gave them that in his providence he might use them Lord if thou shouldest leave my Will to it self in this corrupted estate I now am in what fruit can it produce but sowre grapes and wilde olives for the fruit cannot be better then the tree and men gather not grapes of thistles nor figs of thornes I had rather have a necessitie laid on me to doe good then be left at libertie to doe evil I had rather my Will should be a servant to thy commands then be master over its own actions XII If Adam had not sinned he had been saved and being a sinner yet he is saved grace had saved him then and grace saves him now the grace of Gods love had saved him then the grace of Gods mercy saves him now Gods love then had been grounded upon the first Adams perseverance it is now grounded on the second Adams death and obedience I had been happie in Adam had he not been a sinner but I am now much more happie in Christ by being my Saviour I lost Paradise by the first Adam I have gained Heaven by the second the first Adam being man would needs be God and so made us equall to the beasts the second Adam being God would needs be man and so hath made us equall to the Angels XIII Some †say that God in predestinating man looked on him as he was to be created others * that he considered him as already created and lapsed because we are predestinated in Christ but Christ is a Saviour and a Saviour presupposeth a sinner I will not dispute the question but this I know that my miserie occasioned his mercy and had I not been a sinner he had not been a Saviour XIIII I am elected in Christ who is my Mediator not only by his merit of impetration of pardon for me but also by the efficacie of application of that pardon to me Not only by his bloud hath he made a purchase of Heaven for sinners but also by that same bloud he hath delivered the possession of Heaven to sinners XV There is a Promise of Heaven made to us and there is a law of obedience and faith imposed on us Heaven is promised upon condition of faith and obedience and these are promised upon condition of divine assistance Lord if thou assist I will obey if I obey thou wilt reward but here are the odds that my obedience is the effect and fruit of thy grace and assistance but not the cause of thy remuneration and benevolence XVI God being the supreme cause can have no superiour cause of his actions yet some say he may produce an effect which may occasion him to work further thus the foresight of mans sin gave him occasion to precondemne him This well is too deep and I have no bucket to draw with I will not soare with the waxen wings of humane reason too nigh this inaccessible light nor will I prie into the sacred Arke of Gods secret decrees only this I can say that whatever his decrees were before time I am sure his proceeding to judgement is just in time He is so just that he never condemned any man but for sin and he is so mercifull that he will not condemne every man that doth sin XVII Justice and Mercy were still in God actually from all eternitie in respect of the first act to wit of existence though they were not alwayes in respect of the second act to wit of operation God could not alwayes exercise Justice and Mercy on sinners because there have not been alwayes sinners as soone as man sinned these attributes in God appeared which were eternally existent in him but not eternally exercised by him Lord thou hast exercised the eternitie of thy Iustice in punishing for me thy naturall Son exercise I pray the eternitie of thy Mercie for him in saving the soule of me thy adopted sonne XVIII God by his antecedent will decreed to bestow Faith and Grace on us which by his consequent will he resolved to deny us his former will was moved by his own goodnesse but his latter will was provoked by our wickednesse if we have unjustly rejected the grace which by his former will he resolved to give us may not he justly by his latter will deny that grace which was rejected so perversly by us Lord if thou art resolved by thy first will to bestow grace on me let me not by my disobedience provoke thy second will to deny that grace unto me XIX Our wickednesse is the cause that moveth God to exercise his acts of Justice but his own bountie is the cause and our miserie the occasion why he exerciseth his acts of Mercy When I am punished I will accuse my own wickednesse which provoked against me divine Iustice and when I am saved I will extoll and reverence that bountie which took occasion by my miserie to make me an object of his Mercy XX I finde a two-fold decree the one of Providence the other of Predestination by that God resolved to give us as much grace as might suffice to save us by this he appointed to give us effectuall grace that we might be powerfully saved by the former we may beleeve if we will by this we doe actually beleeve They are inexcusable that have sufficient grace though it be not effectuall for God hath dealt graciously with us in affording sufficient helps of our salvation and we have dealt wickedly with our selves in hindring the efficacie of these helps No man then hath cause to complaine of Gods crueltie seeing he hath bestowed on all men sufficient grace of Providence whereby they may be saved but many men have cause to admire Gods mercie who hath bestowed on some the effectuall grace of Predestination whereby they shall be saved XXI God will have all men to be saved and he will have wicked men to be damned that is his