Diuine considerations of the soule concerning the excellencie of God, and the vilenesse of man. Verie necessarie and profitable for euerie true Christian seriously looke into. By N.B. G.

The fift consideration of the mercy of God.

IN this admirable vertue of the loue of God, I finde the greate and gratious worke of his mer∣cie towards man, which Consi∣dering the wickednesse of our nature, and the wofulnesse of our estate, is necessary to be con∣sidered: for so farre had the tem∣tation of the Diuill poysoned the heart of man, as through the sinne of pride, sought not onely to driue him out of Paradice, but (in as much as he might) to throwe him downe into hell, when the Angell of his wrath was sent to giue him punish∣ment,

yet wrought his mercie so with his Iustice, as saued him from perdition: yea, though hee cursed the earth for the sins of his creature, yet he blessed his labour with the fruite of his pa∣tience, and reserued for his be∣leefe a ioy in his mercie: Looke through the whole course of the Scripture, how his mercie euer wrought with his Iustice, yea, & as it were had oftētimes the vp∣per hand of it: as in the time of Noah, when sinne had made as it were the whole world hateful in his sight, that he saide within himselfe he repented that he had made man, yet in his mercie hee made an Arke to saue Noah and his Children, yea, and of all li∣uing

creatures, reserued some for generation: in Sodome and Go∣mora he saued Lot & his Daugh∣ters: & yet Adam deserued no∣thing but destruction for his dis∣obedience. Noah deserued no grace for his drunkennes, not Lot any fauour for his Incest, & yet mercy so wrought with iust∣ice, that God not onely for gaue their sins, but blessed their repē∣tance: such hath enerbene, is, and euer will be the mercye of God vnto mā, as so far doth mit••igate the furie of his iustice, as reser∣ueth comfort for the penitent. Oh how sweete are the reports and proofes of the mercie of god vnto man in all the world! For is it not written by the Prophet

Dauid, Psa. 145. vers. 9. His mer∣cy is ouer al his works? And again, speaking of his mercy, Ps. 103. 13 As a father pittieth his owne Chil∣dren, so is the Lord merciful vnto all that feare him, and in Psa. 103. vers 12. As far as the East is from the west, so far hath he set our sins from vs: and in the 136. Psalme, through euerie verse, speaking to all his workes, both in heauen & earth, he vseth these words. Blesse him and praise him, for his mercie endureth for euer. In mercie hee turned his wrath frō y^e Israelits whē Moyses stood in the gap: in mercy hee saued Moyses floating in the reedes: in mercy he preser∣ued the children in the surnace of fire: in mercye hee preserued the

the Israelites from the hoste of Pharaoh: in mercy hee preserued Dauid, and deliuered him from all his troubles: in mercy he de∣liuered Ioseph from the pit and the prison: in mercy he sent▪ his Prophets to warne the world of their wickednesse, and to pro∣nounce comfort to the penitent: in mercy he sent Iohn Baptist, to deliuer the tydings of saluation: and in mercie hee sent his onely Sonne Iesus Christ to be a Saui∣our of all his people: Oh infi∣nite mercie, worthy of infinite glorie! Consider againe how powerfull is his mercie in all his workes, to feede fiue thousand people with a few Loaues and Fishes, and with the fragments

to fill more baskets then the Loaues when they were whole: to heale the disseased that touch ed but the hem of his garment: to giue sight to the blinde, knowledge to the simple, health to the sicke, soundnesse to the lame, comfort to the penitent: to driue the Diuells from the pos∣sessed: to giue life to the deade, and ioy to the faithfull.

These words of glorious mer∣cy, doth the moste gratious and glorious word of truth plainely and truly lay before vs, to make vs with the holy Prophets iust∣ly say: Oh the infinite light and bottomles depth of the mercies of our God! Glorie be to the Lord, for his mercy indureth for euer.

Againe, how absolute he is in his mercie, where he saith, I will haue mercie, where I will haue mercie, and therefore be free both in his power and will, hath mercye for all that will humblye and faithfullye call vppon him: and againe, all are vnder sinne, that all may come to mercie: Oh how all glorious is that mercie which is extended ouer all!

