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 mercy is ouer al his works And again speaking of his mercy Ps. 103. 13 As a father pittieth his owne Children 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 preserued 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 deliuered Ioseph from the pit and the prison in mercy he sent his Prophets to warne the world of their wickednesse and to pronounce 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 Sauiour of all his people Oh infinite 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 possessed to giue life to the deade and ioy to the faithfull These words of glorious mercy doth the moste gratious and glorious word of truth plainely and truly lay before vs to make vs with the holy Prophets iustly 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 angred the Lord What merrited Noah when hee was drunkens What merrited Lot when hee committed Incest What merited the Israelites with their goulden Calle What merited Dauid when he comitted murther 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 merited 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 only 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 destruction in the humble faith of repentance flye onely to the mercie 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 afflictions that hee layeth vppon his belooued many are the corrections that hee vseth to his Children manye are the sorrowes 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 ances to their good and being healed of their corruption to bring them to their first and a far better perfection For in the correction of mercy is the sinner saued 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 preseruation of his people It keekeepeth 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 enemies by Sea and ciuill or vnciuil enemies at home when not the pollicy of mā but the only mercy of god did break the forces of the one and reueale the deuises of the other And while our Neighbor Countries by continuall warres haue shed a world of blood we haue beene preserued 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 endureth for euer But as I said of loue the life of mercy so of mercy the glory of loue since it is so infinite in goodnesse as exceedeth 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 whatsoeuer Blesse ye the Lord and praise him for his mercie endureth for euer And thus much touching the consideration of the mercy of God The sixt consideration of the grace of God IN the mercy of God finding so great a measure of his grace as in the bountie of his goodnes deserueth no little glory
student of Diuine misteries cheife seruant to the Lord of Lords freinde to the King of Kings and coheire in the heauenly kingdome through the loue of God hee was made a seruante but as a friend a brother and a coheire now hee that thinks on these pointes of loue is worthy of no loue if he cannot say in his heart there was neuer such loue hee loued man in himselfe when there was none to perswade him to loue him but himselfe he loued man as himselfe that he wold haue him one with himselfe yea he loued man more if more could be then himself that for man to death would giue himselfe hee made man louingly he blest man louingly hee came to man louingly and dyed for man most louingly in the beginning hee shewed his loue without beginning and in the end will shew his loue without ending he made him better then his creatures for hee made him Lord ouer them hee made them better then his Angells for hee made them to serue him alittle lower then himselfe Psalme 8. verse 5. that himself might chiefly loue him see further his loue vnto man as it is writen I say 49. 15 Can a Mother forget her children yet wil I neuer forget thee Se heere loue more tender then of a mother and more carefull then of any other Father O loue of loues what loue is like to this loue a kingly loue which defendeth his subiects a lordly loue which rewardeth his seruants a friendly loue that is kind to his frieÌ„ds a brotherly loue y t is kinde to his brothers a motherly loue that is tender to her children a fatherly loue that is carefull of his Sonnes and a Godly loue that is gratious to his creatures a faithfull loue that neuer fainteth a bountifull loue that euer giueth a mercifull loue that neuer grudgeth a pitifull loue that euer releiueth a mindefull loue that neuer forgetteth a gracefull loue that euer loueth Now who can enter into the true and due consideration of loue worthy louing in the thought of this loue will not euer confesse there was neuer such loue which regardeth nothing but loue oh how did God loue Abraham for shewing his loue in Isaack where God regarding more his will then his worke would not suffer the sacrifice of his Son but so loued him as besides many other great fauours that he did him could say within himselfe when he had determined a destructioÌ„ of his enemies shal I hide from