Chap.I.Setl.7 L1eking tmto 1e[1u. · Book IV. Part.4. 745 r.o he feeks them, he £lands in the midfr of them, and I1e comes againe with an olive branch of peace, faying, pet~ce he tmto you. Of all rhefe we have touched hefore; but here is fomething . new; a new m~rcy breaking out on faithleffe ThomM ; Chriil: ..._ proves it py lively examples, and frrong arguments, that he will rca 4 ,, 3 ; HQt quench the fmoabingftax~, nor brealz the bruifed reede; that luk,J9.10, he came to (eek_and to [ave thAt which wM loft: that he was fent to binde up the broken hearted, and to heale the Gck, to reduce the abjea:, and to bring to the fold the frraying ilieep; for the fake ofone ThomM ( hnil appeares againe, that to him as well as the reft he might commumcate his goodne!fe, bequeath his peace, and confirnie him in this n~ce!fary poynt of faith, that he was rifen ag:.t~ne. 0 the goodne~e ofChrift! Lik.! M a _Fnther pity· p[~~. 103 . 1 I;.l eth hu ch1laren, fo thr Lord .payeth them that je4-,;ehzm; he that · left the ninety :.tnd nine in the wilderne!fe .to go after that fueep that was loft, declares his defin~ to fave Goners_; of all tbtftthou Joh•I· 7 .u; haft given me f have not loft one, not one of h1s fueep ; .he n:!ay fuffer them a while to ftray' as this one Difci pie, WHO cortiriued incredulous for one whole week, but aLords da.y comes, and then Chrifi appea~es in. the · I?idfr of the candlefricks, the Lord is na~ 1 Pcr.J.S' · {lac/zconcernmg hu prorm{e, ( M fornt men countJlttc/zrlffJr) hut he u · long-fufferitJ,g tom-ward> not willing that any fh'ould perifh, but th11t all fhould come to repentance. Huml;,Ied Goners tlrat defpaire in themfelves, may here finde e~couragement, it i~ rheir ufual cry, 0 my fins ! thefefins are h4)nom, thefe Jins will damne me. Oh but confider, hath not the Lord pardoned as great fins ? if thou art wicked, confider the Publican, ifthou art unclean, remember Magdalen, if thou ar~ a thief, a man-fiayer, mufe (ln that thief that was crucified with Jefus Chrift, if thou art a blafphemer, call to minde the /\ pofrle P11ul, who was firfr a wolfe , a-nd then a Shepheard; firfr leade, and then gold; firft a Saul, and then a Paul; ifthou art faithleffe; diffident, an unbeleever , one that '- hail turned thy back on Chrift, fled away from thy colours look on ThomM, /he fled away from ChriH as foon as any, and he is longefr from Chrifr after his refurreCl:ion of .all the reft . and though his fellow Difcipies fay they h11a fem the Lord, andthat: he wM rifm indeed, yet this will not finke into his head he will not acknow~edge it, but is mo!l peremptory; ~xcepr he'J:e in his Joh.:o; tf~ hands the prmt of the nayles, and put htJ fingers mto the prmt of the Cc c c c ?MJies~ \. ,,
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