Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Lastly, He hath put into men a natural self-love, every ¹creature desireth the preservation of it self, now the mercies of God tend to the preservation and advantage of the creature, therefore the creature is apt to give him praise for it. It is his mercy that the creature is ready to magnify with all propenseness of heart, with all readiness of disposition, now when God had man in his hands as the potter the clay, seeing he hath so fashioned him that he is apt to praise him for his mercy, it is a sign that he would have his mercy to be his glory and excellency; but I will stay no longer upon the proving of this point, let us now make some use of it.

Lastly, He hath put into men a natural self-love, every ¹creature desireth the preservation of it self, now the mercies of God tend to the preservation and advantage of the creature, therefore the creature is apt to give him praise for it. It is his mercy that the creature is ready to magnifie with al propenseness of heart, with all readiness of disposition, now when God had man in his hands as the potter the clay, seeing he hath so fashioned him that he is apt to praise him for his mercy, it is a sign that he would have his mercy to be his glory and excellency; but I will stay no longer upon the proving of this point, let us now make some use of it.

1. 1Last Reason.

First, If the mercies of God be his glory doubt not ¹then, but that when you come to ask at his hand any request ⟨p. 30⟩that is meet for you, he will be ready to grant it, for it is his glory, to show mercy, and God loveth his glory, now if so be to show mercy be his glory, doubt not then I say of obtaining what you desire at his hands, for glory is nothing else but the manifestation of some excellency to the view and knowledge of man. When a thing is excellent and beautiful, and is shut up, we say