This was the ground of Encouragement whereby the Prophet emboldened those rebellious Jews to take words and resolution also to themselves, to press in with some hope to speed with the Lord, Hos. 14. 2, 3. Take unto […] words, and say, Receive us graciously: But the Lord might have replied, You have no worth in your selves, you deserve no favour; therefore its added, with thee the Fatherless find mercy: As if […] should have said, Thou doest not vouchsafe mercy to sinners because of any excellency they have, any friends they can make, any abilities they can bring, but the helpless, friendless, fatherless, orphan souls, such as be destitute of all succour, no eye to pity, no friend to provide, no strength to support themselves, such find mercy with thee; such we are; therefore Lord show us mercy; If the Dole or Alms was to be bought and purchased, then the […] who had most, and needed least, would […] be possessors of it, but because its only out of the […] to bestow it freely, he that's poor hath never a whit the less, but the more hope to receive it; so it is here in the Dole of Grace, when […] thou considerest the infinite baseness of thy heart on the one side, the incomprehensible worth of mercy on the other, and withal conceivest an utter impossibility ever to attain it, ever to expect it; settle this Conclusion in thy heart, as matter of marvellous Encouragement, ⟨p. 238⟩yet mercy is free, others have received it, and why not I Lord? If the multitude of thine […] plead against thee, if Satan be busy to discourage thine heart, and drive thee to despair, Why dost thou? Canst thou? Expect any kindness from the Lord, since thy frailties so many, thy rebellions so great against the offer of his mercy, and the work of his Grace: How utterly unable […] thou to do any thing to procure any Spiritual good? How unfit to receive it? And is it not a folly than to hope for it? Thou hast hence to Reply, Be it I am as base as can be imagined, yet my […] cannot hinder the work of Gods Love, for its altogether Free. True, I have nothing to purchase it, Abraham had not; I can do nothing to deserve it, David could not; I have no right to challenge it at the hands of the Lord, nor yet had Paul any thing to plead for him in the like case; and yet all these were made partakers of mercy, and why not I Lord?
This was the ground of Encouragement whereby the Prophet emboldned those rebellious Jews to take words and resolution also to themselves, to press in with some hope to speed with the Lord, Hos. 14. 2, 3. Take unto 〈…〉 words, and say, Receive us graciously: But the Lord might have replyed, You have no worth in your selves, you deserve no favor; therefore its added, with thee the Fatherless find mercy: As if 〈…〉 should have said, Thou doest not vouchsafe mercy to sinners because of any excellency they have, any friends they can make, any abilities they can bring, but the helpless, friendless, fatherless, orphane souls, such as be destitute of all succour, no eye to pitty, no friend to provide, no strength to support themselves, such find mercy with thee; such we are; therefore Lord shew us mercy; If the Dole or Alms was to be bought and purchased, then the 〈…〉 who had most, and needed least, would 〈…〉 be possessors of it, but because its only out of the 〈…〉 to bestow it freely, he thats poor hath never a whit the less, but the more hope to receive it; so it is here in the Dole of Grace, when 〈…〉 thou considerest the infinite baseness of thy heart on the one side, the incomprehensible worth of mercy on the other, and withal conceivest an utter impossibility ever to attain it, ever to expect it; settle this Conclusion in thy heart, as matter of marvelous Encouragement, ⟨p. 238⟩yet mercy is free, others have received it, and why not I Lord? If the multitude of thine 〈…〉 plead against thee, if Satan be busie to discourage thine heart, and drive thee to despair, Why dost thou? Canst thou? Expect any kindness from the Lord, since thy frailties so many, thy rebellions so great against the offer of his mercy, and the work of his Grace: How utterly unable 〈…〉 thou to do any thing to procure any Spiritual good? How unfit to receive it? And is it not a folly than to hope for it? Thou hast hence to Reply, Be it I am as base as can be imagined, yet my 〈…〉 cannot hinder the work of Gods Love, for its altogether Free. True, I have nothing to purchase it, Abraham had not; I can do nothing to deserve it, David could not; I have no right to challenge it at the hands of the Lord, nor yet had Paul any thing to plead for him in the like case; and yet all these were made partakers of mercy, and why not I Lord?
