be inflamed with the sense of Gods love towards us Oh then the working of our bowels the stirring of our affections the melting and relenting of our repenting hearts then will wee lament after the Lord 1 Sam 7 2 and grieve that ever wee have so grieved so good and gracious a God Therefore you see the wicked that get a sight of their sinnes because they have not a sight of Gods mercie they runne away from God as Adam they are swallowed up of dispaire as Cain and never seeke after that mercie which they know not But the Godly with the sight of their sinnes having a sense of Gods mercie and a sight of Gods face reconciled to them in IESVS CHRIST How doe they seeke after that mercie with a longing desire Out of the deepes with David and out of the belly of Hell with Ionas they call upon God Even when wounded by God they goe to him to bee healed as the repenting Israelites Hos 6 â— Come let us returne unto the Lord for hee hath wounded and hee will heale us and these converts that sought for ease of him that pricked them Men and brethren what shall wee doe Act 2 37. So that there is nothing in God so forceable to drive a man to repentace as the consideration of Gods mercie As Tully said when hee pleaded before Caesar for the life and libertie of Ligarius O Caesar none of thy vertues is more gracious or more admirable then thy mercie Men come neare to God in nothing so much as in saving the afflicted Thy fortune hath nothing greater then that thou hast power thy nature nothing better then that thou hast will to shew mercie and to save others So may I say among all the properties of the divine nature there is none more admirable or more gracious then his mercie It is not his power it is not his wisedome it is not his justice wherein wee rejoyce but it is his mercie If there were not mercie in God I should dispaire there is so much miserie in mee Rom 12 1 therefore I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God I will not adjure you by the threatnings but I beseech you by the mercies of God Knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth you to repentance Rom 2 4 hee is thy God and therefore O Israel returne unto him The other argument is taken from their sense of miserie Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie Our fals in Scripture Iam 3 2 doe sometimes signifie our sinnes In many things wee fall all saith the Apostle Iames and sometimes our afflictions as in that place of Salomon The just man falleth seven times a day Prunb 24 16 so heere it signifieth affliction Thou hast fallen namely into danger and destruction thou art afflicted therefore returne Where wee may observe That our fals are many times an occasion of our risings and afflictions are of excellent use to turne us to God for this is the motive which the Prophet useth Thou art fallen therefore returne And hardly could hee use a better for affliction is a most effectuall meanes to make our hearts relent and resolve into the teares of unsayned repentance Iob 33.16 according to that of Elihu God openeth the eares of men by their corrections which hee had sealed that hee might cause man to turne away from his purpose So the Lord taught Miriam by leprosie to forgoe her murmuring Hee awakened Ionas out of his securitie by casting him into the Sea Hee cured Zachary of infidelitie by striking him with dumbenesse Hee diverted Saul from his evill course by blindnesse Thus Manasses who forgat God in his prosperitie did seeke unto him in adversitie the Heathen Marriners did pray unto God in a storme and the Ninevits did humble themselves by fasting and prayer when destruction was threatened against them Gen 42 21 when the brethren of Ioseph were distressed in Egipt they did remember the injurie they had done to their brother when the prodigall sonne was pinched with want Luk 15 18 then did hee resolve to returne to his father but especially this may bee seene in the Iewish Church For though in their prosperitie as the Lord himselfe observeth They turned their backe yet in their trouble Ierem 2 27 they said Arise and helpe us Isai 26 16 This is observed also by the Prophet Isaiah Psalm 78 34. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they powred out a prayer when thy chastisment was upon them And David to the same purpose When hee slew them they sought him Yea speaking of the manifold kindes of miserie wherewith the faithfull are exercised hee maketh this the foote of his song Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble Psalm 81 7 Psalm 107 6 and hee delivered them Apollonius writes of certaine people that could see nothing in the day but all in the night In like manner wee are so blinded with the bright sunne-shine of prosperitie that wee cannot see those things which concerne our peace but when the winter night of miserie comes then schola Crucis schola lucis Wee are all branches of the Vine and therefore wee must bee pruned and cut with the knife of affliction that wee may bring forth fruite and this is the last meanes which God ordinarily useth to convert obstinate sinners when nothing can prevaile with us then doth hee visite our iniquities with the rod and our sinnes with scourges and hee is so confident that this will drive vs to repentance that in the fift Chapter of this prophesie vers 15. having threatened to withdraw all the testimonies of his love and favour from his people I will goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seeke my face Hee addes In their affliction they