my seruant Abraham what I will doe as thogh he wold keep nothing froÌ„ his beloued that he knew fit for his knowledge Againe how loued he Eliah that he wold neuer let him see death how loued he his seruant Dauid that he made him to his owne heart how loued he the blessed Virgine to make her the mother of his blesssed Sonne how loued hee Iohn the Euangeliste to let him leane in is bosome how loued hee Paule to bringe him from idolatry how loued he Peter to forgiue him wheÌ„ he had denyed him how loued hee Lazarus when he wept ouer him how loued he Mary Magdalen when he disposs est her of fowle spirits and at his Resurrection let her beholde him and how loued he the Theife when hee carried him into heauen with him To recite all the pointes of his particuler loue to a worlde of vnworthy persons were more then a worlde could set downe but for so much as I haue said and more then may bee saide of his loue I am perswaded that if wee consider the power the grace the wisdome the bountie the pittie the maiestie the mercie the patience the passion the sorrow the labour the life and the torments of his loue for our loue he hath no feeling of loue or is worthie of no loue that will not in the ioye of his soules loue giue all glory to this loue and say with the Prophet Dauid Psalm 31. verse 23. Loue him all ye his Saints praise him and magnifie him for euer For as there was neuer such a sorrowe as he hath endured for vs so is there no such loue as he hath to vs and in his mercie dooth euer shew vs. When he came first into the world he came as an infant to shewe vs the mildenes of his loue in further yeares he came as a doctor in the wisdom of his loue to teach vs the way vnto eternall life in the vertue of his loue he came as a Phisition to cure vs of all diseases in the power of his loue he came like himselfe as a God to driue out the Deuils from vs and in the meekenes of his loue came as a Lambe to be sacrifised for vs in the care of his loue at the right hand of his father is now a Mediator for vs in the glorie of his loue into the possession of our inheritance that hee hath purchased for vs will receiue vs oh milde oh wise oh vertuous oh powerfull oh meeke oh carefull oh glorious loue who can thinke of this loue and in the true glorie of true loue cannot most truely say there was neuer such loue no as Non est dolor sicut eius so Non est Amor sicut eius And thus much touching the consideration of the loue God 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 mercie towards man which Considering the wickednesse of our nature and the wofulnesse of our estate is necessary to be considered for so farre had the temtation 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 punishment 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 patience and reserued for his beleefe 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 ofteÌ„times the vpper 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 liuing creatures reserued some for generation in Sodome and Gomora he saued Lot his Daughters yet Adam deserued nothing but destruction for his disobedience Noah deserued no grace for his drunkennes not Lot any fauour for his Incest yet mercy so wrought with iustice that God not onely for gaue their sins but blessed their repeÌ„tance such hath enerbene is and euer will be the mercye of God vnto maÌ„ as so far doth mitâ—igate the furie of his iustice as reserueth
I cannot but with admiration speake of that grace that through his loue made him haue such a fauour vnto man as to elect him to his loue to frame him to his image to inspire him with his spirit to instruct him in his word to defend him with his power to preserue him in his mercie to dye for him in his loue and to receiue him to glorie all these and what euer other good wee receiue either through the loue or mercye of God are free guifts of his grace and not for any merrit in man How can this beame of glorious brightnes bee beheld with the cies of humilitie but that the soule wold be rauished with the contemplation therof and say with the Psalmist Psalme 103. verse 8. Gratious is the Lord and mercifull long suffering and of great goodnesse Furthermore of so great effect in the working of comfort in the hearts of the faithfull is this vertue of grace in God that wee finde the writings of the Apostles in their Epistles commonlye to begin with this word Grace Grace mercie and peace from our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ As if from grace came mercie and from mercie peace Oh consider the works of grace our election out of a speciall fauour our creation out of a gratious wisdome our vocation out of a gratious kindenes our sanctification out of a gratious holines our iustification out of a gratious merit our redemptioÌ„ out of a gratious loue our glorification out of a gratious mercy So that still we see that grace worketh in all thinges to the onelye glorie of God in whome it worketh to the good of man