antecedent will this his consequent that is sometimes frustrated of its end this never and its fitting that seeing his will cannot be fulfilled by us it should be fulfilled upon us They that will not satisfie his will by their obedience shall satisfie his will in suffering just vengeance XXII God loves himself and so he doth man the one love is internall the other externall the one is eternall the other temporarie the one necessarie the other voluntarie for Gods internall actions if the object be internall naturally are absolutely necessarie as when he loves himself the agent the object the action are all internall and all necessarie in respect of existence but if the object be internall voluntarily as when God decreeth and understandeth externall objects which he makes internall by uniting them to his understanding then all these actions are voluntarie and free even his very decrees which proceed from his free will It was in his choice whether he would decree any thing concerning man or not whether he would bestow grace and glorie on him The eternall generation indeed of his
all but mercifull onely to some yet though his grace be more universall and communicable his mercy is more wonderfull and amiable Lord the noblest of all thy Attributes is thy goodnesse to thy creatures but the excellencie of thy goodnesse is in shewing mercy to sinners Thy goodnesse made me a man but thy mercy a happy man by the one thou deliverest me from nothing by the other from worse then nothing thy goodnesse gave me being and thy mercy well being XXXII In every sin the act and the obliquitie in every vertue the act and the circumstances are distinguishable In sin the act is alwayes good metaphysically but evill morally either because it is prohibited as the act of eating the fruit to Adam or because it is repugnant to justice and sanctitie though they were not prohibited as theft and murther In every vertue the act is alwayes good both morally and metaphysically but the circumstances may be evill as to give almes is good but to give out of pride is evill I will not forbeare to doe good because the circumstances may be evil nor will I venture to doe evil because the circumstances may be good If God command that which may seeme to be evil I will doe it for his command makes it good if he forbids that which may seeme to be good I will not doe it because his prohibition makes it evil Adam sinned in eating of the fruit though seemingly good because God prohibited it and the Hebrewes sinned not in spoiling the Egyptians though seemingly evil because God commanded it XXXIII God did no wayes necessitate Adam to sin neither by inward perswasion nor by outward coaction besides he gave him a law easie to be kept and power sufficient to keep it He did then neither will nor decree his fall nor perswade nor force it only he gave way that he might fall who had power to stand that being by Christ raised from his fall he might more firmely stand Lord as thou didst permit my fall so be now pleased to remit it I fell willingly from thee make me to returne as willingly to thee Thou gavest me a will to stand or fall give me a will to rise and so to stand that I may never fall again XXXIIII There is a two-fold necessitie the one is * Syllogisticall the other is * reall there was a Syllogisticall necessitie of mans fall in respect of Gods fore-knowledge but not reall Gods prescience was an antecedent not a cause and mans fall was the consequent not the effect of that prescience but there is a reall necessitie of that which God decreeth Lord I did not sin because thou didst foresee it but because I was to sin therefore thou didst foresee it my fall was a necessarie sequell of thy precognition so let my rising be a necessary effect of thy Predestination XXXV Sin properly is not the punishment of sin because we sin willingly we suffer punishment unwillingly in sinning we are agents in punishments we are patients yet sin may be the cause of sin not that one sin can procreate another but because one sin can deserve and prepare the way for committing of another Lord free me from the guilt and stain of Adams sin which hath been both the preparatorie and meritorious cause of all my actuall sins XXXVI God worketh on the will either by a physicall motion or by morall perswasion and he perswades either powerfully by his Spirit or sufficiently by his Word so he hindereth sin either by his law prohibiting it or by his power inhibiting it let no man sin presumptuously because he is not stopped in the full careere of his sin powerfully though there is not alwayes an inhibition by his Power yet there is still a prohibition by his Law to make us inexcusable Lord work on my depraved will physically work morally work sufficiently and work powerfully by the Word by thy Spirit by thy Law by thy Sword circumcise my heart and eares the one by the Sword of the Spirit the other by the Sword of the Word if I cannot be restrained by thy Law to forbeare the forbidden fruit with Adam let me be constrained by the glittering of thy sword to stop in the wayes of wickednesse with Balaam XXXVII Though nothing is contingent to God yet his knowledge may consider contingencies as they are contingent for what by man is done contingently by him it is foreseen certainly in which regard Gods judgements are founded upon sin which may more fitly be called the object and occasion of his judgements then the cause Lord the cause of thy