Christ and the covenant the work and way of meditation

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 ⟨p. 494⟩of Gods hand, not running through the hand of the second cause, is most complete. Upon this account our Justification is more perfect and complete then our Sanctification, because it comes immediately out of the hand of God, and not out of our own hand. In Justification our guilt is removed, in Sanctification our filth is removed; our guilt is offensive to our selves, our filth is offensive to God: Now one would think, God should rather take away all our filth that is offensive to himself, then all our guilt that is offensive to us; no, but our Justification is perfect, our Sanctification not perfect; why? because our Justification comes immediately out of the hand of God, and doth not run through our own hand; for though we be justified by our Faith, yet it is as Faith is Gods Instrument, not as our act: Now the more immediately that any mercy comes out of the hand of God, and the less out of our hand, the more perfect and complete it is: So doth preventing mercy do, and therefore must needs be very sweet.

3. But then again Thirdly, The more perfect, and compleat, and entire any mercy is, the sweeter it is. Half-mercies are not so sweet as whole. Preventing mercy is compleat and entire. In the 16 of Ezek. you may see what a compleat mercy is there given, I washed thee with water (vers. 9.) I throughly washed away thy Blood, and I annoynted thee with oyntment, I cloathed thee also with broydered work, and shod thee with Badgers skin; and I girded thee about with fine linnen, 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 eares; and a beautifull 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 compleat 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