On G E N• XXXL'{. 9· ous :tnd heavy C~n~emnation, of tbofe who !O'Ve. Darknefi ratber .than Light, betaufe thei!' Deeds are e'Uil. T1s no mean degree of GUilt to extenuate Sm, and make an Apology tor Sinners. The wifefl: of Men tells us, Fools make a mock of Sin , they count it • fond Ni cenefs, a fd ly Precifenefs to be fea rful of offending God. They boafl: of their deceitJul Arts and In!inuatidns, whereby they reprefent .Sin as :1 li ght matter, to corrupt o.; thers. But 'tis infinitely better to be defective in the Subtilty of the Serpent, than in the Innocence ot the Dove. A meer Natural, who is only capable of fenfttive Actions, and is d ifl:inguiil1'd from a Brute by his fhape, is not filch a forlorn Sot, as the finful foci. What the Prophet Jeremy fpeaks .of one who gets Rtches ?nJuflly, . that he (hall leave them; and in t!Je end die a Fool, will be venfied of the wilful obfhn~te Smner : in the end he fl1all by the terrible Conviction of his own Mind, be found guil ty of the mo!l wofu l Folly: and how many have acknowledged in their lafl: hours, when ufually Men !peak with the moO: fee ling and leafl: Affectatton, how have they 10 words of the Pfalmifl: arraigned themfelves, So foolifh have we heen, and lilce /J.eaj/s before t!Jee' 2. From hence we may be infl:ructed of the wonderful Patience of God, who bears with a World of Sinners, tlut are obnoxious to his Jufiice, n.nd under his Power every day. If we confider the number and aggravations of Mens Sins, how many have out~ ~~~~ ~~~.~:~r~~~: g~~~~~~:id~r~vf~~;;:f~:fi~~~~ ~0~~~. r~Fr~~di~~dort~~~~.~~~~ And yet that God notwitl~fbndin~ all their enormous. Injurie~, a!Id viol~nt Provoc~ti ... ons, is patient towards S1nners, 1t cannot but fi ll uswuh Adm1rat1oh. H1s Mercy, hke the cheerfUl Light of the Sun, vifits us every Morning with its benigri Influences; his Jufl:ice, li ke Thunder, rarely flrikes the Wicked. He affords not only tlie Supports of Lifj.i;1~~~f:~~n~~; f~~}e~~~~~~e~1;:;rrsth~~hcll~;tl~~~k~~~ a;~n~~~,~:~~~t from the Abunda.nce or Ius Mercy. He m:tCie the World without any flrain of h:s Power, and can as ea!ily deflroy it: he has an innumerable Company of Arigels attend •ng his Commands; and every Angel is an Army m flrength : one of them de!lroyed an hundred and fourfcore and Jive thoufand in a Night. He can ufe t he mo!l defp1c•ble and weakell: Creatures, frogs, and Lice, and Flies, .as Infiruments .of Vengeanc~ ~o fubdue the proudefi Pbaraob,the moft obilinate Rebels.~~--He _fees s.ln wl~ere ever it IS,a t";d hates it where ever he (Ces it; yet his Patien~e endures the1r crymg Sms, and his Jong-fuff(·ring expeCts their Repentance_ The Lord z.s not f/ack, OJ[ome Men count flacknrfS, but he iJ lrntg. fu.ffCring to z~ . ward, ~ot willing thllt a"Y foould perijb, hut tbat ali jhot< ld come to Repentance. He fpares Smners with fuch Indu lgence, in order to thm Salvat,on. T .s defervedly one of Ills Royal Titles,ibe God of Patzence, Our fierce Spmts are apt to take Fi re and Revenge for every Injury real, , or fuppos'd; but the great God, who is in fi nitely fenfible ol all the !nd1gnmes offer d to h1s MajcO:y, defers lm Anger, and loads them 1vitb hiJ &"'fts evuy day. What is more aflonifhiog than the Riclm of hu Goodnefi, unlefs it be the perverfe Abufe of it by Sinners, to harden themfe lves in thei r Jmp1eties? But a!rho' his Clemency de\ays the Punifl1ment, the Sacrednefs and Con!laney of his Juflice will not forget it: wben Patience has had its perfdl wor/c,JuO:ice fl1all have a folemn Triumph in the final Defiruction of impenitent unrctormed Sinners. 3· The Confideration of the Evil of Sin, fo great in it felf, and pernicious to us, heightens our Obligations to the Divine Mercy, in Caving us from our Sins, and an everlaO:i ng Hell, the jull Punifhment of them. Our Lofs was unvaluable,. our Mdery extream, and Wlthout infin ite Mercy, we had been unQer an unremedlabJe neceflJty or finning and fuffering fo r ever. God faw us in this wretched and def]Jerate State, and hi& Eye ajfefled bis Heart, in bis Pity be redeemed and refl:ored us. This IS the clearefl: Tefl:imony of pure Goodnefs : for God did not want extern•! Glory, who is infinitely happy in his own Perfections: he could, when Man revolted ffom his Duty, have create~ a new Wo~ld of inno~ent Creatures: for infinite Power is not fpen~ nor leffened by fimte Produchons, but ills undeferved and undefired Mercy appeared m our Salvation. The way 0f accomplifl1ing it, renders Mercy more illufl:rious: !or to glorify his Ju!lice and preferve the Honour of his Holioefs unblemilh'd, he laid upon ills Son the Iniquit} of us all. This was Love that paffeth all Under~and\ ng: Our Saviour fpeaks of It with Admiration; Godfo /(J'Ved tbe World, and hated Sin, tbat be ga'Ve his only begotten Son to die for it; that. wbojoever belie-ves in him, fhou!d not ferijb, but haue everlafting L ife. And how dr-ar are our Engagements to )efusChnfl? The Judg would not releafe the Guilty withou t a Ranfom, nor the Surety without Satisfaction ; and the Son of God mo!l companionately and willingly gave his preciou~ Blood to obtain our Deliverance. If his Per!Cctions were not moO: am table and ravifl1ing, yet that he died for us, fhou ld In fimtdy endear lum to us. To tbofe tvbo 6elieve, he ir prmous , to thole who have felt ' their
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