The riches of Gods love unto the vessels of mercy, consistent with his absolute…The riches of Gods love unto the vessells of mercy, consistent with his absolute…

4. And to this purpose he takes no pains to set down, wherein this mercy consists, which he so much amplifies, but carrieth it throughout in hugger mugger, and in the clouds of generality, that it might appear the more likely, to be indifferently extended to all; and albeit sometimes he expresseth it, to be the love of a Father towards his children, yet it is too too probable, that he extends this to all and every one, as the children of God by creation; And therefore particulates not wherein it consists, as namely whether in mercy temporal or spiritual; and as touching mercy spiritual, whether this be not the pardoning of mens sins, together with the illumination of the mind, sanctification of the will, change of the heart, and giving of faith, repentance, obedience, and final perseverance therein. For had he particulated those, he had apparently marred his own market, and been driven to loose that in retail, which he hoped to gain in gross; For these mercies are not extended to all. But their meaning is, God offers these to all, and that any fail of them, it is because man disposeth not himself for the receiving of them. This is the issue of his advancing Gods mercy, utterly to disparage the freedom of Gods grace. Now of the Divine mercy in this sense, to wit, as freely extended to all, he hath not one word throughout, as I can remember, in so vast premises; all that he speaks of the extension of Gods mercy to variety of objects, is dispatched in three lines of these his three large leaves; as where he saith, his mercy is more largely extended then his justice, and that look how much three or four come short of a thousand, so much doth his justice come short of his mercy in the exercise of it; And upon this poor interpretation, he grounds the only substantial part of his reply, to our answer to this his argument. For to say that Gods mercy is rich, abundant, long suffering, beyond apprehension, is nothing to the purpose. For all this hinders not, but that the application of it may be, and is, made only to certain vessels, who are called vessels of mercy, in distinction from vessels of wrath, Rom. 9. 22. 23. Therefore he adds, That it surmounts his justice in its objects and expressions: wherein what he means by its expressions, I know not. For I find no comparison made by him between Gods mercy and his justice in its expressions;

4. And to this purpose he takes no pains to set down, wherein this mercy consists, which he so much amplifies, but carryeth it throughout in hugger mugger, and in the clouds of generality, that it might appeare the more likely, to be indifferently extended to all; and albeit sometimes he expresseth it, to be the love of a Father towards his children, yet it is too too probable, that he extends this to all and every one, as the children of God by creation; And therefore particulates not wherein it consists, as namely whether in mercy temporall or spirituall; and as touching mercy spirituall, whether this be not the pardoning of mens sinnes, together with the illumination of the mind, sanctification of the will, change of the heart, and giving of faith, repentance, obedience, and finall perseverance therein. For had he particulated those, he had apparently marred his own market, and been driven to loose that in retaile, which he hoped to gaine in grosse; For these mercies are not extended to all. But their meaning is, God offers these to all, and that any faile of them, it is because man disposeth not himselfe for the receiving of them. This is the issue of his advancing Gods mercy, utterly to disparage the freedome of Gods grace. Now of the Divine mercy in this sense, to wit, as freely extended to all, he hath not one word throughout, as I can remember, in so vast premises; all that he speaks of the extention of Gods mercy to variety of objects, is dispatched in three lines of these his three large leaves; as where he saith, his mercy is more largely extended then his justice, and that look how much three or foure come short of a thousand, so much doth his justice come short of his mercy in the exercise of it; And upon this poore interpretation, he grounds the only substantiall part of his reply, to our answer to this his argument. For to say that Gods mercy is rich, abundant, long suffering, beyond apprehension, is nothing to the purpose. For all this hinders not, but that the application of it may be, and is, made only to certain vessells, who are called vessells of mercy, in distinction from vessells of wrath,