The divine life in three treatises

1. The Mercy of God, therefore should lead sinners to Repentance, and shame them from their sin, and lead them up to God in Love.

2. Mercy should encourage sinners to Repent, as well as engage them to it: For we have to do with a Merciful God, that hath not shut up any among us in despair, nor forbid them to come in, but continueth to invite when we have oft refused, and will undoubtedly pardon and welcome all that do return.

3. Mercy being specially the portion of the Saints, must keep them in Thankfulness, Love and Comfort: and all Mercies must be improved for their proper ends: When a Merciful God is ⟨p. 146⟩pleased to fill up his servants lives with such Great and Various Mercies as he doth, it should breed a continual sweetness upon their hearts, and cause them to study the most grateful retribution. He should breath forth nothing but Thankfulness, Obedience and Praise, who breaths nothing but Mercies from God. As the food that men live upon, will be seen in their temperature, […] and strength; so they that live continually upon M•rc••s ••ould be wholly turned into Love and Thankfulness […]old become as it were their nature, temperature […]. O how unspeakable is the Love of God, that […]eet a life for his servants, even in their warfare […]ge in this world? that Mercy must be as it were […] Air that they breath in, the food which they must live upon; and the remembrance, improvement, and thankful mention of it, must be the business and employment of their lives? O with what sweet affections, meditations, and expressions should we live, if we lived but according to the rate of those Mercies upon which we live! Love, and Joy, and Thanks, and Praise, would be our very lives. What sweet thoughts would Mercy breed and feed in our minds when we are alone? what sweet apprehensions of the Love of God, and Life Eternal should we have in Prayer, Reading, Sacraments, and other holy ordinances! Sickness and Health, Poverty and Wealth, Death as well as Life would be comfortable to us: for all is full of Mercy to the Vessels of Mercy. O Christians, what a shame is it that God is so much wronged, and our selves so much defrauded of our peace and joy, by passing over such abundance of great unvaluable mercies, without tasting their sweetness, or well considering what we do receive? Had we Davids heart, what songs of Praise would Mercy teach us to indite? How affectionately should we recount the mercies of our youth and riper age? of every place and state that we have lived in to the honour of our Gracious Lord, and the encouragement of those that know not how Good and Merciful he is.