his enemy ? we have been enemies, yet God hath fedus ; he hath given us the horn of Oy1; he hath'made the hony-comb of mercy drop upon us. God hath been as kind tous; as if we had been his beft
Tervants3 and will not this ſupplying
fmercy lead us to Repentance ? | 2.Delivering mercy. When we have been *YY at
natched us out
The DedIriwegf Repentance..
at. the gates of the grave, God hath mi-
raculouſly,.ſpun out our livesz he hath turaed the ſhadow of death into the morn- 1þg; and . hath put a ſong of deliverance 19t9'our mouth 3 :and will not deliver- ang mercy, lead us to,Repentance? The Lerd hath laboured to break our hearts With his mercigs. We read 7udg. 2.-— When the Angel. (which was a Prophet) bad, preached a Sexmon of mercy, the hearts lifted up their voices and wept, verſ 4. Itany thicg will move tears, it, ſhould be #he mercy of God. He is an obſtinate {1anerindeed, whom theſe great Cable- Rapes.of Gods mercy will not. draw to
Repentance. -
-+;:3«,, Confider Gods affictive provi-
deuces, and lee 1f our limbeck will not drop when the fire is put under. God hath ſent us of late years to the [chool. of the cro(s; he hath twiſted his judgements to- gether; he hath made good upon us thote two threatnings, Hoſ. 5.1 2.71 will be to Epbraim 4s 4 moth. Hath not God been ſo to;England in decay of trading? And wer, 14+ 1 willbe to Ephraine as a Lion. Hath
Plague *? Well,all this while God wait- * 16608 ed Fo *
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* » 2 Per, 2 Y IQ
= Deus fpi- Nis ſepir, cum homie Nes variis , ECarCUMe cnFir X- -yunn is, ur Kd peccata Canquam Gos e-
ed non © ©, +» ' a
166 1h no man repented him of his wickedneſs. ſay-
The DoFrine of Repertamce..
ing, what have Tdone* And of late God hath been whipping us with aftery Rod *,.
in thole tremendous: flames in this City, . ' | ; 4a
which did hieroglyphically reſemble the great Conflagration at the aſt day,when the Elements Tall melt with fervent beat *, When Joebs corn was on fire , then he went running to Abſalom, 2 Sam. 14.31. God hath fet our heuſes on fire, that we may run to him by Repentance, Aficah 6.9. The Lords woice cries unto the City, Hear ye the Rod, and who bath appointed tt. This is the language of the Rod, that we ſhould humble our: ſelves under Gods mighty hand, and break off our iniquities by righteouſneſs, Dan. 4.27. Manaſſehs af- fiiction uſhered in Repentance, 2 Chrorx.
33.12. This God uſeth as the proper
medicine for ſecurity, Hof. 2. 5. Her Mo- ther hath played the Harlot ; that is, by 1do- latry. What courſe now will God take with her? terſ. 6. Therefore Iwill hedge wp thy way with thorns *. This is Gods me- thod, to ſet a thorn-hedye of affliction in the way. Thus to a proud man con- rept s athorn; to aluſtful man ſkpeſs is a thorn, both to ſtop him in his fin, and to prick him for ward in Repentance. The Lord' teacheth his people as 0
| wean
-
The Dofrine of Repentamce; 1671 JT: Xeon did the menof Succoth, Fudg. 8. 16. . - Hetookthe Elders of the City, and thorns of ” * the-wilderneſs and briars, and withthem he taught the men of Succoth, Here was tear- ing Rhetorick. So God hath of late been teaching us humiliation by thorny provi” dences: he hath: torn our golder fleece 1 fromus; he hath brought our houſes low, |. thathe might bring our hearts low. When” __ ſhall we dillolve into tears if not now 2 © Gods, judgements are ſo proper a means to work Repenrance, that the Lord won- ders atit, and makes it his complaint,that- his- ſeverity did not break men off from their fins, Amos 4.7. I have with-holden ' the Rain from you,” verſ\. 9, I have ſmitten | |; you with baſhing and mildew, ver(yo.1 have | ent amone you the Peſtilenice : bur {ſtill this isthe burden of the complaint, Tet ye have ] wotreturned to me: - The Lord proceeds gradually 1n his judge ments! Firſt he'
| tends a lefler erofs, and it that' will nor do;'\thena greater. He ſends upon one | firſbapentle fitof an Ague, and after-
wards a burning Feaver. He ſends upon . .. another firſt a loſs at Sea, then the loſs of a child, then-atrtniſband. Thus by de- grees tic wouldtry. to bring men to Re+ peurance,. Sometimes God makes his
7 M 4 judge-