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RESTORING MERCY IMPROVED.
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ther, the compassion
of
our
Saviour, and the kind
in-
fluences
of
the
Spirit,
who
heals
all
our
sins.
II.
We
may
hère
see how
various
and unconfined
is
our
heavenly
Father
in
his
dealings
with his
-backsliding
children. Now
he
chastises gently; if this
be
not
suffi-
cient, he
grows
wrath and
hides
his face,
and withdraws
his
Spirit
from them,
and
uses
keener darts
;
but
if
all
these are too little, then almighty grace
takes
the
stub-
born
soul.
into
his
hands, and Overlooking
all
the
guilt
of
the
unworthy prodigal,
resolves
that
he
shall
be
reco-
vered
by
sovereign
love. O
the depth of
the wisdom
and
contrivance
of
God
for
our
good
!
How unsearchable
are
his ways,
and
his
mercies,
as well
as
his
judgments,
past
finding
oat.
III.
How
well
is
it
for
sinners,
that
nave
resisted
many methods
of
grace,
that
there
is
such
a
word
as
this
in the book
of
God.
Such lines, as
we
said before,
are
not
to
be
found
in
every page
of scripture
;
that
when
Odd
has tried
so
many methods
of
recovery
on
a
sinner,
and
he has
rejected
them all,
that
then
he
should use
his
almighty grace.
"
I
have seen
his ways,
and
I
will
heal
him."
This
he does,
lest
they should sink into despair,
and
run
away from.
him
into
final
apostacy. For when
a
child
of
God
has
rebelled against
his
Father, and bas
gotten
his
conscience
a
little hardened
by a
continuance
in sin,
God
has
repeated
his
strokes
upon
him,
and
he
found
his
heart
no
softer.
Then
blessed
be
God
for
such
a
word
as
this
is
;
there
is
mercy
and
love that,
can
recover,
when
chastising
providence
would
have not
had'
this
blessed effect.
IV.
How
very
dishonourable
to
such grace
is
the
sin
of
Unbelief.
Flast thou, O sinner, had the disease
of
thy
spirit
arise
so
high
as
to make thee
despond
when
there
is so
mighty,
so all
-
sufficient a
healing
medicine. Al
though thou
hast
found a variety
of
methods unsuccessful,
yet
when
God
sees
that one thing
will
not
do he
uses.ano-
ther;
he
takes the
soul into
his own
hands, and touches
it
and
heals
it.
Let
us
say with
the leper,
"
Lord,
if
"thou
wilt,
thou canst
make
me
clean,
thou canst
heal
"
me."
And
where there
has been such faith, the
soul
has, as
it
were,
heard
the
Lord
say,
"
I
will
;
be
thou
"
clean."
Besides,'
let
those
that
have backslidden
from
2
s
3