judgements is thy justice and my sin the occasion thy justice is eternall thy judgements are just my sins are contingent if it were not for thy judgements I should not acknowledge my sinnes if it were not for my sinnes thou couldst not exercise thy judgements and if it were not for thy justice there would be no proportion between thy judgements and my sinnes the exercise of thy judgements will cease if thou put an end to my sins but thy justice shall not cease though thou in mercy pardon my sins XXXVIII Nature is before grace and the works of creation before the effects of Predestination Man was first made a living soul by the outward breath of Gods mouth and then was made a quickning spirit by the inward breath of the holy Ghost so he decreed first to give man naturall abilitie by the work of Creation and then to bestow on him supernaturall graces the effects of Predestination Lord thou hast gifted me with naturall faculties whereby I exceed the beasts and thou hast endowed me with supernaturall graces whereby I am equall to the Angels I praise thee for the work of thy Creation much more for that of Predestination by the one thou madest me a man by the other a happy man make me to exceed the beasts as much in morall vertues as I excell them in naturall abilities so make me to equall the Angels as much in love and obedience as I come neer them in supernaturall happinesse XXXIX God did first foresee that Adam would sin before he predestinated Christ to die for sin he foresaw the disease then prepared the remedie he foresaw the leprosie then ordained the bloud of his Son to wash it for as the sinner only is capable of the grace of Regeneration so this grace was preordained to the sinner in Gods Predestination O my God if thou wast so provident as to prepare physick for my sinfull soule before I had sinned I am confident thy goodnesse is not now lessened but that thou wilt apply that same physick to my soule having sinned XL Gods Image in man consisted in nature and naturall properties in morall vertues and supernaturall graces the first were totally retained in Adams fall the third totally lost the second lost in part Again the essentiall part of Gods Image remained to wit the soul but the accidentall part was lost to wit justice and
tentations wrestles with us as the Angel did with Iacob but we must not despaire though we halt he that strives with us all the night will give us a blessing in the morning and he that commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son will send an Angel to Abraham to rescue his son though Satan seek to winnow us yet we have a supporter of our faith a Saviour who prayes to his Father for us Feare not drowning though these billowes of tentations shake our ship so long as we have Christ with us in the ship though our tentations are unpleasing for a wounded spirit who can bear though all the waves and stormes of the Almightie goe over our head though from our youth up we suffer his terrours with a troubled minde though he give us vinegar and gall to drink and feed us with the bread of teares in a word though he would slay us yet with Iob let us trust in him he will lay no more on us then we can beare he can make the same rod that beats us support and comfort us and though the vinegar which he powres into our wounds be sharp yet he will temper it with oile he can sweeten our corrupted potage with meale as well as our corrupted waters with salt What though the gall of tentations be bitter what though the spitle and clay of afflictions be unpleasant so long as he can by them recover our spirituall eye-sight which we by pride have lost Give the Physician leave to lance and scarifie so long as by such meanes he can cure thee of thy maladie O great Physician of my soul I will not refuse to swallow the bitter Aloes of afflictions if by them thou canst purge out the rank humours of my sickly affections If I cannot obtain the Crown but by fighting in this bloudie field if I cannot attain the haven of Heaven but by sailing through this stormie sea be thou my Pilot to conduct me my Captain to lead me and my King to reward me or rather thy own worke in me O my God if these waters of tentation doe at any time over-flow their banks like Iordan let the presence of the true Ark of the Covenant drive back these waters that I may passe safely through them to the land of eternitie let the rod of thy passions divide this red sea of tribulations and let the long robe of thy righteousnesse which farre exceeds Elijah's mantle in vertue and largenesse make me a way through this Iordan to the Kingdome of true happinesse VII 1. God in his severe Justice doth often punish a multitude for the sinnes of one man one Achan offends and all the host of Israel suffers 2. Oftentimes he punisheth the children for the parents to the third and fourth generation 3. Sometimes he punisheth the good for the sinnes of the bad Mordecai Daniel and the three Children are punished with captivitie for the Jewes rebellion and iniquitie 4. Oftentimes for mans transgressions he destroyes the dumb creatures Man sinned and the earth with the beasts are destroyed In this God is not unjust though his judgements be occult for if the Chirurgion can strike the arme for the infirmitie of the head why may not God punish one for the offence of another if by punishing the one he can cure the other 1. It was no injustice in God to punish a multitude for the sin of Achan because