Let vs therefore looke a little into the blindenesse of man, in the immagination of his owne merrit, of the mercy of the liuing God, which is onelye a fruite or effect of grace, or free guift of his onely glorious loue. How did Adam merit mercie, when hee

fled from his presence? What merited Moyses when hee an∣gred the Lord? What merrited Noah when hee was drunkens? What merrited Lot when hee committed Incest? What me∣rited the Israelites with their goulden Calle? What merited Dauid when he comitted mur∣ther and adulterie?

Againe, what merited Mary Magdalen that had seauen Deuils within her? what merited Paul that persecuted Christ in his people? what merited Peter that denyed his maister? & what me∣rited the world to work y^e death of the Son of God? all & euerie one (in the iudgement of Iustice) nothing but dānation. Look thē

into the inexplicable glorye of y^e mercie of God, which not on∣ly forgaue all these, but saued all, and blessed all, and so will euer, al those whom and whersoeuer, that ashamed are of their sinnes, and confessing their merrit of nothing but wrath and destruc∣tion, in the humble faith of re∣pentance, flye onely to the mer∣cie of God in the merrit of Christ Iesus for theyr saluation. Oh the powerfull mercy in the loue of God, that will not suffer his Iustice to execute his wrath vpon sinne! and though such be the pure and glorious brightnes of his grace, as cannot endure the foule and filthie obiect of sinne, yet doth his mercy so rule

the power of his wrath, as will not let him destroye the sinner with his sinne: many are the af∣flictions that hee layeth vppon his belooued: many are the cor∣rections that hee vseth to his Children: manye are the sor∣rowes that hee inflicteth vppon his Elect, but all is for sinne) in the loue of a Father, in the care of a Maister, & mercy of a God) as onely meanes to purge them of those euills that are hinder an∣ces to their good; and being hea∣led of their corruption, to bring them to their first, and a far bet∣ter perfection. For in the cor∣rection of mercy, is the sinner sa∣ued from destruction; & by the regeneration of grace, brought

to eternall saluation: Oh the vertuous, gratious, and glorious nature of mercye, which hath such power with God in the pre∣seruation of his people! It kee∣keepeth the fire that it fall not from heauen to consume vs: it keepeth the water that it riseth not to drown vs: it keepeth the ayre that it doth not infect vs: & keepeth y^e earth that it doth not swallow vs: it keepeth vs in peace that discention do not spoile vs: it keepeth vs in plenty that want doe not pinch vs: it keepeth vs in loue that mallice cannot hurt vs: and keepeth vs to God that the Deuill cannot confound vs.

In summe, it is a gift of grace, a worke of glorie, a bountie in

God, & a blessing to man, to speake of these daies wherin we liue, and of the late times which we cannot forget: Let vs a little consider the mercies of God towards vs, how often were we preserued from forraine ene∣mies by Sea, and ciuill or vnciuil enemies at home; when not the pollicy of mā, but the only mer∣cy of god did break the forces of the one, and reueale the deuises of the other? And while our Neighbor Countries by conti∣nuall warres haue shed a world of blood, we haue beene pre∣serued in increase of people: and while they haue bin mourning in the punnishmēt of sinne, wee haue beene singing in the ioy

of grace: oh how are wee bound to giue glorye vnto God for the aboundance of his mercie, and say with the Prophet Dauid, Psal. 136. verse. 26, Great is the God of Heauen, for his mercie en∣dureth for euer. But as I said of loue, the life of mercy; so of mer∣cy the glory of loue: since it is so infinite in goodnesse, as excee∣deth in worthinesse the height of all praise that the heart of mā can think, or the tongue of man can expresse, I will onely say with the Prophet, Psalme. 106. verse. 1. to all powers whatsoe∣uer. Blesse ye the Lord and praise him, for his mercie endureth for e∣uer.

And thus much touching

the consideration of the mercy of God.