , believe in Jefus ! and believe thy portion in this Covenant ofgrace!have fweet and delightful thoughts ofGodi nature, and thou wilt not~ thou.canfi not fly from him: fome are ofopiaion ehat a foul maJ fetch more encDuragemmtJ to believe, from the conjideration of qod1 graciouJ t!lnd merciful natHre , then from the promife it [elf. 2. Conuder ofthe fweet and gracious nature of.Jefus Chrifl .: our thoughts of God are necelfariiy rnore ftrange then ofJefus c;hrift , becaufe of our infinlte dill:ance from the Godhead ; but in Chrift ,God is comedown into our nature, andfo infinite g.oodnelfe , and mercy is incarnate; art thou afraid, 0 my foul, at his name 'fdh, and 'fehovah? 0 remember his name is Emmanuel· the Lion is here difrobed ofhis garment ofterrour ; his rough haire is urned into a foft wool ; fee thy God difrobcd ofhis terrible Majelly, fee thy God is aman, and thy Judge is a brother ; mince 'fehovah with 'fefus , and the Serpent will be a r9d; 0 that Balfamy name, 'fe[us; that name ·that founds healing .for every wound, fcttlementforevery diftraClion, comfort for every \ G g ·forrow:
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