Of Eletlion. ~OF THY MERCY, verf: 16.. he calls it God's Mercy; and l n verj111lt, Th< BooK IV. Godoj rny.Merc~· : ThemeamrgiS, thatallthemrrcy of God is ":Y mtrry, I V"V'"- can lay cla1m to It as need ts. And the reafon of it lS prrgnanr; tor, Is God our God 1 lt fo, then all the mercies in God, upon the fame account, are our mercies ; yea, 1t was mercy in him that moved him to become our God at firft, and that 111ade him make himfelf over to us: So that, if tho ucanfi fay, (poor Soul) TkeGodof' my merer, this cloth contract the whole of God's being, and all the grace in him to thy fclf. ./lrt thottwlled? Do but lay thy eye through that little hole of Vocat;on, as through a Per(p<fftv<; that is , through this Conr.deration, I am one whom God hath called with a Holy Calling, and Caved; and fo thou maifi draw in.all of God through that little hole; even all the grace in God's Nature bath an mlet through that Sluce: and comes in upon thee, and thy Faith may ral<e 1t tn thts one expreilmn, 1•wtll6egr<~ctoru to whom I wtlt be graciolW, fets cpen (as I fatd) the Flood· gates of all10 t he Nature of God to a p1or Soul, to whom C:od hath been gracious in calling him. Shall I fpeak a very big word to you, and fo end ? You heard, God isrhe God of allgrace to the Brotherhood: I tell thee, if any one Soul had all tl>e needs that all the Brotherhood have, il nothing would ferve his turn, but all the grace of God that he hath for the whole, yea in the whole of hunfelt~ he would lay it out for thee. The Lord help us to confider thefe things, for they are true. Poor !ioul, thou ufefl to [ay, ThiS or that is myji11, and it is fo; a grievo~ fin per– haps, and I am prone to it : And again, thts IS my mrfery, but withll, r be· feech thee to confider, that Godis the Godof thy mercy, and that all the mer– cy in Go~, upon occafion, and for a need, is thine, and all upon as good a title as that fro is t~ine: For the free dotmtion of God, and of his Will, is as good a title as the inheritance of fin in thee. U{e 2. You haveheardwhatGodj,in his Grace: Shall I invite you to the latter put of an lntcrcourfe, which as great a Subjell, )ea indeed a Favourite of Free-grace, as ever any, had with God, when his Soul was fill'd and ilulh'd with the apprehenfion of God's Free-grace towards him, when he hung as a little Globe of glafs in the Sun. os full of glory, lhining through and through him, os he could take in or hold? Shall! bring you where you may liften to, •nd over-hear at what a rare fuch a Soul talks ond fpeal<s to God, when he is i.n fuch a frame? You find it in 2 Sam, 7· 8. to the 23d. David fate brforr the Lord. audhr]<ud, Who,1m I, 0 Lord God! mtdwh.Jt u my houje, that tbvtl ha,? brought me hitherto? ./lnd this waoyt a jm.1/lthmg in thy fight, 0 LordGod, b11tthou haft Jpohn alfo of thy Servattls honf< for a gre.:Jt whd~ to come, rmdis thisthemmmtr ofrn,m, 0 Lord God? And what can David fa)• more tmto thte? for thn11 Lord k11owrfl tby ferpmtl; for thy word fake, andacco•·dillj to I hint_pwn heart h.tjl tbott dont rJII the(r grratthmgs to ma/,e thy Jervant k11ow I hem; «·hrrtfo" 1bott artgreat, 0 Lord God, for there is 11one ltke tha, 11either tsthere tmy God btjid< tha, according·to allth,lt we /;,;ve heard with ottr ears. · God had lirfl begun wirh him, and had thereby fer his Soul rhus on lire: God had fa id his fay by Nutbrw; which that Conclufion unto what had fore– gone in vajt 1 7, Accordi11g to allthofe words, mtd this Vtjion, fo dtd Nathan [peak to David from Clod, lhews. It would be too long to enlarge on the fore- ·part of this vi(u made by God, in that of the foregoing C hajlt<'rs ; on ly this I will fay, There was never any Favoume fo courted and caretlcd by any great King, as 'David had been by God before this. T he occafioo God took to ex– prefs what he did to him was, There came into the heart of 'D.tvid a motion to build God an Houfe,and it wa• Free-grace from God that put that Into 'Da– vid's Heart too. For G~d doth but pump,(if I may fo fay) 'tis but as putting i~ water to draw our more, he purs in Grace, and we return ir; and God took this kindly: Vcr(. 2. 'D.tvrdhad fa id, I dweU in iJtt hou(e of' Crdar, ha the ./Irk of God dw(l/nh wirhi11 Ci~rt.1ins. So he would build God 2n houfe; God took this kindly, for God tokes advantage to cxprefs his love to us. 'D•vtd had li1okcn rh is asro day, God took it 1(, kindly, and his heart was fo full ofit, that that Vfl)' night, as you read vrrj. 4· he fays to N ,ttha11, Go. a11d trll m~ frrvant
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