will seeke me carely which was accordingly verified in the event for in the next words they call one another after this manner Come let us returne unto the Lord for he hath vvounded us c. And surely this is a strange thing that affliction should make men turne to him that smiteth them it would seeme that such dealing should rather terrific them and make them runne away from God Adam when hee saw God to bee angrie fled from his presence and this is naturall to everie creature to love it selfe and to flie from that which is hurtfull unto it strike a dogge and hee will flic from you Iudg 14 14 Therefore that yee may conceive this riddle how sweere comes out of sower yee shall understand that afflictions being considered in their owne nature are the fruites of sinne the evils of punishment the testimonies of Gods wrath the curses of the Law and the first flashes of hels fire Therefore when afflictions follow their kinde they bring forth nothing but evill fruite such as impatiencie malice against the instruments murmuring against God the use of unlawfull meanes 2 Chron 2â— 22 and finally dispaire as in Pharao
Saul Ierobeam Achaz of whom it is said that in the time of his tribulation hee did yet trespasse more against the Lord. But whensoever afflictions doe drive a man to repentance it is not properly of themselves that they produce so good an effect but by accident as they are so disposed by the infinite wisedome power and goodnesse of God to whom onely it is proper to worke by contraries hee brings light out of darkenesse good out of evill by sinne hee condemned sinne by death hee destroyed death by the foolishnesse of preaching hee makes us wise hee casts us downe that hee may rayse us up hee workes joy out of feare heaven out of hell and by the Crosse which naturally doth banish a man from God hee makes us returne to him hee causeth this birth and fruite of sinne to kill the mother that brought it forth this temporarie punishment to become a fatherly chastisment whereby wee are preserved from the everlasting punishment of hels fire these testimonies of his wrath to become signes of his love and seales of his adoption and these curses of the Law and flashes of hell to become Evangelicall blessings and an ordinarie way whereby wee may travell toward his heavenly kingdome And therefore afflictions are fitly compared to the fire which purifieth the gold and consumeth the straw and to the winde which purgeth the Wheate and bloweth away the Chaffe and finally to the red Sea which was to the Israelites a way to the Egiptians a grave Now since afflictions produce so divers effects wee must labour to have our afflictions so sanctified as that wee may bee bettered by them To this effect First when wee are under anie Crosse wee must labour after tender hearts that wee may bee affected with griefe and paine for there is not a greater enemie to our profitting by afflictions then that senselesse indolencie Ierem. 5 â— whereby men are not affected with Gods judgements like those Israelites of whom the Prophet saith Thou hast stricken them but they have not sorrowed For when afflictions being added to our sinnes as a double waight cannot bruse our hearts and presse out of them sighes and groanes it is not likely that sinne alone will worke in them sorrow and remorse but on the other part if wee bee sensible of our afflictions then this worldly sorrow will make way for godly sorrow as a Needle doth for the threade Secondly let us remember that all the afflictions which doe befall us come from God This is another lett that hindereth many from profitting by afflictions even their blindnesse whereby they ascribe all their calamities wholy to secondarie causes and inferior meanes Amos 3 6 and never looke up to the hand of God striking them which is the chiefe cause for there is no evill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done Thirdly let us looke backe into our former courses and see what wee have done against God for hee would not strike us without a cause by this examination wee will come to a sight and sense of our sinnes wee will finde that wee have gone astray from God and have fallen because of our iniquitie Finally with the sense of our sinnes let us strive to get a sight of Gods mercie revealed in the Gospell remembring that hee is our God so will we desire to returne to him But the Prophet would not onely make them sensible of their fall but also of their sinne therefore he illustrates this argument from the cause Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie or because of thine iniquity Here observe That iniquitie procures a fall so that if wee have fallen then we have committed iniquitie if we commit iniquitie wee shall assuredly fall I say If wee have fallen we may accuse our iniquities which is the deserving cause of all our afflictions The Apostle tels us Rom 5 12 that by sinne death entred into the world and if it had not beene for sinne death whereby wee are to understand every thing that is penall and huttfull to the creature could never have found an entrie Rom 3 39 So the Church in the Lamentations Wherefore is the living man sorrowfull Psalm 107 17 Man suffereth for his sinne And the Psalmist Fooles by reason of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted Prouerb 13 21 Salomon maketh affliction to bee as it were the shadow of sinne which doth alway attend it Affliction followeth sinners Proverb 22 8 and as our fals convince us to have committed iniquitie so