ComfortablePreferttatiues apingdefperatìon. 445 profeffeth that hee willfpare hispeople andchildren, ,.s aman fpácethhis ownefonne that (erMeth him. Nowwe know that a lovingfather is ready to forgiue, & toreceiue intohis grace and fauour his repentant forme, though hee hath very often offended him : and fo finely the Lord,who is infinitly rich in mercy,will much moreforgiue hischildrenwhen they turne vntohim ; nay,he is not onlie readie to receiue theminto his grace and fauour, but it filleth him (as Imay fay) with ex- ceeding ioy and delight, whenhis repentant children for- fake their finnes andeuill waies, and turne vnto him by vn- fained repentance, as it appeareth moll euidently in the pa- rable-ofthe prodigall fonne, of the flrayed fheepe, and the loll groat. Moreouer,ourSauiour Chrift hadhis naine lefus giuen himofGodby themini(lerie ofanAngel,becaufe hee faueth his people from their fins : as appeareth,Mat.1.2i .andMatch. z;xt. he therforecame into the world,not tocal therighteous,but inners torepentance. As it is Matth.9.13. and hee inuiteth ;*latth.9. t;. and calleth vnto him all thofe who are wearie and heauie and c 418. laden with theburthen of their finnes, promifing that hee will cafe them,Mat.i 1.28. yea focertaineit is that they Thal haue remiflîon of their finnes and euerlafting happineffe who truly repent andbeleeue, that our Sauiour Chritl faith they haue italreadie, as though theywere in prefent poffef- fioñ, Iohn 5.24. T rily, verily,tfay vntoyou, hee that heareth I°hn 5.24. myword, and him bath that me, enre, and 6.47, y b life, andfhallnot comeinto condemnation, but bathpaledfromdeath and c i.x6. to life. Sochap.6.47. and chap.i1.26. whofoeuerliuethand beleeueth inmeefhallneuer die. TheApofile Peter alfòplainlie aífirmeth,that codwouldbane noman to perifh, but wouldhaue admento come to repentance. Seeing therefore the.Lord hath made fomanygratious promifes in the Gofpell to all repen- tant andbeleeuing (inners, let vsvnfainedly turne vino the Lord, andapplyChrift andhis merits vnto vs by a true and liuely faith, and thenwe may affure our felues that hee will pardonand forgiuevs all ourfumes, andreceiue vsgratiouf lie into his loue and fauour. But againll this whichhath been alleaged, Satan will bee 4.Sea, j . radio toobiea to theof lictted confcience, that thefe promi- tes
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