to the E PHESIAN S. meaning of it: I~-( faith he) thou !hewell fo _much Mercy, and Goodnefs, and ~!I faithfulnefs here m the Earth, tliat thy Mercy 1s m the Heavens; and thy Fattb- ~ fulne!S reacheth .unto the Clouds, and thy Righteoufnefs is like the great Mountains; and thy Judgments, and common ways of Mercy, whereby thou. preferveil Man and Beall, are a great Deep : what is that Mercy thou hall laid up for thofe that fear thee ! The Pfalmill' breaks out, How excellent i1 thy Loving-kjndnef, 0 Lord, to th; ~on1 of ft!en tbat truft. mthee! If the Eart~ be fo full of thy Mercy, as indee~ 1t 1s, for R1ches of Patience_ and Lopg-fuffermg are the common Mercies whtch all the World ltve upon; tfthefeMerctes reach to the Clouds, and are over all his Works, what bath he referved and laid up for thofe that are Velfels of Mercy; whom he bath prepared for Mercy, whom he bath widened and extended for Mercy ! The Scripture it felf cannothold them. There are Mercies written and unwritten ; there is a T reafury laid up in Heaven; to be broke up at the latter .day, which we know not o£ And what is the reafon ?. Becaufe God !heweth Mercy according to hi1 own Heart, I 'Chron. 17. I9. Now if a King give, he will give as a King, according to his Riches; fo doth Go<!. In I King. IO. 13. it is faid, that King Solomon gave the /fl!!em of Sheba all ber deflre, whatfoever jbe aJf<td: So will God do ; open thy mouth as wide as thou canll, ask of God what Riches of Mercy thou wilt, be will give thee all thy delire : Befldu (faith the Text) tpat which Solomon gave her of hiJ Roy•l Bounty : So here, God bath Mercy t~ give 'lj'hatfoev~r thou eanll ask, befides thofe bidden Treafures of Mercy, whtch be bath lymg by btm, to bellow accordigg to his own Greatnefs. .. Thirdly; Riches imply, as Abundance, and Hiddennefs, fo Inexhaulledne1S. You !hall find, in lfa. 2. 7· mention made of Treafurcs that have no end; for that is Riches indeed; that feems to have no bottom. Such is the Mercy of God, it is Riches of Mercy, Mercy that bath no end, no bottom : He can forgive great Sins, and continue to do it: Forgiving Iniq•ity, Tranjgref!ion, and Sin, faith the Text, Exod. 34· And fo in Mic. 7· 18. Who i1 a God likg unto thee, that pardon<th I11iquity, and pajfoth by the TI·a,jgreJ!ion of the Renma11t of his Heritage i! In Mat. 18. 24, & 27. [peaking there in the Parable of Forgivenefs, be faith, be forgave ten thoufand Talents, which one that was brought unto him owed him; and be [peaks of that common Forgivenefs of a temporary Believer too. Ten tboufand Talents is a mighty Sum ; do but think what they are: Amaziah, in 2 ChroiJ, 25. 6. hired an hundred thoufand mighty Men of Valour, for an hun– dred Talents; what would a thoufand Talents do then? what would ten thou– fand Talents do then ? All this is to exprefs the great Riches ofhis Mercy in for– giving. When thou wa!l: firll turned unto God, what a world ofSin didll thou bring with thee? ten thoufand Talents! · He forgave them all, when he fir!!: quickned thee, when be firll converted thee, and be cloth continue, and will continue to do fo too. How oft (faith 'Peter, in that M,t, 18.) fba/1 my Brother jfn againjt_ me, and I forgive him? Till feven timeJ? Thou art a Niggard, faith Chrill, Forgive not until feven timeJ, ·b11t until feventy times feven, And Chri!l: there alludeth to that Phrafe of the Jews, when they would exprefs an unlimited Number, they would fay, till feven timeJ : . Gen. 4· 24. Cain /ball be avenged feven-fold; they went no further than to Seven, to exprefs an unknown Num– ber: But, faith Chrill; I Jay, forgive ufttil feventy times fevcn. And mark, ·as I may fay, the gracious Wit of the Allufion: Vntil feven times, is fpoken of Vengeance; but when be fpeaks of Forgivenefs, he faith, Vntil feventy times fe-utn ; that is, to an Infinity. So .that tho his Vengeance be to feven times, his Mercy is to feventy times feven.. His Compaffions are faid.to fail not, in Lam.3.22. and that becaufe they are renewed every morning: But I will not infill upon opening that neither, fot I think I fpoke more largely to it heretofore, and I would fpeak thofe things now, which I did not fpeak then. My Brethren, they are Mercies from_everfalling, and they will continue unto everlalling ; it is a T reafure that can. never be fpent, never be exhaulled, unto eternity. In lfa. 64- 5· In thy Mercy iJ continuance. If God will put continue to be merciful to me, will a poor Soul fay, I have enough ; why, faith he, In his Mercies i1 continuante, and we Jba/J bef4v~d. Hath God, or can God pardon thee thitherto, but now thou ball fin· *Y n~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=