our iniquities forewarne us of a fall For he that soweth iniquitie shall reape affliction This doctrine is sufficiently proved by Scripture reason and experience God threatened Adam that at what time hee did eate of the forbidden Tree hee should die Everie sinne unto man is the forbidden Tree if wee meddle with it wee shall finde no better fruite upon it then Adam found the bitter fruite of death growes upon the pleasant Tree of sinne It is the sentence of the law Rom 6 23 Cursed is everie man that abideth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law Iam 1 18. This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul saying The reward of sinne is death And Iames Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Hee saith not that every sinne bringeth foorth death but onely sinne when it is finished or perfected that is come to an height for God in his mercie forgiveth sinnes not finished or at least hee tolerateth them till they come to perfection that the sinner may bee without all excuse but in his justice hee judgeth and condemneth sinnes consummate by hardnesse of heart and impenitencie as hee sheweth himselfe Amos 1.3 For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof c. As if hee had said if Damascus had sinned onely once in persecuting of my Church I would turne away my judgments but they have sinned often To three bee sensible of our afflictions then this worldly sorrow will make way for godly sorrow as a Needle doth for the threade Secondly let us remember that all the afflictions which doe befall us come from God This is another lett that hindereth many from profitting by afflictions even their blindnesse whereby they ascribe all their calamities wholy to secondarie causes and inferior meanes Amos. 3 6 and never looke up to the hand of God striking them which is the chiefe cause for there is no evill in the Citie which the Lord hath not done Thirdly let us looke backe into our former courses and see what wee have done against God for hee would not strike us without a cause by this examination wee will come to a sight and sense of our sinnes wee will finde that wee have gone astray from God and have fallen because of our iniquitie Finally with the sense of our sinnes let us strive to get a fight of Gods mercie revealed in the Gospell
remembring that hee is our God so will we desire to returne to him But the Prophet would not onely make them sensible of their fall but also of their sinne therefore he illustrates this argument from the cause Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie or because of thine iniquity Here observe That iniquitie procures a fall so that if wee have fallen then we have committed iniquitie if we commit iniquitie wee shall assuredly fall I say If wee have fallen we may accuse our iniquities which is the deserving cause of all our afflictionss The Apostle tels us Rom 5 12 that by sinne death entred into the world and if it had not beene for sinne death whereby wee are to understand every thing that is penall and huttfull to the creature could never have found an entrie Lam 1 39 So the Church in the Lamentations Wherefore is the living man sorrowfull Psalm 107 17 Man suffereth for his sinne And the Psalmist Fooles by reason of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted Prouerb 13 21 Salomon maketh affliction to bee as it were the shadow of sinne which doth alway attend it Affliction followeth sinners Proverb 22 8 and as our fals convince us to have committed iniquitie so our iniquities forewarne us of a fall For he that soweth iniquitie shall reape affliction This doctrine is sufficiently proved by Scripture reason and experience God threatened Adam that at what time hee did eate of the forbidden Tree hee should die Everie sinne unto man is the forbidden Tree if wee meddle with it wee shall finde no better fruite upon it then Adam found the bitter fruite of death growes upon the pleasant Tree of sinne It is the sentence of the law Rom 6 23. Cursed is everie man that abideth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law Iam 1 1◠This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul saying The reward of sinne is death And Iames Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Hee saith not that every sinne bringeth foorth death but onely sinne when it is finished or perfected that is come to an height for God in his mercie forgiveth sinnes not finished or at least hee tolerateth them till they come to perfection that the sinner may bee without all excuse but in his justice hee judgeth and condemneth sinnes consummate by hardnesse of heart and impenitencie as hee sheweth himselfe Amos 1.3 For three transgressions of Damascus and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof c. As if hee had said if Damascus had sinned onely once in persecuting of my Church I would turne away my judgments but they have sinned often To three transgressions they have added foure they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of Iron and for so many transgressions I will not turne away their punishment Againe of sinne finished it is not said that it deserveth death which is common to all sinne but that it bringeth forth death where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to bee delivered of that which hath beene conceived So that sinne when once it commeth to perfection is with childe of death and must needes bee delivered When Gods patience is abused it will become futie when the cup of Gods