Preston - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.P7 N4 1634

, ALL. sVF F I c I EN c Y. earth,andir,fo farre·,fayth he;doe my'tirougl1ts' exceed your thoughts.That is;When you thirik with your felues,I cannot f0rgiue, becaofeyou· . : meafu.~e me,an~ draw afcanclihg ofmebyy6ur · [dues,whe you'haucgoneto theutmoft ofyott:r thoughts,mY.thoughtscxceede y'ours as 'much as heaven exceeds the earth. And therefore, faith he,my wayes are not as your wayes. Thatis; When you could not forgiue, yet I am ahle to forg.iue in fo great a difproportion. We doe with this as we do with all the Attributes ofGod, we are able Wethinke of . t~thinkchimpowerfullas4man, bu.ttothinkc GodsArrti·l hun powerfull as God,there we come fhnrt. We bu~es compa- -, • , . . h. .f1 ll . rauuciy. · ·are able to thtnke 1mmcrc1 u as·a man, bnt to . thinkc him mercifull as·God, there our thoughts · · are at an end ;weecan thinke and fee no rea[on why hdhould pardon us. Now,fayth theLord, my thoughts go beyond yo11rthoughts as much as the difl:ance is betweene heaven and earth. If yot.:.faytor~e,who doubts ofthis, that theLord is able to '_forgiue : My Beloved, if we did not 1 - ,: • doubtof1t; whattsthe reafon, when great fins _ ~ are committed, that you fall to quefiioning of ·Gods mercy·, when you can more ealily beleeue a fmaller finne to be forgiuen .? Thereforecet· tainely, men doubt of his power, whether he · -bee able to forgiue': for~if the difference of fin ·, doe caufe in you unbelicfe, it cannot be that . . .. youpitch upon the power ofGod, and his readinelfe to forgiue. Thereforeit is certa.ine, that it is 1 · d t . • h . h · ·11 d · a· d h n ouotmg 1spowert at1s ea e m queu1on, an t ere.. offorgiuene~ fore the thing ·we haue tO doe, is tO make this \ we q,uelhon 11 L 4 ~ ___ _ _good\ Godspower,.

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