Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or, A brief discourse

USE, 3. From counsel to such as are encouraged with the hopes of mercy, and would go to God for it, how to go so as to find acceptance, i. e. in sum, labour to be as vile in your own eye and esteem as can be: get the deep sense and apprehension of the greatness of your sin: charge Sin as God chargeth it, aggravate Sin as the word of God aggravates it; judge your selves by the righteous law of God; feel the weight and burden of Sin, and groan under it as those that are weary and oppressed with it; such are encouraged, Matt. 11. 28. Come to me ye that are weary and heavy laden. Add every proper weight to Sin that may make it the most burdensome and insupportable thing in the world: In particular;

USE, 3. From counsel to such as are encouraged with the hopes of mercy, and would go to God for it, how to go so as to find acceptance, i. e. in summe, labour to be as vile in your own eye and esteem as can be: get the deep sense and apprehension of the greatness of your sin: charge Sin as God chargeth it, aggravate Sin as the word of God aggravates it; judge your selves by the righteous law of God; feel the weight and burden of Sin, and groan under it as those that are weary and oppressed with it; such are encouraged, Matt. 11. 28. Come to me ye that are weary and heavy laden. Add every proper weight to Sin that may make it the most burdensome and insupportible thing in the world: In particular;

1. Make it your own, and take the blame to your selves, Sin ever affects us more or less, according as we find our selves interested in it, so much as we fault others, so much of self Justification will follow; and the less we have ⟨p. 230⟩known Sin to be our own, the less will the grace of Christ be sweetened in our apprehension: When Cicero would set forth Caesar's great clemency, he makes his own fault every way his own: Nullâ vi coactus, judicio meo, & voluntate meâ, ad ea arma profectus sum, quae sumpta sunt contra te. Pro Ligar. Thus must you do, and thus shall you bring glory to pardoning mercy; See and say, it was your own choice, your heart was in it, you were not compelled, but acted freely, resolutely, and therefore have justly deserved to be rejected when you have nothing to plead for your selves, then you are fit to plead mercy. Remember therefore that God made man upright, it is he that hath sought out many inventions. God hath given to no tempters, either Men or Devils, power over your wills to compel them.