530 Maf!erCreenhanz,r Readings as a remedie and medicineagain(} Gone : and as hefheweth his iuflice, inthat hefuffereth not fin inhis children; fohefhewethhis mercie, in thatthereby he comb them, Vede 76. I pray thee that thy mercie may comfort mee , accordingto thy promsfeveto thy Primus; I)Ecaulehe hadconfeffed themercifu ll dealing of theLord, thereforehe craueth mercie, for he knew that with the Lord ismercie,tobefeared, Plil.'3o. Hedare not (land to the rigour of Godsìufice, but beeflieth tohis mercie, contraryto the Papsfls,Pelagians,and Familieof loue. And thusmuff we labourro cuteourvnbeleefe byhispromifes,that wefall not todefpaire:for we arereadieto ptefume inprofperitie,ot to defpairein trouble; but they mu Ii be both cured,the one by the meditationof Gods judgements in prolperitie, the other by the promifes in trouble. For then theJudgements have done withvs, ishen they have brought vs to humble ourfel ties to the Lord, becaufe ofour fin, and then areis re to looke for his mercie : for then arewe fit for it. We muff thencouple iu fiice and mercie together, andnukeviedboth. Hehad ioy before,and yet he ctaueth comfort ; where we note the changeof the confcien. ces of Godspeople. tometimeioyfull,lemettmeforrowful. Thismoli be aDay tovs agninhi the temptation which Satan w illofter,faying,Thou art fickle,andeuerchanging, all is vayne: Nay, weare as thechildren of God in all ageshauebeen. 3 Accorchngs He had nofpeciallpromife, butapplied the generall promifeto him felfe ;for all thepromifes are madein general)mailer ; Come all, etc. that all the Church might haue their parr in them,and none Ihould thinke that they were(hut out. Thishad the womancf Canaan when fhe came toQuiff : becaufe the fia) eel on this generali promife,that hewas fent to themi terabit, as fhe was. q As wee can neuerleaue fume , orcome to true repentance, vnleffewee beleeue that thatGod s whichhathpunt(bedfnneinothers, willalfopunitltl inneinvs:fo()salweneuerrecciuecom- fort by the prom ties, vnlefle wee can particularly applie thole promils to ourfelues , whick are generally madetotheChurch. But if we can do this,wee (hall hauecomforr in our foules, and tirengthto wnhl}and the temptation which thediuell minilireth,faying, Whatpromifehall thou 5' To know that God ism tcifull, isnotinough,vnleffewebeamongthofe,towhomthepro. Leude. mitesbelong, and then wemay know that we (hall be holpen ; becaufe through his promifes, he isbecomea voluntary debter tovs. As a man that is abletohelpevs, yet weehauenoaffu- ranee that he will helpe,voleffe hegiuehis s'ordtovs. Then thoughGod be mereilull yet is not thetoilerie of worldly usen cored, becaufe the protnifèsdoe not belong to them. Then it isno marsch, though thePapifiesdoubt of theirfaluation,bccaufe theycall Ignorance the [potherof Deuotion. rs There isa difference betweene Gods children, end thewicked in their trouble : fis fl, the chil » dress ofGod arc convinced both in judgement and in afteluion:but the other arebut oncly con- uincedin judgement, asPharaoh,Ahab,Saul. For where the iudgement and affe&íonareboth convinced, there followed] conuerfion: nowbecaufethere were conuinced,&yet not converted. " therefore it wasonely in judgement, and not in affe&ion. Secondly, thechildrenof Goddo lo " confeffe his Iofiice, as that theyalto coufeffe himmerciful), which fettleththen in found iudge- Noterya. ment, and enflamed;their affe&ìions: but theother do onelyconfeffc his judgement;and there- ,, fore we fee theeuesand wboresrecant , and yet retome to their filthagaine; becaufe iuf?ice can breake, yet mercieonly changeth from euili togood. Thirdly,thechildren ofGod by one fault are brought to the amendment oftheir wholehues , through forrow whichworkethrepentance: but the wicked by Gods judgementsarebrought toa confuted thinkingof fone and amende- ment,orelfereflfo much in one, that theylooke not ro an other : asPharaoh cetieffed that God isrightcous ,buthe let not the people of litaelgo: Aelhabccnfc (fed,yethereliored not the vineyard againe : and Pharaoh by this one (songwas not brought to the fightofhts ldolatrie,nor " to anygate ro leave st. ifvice will thenhaue vie ofthis threefold difference, let vs suer pray, that our affcdfsons may euer
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