éach P SON diflintily. 263 With that devouring; fire? Ifa. xxxiii. 14. Others fix upon his patience; .goodnefs, mercy, forbearance, but it doth not at all lead them to re- pentance ; But they rdefpife the riches of his goodnefs, and after their hardnefs and impenitent hearts, treafure up unto themfelves wrath a- gain/1 the day of wrath, Rom. ii. 3, ¢. rhers by the very works of creation and providence come to know his eternal power and godhead, but they glorify him not as God, nor are thankful, but become vain in their imaginationand their foalifh hearts are darkned, Rom. i. ad. What- ever difcovery men have of truth. of Chrift, they hold it cap- tive under unrighteoufnefs, v. I8. Hence ride tells tis, v. to. That iii What they know naturally, as brute beafts, in thofe things they cor- rupt themfelves. That we may have a Paving knowledge of the properties df God attended with confolation, theft three things are required, (1.) That God bath inanifefted the glory of them all in a way of doing good unto us. (2.) That he will yet exetcifè and lay them out to the utmoft in our behalf. (e.) That being fo manifefled and exercifed, they are fit And pow- erful to bring us to the everlafting fruition of himfeif, which is our ble fdnefs. Now all thefe three lie hid in Chritt, and the leaft glitnpfe of them out of him, is not to be attained. (r.) This is to be received, that God hath alually manifefted the glory of all his attributes in a way of doing us good. What will it avail our fouls ; what comfort will it bring unto us; what endearment will it put upon our hearts unto God, to know that he is infinite- ly righteous, juft, and holy, unchangeably true, and faithful, if we know not how he may preferve the glory of his Juitice, and faith- fulnefs in his combinations and threatnmgs, but only in our ruin and deftru&ion? If we can from thence only fay it is a righteous thing with hiin to recompence tribulation unto us for our iniquities? What fruit of this confideration had Adam in the garden Gen, iii ? What fweetnefs, what encouragement is there in knowing that he is patient and full of forbearance, if the glory of theft is to be exalted an enduring the vet-Fels of wrath fitted for deftru&ion? nay what will it avail us to hear him proclaim laimfelf, The Lord, the Lord God (a) merciful and gracious, abundant in goodnefs and truth, yet withal, that he will by no means clear the guilty; fo fhutting up the exercife of all his other properties towards us upon the account of our iniquity? Doubtlefs not at all. Under this naked confideration of the- proper- ties ofGod ; juftice will make men fly and hide, Gen. iii. If. ii. 21, xxxiii. 15, rd. Patience renders them obdurate, Ecclef. viii. rr. Holinefs utter- ly deters them from all thoughts of approach unto him, Yoh. xxiv. Ig. what relief have we from thoughts of his immenfity and omniprefence, if we have caufe only to contrive how to fly from him? Pfal. cxxxix. ii, 12. if we have no pledge of his gracious pretence with us? This is that which brings falvation, when we (hall fee, that God bath glo- rified all his properties in a way of doing us good; Now this he bath done in Jefus Chrift. In him hath he made his juftice glorious, in making all otlr iniquities to (b) meet upon him, canting him to i) End. icxcie. 6, 7. (6) If. liii. 1, 6. lent. ,,Si, 11. gam. Oil. ja beat
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