wrath is full it must of necessitie runne over when the measure of our iniquities is fulfilled then must God powre forth the vials of his wrath Psalm 5 5 And great reason there is why it must bee so if wee consider the justice of God the nature of sinne and the trueth of Gods threatning The justice of God is such that hee hateth sinne 2 Thes 2 6 and therefore will hee punish it The foolish shall not stand in thy sight saith David for thou hatest all them that worke iniquitie reasoning from the nature of God Rom 2 32 God hateth iniquitie therefore hee will punish it And the Apostle It is a just thing with God Genes 18 20 to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you This is the justice of God which even the Gentils knew that they who commit such things are worthie of death Againe the nature of sinne is to crie The cry of Sodome is great It crieth citing us before the Tribunall of God as guiltie of lease Majestie it cryeth unto the heavens for vengeance provoking God to revenge and not suffering him to rest in heaven till hee hath inflicted punishment Finally Gods truth is such that none of his threatenings can fall to the ground but hee hath threatened a fall to iniquitie and according to his threatening hath hee executed his wrath upon impenitent sinners When the earth was filled with violence Genes 6 13 then God sent the floud upon the olde world When the crie of Sodome waxed great before God then sent hee Angels to destroy it Genes 19 15. Gen. 15.16 1. King 21 20. When the iniquitie of the Amorites was full then were they cast forth When Achab sold himselfe to worke evill in the sight of the Lord then did the Lord bring evill upon him When Ierusalem filled up the measure of their fathers Math 23 32 then they could not escape the damnation of hell When the sinnes of Babell are come to that height Revel 18 5. that they reach unto the heaven then will the Lord remember her iniquities Goe and enquire what is become of those famous Churches planted by the Apostles of Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. Are they not fallen by their iniquitie What is become of Gods owne people the Iewes They are fallen and that by their iniquitie as the Lord himselfe declareth Isaiah 50.1 Jerem. 49. 12. Behold for your iniquities are yee sold and because of your transgressions is your Mother forsaken Now if God spared not them How will hee spare us I may say unto you as the Lord doth to Idumea Behold they whose judgement was not to drinke of the cup that is they that were mine owne people and had not so much deserved punishment as thou have assuredly drunken and art thou hee that shall goe unpunished thou shalt not goe unpunished but thou shalt surely drinke of it If once our iniquities are come to the height then wee shall fall as they have fallen Now sinnes of a Nation are finished and come to the height when they are generall when they are not punished and when they are persevered in men continuing in their sinnes without repentance First I say when they are generall for so long as there bee onely some wicked men in a kingdome their sinnes are personall and cannot bring the judgements of God upon the whole land for tenne righteous men God would have spared Sodome Genes 6.12 but if sinne become generall That all flesh hath corrupted his way upon the earth Genes 19.4 then will the deluge bee universall likewise If all the men of Sodome from the young to the old even all the people from all quarters
wandring from God is the onely way and meanes to bring us to God Notitia peccati initium salutis The right understanding and true acknowledgement of our owne miserie is the first steppe to salvation for if Israel must returne to the Lord then she must be possessed with an opinion of her owne wandring from the Lord shee must see that shee hath gone astray and that there is no true comfort to be found in those pathes of sinne in which shee walked For How can a man frame himselfe to enter into a right course till hee bee fully resolved and perswaded within himselfe that hee hath beene mistaken in his former course of life So the prodigall sonne a true patterne of a penitent sinner never seekes to his father till that hee came to himselfe Luke â—â— then hee saw his error and resolved to returne to his father The Prophet Chap. 5.15 bringeth in God coupling these two together Till they acknowledge their offence and seeke my face because wee must first acknowledge our offence before wee can seeke Gods face the full stomacke of a Pharisee will never thirst to drinke of the cup of salvation Luke 1.53 onely the hungrie and the thirstie therefore God filleth the hungrie with good things and sendeth away the full emptie You see who they are that CHRIST calleth to bee eased of their sinnes even the wearie and laden Math. 11 28. Come unto mee yee that are wearie and laden that is yee who finde your consciences to be laden with the burden of the Law and the burden of sinne and are so weary of these burdens that they are grievous to you to beare Such also bee they whom hee calleth sinners and sicke Matth. 9.12.13 The whole neede not a Physitian but the sicke I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance What Is there any whole Is there any righteous No indeed all are sinners all are sicke but hee calleth onely those sinners and sicke who feele and acknowledge themselves to be such as for the rest whose eyes are not opened to see the miserable estate wherein they stand by nature he termes them righteous and whole Such are they whom he calleth lost Matth. 