Seek unto God, and make thy supplication to him. Mercy in God is the spring of all the mercies received by man. What can a beggar, who comes to a King, ask upon desert? That's the condition of every one that comes to God: we are a company of beggars, the riches both of temporal and spiritual blessings are treasured up in God. Blessed are the poor in spirit, they who look upon themselves as mean and low, as not having a rag of goodness about them, as emptied of themselves, are the vessels which God will fill, He that is full loatheth a honey-comb, and he that thinks he is full, is ⟨p. 31⟩loathed so much by God, that his real emptiness shall never be filled. When Jacob held God so fast that he would not let him go without a blessing, he had quite let go all hold, yea, or opinion of his worthiness to receive a blessing, I am less then the least of all thy mercies (Gen. 32.10.) Then we are fit to receive great things from God, when we are little, & then fittest, when we are least in our own eyes. Yea, we must supplicate God, not only as a beggar, but as a traitor or a rebel doth a King: who hath not only nothing in him to commend him to his acceptance, or procure his favour, but much to provoke his wrath, and incur the weight of his displeasure. Every sin in it self renders us rebels against God. And though his own people, coming unto him in Christ, are under another notion, they are his sons, yet, even they ought to have such apprehensions of themselves for sin. Abraham believed in him that justifieth the ungodly, Rom. 4.5. Even Abraham, after he was justified in the sight of God through faith, looked upon himself as ungodly, in reference to his own works. In all our approaches to God, we should reflect upon our selves, not only as having many wants, and no worthiness, but as having many sins, and (of our own) no goodness. God (in justice) visits iniquity upon them that hate him (Exod. 20.6.) And he showeth mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his Commandments; They who love God and keep his Commandments, receive all from mercy. Justice punisheth those who break the Commandment, but mercy doth them good who keep the Commandments. We have at any time sin enough to merit the wrath of God; but we never have goodness enough to merit his favour.
Seek unto God, and make thy supplication to him. Mercy in God is the spring of all the mercies received by man. What can a beggar, who comes to a King, ask upon desert? That's the condition of every one that comes to God: we are a company of beggars, the riches both of temporall and spiritual blessings are treasur'd up in God. Blessed are the poor in spirit, they who look upon themselves as mean and low, as not having a rag of goodnesse about them, as emptied of themselves, are the vessels which God will fill, He that is full loatheth a honey-comb, and he that thinks he is full, is ⟨p. 31⟩loathed so much by God, that his reall emptines shall never be filled. When Jacob held God so fast that he would not let him go without a blessing, he had quite let go all hold, yea, or opinion of his worthines to receive a blessing, I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies (Gen. 32.10.) Then we are fit to receive great things from God, when we are little, & then fittest, when we are least in our own eyes. Yea, we must supplicate God, not only as a beggar, but as a traitour or a rebell doth a King: who hath not only nothing in him to commend him to his acceptance, or procure his favour, but much to provoke his wrath, and incurre the weight of his displeasure. Every sinne in it self renders us rebels against God. And though his own people, comming unto him in Christ, are under another notion, they are his sonnes, yet, even they ought to have such apprehensions of themselves for sinne. Abraham believed in him that justifieth the ungodly, Rom. 4.5. Even Abraham, after he was justified in the sight of God through faith, looked upon himself as ungodly, in reference to his own works. In all our approaches to God, we should reflect upon our selves, not only as having many wants, and no worthinesse, but as having many sinnes, and (of our own) no goodnesse. God (in justice) visits iniquity upon them that hate him (Exod. 20.6.) And he sheweth mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his Commandments; They who love God and keep his Commandments, receive all from mercy. Justice punisheth those who break the Commandment, but mercy doth them good who keep the Commandments. We have at any time sin enough to merit the wrath of God; but we never have goodnesse enough to merit his favour.
