Infinite reason there is; O ye Saints of the Lord, that one duty should for ever make way for another, seeing on mercy makes way for another: here lyes a great difference between doing duties from the strength of common grace, and from sanctifying grace: in the one the spirit by doing some things is wearied and thinkes now it may rest, but in the other, the very doing still encreaseth strength, and puts the heart upon doing more.But may not security promise continuance of mercy?Quest.Yes,Ans. but if so, then when affliction comes, the heart will sinke for feares of continuance in misery, as well as before it hoped for continuance of mer∣cy.When then may we assure our selves that our mercies are doores of hope to further mercies.Quest.First,Ans. 2, When they are created mercies wrought by a more imediate hand of God, generation may be imperfect, but creation never; omne creatum est perfectum, Esay, 26. 12. Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us, What is the argument? for thou hast wrought all our workes in us.Secondly,2. When they are spirituall mercies, Ezek. 39. 29. Neither will I hide my face any more from them, VVhat is the argument? For I have powred forth my spirit upon the house of Israel; but is not this your private opinion that this argument will hold? No, the words following are, Thus saith the Lord God.Thirdly,3. When mercies carry us to the God of mercy, and are turned duties, as if we can turne our duties into mercies, that is, account every duty a mercy, that is a good argument that we shall hold out in duty, when wee can turne mercies into duties, that is, make every mercy an engagement to duty, that is a good argument that mercy will hold out.But are there not interruptions many times in the wayes of Gods mercy to his own people?Object, Ans. VVe sometimes think there is an interruption, when if we knew all we should see a blessed concatenation, but it must be granted that there may sometimes be some kinde of enterruption in such a parti∣cular. After Israels returne from captivity and beginning to build the tem∣ple, there were such enterruptions as it was seventy years before it was fini∣shed: but though there may be enterruptions for a time, yet not a quite breaking off, there is yet a strength in the grace of the covenant that carries the work on and perfects it at last; by ceasing in one way of mercy, God prepares for another; the very ceasing in such a way may be a mercy; we our selves at this day are a sad spectacle of the interruption of the wayes of Gods mercies towards a nation.Mercy that ere while shined in her beauty upon us, hath now seemed in a great measure to have withdrawn the beames of her glory; our doore of hope that we thought to be so wide open, seems almost shut against us. I dare not say that it is shut, lest I should wrong the present grace of God yet continuing to us. ButFirst, Sinne, yea our many and fearfull sins, lyes at this our door, Gen. 4. 7.0