A Divine Cordial

7. The sins of others work for good, as they are a means to make the people of God ⟨p. 57⟩more thankful. When you see another infected with the plague, how thankful are you, that God hath preserved you from it? It is a good use that may be made even of the sins of others, to be more thankful; why might not God have left us to the same excess of riot? Think with thy self, O Christian, why should God be more propitious to thee, than to another? why should he take thee out of the wild Olive of nature, and not him? how may this make thee to adore free grace! What the Pharisee said boastingly, we may say thankfully, Luke 18.11. God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, Extortioners, Unjust, Adulterers, &c. So we are to adore the riches of grace, that we are not as others, Drunkards, Swearers, Sabbath-breakers. Every time we see men ran•ing it in sin, we are to bless God we are not such. If we see a frantic person, we bless God it is not so with us: Much more when we see others under the power of Satan, we are to make our thankful acknowledgement that it is not our condition.

7. The sins of others work for good, as they are a means to make the people of God ⟨p. 57⟩more thankfull. When you see another infected with the plague, how thankful are you, that God hath preserved you from it? It is a good use that may be made even of the sins of others, to be more thankfull; why might not God have left us to the same excess of riot? Think with thy self, O Christian, why should God be more propi•ious to thee, than to another? why should he take thee out of the wild Olive of nature, and not him? how may this make thee to adore free grace! What the Pharisee said boastingly, we may say thankfully, Luke 18.11. God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, Extortioners, Vnjust, Adulterers, &c. So we are to adore the riches of grace, that we are not as others, Drunkards, Swearers, Sabbath-breakers. Every time we see men ran•ing it in sin, we are to blesse God we are not such. If we see a franique person, we blesse God it is not so with us: Much more when we see others under the power of Satan, we are to make our thankfull acknowledgement that it is not our condition.