:u8 Of EM/ion. r::::;::;;::, you have it Chr1p. 7· 6. of that Epi!lle, God that comforlfth thoft that are rajl BooK IV. dowu: It is an Attribute, ab efjefl11, asthat when he is faid to be, A God htar– ~ i11g praytr, and aGodof' pardons, Nrh. 9· 17. (loin the Hebrew)fromwhat he doth, He IS a God pardo11i11g z111qwty, (!)c, Although this is to be added, That when in 2 Cor, 1.~. he is called the God of all comforts, this may rake in his being the God of comf'orts o6jdlzve, as to us; i.e. That our Souls may find in God, as our chiete{\ good, all forts of Com[orrs, and in h>m alone. And that as God is fu6jtrlJVe in himfolf, a God of all ble[ednefs in himfelf, unto bimfelf; fo all that is comfortable in him, is for our comfort: But !\ill the d>reCl: and proper fcope of rhat place in its cohe– rence, refpeeh wlut he IS mg1vzngjorth comforts to his People. This pa– rallel bath been alledged for the cleanng the fenfe of the Phrafe , the God of alJgr,zce, that it is In refpeCl: of all gracious tfferls which the grace in God cloth afford. Secondly; Let us next come to tht thing it Jelf: Look as when it is fa id, He is the God of [alt] comfort, in that place afore, you eaftly under!land tuat it is fpoken rejptllive, in relation unto all forts of di!lreiTes and difcomforts, ~c. · which the Saints at any time have, and are capable of: And fo Paul in– terprets himf~lf in the fourth vtrje, Who comforteth,., in ["11] our trzbulrlli· otJS. And then the meaning of that title, tht God of at/ comforts; is, that he hath in apparatu, in a readinefs, a particular fpecial comfort to give forth toe– very difcom fort, and that in due rime, de faC1o, he doth ir. And then in like manner, when he is fa id here to be the God of all gt·acr, it mu!\ be under– fiood as fpoken refptrlive to every want, to every need the Saints may be fup· pofcd robe in ; and that God hath a proponionaple grace for the fupply and re– lief of it, Only in the third place I add this, as touching thefe two which I alledge as Parallels, thr God of aft comforts, and the 'God of aft gract, that though that of his being the God of at! comforts, ferves, as I have alledged it , to clear the fenfe of the Phrafe, viz. that he is tht God of alt graa, unto all forts of gracious effeCl:s ; that yet (which tends to magnifie) this his !lile ofalt grace, above and beyond that of comforts; (and yet that tends to our comfort too) is that thefe two are not adequate, or of the fame commenfuration : But of the two, his being tht God of allgrace ; is larger in refpect of its gracious effeCl:s; for God•; difpcnfations of grace, are larger than his difpcnfations of comfort in this world: He gives grace in cafes wherein he cloth not give com– fort; and fo he is the God ofatt gracr, in a far larger extent than of all com– forts, though !\ill both are alike to be underfiood in refpelt to effects; yea,and often he givesmofi grace, when not comfort, (further than foas to uphold the Soul from fin king,) He carries on fame Souls as he did Chri!l at his Death for a while, unto the highefl gracious ACl:s of Obedience, whil!l yet he vouchfafes no Comfort; witnefs that doleful Expreffion of Chri!l, My God, my Gcd, why hajl thouforjakm mr 1 when yet he was in the highefl performance of Obed,– ence, Obedieuce Uttto death,,. the Apoftle agrandifeth it. Thus in thy temp– tation God influences thee with grace, fecretly affifling and !lrengthoing, whefl he affords not comforting Grace, to thy own fenfe. Carry this home with thee, thou who ha!\ fo many years been a.ffliC1td, to.fJtd with tempejl, mtd 11ot comforted. Fourthly; And take that other Epitbete coupled with this already mention– edin the fame place of the Corinth1, namely, The Fathtr of Mtrcies too; for that is parallel alfo with this, the Godof aJ!gract, as to rhe interpretation and fenfe given in relaticn to the effeCl:s of Mercies ; for Mtrcies there focal– led, are the Works of Mercy, the Effects of Mercy, and fo often and ufually fiiled in Scriptures. And it is not fpoken in the {tllgf41ar only, the Fathtr of Mercy, but of Mercies, which imports a multitude, and variety of them. NowGrace here, and Mercy there, are all one; aod the God of a!J f!,race, is all one as to have faid, the Father of Mercies; rhat is, of all merciful Difpen– fation. This for the proof of, this fenfc which I have given, II. Next
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