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I pray thee that thy mercie may comfort me, and according to thy promise vnto thy seruant.
BEcause he had confessed the mercifull dealing of the Lord, therfore he craueth mercy, for he knew that with the Lord is mercie to be feared, Psal. 130. He dare not stand to the rigour of Gods iustice, but he flieth to his mercie, contrarie to the Papists, P••lag••a••••s, and Familie of loue.
And thus must we labour to cure our vnbeleese by his promises, that we ••••ll not to de∣spaire,* 1.1 for we are readie to presume in prosperitie, or to despaire 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ but they must be both cured, the one by the meditation of Gods iudgements in prosp••••••••, the other by the promises in trouble. For then the iudgements haue done with vs, when they haue brought vs to humble our selues to the Lord, because of our sinne, & then are we to looke for his mercie: for then are we fit for it. We must then couple iustice and mercie toge∣ther, and make vse of both.
He had ioy before, and yet he craueth comfort; where we note the change of the consci∣ences* 1.2 of Gods people, sometime ioyfull, sometime sorrowfull. This must be a stay to vs against the temptation which Sathan will ••ffer, saying, Thou art ••ickle, and •••••••• ch••••ging, all is vaine: N••y, we are as the children of God in all ages haue beene.
Accordi•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 had no speciall promise, but applied the generall promise to himselfe; for* 1.3 all the 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 made in generall manner; Come all. &c. that all the Church might haue their part in 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and ••ore should thinke that they were shut out. This h••d the woman of C••na•••• wh•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to Christ: because she stated on this genera•••• promise, that he was sent to the 〈…〉〈…〉▪ 〈…〉〈…〉.
As we c••n 〈◊〉〈◊〉 leaue 〈◊〉〈◊〉, or come to true repentance, vnlesse we beleeue that that* 1.4 God which hath pu••••shed 〈…〉〈…〉▪ will also pun••••••▪ sinne in vs; so shall we neuer re∣ceiue comfort by the promises, vn••••••se we can 〈◊〉〈◊〉 apply those promises to our selues, which are generally made to the Church. But i•• we can doe this, we shall haue com∣fort in our soules, and strength to withstand the ••••••ptation which the diuell ministreth, saying, What promise ha••t thou that thou shalt be saued?
To know that God is mercifull, is not enough, vnlesse we be among those, to whom the* 1.5 promises belong, and then we may know that we shal be hol••••••; because through his pro∣mises,* 1.6 he is become a voluntary debtor to vs. As a man, that is able to help vs, yet we haue no assurāce that he wil help, vnlesse he giue his word to vs. Then though God be merciful, yet is not the misery or worldly men cured▪ because the promises doe not belong to them, vnlesse they beleeue. Then it is no maruell, though the Papists doubt of their saluation, because they haue no faith, nor will haue to applie the generall promises of grace to their owne hearts.
There is a difference betweene Gods children, and the wicked in their trouble: first, the children of God are conuinced both in iudgement and in affection: but the other are but only conuinced in iudgement, as Pharaoh, Ahab, Saul. For where the iudgement & affecti∣on are both conuinced, there followeth conuersion: now because these were conuinced, & yet not conuerted, therefore it was onely in iudgement, and not in affection Secondly, the children of God doe so confesse his Iustice, as that they also confesse ••im mercifull, which setleth them in sound iudgement, and inflameth their affections: but the other doe on∣ly* 1.7 confesse his iudgement; and therfore we see theeues and whores rec••••t, and yet returne to their filth again; because iustice can breake, yet mercy only chāgeth from euil to good. Thridly, the children of God by one fault are brought to amendment of their whole liues, through sorrow which worketh repentance: but the wicked by Gods iudgements are brought to a confused thinking of sinne and amendment, or else rest so much in one, that they looke not to any other: as Pharaoh confessed that God is righteous, but he let not the people of Israel goe: Achab confessed, yet he restored not the vineyard againe: and Pha∣raoh by this one sin was not brought to the sight of his Idolatric, nor to any care to leaue it.
If we will then haue vse of this threefold difference, let vs euer pray, that our affections