Senn. XCIV. \ . The Mercy kf God. Maker ? who teiacheth tis more than the beafis of the earth, and maketh tts wifér than the fowl's. of heaven ; the daily comforts and bleffings of our. Lives; whichwe can Continually receive, without almof' over looking up to the Hand that gives them. So God complains by the Prophet, Hofea z. 8, g. She knew not that I gave her torn, andwine, and oyl, and multipliedher goldandfilVer. And is it not fhameful io fee how at the moll plentiful Tables, the giving 'of God:Thanks is almoft grown but of fafhion ; as if Men were afhamed to own fromwhence there bleffings came: When Thanks is all God expeéts from us, can we not afford to give him that Doye thine requite theLord, foolifh people and unwife ! It is juft with God tö take away his Bleflings from us, if we deny him this eafie tribute of Ptaife andThankf- giving. It is a figo Men are unfit flit. Heaven, when they are backward to that which is the proper Work and Employment of the bleffed Spirits above. Therefore as ever we hope to come thither, let us begin this Work here, and inure our felves, to that which will be the great bufinefs of all Eternity. Let us with thefour and twenty Elders in the Revelation, 'fall down before him thatfits on the Throne, and worfbip him. that liveth for ever, and ever, and egg our Crowns before the Throne, (that is, call our felves) and afcribe all glory.to God; Saying,. thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power, for thou hall made all things, andfor thy pleafure they are, andmere created. fo him therefore, the infinite and inexhauflible fountain ofgoodnefs, the father of mercies, and the God of all confolation, who gave us fuch excellent Beings, having made us little lower than the. Angels, andcrowned us with glory and honour ; whohath been pleafed to fiamp upon as the image of his own goodnefs, and thereby made us partakers of a Divine Nature, communicating to us, not only of the ejfeils of hisgood- nefs, but in force meafure anddegree of the perfetçion it felf; to him whogives us all things rich(); to enjoy, whichpertain to life andgodlinefs, and hath made fuch abun- dant pavilion, not only for our comfort and convenience in this prefent life, but for our unfpeakablehappinefs toall eternity ; to himwho defignedthis happinefs to usfrom all eternity, and whofe mercy andgoodnefs to us endures for ever ; who when by wil- ful tranfgrefflons and difobedience, we had plunged our felves into a fiate offin and mifery, andhad forfeited that happinefs which we were defigned to, was pleafed to re- fiare us to a new capacity of it, by fending his only Son to take our nature with the miferies and infirmities of it, to live amongus, and to die for us ; in aword, to him who is infinitely good to us, not only contrary to our defects, but beyond our hopes, who renews his mercy upon us every morning, andis patient tho' we provoke him every day, whopreferves andprovides for us, and (pares us continually, who is always willing, al- ways watchful, andnever weary to do us good; to him beallglory andhonour, adora- ration andpraife, love and obedience, now and for ever. SERMON XCI.V. The Mercy of God. NUMB. XIV. Iód Ìbe Lord is long-Hering and ofgreat Merey. T Have confidered God's Goodnefs in general. There are two eminent Bran; ches of it, his getience and Mercy. The Patience of God is his goodnefs to them that are guilty, in deferring or moderating their deferved punifhment; the Mercy of God is his goodnefs to them that are or may be miferable. 'Tie the lali of thefe two I defign to difcourfe of at this time; in doing which, I (hall enquire, Firfi,
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