the multitude was guiltie of other sinnes though not of the sinne of Achan 2. It is no injustice in God to punish children for the sin of their parents because they are parts of their parents 3. Neither is it injustice in God to punish the good for the offences of the wicked because no man is so good that can say he is no wayes wicked 4. It is no injustice in God to punish the creatures for mans transgression seeing it was Gods goodnesse to make the creatures for mans use and recreation thus as God can justly punish a whole nation for the sinnes of a wicked Prince so as justly can God punish a good Prince for the sinnes of a wicked nation O Lord if harmelesse Infants who have not sinned but in their pareâ—ts are not exempted from thy justice how shall I who to the stock of my parents sinnes have added such an increase of actuall transgressions think to escape And if the dumb creatures which know not sin are punished for mine iniquitie doe not I deserve to be punished both for mine own sins and for subjecting the creature unto vanity VIII Gods Justice appeares in punishing the wicked in releeving the oppressed in rejecting the bribes of rich men in refusing to accept the persons of any men in pronouncing just judgement and putting the same in execution towards all men and in tempering his justice with mercy towards the most wicked men He drowned the first world for their abominations he relieved the Israelites from their oppressions he spared not kings and rich men for their wealth and greatnesse and yet in sparing some when he drowned the world he shewed his mercy and goodnesse O thou righteous Iudge of the world look with the eye of Iustice upon the oppressions of thy Church and remove them and with that same eye of Iustice look on her oppressors and destroy them but yet with the other eye of mercy look upon such of her persecutors as thou wilt save and in time reclaime them DIVINE MEDITATIONS UPON Gods Mercie I. AS there is in God no passion so consequently no compassion yet he is truly the God of Mercie because there is in him a promptitude to help those that are in miserie This mercy he extends not only to the good that love him but also to the bad that hate him 1. That they who are bad by their own perversenesse may be made good by his love and kindnesse 2. As no man is so bad in whom there is not some goodnesse and no man so good in whom there is not some wickednesse so God is not so unjust as to suffer the one to goe unpunished nor is he so mercilesse as to suffer the other to goe unrewarded 3. As he sheweth mercie to the bad and to those by whom he is hated he will teach us by his example how to carrie our selves to those by whom we are persecuted He healed the eare of him that came to apprehend him he forgave Peter that denyed him he made Paul a vessell of mercy though he persecuted him he prayed for those that crucified him and he died for those sheep that went astray from him he causeth his sun to shine upon the good and bad his rain to fall upon the just and unjust O my God I acknowledge thy goodnesse and mercie towards me a wretched sinner who am sold under sin and laden with iniquitie O let this thy goodnesse be a forcible meanes to reclaime me from the course of sinne that I may henceforth walk before thee in truth in righteousnesse and in
own Son is an action of necessitie but the regeneration of his adopted sonnes is a work altogether voluntarie So much the more then will I admire and praise that goodnesse which elected and saved me by how much the more I see it was free and voluntarie but no wayes in respect of his perfection necessarie XXIII There is in man a two-fold judgement to wit an antecedent which is that of the affections and senses and a consequent which is that of reason so there is a two-fold volition the one followes the judgement of sense and it is rather an imperfect desire then a perfect volition the other followes the judgement of reason both these volitions were in Christ more eminently then in us because in him were two Wils and these by reason of his two natures were distinct in him though his person was but one therefore he desired the cup might passe from him but willed it not or he willed it by his antecedent not by his consequent will O thou that madest in thy selfe the judgement of affection stoope to the judgement of reason and madest thy desire subservient to thy will and causedst thy antecedent will to give place to thy consequent produce in me the same effect that these sinfull delights which my affections so earnestly run after and thy gentle corrections which they so earnestly run from may be so ordered that the one by me may be courageously subdued the other patiently indured that my affections may submit to my will my will to reason and reason to thy Spirit XXIIII God worketh not immediately by his decree but by his power his decree is but a remote cause his power immediate his decree is an internall action the actions of his power are externall the actions of his decrees depend on his wisedome the actions of his power are subservient to his decrees Lord if in thy wisedome thou thoughtest it good that my soul should be saved and if thou hast decreed it then let thy power be seen in effecting it XXV The necessitie and contingencie of things is not to be attributed to Gods decree but to the working of his power contingencie is when he useth his resistible power if he works irresistibly then followes