Of ferving God, roitb fidcr this fad Tragedy of pardoning Grate? If a King refolvc to forgive a Mnle- [aEfor, upo~ no other ~erms than~ P&rdon wri~ with the laft drop of the Heart blood of h1s dcarcft Fncnd, who 1~. there that IS fo hardned, that wi\l no't trem· bleat fuch a ~lercy as this is, though it fwe him ? So is the Cafe betwixt God and us ; the Contents of the Pardon arc joyful, but it is written all with the mood of Jefus Chrifl: reaking warm from his verY Heart; and whO then would not fear even a forgiving God ? The "'4Jb.f (2.) Sccondlr, Conder the way and method that God takrs witb UJ when he becomes our w.hitb God God, and that U mf.J(j drc.4dful, and muft needs make the moft confinmd Hean to ]hake ~~.fl{.~fP rrirb Fear and Ttembling. Indeed, God deals not wi,r.h us in fuch Rigour as be dealt b~~:n 'ff with Jcfus Chrift his.)on; but yet nfua\ly when he becomes our God, when he dre~d{J1, enters npoii us ~s his Poffe01on; firft, he fuakes all the Foundations of our Hearts and milJ breaths in Fbmcs of Fire into our very Marrow, cramps our Confcicnces and uu! ~Jleu_ r ro joints our Souls; 0 the Tempefts and Storms of Wrath that God pours into a feo~.r htm, w0unded Conftiencc, when it is under fearching Convid:ions! 0 the Smart and Angui(h of a wounded Spirit, when God iofi:ead of Balm fhall only chafe it with Brimftone! And yet this is the common method that God ufcth to prepare Souls for himfclf; he fc..:m~ to ann himfclf in _all his Terrors ag~inft them, fingling them out to the ConfhCl:, and when they glVC up tbemfeh·es tor loft, lying gafp~ ing for Hope fcarccly, at length is adminifl:red fame few reviving Comforts. It is with thefc as it was with the Children of lfrael upon Sitl4i, firft they were afto~ nifhed with a confufcd noifeof Thunder, t~e Air full of Lig!Hning, the Moun~ uins all on a Fbme, and the Earth trembling under them, betf)re they heard that comfortable Voice in E.-..·od. 10 1.. I am the Lod thy 6'ocf. So is it with convinced Sinners : God difchargcth his Thrc::ttnings ag:tinft: them that [peak more dreadfully to them than a Voice of Thunder; he fpeaks to them out of the midfl: of Flames, and every W0rd fcorcheth up their Hearts; and when they ftand trembling and , clefpairing:, once at lcneth they hear thofe reviving Words, I am. r/;e Lord thy God. What Hearts arc there now that fuch a dreadf~l Mercy as this is, would not over~aw? Thofe Difccvcries of God's Love that break in upon the Soul in the midft of a dolbful and gloomy Night of Dcfpair and Defpondcncy, work na· tu rally a fwcet kind of Terror and a,01ivering joy; and that's the firfr Confider a~ tion. The dreadful method that God takes to procure Mercy for us, even by the Death of his Son and to apply Mercy to us, even by the Terrors of a convinced Confcience, is a fufficic nt Ground to affcd our Hearts with Fear, though we fi:and fully poffcfs'd of his Favour. . Rea f. 2 Secondly, 'Though God be our God, yet to confider tbt it i1 pt.ffible tq loft lis Frlvour and We ou ht • the. Senfe of it, tpis is .er:ough to a./ftff tk~ Heart with a holy frar e'!'w of "reconciled God. to (e.z~ It Is true, Gods Ongmal and Fountam Love can never be dned up, Wbom he tovu, God, tbo' he loves unto rhc End, John I. I 3• And m! loving Kindaejj 1vi/J I never utterLy take abelu~tJu.r wa.yfrom him, Pfa l. 89. 33· But yet the Streams of this Fountain Love may be ~:dr~~eis very m~ch obftr~C\ed from flowing freely down upon ~s:, though we fh:tU nepoffible to vcr agam be Children of Wrath, yet we may be Children under Wrath ; e~ Jofe his very prefumptuous Sin we commit raifetb God's difpleafurc againft us, he is an.. L?-u:and gry with us upon every more notorious and known Sin we commit; a,Jd fince rife _Senfe then we arc in danger every Day of falling into grofs and foul Sins, and are 0 11 ' kept only by his almighty and free Grace from the worft, wh:tt caufe have we to fear, left we forfeit his Favor and turn his Difpleafurc a~ainft us'? Yea again, though we fb.ould be prcfervcd from Sin and continue in his Love, yet we cannot a!fure our fclves that we !hall continue in the Scnfe and comfortable Ap~ prehenfion of it : Comfort is moft arbitrary and at God's free Difpofe, neither hath he ingaged himfelf to bell:ow it upon any by any abfolnte Promife; though now his Lamp ihines clearly upon thy 'Tabernacle and thou rejoyceft in his Smiles, yet how quickly may he wrap thee up in a dark Night of Defertlon, and turn all thy Songs into Mourning? Thou, therefore, that art now affi1red that God "is thy God, fear leafr ere long .thou mayeft not think him to be fa; certain thou art he is fo now, yet before it be long, poffibly, through thy Mifcarriagc, thou mayeft not think him to be fo, and it is all one as to Comfort or Difcomfort, whether God be thy God or not, if thou doft not apprehend him to be fo, and therefore fear him. Thirdly,
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