The practice of piety directing a Christian how to walk, that he may please…

3. That God calleth all, even those sinners who were heavy laden with sin, ¹and that he did never deny his mercy to any sinner that asked his mercy with a penitent heart. This the history of the Gospel witnesseth: There came unto Christ all sorts ⟨p. 406⟩of sick sinners; the blind, lame, halt, Lepers; such as were sick of Palsies, Dropsies, Bloody-fluxes; such as were Lunatic, and possessed with unclean Spirits and Devils: Yet of all these, not one that came and asked his mercy and help, went away without his errand: If mercy he asked, mercy he found, were his sin never so great, were his Disease never so grievous. Nay, he offered and gave his mercy to many that never asked it, (being moved only with the Bowels of his own compassion, and the sight of their misery) as to the woman of Samaria, ²the widow of Nain, and to the sick man that lay at the Pool of Bethesda, who had been 38 years sick. If he thus willingly gave his mercy to them that did not ask it, and was found of them (as the^a Prophet saith) that sought him not; will he deny mercy unto thee, who dost so earnestly pray for it with Tears; and dost like the poor Publican, so heartily knock for it, with penitent fists upon a bruised and broken heart? Especially when thou prayest to thy Father, in the name and mediation of Christ, for whose sake he hath promised to grant whatsoever we shall ask of him; ⁴as sure as God is true, he will not. Though Nineveh's sins had provoked the Lord to send out his sentence against them, yet upon their repentance he recalled it again and spared the City: how much more if thou likewise repentest, will he spare thee, seeing his sentence is not ⟨p. 407⟩yet gone forth against thee?⁵ if he deferred the judgments all Ahab's days, for the external show only which he made of humiliation; how much more will he clean turn away his vengeance, if thou wilt unfeignedly repent of thy sin, and return unto him for grace and mercy?