The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

think but with your selves how dreadful that day will be, when all the glorious attributes of God shall take their leaves of you he that before had a great deal of mercy, and patience, and the Lord hath wooed him saying Oh once at last hear and see the things that belong to thy peace: there is not one of you all in this congregation, but that you have been compassed about with mercies, and the justice of God; it would have broken out against you, had not mercy stepped in to rescue you, how easy were it for the Lord to dash us all into the bottomless pit every creature of us: therefore thank mercy, and patience, and forbearance, that still you breathe, and say, blessed be God, that I have to deal with a gracious, merciful, and compassionate God, that hath kept me from judgement, that I have not ere now perished in it: Now think with your selves what a day it will be when mercy shall weep over you, & take his leave of you, & say, remember thou poor creature how I met thee in thy walks, and kneeled down before thee, and besought thee to take mercy, and to be saved and pardoned, but thou wouldst not: adem therefore, this is the last time of asking, I will never see thy face more, and with that patience as it were buckles under the burden, and saith, I have bond with their thus long I have borne ⟨p. 283⟩twenty years with some, thirty years with some, forty years with others, and all this which I have borne with thee in thy pride, and stubbornness, and looseness, and uncleanness; but now adieu, never more patience to bear with you, what no more mercy, nor no more goodness, saith the soul, and they all say no; and stake their hands and say, adieu thou rebellious heart for ever, it will make thy heart shake within thee, and thou wilt say, I shall sink down suddenly, there is nothing but wrath to be expected, they are all gone to heaven, and you must be forever packing to hell. Oh fear, and fear all you whom it doth concern this day, if so be Christ cannot bear it, then you cannot suffer it, but you will sink under the same for ever.

thinke but with your selves how dreadfull that day will be, when all the glorious attributes of God shall take their leaves of you he that before had a great deale of mercy, and patience, and the Lord hath wooed him saying Oh once at last heare and see the things that belong to thy peace: there is not one of you all in this congregation, but that you have beene compast about with mercies, and the justice of God; it would have broken out against you, had not mercy stepped in to rescue you, how easie were it for the Lord to dash us all into the bottomlesse pit every creature of us: therefore thanke mercy, and patience, and forbearance, that still you breathe, and say, blessed bee God, that I have to deale with a gracious, mercifull, and compassionate God, that hath kept mee from judgement, that I have not ere now perished in it: Now thinke with your selves what a day it wil be when mercy shal weep over you, & take his leave of you, & say, remēber thou poore creature how I met thee in thy walkes, and kneeled downe before thee, and besought thee to take mercy, and to be saved and pardoned, but thou wouldst not: adem therefore, this is the last time of asking, I will never see thy face more, and with that patience as it were buckles under the burthen, and saith, I have bond with their thus longe I have borne