15.24 Luke 19.10 I am sent but unto the lost sheepe that is unto such as are lost in their owne opinion It is onely those whom hee seeketh and saveth as is well set forth in the Parables of the lost Sheepe lost Groate and lost Childe Luke 15 Matth. 5 3. Such also are they who are called poore Blessed are the poore in spirit namely these who finde themselves to abound with many inward wants finally they are called fatherlesse In the fourth verse of this Chap. With thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie as if hee should say when as a man is brought to the straights of a poore desolate shiftlesse Orphan then is he a subject fit for mercie So that if wee would returne unto the Lord first wee must see our straying from the Lord If wee would seeke Gods face first wee must acknowledge knowledge our offence If wee would have God to fill us with good things first wee must bee hungrie even emptied of our evill liquor If wee would have CHRIST to refresh us with rivers of water and flagons of wine then wee must be thirstie that is pained through the sense of our want of spirituall drinke If wee would have CHRIST to ease us of our burdens first wee must bee wearie of them that is wee must feele our burdens to lye heavie upon us and be grieved with the sense of them If wee would have the Saviour to save us wee must bee sinners that is humbled with the sight and sense of our sinnes If wee would have that great Physitian to cure us wee must first be sicke that is sensible of our disease for he will not cure any of us till first hee have launced our wounds unto the very bottome If wee would have the good Sheepheard to finde us wee must bee lost in our selves even out of all hope of salvation in respect of anie thing that is in us Finally If wee would have the God of mercie to shew mercie unto us then first wee must be fatherlesse that is hopelesse and helpelesse in our selves For hee is the God that resisteth the proud Jam. s. 5. but giveth grace to the humble Hereby then may a man judge of himselfe whether or no hee bee in the way of salvation Didst thou never see thy wofull miserie and the wretched estate wherein thou art by reason of sinne how thou hast turned thy backe upon God and art out of his favour Then hast thou just cause to suspect thy selfe that thou hast not yet entred at the straight gate to walke towards the Lord for as there can be no birth without the paines of the travaile going before so neyther any true coÌ„version without some terrours of the Law and straits of conscience The Infant that hath beene layd onely nine Moneths in the wombe of the mother is not delivered without paine suppose shee conceived it with pleasure and Thinkest thou to part with sinne which in thee was conceived with thee and which since so often thou hast nourished with pleasure and not to prove the dolours of the second birth No not assuredly there is the humbled soule the wounded conscience the contrite spirit the broken heart the mourning weede the melting eye the pale countenance the voyce of lamentation these are the dolours of the second birth which wee meete with so soone as wee begin to returne to the Lord. On the other part Hast thou found in thy selfe these inward wrestlings and humiliations Hast thou groaned under the burden of thy sinne and under the burden of Gods wrath Hast thou felt the terrours of God fighting against thee and the invenomed arrowes of the Almightie sticking fast in thy ribbes Then may thou conceive good hope that thou art in the way of salvation If thou bee possessed with an opinion of thine owne wandring from the Lord If thou be convicted that thou hast strayed from him Then it is like thou wilt seeke to returne Therefore doth God oftentimes call upon men to consider their wayes to call their lives to account that so they may see how farre their soule is averted from God Know thy sinnes O Ierusalem Iere. 3.13 The like speech is used by the Prophet Zephanie Fan your selves oh my people Yea Zeph 2â— the Prophet Ieremie doth oftentimes put us in minde of this dutie Oh let us search and trie our wayes Lam. 3 20. and turne unto the Lord. First wee must search our wayes to finde out our owne wandrings and then returne unto the Lord. And that yee may understand what is the dutie here required because this word Returne doth expresse a change not of place but of qualities I will shew unto you First from whence Secondly to whom Thirdly how wee must turne As for the
vaine for God doth not regenerate us by sudden enthusiasmes but by ordinary meanes and these exhortations are the meanes without which ordinarily no man is or can bee converted Wee are begotten by the word of trueth Iam. 1.18 Through the Gospell 1. Cor. 4.15 Of the incorruptible seede of the word 1. Pet. 1.23 Now no man will say that it is in vaine to use ordinarie meanes as to take meate for to nourish our bodies Physicke to recover our health to cast seede in the ground for to bring foorth fruite though the event bee not in our power but in Gods hands So neyther can these exhortations to repentance be in vaine though it bee not in our power to returne unto the Lord. Thirdly these exhortations serve to humble us with a sight of our owne inabilitie and also to direct us what things wee are to aske of God by prayer according to that of S. Augustine Deus jubet aliqua De gratia 〈◊〉 arbit cap. 16. quae non possumus ut noverimus quid ab illo petere debeamus God commaunds us some things which are not in our power that wee might know what things wee have to aske of him by prayer For when I heare that I am commaunded to returne unto the Lord and yet looking upon mine owne strength I finde no such power in my selfe this must make mee goe out of my selfe and flie unto the throne of Grace crying with the Spouse of CHRIST Draw mee and I will runne after thee Cant. 1.3 and with Ephraim Convert mee and I shal be converted Ierem. 