Ofthemeatse.r whereby ourfaithmay befirengthened. 545 fìpot+leplainelie fpeaketh, tdoh. 5. i o. He that beleeueth not Per that deb Godhathmade hima liar,becaufê hebeleeuednot the record, that pcìattata as a mc(í hainotir GodlAitnefedofthathirSonne:it make th them to denie the in fine. finitenes ofhis mercies,as being ouerrnatched with the mul- i,Ioh.,to. titude oftheir fumes, and the fufficiencie of Chritis merits, as though they were not a full fatisfac`}ion for their horrible offences : yea it tnaketh them to denie Gods iu(lice,in thin- king that hewill punifh that fui againe in them, which bath alreadie been punifhed inChrit+, and exa6} that debt which he hathalreadie difcharged. Now to denie the truth,mercy, and ivaiceofGod,istodenie Godhimfelfe;for his attributes are his effence,the truthofGod is the true God,themercyof God is the mercifull God, and the iut+ice ofGod is the iut+ God. So that he whodefpaireth,falleth into themot+ horri- bleand capitall finneofAtheifine,euen the highefi degreeof wickednef e,and therfore more hainoufly offendeth Godby this fumealone,then byall hisother fins whatfoeuer,though theyappeare neuerfo monfirous and abominable in hisown ties. For example, the finneof Cain in defpairing of Gods inei-cy,was farmore horrible then his mont+rousfin which he committed inmurthering his owne brother: the fin oflu- das indef!airingofGods mercie, was without comparifon greater thenhis finne in betraying his Lord and mailer: in a word, to commit: Idolatrie, blafphemie,murther,adultery, and fuch like are hainous fins,but vtterly to defpaire ofGods mercie is greater then theyall. Though then wee hauecom- mitted other horriblewickedneffeagainfl the Lord,yet in no cafe let vsdefpaire, for this were to adde finnevnto finne,and to clog our confciences morewith the la(},then with all the former,til with their intolIerable waight theypreffevsdbWrn vntòhell. You would count him worfe then mad, whobe- ingoppreffedwith a heauieburthen,fhould(in {leadofvfing other meanes to eafe himfelfe) adde thereunto a double or treble v, aight till he were preífeddowne groueling unto the earth; but affhredlie fach and greater madneffe it is when -weefeele our confcienceQcloggedwith a heauieburthen of finne,in (leadoffecki.ng eafe incomming to Chrit+by a hue- lyfaith, tofall into vtter'defperation,and thereby to adde a Nn trebc
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