A77360:1058
Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation
Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation. : Gods return to the soul, or nation; together with his preventing mercy. : Delivered in ten sermons, (viz.) 1. Christs personal excellencies, the object of our love. 2. Christ crucified, the object of our faith. 3. The new covenant of grace opened. 4. Christ the mediator of the new covenant. 5. The way and spirit of the new covenant, or New Testament. 6. The blood of sprinkling. 7. The sweetness and profitableness of divine meditation. 8. The work and way of this meditation. 9. Gods return to the soul and nation. 10. Preventing mercy. / By W.B.
London: printed for N. Ranew, 1667
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. The more immediately that any mercy doth come out or Gods hand, and the less it runs through ours, the more sweet it is. Water is sweetest out of the Fountain. Now preventing mercy comes immediately out of the hands of God, and runs not through our hand at all, nor through the hand of the second cause at all, therefore must needs be very sweet.
But Secondly, The more costless, or less costly to us, any mercy is, the sweeter it is. Possibly a ⟨p. 493⟩kindness may cost more to keep it, then it is worth. Suppose a man promise me or give me wood; the cutting down of the wood, and bringing it home, may cost me more then the wood is worth: So a kindness may cost one more care then the thing it self doth amount unto. But now preventing mercy cost me nothing, it is cut down to my hand, it is brought into my hand, it is costless mercy, it cost me nothing, surely therefore it is very sweet.
3. But then again Thirdly, The more perfect, and complete, and entire any mercy is, the sweeter it is. Half-mercies are not so sweet as whole. Preventing mercy is complete and entire. In the 16 of Ezek. you may see what a complete mercy is there given, I washed thee with water (vers. 9.) I throughly washed away thy Blood, and I anointed thee with ointment, I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with Badgers skin; and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk; I decked thee also with Ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thine hands, and a Chain on thy neck, and I put a Jewel on thy forehead, and ear-rings in thine ears; and a beautiful Crown upon thine head; and so he goes on. What mercy was this? It was preventing mercy, I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thy own blood, and said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, live, yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloody, live. So then, preventing mercy is the most complete mercy; and it must needs be so, for it comes immediately out of Gods hand, and not through the hand of the second cause. That that comes immediately put