The unbelievers preparing for Christ. By T.HThe vnbeleevers preparing for Christ. By T.H

and when your own weaknesses trouble you, and your sins and infirmities lye sore upon you, why, then help your own souls in this kind, and say, I can do nothing that can procure grace, no more could David, I have nothing that can purchase favour and mercy at Gods hands, no more had Saul, and yet God was merciful to them: why, he is as merciful now as he was then, his goodness is not diminished, nor his mercy abated. Lord thou that showedst mercy to these, show mercy to me also; thou that didst bless these Lord, bless me, even me also. Lord thou bestowest thy mercy freely, I beseech thee therefore bestow one drop upon my poor soul. Aye, but some may cavil now and say, Gods mercy is free, and therefore he may as well deny it me as bestow it upon me. I answer, this is true, he may deny it thee as well as give it thee, and he may also as well give it thee as deny it thee; it is as possible that thou mayest receive mercy, and therefore try all means possible to obtain it. In the 3. of Jonah, the 9. vers. there the people of Nineveh say, Who can tell if God will turn and repent, The Lord there had sent the Prophet Jonah, to prophecy against Nineveh, That within forty ⟨p. 23⟩days it should be destroyed, When the people heard this, there was a fast proclaimed, and every man was commanded to put on sackcloth and cry mightily to the Lord, for who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not: as if they should say, We have deserved that this judgement should come upon us, and our sins have procured it, but yet who can tell whither God will turn away from his fierce anger, for the Lord is merciful, and freely merciful: and thus do thou, and say, I confess God may confound me for my sins, but who can tell whither God will have mercy upon me; I confess that God may harden me, but who can tell whither he will humble me, I will therefore wait upon him in his ordinances, and try if he will be merciful to my poor soul.

and when your owne weakenesses trouble you, and your sinnes and infirmities lye sore upon you, why, then helpe your owne soules in this kinde, and say, I can doe nothing that can procure grace, no more could David, I have nothing that can purchase favour and mercy at Gods hands, no more had Saul, and yet God was mercifull to them: why, hee is as mercifull now as he was then, his goodnesse is not diminished, nor his mercy abated. Lord thou that shewedst mercy to these, shew mercy to mee also; thou that didst blesse these Lord, blesse mee, even me also. Lord thou bestowest thy mercy freely, I beseech thee therefore bestow one drop upon my poore soule. Aye, but some may cavill now and say, Gods mercy is free, and therefore hee may as well deny it mee as bestow it upon mee. I answer, this is true, hee may deny it thee as well as give it thee, and he may also as well give it thee as deny it thee; it is as possible that thou mayest receive mercy, and therefore try all meanes possible to obtaine it. In the 3. of Ionah, the 9. vers. there the people of Niniveh say, Who can tell if God will turne and repent, The Lord there had sent the Prophet Ionah, to prophecy against Niniveh, That within forty