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i1
2S'
I.
1
his
tructh to
Leacknow-
ledged.
a.ChrO.ao.a0.
Ivfe
2.
It
makes
a-
vsinR out un-
beliefe.
06
jell
ion.
Pfal.8g.3
a.;
3.
Pfal.73. r.
Lam.3.za.
Ife
3.
And
the
Goht
of
unworehines
a
Imitate
4-
God
herein.
Objeá.
Anfw.
Micah.7.
r
8.
Ifa.
54.
S.
Ephefrans,
Chap.
Z,
VER.4.
I
That
great
Commandment
of
the Law
(the
having
God
for
our
God
)
doeth command
to
know,
and
to
acknowledge this trueth
al.
wayes, that he
is
molt
mercifull
to
us. Have
all
Creatures
eyes to
look
up
to
the mercy
of
God
in
their
neceffities,and
to
croft
to
his faithful
-
nes for
help and fuccourin their miferies,and
Thal
his children be
blinds
lehoftia4hat
laid, Lord
we
know
not
what
to
da,but
our
eyes
are unto
thee.
This doeth reprove our
weakneffe
:
we
fay he
is
a
merciful! God,but
when he
doth delay,or
renew
his witneffes
againft
us, we think
he
hath
(hut up his
mercy
and loving compadiions.
Agane,when
we think
that
God
will
not
forgive our fins,then this mercy
of
God
is
forgotten.
A.
gain,when
men think
Godshand
is
hard towards them,
& conceive of
his
dealing
as
crudi,where
then
is
this fentence,tlaat he
is
rich in
mercy?
But you will fay,
W
hat though he bath
{hewed
us
mercy,
may
wee
not
complaine
in this kind
when
his
hand
turneth?
I
anfwer,
He
never
turneth from
thefe mercies.
if
my
children
(
faith
the Lord)offend,i
will eorrefl them
with
rods but
my mercy
will
I
not
take from
them.
We
muff
therefore
resume. in
a
holy blufh,
and learne
to
fay
,
Yet
God
is
good
to
Ifrael.
it
is
his
mercy
that
we
are
not confumed.
Itdoeth
ferve
to
bear
off
a
temptation of
unworthineffe
:
Satan
will
tell the
humbled foule,
Thou
art
a
grievous firmer, privy
in
thy
owae
heart
to
many fouleand abominable corruptions, thou haft
grieved
the
Spirit,trefpaffed againft
thy
enlightening, &c.
How
canft thou
look to
be
faved,or
once come before
God
with
any
Comfort!
Hereunto
the
faithfull foule muff be ready
to reply,Yetthe
mercies
of
God,
and
the
merits
of Chrift
Jefus
do
infinitely exceede them
;
neither
are
the
mer-
cies
of
God
abridged by
liens
of
infirmity,
but rather
thereby
the
more
fpecified and
declared
:
Thus
refting upon
the Rocke
of
Eternity
and
the impregnabletrueth
of
Gods gracious promifes,
he calls
him
-
felfe
into the bottomleffe
fea
of
Gods mercies, with
this
refolution,
that
if
he muff needs perifh,
they
(hall hale
and pull him
from
themofi
tender bowels
and everlafting compaflions
of
his ble(fed
God,
to
whom
his
foule
is fled.
This
is
a vertue
of
our heavenly Father to be imitated,
Be merciful
its
your heavenly
Father
is
mercifull, Luk.
6.36.
But it may be
faid,How
fhould
God be
mercifull
to
me,
for I
am
his
enemy,
and
a
fon
of
his
wrath,
and
mercy
is
fo
far from
fuch
that
it rejoyceth againft
the judgement
of
chofe
whom
he
hateth
?
"
If
this feare proceed
out
of
an unfaigned longing after
Gods
mercy,
and to
be deliveredfrom
that
mifery
whereof
thou
complaineft
;
then
be
of
good comfort
;
for
if
ever
thou haft tatted
of
the
fweetnefi:e
of
thisgrace,
thou
(halt
be
fure
to
have
it
opine.
He
retaineth
not
his
an-
ger for
ever,
becaufe mercy
pitafeth him.
He
is the Son,
his
mercy
(as
all
other
his
properties
) is
in
God
in-
finitely, eternally,
and
unchangeably
:
for
a
moment,
in
mine anger
I
hid
my
face,
but
with everlafling
mercy,
have
i
had
compafsion
on
thee.
Now
the fountaine
of
this mercy,
is
Gods
love
to
us
from
Eternity,
which
inclined
towards
us
when we were hateful'
:
when
he had
de-
termined