573 / 772
Ofthemeatse.r
whereby
our
faith
may be
firengthened.
545
fìpot+le
plainelie fpeaketh,
t
doh.
5.
i
o.
He
that
beleeuet
h
not
Per
that deb
God
hath
made him
a liar,becauf
ê
he
beleeued
not
the
record,
that
pcìattata
as
a
mc(í
hainotir
GodlAitnefedofthathirSonne:it make th them
to
denie the
in
fine.
finitenes
of
his
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
he
will punifh
that
fui
againe
in
them, which
bath
alreadie been punifhed in
Chrit+,
and
exa6}
that debt which
he
hath
alreadie
difcharged.
Now to
denie
the truth,mercy,
and
ivaice
ofGod,is
to
denie
God
himfelfe;for
his
attributes
are
his effence,the
truth
ofGod
is
the true
God,the
mercy
of
God
is
the mercifull
God,
and the
iut+ice
ofGod
is
the
iut+
God.
So
that
he
who
defpaireth,falleth into the
mot+
horri-
ble
and capitall
finne
ofAtheifine,euen the highefi degree
of
wickednef e,and therfore
more hainoufly offendeth
God
by
this
fume
alone,then by
all his
other
fins
whatfoeuer,though
they
appeare
neuer
fo
monfirous and abominable
in his
own
ties.
For example,
the
finne
of
Cain
in
defpairing
of
Gods
inei-cy,was
far
more
horrible
then his
mont+rousfin
which
he committed
in
murthering
his owne
brother:
the
fin
oflu-
das in
def!
airing
ofGods
mercie, was
without
comparifon
greater
then
his
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 they
all.
Though
then wee
haue
com-
mitted other horrible
wickedneffeagainfl
the Lord,yet
in
no
cafe
let
vs
defpaire, for this were
to
adde finne
vnto finne,and
to
clog
our confciences
more
with
the
la(
},then with
all the
former,til
with their intolIerable
waight
they
preffe
vs
dbWrn
vntò
hell. You would
count
him worfe
then mad, who
be-
ing
oppreffed
with
a
heauie
burthen,fhould(in
{lead
ofvfing
other
meanes
to
eafe
himfelfe)
adde
thereunto
a
double
or
treble
v,
aight till
he were preífed
downe groueling unto the
earth;
but
affhredlie
fach and
greater
madneffe
it
is
when
-wee
feele
our
confcienceQclogged
with
a
heauie
burthen
of
finne,in (lead
of
fecki.ng
eafe
in
comming to
Chrit+
by
a
hue
-
ly
faith, to
fall
into vtter'defperation,
and thereby
to
adde
a
Nn
treb
c