necessitie what is contingent to the second cause is infallible to Gods prescience but necessarie to the work of his omnipotencie his decree is a remote cause which without his power worketh not Christs death was contingent to the Jewes that crucified him infallible to Gods prescience who foresaw that the Jewes would kill him but necessarie in regard of his decree working by his power in presenting that bitter cup unto him Why then shall afflictions dismay mee which though they be contingent in respect of the second agent yet they are infallible to that all-seeing eye of Heaven that foresaw them and necessarie if we regard that powerfull hand which inflicted them XXVI God ordereth sin though he ordained it not he ordereth it that it may be subservient to his glory he ordained it not because he sinneth not He could not ordain it seeing he hates it forbids it and punishes it Lord I ascribe to thy glorie both my salvation and my sin my salvation thou hast ordained my sin thou hast ordered that by the one I may love thy mercie and by the other I may feare thy Iustice Who but Goodnesse it selfe would ordaine the salvation of a sinner and who but Wisdome it self would order the prevarications of a sinner What is more offensive to thy nature then sin What is more destructive of thy feature in me then sin yet out of sin thou hast drawn the meanes to manifest the goodnesse of thy nature in my salvation and out of the same sin thou hast drawn a meanes to repaire in me thy decayed feature by my repentance and conversion XXVII God gave to Adam sufficient grace to stand but not to persist he permitted him to fall who by the grace he received might have stood he gave him sufficiencie of grace not permanencie in grace by the one God is cleared from iniquitie and by the other he manifests his justice and mercie if man had not been a sinner God had not been a Saviour we had not known Emanuel God with us if Adam by sin had not separated God from us we had known him as Jehova but not as Jesus O my God if thou give me sufficiencie of grace I may fall but if thou give me permanencie in grace I shall not fall give me Adams happinesse in Paradise that I may sufficiently love and know thee give me the Angels happinesse in Heaven that I may constantly love and know and eternally abide in thee XXVIII God delivered his Son to death so did Satan by Iudas God had power to doe so Satan had none God did this in love to the sonnes of men Satan did it in malice to the Son of God by an affirmative act God was willing to permit Satan to exercise his malice by a negative act he hindered him not in all this God sinned not if we consider the authoritie of the agent the forme of the action and the justice and goodnesse of his intention Though God acts not sin nor is willing it should be acted by man yet he is willing to permit it Not sin but permission is the object of his will he could not will sin because he is not sinfull he permits it because he can draw good out of it XXIX God permits not punishment but inflicts it he permits not good but commands it he wills not sin but permits it not as it is good but as out of it he drawes good O thou that drewest light out of darknesse and meat out of the eater draw good out of my evils and comforts out of my afflictions Thou canst draw honey out of the rock and turne water into wine and make bitter Meribah potable we pray thee turn the bitter waters of our Meribah our strife and contention into the pure and sweet streames of Peace and Union XXX What God cannot doe he cannot will what he cannot will he cannot decree and although affirmatively his power be of a larger extent then his will for he can doe that which he will not doe yet negatively he cannot will what he cannot doe nor doe what he cannot will he cannot doe evil therefore he cannot will it he cannot will it therefore he can neither doe it by an externall nor decree it by any internall act O that my will and actions Lord were conformable to thine for oftentimes I doe the evil which I will not and I will the good which I doe not Lord make my will conformable to thine that my actions may be conformable to my will XXXI Gods grace reacheth further then his mercy his grace is extended to all his mercy only to those that are in miserie by grace the Angels were confirmed by grace the world is preserved but by mercie man is redeemed he is gracious then to
sinceritie II. A great argument of Gods goodnesse and mercie is his forbearance and longanimitie he stretcheth out his hands all day long to a rebellious generation Why will you die O house of Israel As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner Many miracles did he work to turn Pharaohs heart sixscore yeares did he spend to bring the first world to repentance many Prophets did he send before he would destroy the Jewes he would have healed Babylon but she would not be healed he would have gathered Jerusalem as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings but she would not be gathered How loath was he to cut down the fig-tree though fruitlesse how loath was he to destroy his Vineyard though grapelesse how loath to overthrow the Jewes though gracelesse O Lord I confesse that thy forbearance in punishing me so great a sinner proceeds not from any liking thou takest in my sinning for thou art most good nor for any neglect in correcting for thou art most just nor for any ignorance that can be in thee for thou art omniscient