First, That God hath such an Attribute of mercy. The Scripture doth not only represent him Wise, Just and Almighty, but Merciful also, Jam. 5. 11. God is [Greek or Hebrew], He is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. The former word is from the bowels that use to move, when we are affected compassionately with any miserable object. So that Gods mercies they are bowel-mercies, he doth not only do good to us; but to speak after the manner of men, he is compassionately affected unto us, while he doth so. Hence Luke 1. 78. they are called [Greek or Hebrew], The bowls of mercy: But whether mercy may be attributed to God properly, is disputed, The Socinians they deny mercy to be an essential property to God, even as they do vindicative Justice. The Stoics they denied mercy to their wise man. Seneca grants clementia and benignitas, but not misericordia, for they defined mercy to be egritudo animi, a sickness and grief of the mind, ⟨p. 141⟩which ariseth from another's misery: And why is it called misericordia, Yarch Austin, but because it doth make miserum cor. Therefore if we stick to these definitions of mercy, as it is in man, who hath compassion, because he hath passion, we are not to attribute it to God, but seclude all humane imperfections, and look upon it as an Attribute in God, whereby he doth will to help and relieve such as are in misery, so it is ••ivently in him; and as there is none good but God, so we may say, there is none merciful but God. The mercy then of God is infinite, as his own nature, and do has rare transcend all our sins and miseries, as the Heavens do a mole-hill, only there is not perturbation in the holy Nature of God, which we find in our compassions. Anselm expresseth it well, Thou art merciful, O God, Secundum nos, non secundum te, secundum sensum nostrum non tuum, cum tu respicis nos miseros, nos sentimus miserationis effectum, tu non miseriae affectum. God then is merciful, as well as just, and thousands of places in the Scripture speak of this mercy of God very largely.
First, That God hath such an Attribute of mercy. The Scripture doth not only represent him Wise, Just and Almighty, but Mercifull also, Jam. 5. 11. God is 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, He is very pitifull, and of tender mercy. The former word is from the bowels that use to move, when we are affected compassionately with any miserable object. So that Gods mercies they are bowel-mercies, he doth not only do good to us; but to speak after the manner of men, he is compassionately affected unto us, while he doth so. Hence Luke 1. 78. they are called 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, The bowles of mercy: But whether mercy may be attributed to God properly, is disputed, The Socinians they deny mercy to be an essential property to God, even as they do vindicative Justice. The Stoicks they denied mercy to their wise man. Seneca grants clementia and benignitas, but not misericordia, for they defined mercy to be egritudo animi, a sickness and grief of the mind, ⟨p. 141⟩which ariseth from anothers misery: And why is it called misericordia, Yarch Austin, but because it doth make miserum cor. Therefore if we stick to these definitions of mercy, as it is in man, who hath compassion, because he hath passion, we are not to attribute it to God, but seclude all humane imperfections, and look upon it as an Attribute in God, whereby he doth will to help and relieve such as are in misery, so it is ••ivently in him; and as there is none good but God, so we may say, there is none mercifull but God. The mercy then of God is infinite, as his own nature, and do has rarre transcend all our sins and miseries, as the Heavens do a mole-hill, only there is not perturbation in the holy Nature of God, which we find in our compassions. Anselme expresseth it well, Thou art mercifull, O God, Secundum nos, non secundum te, secundum sensum nostrum non tuum, cum tu respicis nos miseros, nos sentimus miserationis effectum, tu non miseriae affectum. God then is mercifull, as well as just, and thousands of places in the Scripture speak of this mercy of God very largely.
