32. 38,39, 40. d Gentle, eaſy to be intreated, and ready to forgive the guilty, e Compaſhonate and ready to ſhew Pity and reliere 11, Indigent ; you are beth guilty and afflicted, return to your Gog, y;, is gracious to pardon your Gnilt,and merciful to relieve your Miterie, f Who hath ſpared, doth cill ſpare, and waits purpolely that YOu might have time to repent, and turn and live. g Your Provocatigy, are many and great, yet return, for his Mercy is great, his Kindnefs are many. b Not as Man, but as becometh his own holy, juſt 204 immutable Nature, he turneth from executing the fiercene!z of bis Wrath, Fer. 18. 7, 8, 9, 10. be wiſe and obedient, and follow yy Counſel, repent, and make your Peace with God. ; 14 Who knoweth s if he will return k and te. pent /, and leave a bleſſing behind him m1, even a mez:. offering n, and * a drink-offering o unto the LORD your t God ? Tr i None nced be diſcouraged as if *twere too late to ſeek and hope "v for Mercy, God will pardon the truly penitent and deliver them from | eternal Miſeries, and it is poſſible he may deliver from preſent Te.” i poral Calamities alſo. If you obtain not all you would, you ſhay obtain enough to ſhew that it was worth your while to ſeek Gy, * t God doth not local'y move from one place to another, but when he withholds his Bleſſings, the Fruits of his Favour, he is faid to with. draw himſelf, ſo when he gives out his Bleflings he is ſaid to retyy, I Vid. ver. 13. let. h. m Cauſe the Locuſts to depart before they have eaten up all that is in the Land, 7 Vid. chap. 1. ver, g.let,h, 0 Ibid. Jet, 1.
15 © * Blow the trumpet in Zion p, ſanQify a faſt qi; call a ſolemn aſflembly yr. It þ 5, 27. 1* let.-4, b, q Vide chap. 1, ver. 14. lets S, te 7 Jbid,
716 Cc: the people s, ſanfQtify the congregation; aſſemi>'. the 14ers t ; gather the children «, and thoſethy ſuck tj1& breaſts x: * let the bridegroom go forth of hi,
chamber y, and the bride cut of her cloſet z. þ s 1bid. let. y. t bid. let. x. u Tho they underſtand little what i; done, yet their Cries under the Afiiftion of a Faſt aſcend, God hear and with Pity looks on their Tears. x Let your Faſt be moſt uni. verſal, ipare not ſucking Children, bring them with you, their Tear and Cries may perhaps move the Congregation to greater Mourning and earneſt Supplication to God for Mercy ; or will be a fit Obſits preſent unto the God of Mercy to move him to ſhew Mercy. Sott: Ninevites, Fon. 3. 7, $. » Let the new-married Man leave the Mitth of the Nuptials, and lay afide his Bravery a while, and afflift himſl with the reſt, 3 Or Chamber, in which with the Virgins ſhe adornel her ſelf or carefſed them. That theſe may more earneſtly ſeek the Lord, let them at this ſeaſon forbear lawful Delights.
17 Let the Prieſts, the Miniſters of the LORD a, wee * between the Porch band the Altar c, and let them ſay 6, Sparee thy People f, © LORD, -and give not f thin, heritage g to reproach þ ; that the heathen ſhould || rut, over them : * wherefore ſhould they ſay among the pev-|( ple, Where rs their God 1 ? F
£ Vid. chap. 1. ver, 13. lets 1, m,n. . b That ſtately Porch built 563 Solomon, 1 Kings 6. 2. and Ezet.40. 48, 49. c Not of Incenſe, ft that was in the holy Place, but the great brazen Altar, or Altar on Burnt-offering, which ſtood at ſome diftance from this Porch ; ant here are the Prieſts commanded to ſtand, faſting and pray ing, wheace they might be heard and ſeen by the People in the next Court, which the People were wont to pray. d With loud Voice, and wif louder Heart and Affettion ; after this manner let them pray andur tercede with God. e This includes Confeſſion of Sin, acknowledging God's Juſtice, layIng themlelves at the foot of God for Mercy, al imploring of Mercy ; q. 4. tho we have ſinned and deſerve ſevere Wrath, yet ſpare, deal not with us as we deſerve, f This includesal they can plead from the Covenant of God with them, his Gra, Promiſe, Faithfulneſs, &c, we are thy peculiar People, thou art oi Go!, therefore ſpare, &c. ff Thou only canft expoſe us to Famite and Servitude, and both will come upon us if thou firſt give us up theſe predooming Locuſts, (which will conſume al!) and if thou attf! give us up to thoſe Nations which as Locuſts are innumerable and1t reliſtable : O give us not up to them! g Choſen, redeemed, poſſeſſed through many Ages by thee, O Lord ; even fince we came out © Eg »pt thou haſt owned us for thine Heritage : tho whilft we were penitent, and finn'd high againft thee, we deſerved to be caſt off, 10 we return, repent and pray, be gracious to us, and continue to 0 and bleſs thine Heritage ; ſince thou canft make it fruitful and beat ful, command it to excel in both, cultivate, fence, and watch over! *tis thine Heritage. + It is a Reproach to any Land that it ftarves eats up the Inhabitants thereof, Fzeb. 36. 30. and Numb. 13. 32: © Famine, tho by Locufts, will be a Reproach to this thine Heriage, " will be greater Reproach to be Slaves to the Narions ſignified by the Locuſts, therefore of Mercy deliver us from both one and the other. i Whether Aſſyrians, or Chaldeans, or Babylonians. k Conquer firſt and then enſlave thy People, or, as the word Will. bear, rake them up for Taunt and Proverb, when they thall know that they leave their ow Land as too barren a place to maintain them,' or ſeek their Breadz a Gear rate in Heathen Lands. 1 Nay, theſe barbarous People v not ſo much conſider our Sins, or juſtify our God, but they wil® proach God, our God, the great. God as if unable to maintain Us 3
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18 © Then #2 will the LORD be jealous # for hls land o, and pity his people p, _ |
1 When you follow my Advice, ſaith Foel, and heartily rept fol of your Sins, and turn to God, fr, » Will ſhew his Love and _ for the Credit of his Land. o The Land «f Canaar, p Cone! their Prayers, their Arguments and Tears, and upon the wi:ole a1 deal ſo with them that they ſhall know I co own them for my Fe and that I will do them good.
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