63 Oe pttrYnonipof Me Iitir6buteV, Chap. W. or Punifhment : It required Innocence, and did not d,.,r-v-N,,; accept of Repentance. The final voice of the Law is, Do, or Die. Guilty Man cannot look on God with comfort under the notion of a Holy Creator, that delights to view his own refimblance in the innocent Creature, nor ofa compaffionate Father that (pares an offendingSon, but apprehends him to be an inexorable Judge, who hath Right and Power to revenge the Difobedience. He can find no expedient for his Deli- verance, nor conceive howMercy can lave himwithout the violation of juJJice, an Attribute as eJfential to the Divine Nature as Mercy. And what can induce him to make an humble confeffion of his fault, when he ex- pees nothing but an irrevocable Doom ? An infrance ofthis we have in Adam, whobeingunder the conviai- on of his Sin, and an apprehenßon that God would be fevere, did not follicite for Mercy, but endeavour'd to Gen, 3.1a. transfer the guilt on God himfelf. The woman thou gavefl me, fhe gave me of the tree, andI did eat. As if the had been defign'd for a (Hare, and not to be an aid inhis innocent Bate. 2. A fìncere Refolution toforfake Sin is built on the hopes of Mercy. Till the reafonable Creature know that Heaven is open to Repentance, to his f fecond and better thoughts, he is irreclaimable. He that never hopes to receive any good, will continue in doing evil. Defpair of .zwercy caufeth a defpifìng of the Lan,. The .Apoflate Angels who are without the referves of Par- don, are confirm'd in their Rebellion : their Guilt is mixt with Fury, they perfifr in their War againfr God, though they know the iflue will be deadly to them. And had there not been an early revelation of Mercy to Adam, he had been incorrigibly wicked as the Devils. For defpair had inflam'dhis hatredagainfr God, which is of all the Paons the aloft incurable. Thofevicious Affeîlion:
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