A41644:108
God's call to England, for thankfulness after gracious deliverances
God's call to England, for thankfulness after gracious deliverances wherein is showed, that our deliverances, not answered with reformation, will be followed with sorest destruction / by Thomas Gouge.God's call to England, for thankfulness after gracious deliverances wherein is shewed, that our deliverances, not answered with reformation, will be followed with sorest destruction / by Thomas Gouge.
London: printed for John Hancock, 1680
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But who can speak the dread of destruction, that unmixed anger involves a people in? How dreadful will it be to fall into the hands of God, when armed with nothing but destroying indignation? How can our hearts endure, or our hands be strong, when all the Attributes of his glorious Majesty shall conspire together to make us miserable? When infinite wisdom shall be exercised in contriving, and infinite power shall be engaged in executing the miserable destruction of a sinful people, it must needs be intolerable.
Here I shall take occasion to show you the misery of a people, when mercy is dis-engaged from relieving of them; that so we may be fearful of depriving our selves of that blessed succour we have hitherto enjoyed by it.
Here I shall take occasion to shew you the misery of a people, when mercy is dis-engaged from relieving of them; that so we may be fearful of depriving our selves of that blessed succour we have hitherto enjoyed by it.
1. Mercy dis-engaged, all miseries endured are pure wrath. Such miseries are much of the nature of the Torments of the damned in Hell, whose plagues are a cup of vengeance without mixture. The happiness of Saints in all their sufferings, consists in enjoying ingredients of love in the bitterest cup that is mixed out to them: when outward distresses are most unpleasing to sense, they refresh themselves ⟨p. 78⟩with delightful objects, then visible to the eye of faith: Psal. 94.19. In the multitude of my thoughts, thy comforts delight my Soul. But mercy dis-engaged, there is no cordial to support us, no sugar to sweeten the bitterest cup enforced upon us: