A Praflical Expofttion ou~ the g_reat De~p, and rneafures it in the hollow of his Hand, tbH ri<l cs uoon the VVmgs ot the Wmd, and makes the Clouds the Duft of his Feet? No hut Wh~n he would difjllay hirnfdf in hi-; .greatell Glory he doth it in a flill V~ice, The Lord God, J.llerciftd and Grm:zo11s, Long-:fujjering_, and abundant in Goodnrfs and Trutb keeping A1crcy for Tboujands, forgiving lmquity, TranJgrcj}ion and Si11.· Now 0Chrijlian, by fOrgiving thofe who have wronged thee thou makell thy ftlf as a God unto them, and imitatdl: him in that wherein he doth chiefly Glory. Secondly, It is more honourable, becaufe to Pardon is always the Atl of a Superi· or; it is a Prerogati~e of Royalty, and highly becomes the Majcjly ot thofe whom ChtHl: bath made I<mgs as well as Priefls.; and £enainly they cannot better declare themfe\vcs filch than by iffuing.our Pardons. .Think therefore with thy felt, 0 0Jri- (Jian, when thou art ~ranged and affronted, thmk what an Advanrage the Petulancies of froward Men do gtve thee to make thy ftlf their Superior ; it is but p:udoning them and thou afcendefi the Throne. And certainly they can never fo much Triumph over thee by their Injuries, as thou may'fr over them by Forgivenefs. And fo much for the Firft Motive. - Secondly, Confider how magy OffencCs God bath forgiven thee, and this will bean effeClual Motive to engage thee to forgive others. And here confider who it isthat bath fOrgiven thee, and what iris he barb forgi\'en thee. Firfl, Confider who it is that bath forgiven thee. And here confider the infinite DiRance that is between thee and him; he is the Sovereign Lord and Creator of all in Comparifon with whom thou art nothing, yea, lefs than nothing. He Uands i~ no need of thee, bur whether thou live or die, perifh or art faved, he is the fJme God for ever Bleffed in himfdf. He is able to deflroy thee every Moment, able to brea1h~ thee back into thy Duft, to look thee into Hell and Defiruaion. Tbcy perifh or rl!r rebuke of rhy Countenance, Pfalm So. 16. And yet this High and Abiolute Lord at thy Entreaty freely torgivcs thee all thy Debts, altho' he might have gotten himfi:lf a great Renown in thy e\•erlafi:ing Perdition, and might ha\l'e fet thee up a's a Haming Monument of his Wrath, anQ infcribed on the ViUory and Triumph to the Glory of his everlafiing Vengeance. And (houldefl: not thou then, 0 Man, 0 Worm fOrgive thy Fellow·fervant, one of the fame Mould and Materials with thy fd( one ~o whom perhaps thou art no way Superior, t:nlefs that he hath now given tbee an Opportuni· ry of pardoning him; one who poffibly may hereafter be helpful unto thee, and in Agreement a.nd Peace with whom thou mayell: find much Comforr and Good to thy felf; fhouldfi thou not much more forgh'e him? Certainly God may very well think thee unworthy of his Pardon, who an infinitely his Inferiour, if thou canfi not think thofe wonhy of thy Pardon, who in Nat:ue are thy Equals. Secondly, Confider the WrO!lgs and Debts that God bath forgjven thee are infinite· ly greater than thof~ thou art to forgive umo Men: Their Offences againfl: thee are but Pence, but thine againfl: God are Talents. And as there is a vaft Difproponion in the J'rtaturc of the Offences, fo is there likewife in the ]\.,.umber of them. The Ser· vam in the Parable, whom his Lord forgave, owed him Ten Tboufand Talents; but his Fdlow-fervanr, whom this Wretch would not forgive, owed him bur tm Hu,dred Pence, Matth. 18. So is it with us, our Sins againft God, for the greatrrofS of the;n1 are Talents, for the number of them are Ten Thoujand; in every thir.g we do we wrong the Glory of God, and are continually offending him: But Men do not always Wrong us; or ifthey did, yet the leafl of our Offences agalnft God is fJr more hei· ttous rhan the greatefr of Mens can be againft us; we cannot tpeak of him, nor!O "him but that by our unworthy and low Conceptions we revile him far more thm any 'Man can do us by the moit ftudied and biner Inveaives. The lean irreverent Thought of God is a greater Injury againfi him than it would be again1t us if Men ihould wound or flab us. And yet aliho' thy Deeds be as grear as Talents, and fo numerous as mony Thoufand Talents, );et thy Lord and Mafh:r frankly forgave rhee All:· And this fhould, by all the Obligations of Ingenuity, confirain thee ro forgive thy Fellow-fervant fo Hnall Debts as a liundredPence, whenhe har.h not wherewithal to make thee Satisfaaion. See bow our Saviour prefieth rbis in the forecired Pl&ce, 1llat. 18. 3 z . I forgave thee all that Debt thou owedflme, hecaufc thou dr}irtdft me; ond Jhouldft not zhou bave badCompoj]ion on rby Fel!owflrvant, tU./ ht~1 Puy on tbec? Ce~· talnly if ever thou accountedft the pardoni ng Grace and Mercy o.fGod Sweet and Pt~CI· ous, l will not fay thou fhould[l be glad of Wrongs that thou rn1ghtefi have occafion ro pardon
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