God's call to England, for thankfulness after gracious deliverances

3. Destruction now will be greatly aggravated, because a people thus sinning, deserve to be exposed to the naked fury of incensed justice, without the least mitigation of their miseries by the interposing of abused mercy. If we with ungrateful carriages contemn the help of mercy, we justly deserve to be utterly forsaken and cast off by it. And now, oh how dreadful will it be to drink the cup of Gods destroying fury, without any mixtures of relieving mercy! If mercy it self delivers us up to the cruel hands of inexorable justice, what then shall we experience, but vengeance without clemency, punishment without pity, and ⟨p. 76⟩destruction without delay? Oh how sad will it be for helpless creatures to lye under the displays of vengeance, and none to cover them? to have innumerable iniquities crying for judgments, and none to plead for them? to have invincible enemies opposing of them, and none to assist them? If mercy be dis-engaged, however fiercely the storms of wrath may be poured out upon us, there can be no shelter from it. Whatever wounds are made, there will be no salve to cure them. If merciful deliverances cannot prevail upon us to reform us, will not mercy cease pleading for us? will it not say as Christ, John 17.9. I pray not for them? I will put in no more entreaties for their salvation: Justice, take them, destroy them, ruin them, I have nothing to plead for them. How often doth mercy plead, as the merciful Vine-dresser did for the cumber-ground fig-tree, Luke 13.7, 8. Lord, let it alone this year also: let not thy wrath yet break out, let not thy fury ruin them, but spare them this time; try what they will do with one deliverance more? but when nothing is successful, mercy gives over; and what but intolerable vengeance will then lye upon us?

3. Destruction now will be greatly aggravated, because a people thus sinning, deserve to be exposed to the naked fury of incensed justice, without the least mitigation of their miseries by the interposing of abused mercy. If we with ungrateful carriages contemn the help of mercy, we justly deserve to be utterly forsaken and cast off by it. And now, oh how dreadful will it be to drink the cup of Gods destroying fury, without any mixtures of relieving mercy! If mercy it self delivers us up to the cruel hands of inexorable justice, what then shall we experience, but vengeance without clemency, punishment without pity, and