The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

For the first: The merciful nature of God is a divine perfection, whereby he can find in his heart to show mercy if he pleases: a merciful nature in man is a bent and inclination of heart unto the exercises of mercy: the heart of man is biassed, set and bent that way; but we must not conceive this of God: the merciful purposes of God were the free actings of his own will: God was an absolute free Agent either to bestow mercy or deny it as he pleased; if he had naturally an inclination to show mercy, he could not have forborne to show mercy without going contrary to the inclination of his own heart: the exercise of mercy does not flow necessarily from the merciful nature of God: but he exercises grace freely from His Sovereign Will and Pleasure: there is nothing in Gods nature that does compel him to show mercy to any man: God had been infinite in mercy if it had pleased him never to exercise any: there are voluntary inclinations in God to exercise mercy, but no natural inclinations: but his merciful nature is that whereby he can find in his heart to exercise mercy: God is not of such a nature as to be uncapable of pitying and being kind: there is no opposition in the nature of God unto acts of mercy: his nature is such as that he can be willing to show kindness and do good: the merciful nature of God is a power to be willing to deal graciously with with his creatures, God is of such a nature, as that he can be willing to do good to those that are ⟨p. 15⟩unworthy, willing to pardon those that are guilty, &c. and this is called his merciful nature: the words of Moses serve to clear up this, Numb. 14.17, 18, 19. Let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken, saying, the Lord is long suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin: pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy.

For the first: The merciful nature of God is a divine perfection, whereby he can find in his heart to shew mercy if he pleases: a merciful nature in man is a bent and inclination of heart unto the exercises of mercy: the heart of man is biassed, set and bent that way; but we must not conceive this of God: the merciful purposes of God were the free actings of his own will: God was an absolute free Agent either to bestow mercy or deny it as he pleased; if he had naturally an inclination to shew mercy, he could not have forborn to shew mercy without going contrary to the inclination of his own heart: the exercise of mercy does not flow necessarily from the merciful nature of God: but he exercises grace freely from His Sovereign Wil and Pleasure: there is nothing in Gods nature that does compel him to shew mercy to any man: God had been infinite in mercy if it had pleased him never to exercise any: there are voluntary inclinations in God to exercise mercy, but no natural inclinations: but his merciful nature is that whereby he can find in his heart to exercise mercy: God is not of such a nature as to be uncapable of pitying and being kind: there is no opposition in the nature of God unto acts of mercy: his nature is such as that he can be willing to shew kindness and do good: the merciful nature of God is a power to be willing to deal graciously with with his creatures, God is of such a nature, as that he can be willing to do good to those that are