Aggravation of sin and sinning against knowledge. Mercy. Delivered in several sermons upon divers…Aggravation of sinne and sinning against knowledge. Mercie. Delivered in severall sermons upon divers…

It is a rich goodness, patience and long suffering: Rich in themselves, in regard of their abundance, as they came from him: and rich also in regard of their precious usefulness unto us, as they may be improved by us.

It is a rich goodnesse, patience and long suffering: Rich in themselves, in regard of their abundance, as they came from him: and rich also in regard of their precious usefulnesse unto us, as they may be improved by us.

First, in themselves they are rich: if we consider what is expended, all that while, He lays out, not simply his power to sustain and uphold all things, and to maintain us freely: so to do is nothing to him. For whilst he doth but so, nothing goes out of purse, or is detracted from him; (as I may so speak) he feels not the expense either of power, providence, &c. All this cost him but words: For he upholds all, creates all by the word of his power, ¹Hebr. 1. And thus to maintain ⟨p. 11⟩the Angels, and to have maintained all mankind before they fell, had been no more. But (my brethren) when now he maintains us sinners, not simply power goes forth from him, but his glory is expended, and taken from him, and for the while wasted, detracted from; he loseth, at present, every day infinitely by us, and he is sensible of it; every sin takes glory from him, robs him, as he himself complains: that he who made the world, upholds it, (keeps it together, as the hoops do the barrel, it would fall to pieces else, to nothing; in whom all live, as fishes in the Sea, yea upon whom all live) that He should live unknown, ²unthought of, unserved; yea disgraced, dishonoured in the world, and have this world lost to him, as it were; and sin, the Devil, wicked men, to have all the glory from him, to be exalted, to carry the whole world afore them: This spends upon him, he had need of Riches to do this.