nor for any impotencie that can befall thee for thou art omnipotent but onely out of thy goodnesse and mercie towards me who delightest not in any mans destruction but patiently waitest for the sinners conversion Lord I am more bound to thee for thy long forbearance then the Angels who sinned in Heaven and Adam in Paradise they had no sooner offended thee but they were rejected by thee I have oftentimes sinned and yet I am spared O let me not abuse thy long animitie by presumption but let it work in me a true and speedie conversion III. God sheweth his great mercie towards us in using so many meanes to call us when we are wearie he bids us come to him and he will ease us when we are thirstie he bids us come and drink that with these waters of life he may refresh us when we are hungrie he bids us come and eat for with his own body he will feed us when we have fought and got the victorie he will bid us come to receive the Crown of glorie which he hath laid up for us He calls us by his Spirit inwardly and by his Word outwardly Every good motion is a call and an inward knocking every Preacher is a Messenger every Sermon is a Summons every Scripture is a Love-letter by which he invites and calls us Besides every benefit that we receive from him is a Messenger to invite us to him every morning the sun riseth not onely to give us light but to invite us unto him who is the fountain of light every night the moon or stars appeare not only to lessen the darknesse of the aire but also to drive away the darknesse of the minde to call us both out of corporall and spirituall obscuritie Every drop of rain every flower in the field every eare of corne every grape in thy Vineyard every increase of thy flock every addition to thy stock are so many trumpetters of Gods mercie to stirre up and call thee Again every crosse and affliction he layes upon us whether sicknesse povertie banishment imprisonment or infamie are so many Heraulds sent to summon and call us Besides all these the horrour of hell-darkness which shall never be illightened of that fire which shall never be extinguished of that thirst which shall never be quenched of that worm that shall never be consumed of that weeping and gnashing of teeth which shall never be ended are proposed to us as so many sad Apparitors to summon us But lastly if none of these will prevaile with us then the joyes of Heaven are painted out unto us the light that knowes no darknesse the joy that knowes no sorrow the life that knowes no death the comfort of Gods countenance the beautie of the new Jerusalem the societie of holy Angels the companie of Christ and of all the blessed Soules the rivers of delight fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore O God how wonderfull is thy goodnesse which thou hast shewed to me in profering so many baites to catch and draw me out of the turbulent sea of this world unto the shore of eternall happinesse But I have not obeyed thy outward invitations nor inward motions I have not taken notice of thy benefits nor of thy chastisements not of thy threatnings nor of thy promises Lord I am so backward thou must not only call me but compell me thou must not only warne me but thou must draw me and then I will cheerfully run after thee IIII. The mercy of God appeares also in this that after our relapses he is ready to receive us his mercies are those sweet oyntments which make the Virgins follow him He came to call sinners to repentance to save that which was lost he rejected not that sinfull Mary Magdalene nor Matthew though a Publican nor the Canaanitish woman though a dog nor the Thief upon the Crosse nor Peter that denied him nor the Jewes that crucified him nor Paul that persecuted him that loving Father in the Gospel did not receive his prodigall Son when he returned nor the shepherd that sheep which went astray nor the woman her groat which she had lost with so much joy and gladnesse as he will us if we return to him by repentance O Lord I have gone astray like a lost sheep from thee I have like a Prodigall spent that patrimonie of grace which thou gavest me I have gone a whoring after this vain world and have forsaken thee O thou that art a carefull Shepherd a pitifull Father a loving Husband reject not thy lost sheep thy prodigall sonne thy disloyall wife Shall I dispaire to come unto thee whose armes are stretched out on the crosse to embrace me whose head bendeth downward to kisse me whose heart is opened to receive and entertain me V. Gods mercie is to be considered either as it is in him or as it is from him as it is in him it is his act or habit as it is from him it is his effect as it is in him it is immutable as it is from him it is changeable as it is in him it is necessarie as it is from him it is voluntarie for he will have mercie on whom he will as it is in him it is his * power as it is from him it is his †operation as it is in God it is God for nothing is eternall except God but his mercy is eternall from generation to generation saith David it is not lawfull to trust in any but in God yet David trusteth in Gods mercy doubtlesse then his mercy is himself and being it is so his mercy and justice are all one though the effects of his justice and mercy are different Lord as thy justice is seen in punishing sinners so is thy mercy manifested in sparing them as thy justice was unspeakeable in punishing thy Son for my sin so is thy mercy incomprehensible in pardoning my