2â—,18 Psalm 51 13. and with David create in me a cleane heart and with the Disciples Lord increase our faith S. August and with that holy Father Domine da quod jubes jube quod vis Give mee a power to doe that which thou commaunds and then commaund mee to doe what thou wilt Finally this precept is given unto us because there is something in our power to doe we can use the meanes as goe to Church and heare the word Besides after that God in the first moment of our uprising hath revived the heart and given life to the dead will then acti agimus Wee are no longer passive but coworkers with God Ierem. 31.19 After I was converted I repented saith Ephraim Hence as our conversion is ascribed to God as the first and sole Author so it is ascribed to our selves as instruments of God apprehending his grace and working forward with it God is said to give faith and wee are said to beleeve God is said to give repentance and wee are said to repent God is said to turne us and wee are said to turne unto the Lord. From the exhortation I come to the arguments Indeede there is not a word in all the exhortation but it contaynes in it an argument to invite them to repentance First O Israel Thou that art Gods owne people What shame is it for thee to turne thy backe upon God Secondly Returne thou hast gone astray therefore come backe againe into the right way Thirdly unto the Lord hee is IEHOVAH the fountaine of all goodnesse that hath right unto thee by creation by redemption by covenant by many other obligations therefore returne unto him Fourthly he is thy God and therefore if thou wilt returne unto him hee will receive thee Fiftly Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie therefore continue no longer in that course which hath procured thy fall least thou perish but returne unto the Lord that he may rayse thee up But the two last are the chiefe motives one whereof is taken from Gods mercie hee is thy God another from their owne miscrie Thou hast fallen by thine iniquitie First hee is thy God thine by creation thine by redemption thine by adoption thine by contract and covenant for this is the covenant which hee made with Abraham thy father I will bee a God unto thee Genes 7.7 and to thy seede after thee Therefore thou may assure thy selfe thy sinne is pardonable if thou wilt returne unto him hee will imbrace thee in the armes of his mercie Hence obserue that the exhortations to repentance in Scripture are founded commonly upon the mercie of God as Isai Chap. 55.7 Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous his owne imaginations and returne unto the Lord and he will have mercie upon him and to our God for hee will abundantly pardon In the Latin it is Multus ad ignoscendum Whereupon saith Bernard In hoc multo nihil deest ubi est omnipotens misericordia misericors omnipotentia Hee can pardon for his mercie is omnipotent and hee will pardon for his omnipotencie is mercifull Hos 6.1 Come say the repenting Israelits let us returne unto the Lord for hee hath torne and hee will heale us hee hath smitten and hee will bind us up Ioel 2.13 Turne unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindenesse and repenteth him of the evill And Ierem. 3. There bee many the like exhortations all upon this ground vers 12. Thou disobedient Israel returne and I will not let my wrath fall upon you for I am mercifull and will not alway keepe mine anger Againe vers 14. O yee disobedient Children turne againe for I am your Lord. And after vers 22. O yee disobedient children returne and I will heale your rebellions This is the argument used by the preacher of repentance Matâ—h 35 Repent for the kingdome of heaven is at hand in which CHRIST is readie to dispense mercie and forgivenesse to the repenting sinner So here O Israel returne unto the Lord for he is thy God not hee is a great or a just or a wise or a powerfull God but hee is thy God grounding his exhortation upon Gods mercie The reason is because a sinner apprehending nothing but rigour and severitie in God will never come in and submit himselfe Psalm 130.4 No There is mercie with thee O Lord that thou mayst bee feared It is not the consideration of Gods greatnesse nor of his power nor of his justice nor of his wisedome that can make the heart of a sinner relent toward him but it is the consideration of his mercie when looking upon the mercy of God and merits of CHRIST I get some hope and inckling of pardon then will I come in creeping and crouching before God as the Syrians to Achab with ropes about their neckes because they had heard that the Kings of Israel were mercifull The thundering out of the threatnings and judgements of the Law will awake a secure heart but nothing will affect a mans minde and even melt his soule to make him returne unto the Lord but the due knowledge and consideration of the unspeakeable riches of Gods mercie The remembrance of his fathers house made the heart of the prodigall to relent So will the consideration of Gods mercies worke upon our heart if once our hearts