Oh how sweet a salutation was deliuered to the blessed Virgin Mary by the Angell Gabriell Haile Mary full of grace God is with thee So that if God be with any soule it is full of grace where the fulnes of grace is there is surely God but as it is written of Christ Iesus Psalme 45. vers 7. That hee was annointed with the Oyle of Grace aboue his fellowes So may wee well say of the Grace of God it is so excellent in working to the Glorie of God that as it is infinite in goodnes so must it haue the same measure in glorie I say to be glorified aboue all things Note a little the varieties of the guiftes of this grace of God vnto his seruants Moyses hee made a leader of his people and gaue him the tables of the law to Abraham he gaue the blessing that should follow in his seede in Isaack shall the seede be called at the prayer of Eliah hee sent raine after a long drought to Dauid hee gaue a kingdome and a treasure more worth then many kingdomes the enlightning knowledge of his holy loue the spirit of prophesie the confession of sinne the repentance of offence the passion of true patieÌ„ce the constancie of faith and the humility of loue To Salomon he gaue especiall wisdome to sit in the Throane of iudgement with the greatest maiestie and wealth of any earthlye creature in the world To the blessed Virgin Marie hee gaue the fulnesse of grace in the conception of his only Sonne but to him he gaue that grace that filled heauen and earth with his glorie Let vs then consider not only the vertue goodnesse and glory of grace but with all the height and glorie therof which being only in Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Sauiour let vs in him onely beholde the summe and substance the beautie brightnesse the goodnesse and glorie thereof forsaking our selues in the shame of our sinnes only flie to his mercie for the comforte of those blessings that receiuing onelye from him may make vs giue all honour and glorie to him And so much for consideration vpon the grace of God The seauenth consideration of the glorie of God HAuing thus considered of the greatnes the goodnes the wisdom the loue the mercy grace of God towards man I cannot but finde in this good God an admirable glory who containing all these excellencies in himselfe and beeing indeede the verie essence of the same doth in the vertue of his bountie appeare so gratious vnto this people But since to speake or thinke of the glory of God or the least part thereof is â—o farre aboue the reach of the power of reason as in all confession must be onely left to admiration Let me onely say with the Apostle Glory only belongeth vnto the Lord in his presence so glorious is his brightnesse as nothing can see him and liue and therefore in a bush of fire hee spake but not apeared vnto Moyses vpon the mount in a cloud and a piller went before his people in the wildernesse was as it were inclosed in the Arke in an Angell did appeare vnto his Prophets and in his Sonne Iesus Christ so farre as he would and might be seene to his Apostles and Disciples but for his glory his diuine essence cannot be seene of any but himselfe verified by his own word Iohn 1. chap. verse 18. No man hath seene the Father but hee that came from the Father euen the Sonne of man that hath reuealed him and againe verse 28 I came from the Father and I goe to the Father for the Father I am one with his glory he filleth both heauen earth as it is written Heauen and earth are ful of the Maiestie of thy glory and againe in the Psalme 19. verse 1. The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke his workes speake of his glorie his Saintes write of his glorye his Angelles sing of his glorie and all powers doe acknowledge his glorie It is higher then the Heauens larger then the Earth deeper then the Sea purer then the fire cleerer then the skye brighter then the Sunne The power of strength the life of Loue the vertue of mercie the beautie of grace the honour of Wisdome and the Essence of Maiestie The Angelles tremble before it the Saintes fall at the feete of it the Prophets beholde it a farre off and the soules of the elected doe adore it and being then so farre aboue the power of man to come neerer the thought of it How can the heart of man but in admiration speake of it it liues in the wisdome of the wise in the vertue of the valyant in the liberalitie of the Charitable in the patience of the Temperate in the virginitie of the chaste in the constancye of the faithfull in the humilitye of the louing in the truth of the Religious it dyrects the will of the Trinitie in the vnitie of the Deitie it commaundes the seruice of the Angells it blesseth the prayers of the Saints it pardoneth the sinnes of the repentant it prospereth the labours of the vertuous and loueth the soules of the righteous in summe it is the Maiestie of Maiesties the power of powers the vertue of vertues the grace of graces the honour of honors the Treasure of treasures the Blessing