706 The 1ilerty ofGod. not hurt us, nor revenge themfelves upon us; and partly becaufe they are fo de- fpicable in our Eyes, and fo far below us,- that they do not fall under the con& deration of our Pity. Look upward, proud Man ! and take notice of him who is above thee ; thou didft not make the Creatures below thee, as God did; there's but a finite diftance between thee and the mèaneft Creatures ; but there's an in- finite diftance between thee and God. Man is a Name of Dignity, when we compare our felves with other Creatures ; but compared to God, we are Worms, and not Men ; yea, we are nothing, yea, lefs than nothing andvanity. Howgreat then is the mercy of God, which regards us, who are fo far below him, which takes into confideration fuch inconfiderable nothings as we are ! We may fay with David, Pf. 8. q. Lord ! What is man, that thou artfo mindful ofhim, or the Son of Man that thou viftefl him ! and with yob 7. i7. What is Man that thole fhouldell magnifie him, and that thou fhouldefl fet thine Heart upon him! And then how hard dowefind it to forgive thofe who have injured us ? if any one have offended, or provokedus ; how hard are we to be reconciled ? How mindful of an Injury ? How do anger and revenge boy within us? How do we upbraid Men with their faults ? What vile and low Submillion do we 're- quire ofthem, before we will receive them into Favour, and grant them Peace? and if we forgive once, we think that is much; but if an offence and provocati- on be renewed often, we are inexorable. Even the Difciples of our Saviour, af- ter he had fo emphatically taught them Forgivenefs, in the Petition in theLord's Prayer, yet they had very narrow Spirits as to this ; Mattb. 18. zx. Peter comes to him, and asks him, How oftenfhallmy brother fin againfl me, andIforgive him ; tillfever times? He thought that was much: And yet we have great obligation to Pardoning and Forgiving others, becaufe.we are obnoxious to God and one a- nother; we Ihall many times ftand in need of pardon from God and Men ; and it may be our own cafe, and when it is, we are too apt to be very indul- gent to our felves, and conceive good hopes of the Mercy ofours ; we would have our ignorance, and inadvertencies, and miftakes, and all occafions and temptations and provocations confidered; and when we have done amifs, upon Submiffion and Acknowledgment of our Fault, we would be received into Favour: but God who is not at all liable to us, how ready he is to forgive! Ifwe confefs our fins to him, he is merciful to forgive ; he pardons freely ; and fuch are the condefcenfions of his Mercy, tho' he be the party offended, yet he offers Par- don to us, and befeeches us to be reconcil'd ifwe dobut come towards him, he runs to meet us, as in the Parable of the Prodigal, Luke r g. zo. What rea- fon have we then thankfully to acknowledge and admire the Mercy of God to us? t7fe z. Thegreat mercy of God to us, fhould flit up in us fhame and forrow for Sin. TheJudgments of God may break us; but the confideration ofGod's Mercy fhould reather melt and diffolve us into Tears, Luke 7. q.7. The Woman that wafhed Chrift's Feet with her Hair, the account that our Saviour gives of the great Affeelion that the, expreffed to him, was, the lovedmuch, becaufe much was forgiven her; and the grieved much, becaufe much was forgiven her. Efpecially we fhould forrow for thofe Sins, which have been committed by us after God's mercies received. Mercies after Sins fhould touch our Hearts, and make us relent. It Ihould grieve us that we fhould offend and provoke a God fo Gracious and Merciful, flow to anger, and fo ready to forgive : But Sin againft Mercies, and after we have received them, is attended with one of the greateft Aggravations of Sin. And as Mercy raifes the guilt of ourSins, fo it fhould raife our forrow for them. Noconfideration is more apt towork upon humanNature, than that ofkindnefs, and the greater Mercyhas been {hewed to us, the greater our finsand the greater Caufe offorrow for them ; Contraries do illuftrate, and fet offone another; in the great Goodnefs and Mercy of God tous, we fee the great Evil of our Sins againft him. Every Sin hasthe Nature of Rebellion and Difobedience ; but fins againflMer- cy have Ingratitude in them. Whenever we break the Laws of God, we rebel a- gainft
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