A Body of Practical Divinity

7. God shows Mercy in Correcting us. God is Angry in Love, he smites that he may save Gods Rod is not a Rod of Iron to break us, but a Fatherly Rod to Humble us, Heb. 12.10. He for our profit, that we may be partakers of his Holiness. Either God will mortify some corruption, or exercise some grace. Is there not Mercy in this? Every Cross to a Child of God, is like Paul's Cross Wind, which though it broke the Ship, it brought Paul to Shore upon the broken Pieces, Acts 27.44.

7. God shews Mercy in Correcting us. God is Angry in Love, he smites that he may save Gods Rod is not a Rod of Iron to break us, but a Fatherly Rod to Humble us, Heb. 12.10. He for our profit, that we may be partakers of his Holiness. Either God will mortifie some corruption, or exercise some grace. Is there not Mercy in this? Every Cross to a Child of God, is like Paul's Cross Wind, which though it broak the Ship, it brought Paul to Shoar upon the broken Pieces, Acts 27.44.

8. God shows Mercy in Pardoning us, Mic. 7.18. Who is a God like thee, that pardonest Iniquity? 'Tis Mercy to Feed us, Rich Mercy to Pardon us. This Mercy is spun out of the Bowels of Free Grace; this is enough to make a Sick Man well, Isa. 33.24. The Inhabitant shall not say I am Sick, the People that dwell therein, shall be forgiven their Iniquity. Pardon of Sin is a Mercy of the first Magnitude, God seals the Sinners Pardon with a Kiss. This made David put on his best Clothes, and anoint himself; his Child newly Dead, and God had told him the Sword should not depart from his House, yet now he falls Anointing himself; the reason was, God had sent him his Pardon by the Prophet Nathan,