Man ashiv le-Yahoweh, or, A serious enquiry for a suitable return for continued life,…

That God should stay his hand, and put up his Arrows into his Quiver, and his Sword into his sheath, and call in the destroying Angel, is indeed matter and cause of great admiration; ⟨p. 49⟩that when men sin still, God doth not slaughter still; when men provoke him still, that he doth not by the Plague punish them still: The sins that were offensive unto God at first, are amongst us still; the sins continue, the Judgement removed: Oh stand and wonder at this, that when Justice hath cut down so many, that Mercy yet hath spared so many; especially if you seriously consider Gods holiness and purity, Gods justice and severity, Gods infinite hatred unto sin, and that it is not the death of thousands that can satisfy Gods Justice, nor the death of those that are gone down into the grave, that have pacified Gods wrath for us that do yet remain alive. What may be the Reasons?

THat God should stay his hand, and put up his Arrows into his Quiver, and his Sword into his sheath, and call in the destroying Angel, is indeed matter and cause of great admiration; ⟨p. 49⟩that when men sin still, God doth not slaughter stil; when men provoke him still, that he doth not by the Plague punish them still: The sins that were offensive unto God at first, are amongst us still; the sins continue, the Judgement removed: Oh stand and wonder at this, that when Justice hath cut down so many, that Mercy yet hath spared so many; especially if you seriously consider Gods holiness and purity, Gods justice and severity, Gods infinite hatred unto sin, and that it is not the death of thousands that can satisfie Gods Justice, nor the death of those that are gone down into the grave, that have pacified Gods wrath for us that do yet remain alive. What may be the Reasons?

1.¹ God hath done this for his own Names sake: If you go to the Church-yards and Burial places in and about the City, and see the heaps of dead bodies, and ask, Why hath God done this? We must answer, We all have sinned. If you go into your houses and dwelling places, and find so many living, after so great a Mortality, and ask, why hath God done this? We must answer, It is for his own Name sake. The Plague was inflicted because we had displeased him, but it is removed because Mercy hath pleased him: We had deserved the inflicting of it, but could not merit the removing of it. In this late Providence Justice and Mercy have been wonderfully magnified; Justice in removing so many thousands, and laying them in their graves; Mercy in sparing so many thousands,