Useful instructions for a professing people in times of great security and degeneracy

5. The greatest Mercy abused by sin, give God the highest provocation God recounts what he had done for them, and what they had done against him, Israel sinned grievously, after such and such favours, and when God heard this, when this was the report brought him of the improvement that they had made of all his mercies, this brings them into abhorrence: and good reason there is for it, for every mercy is an obligation laid upon the creature to obedience; hence the greater the mercy is, the stronger tie lies upon the creature; to sin therefore against mercy, grace, and special mercies, is to break Gods strong cor• of Love, then which, what greater provocation can there be: Consider David & Han••, 2 Sam. 10. Ingratitude in return for friendship, is the […] hard to bear of any thing. Ask we then our own hearts, what […] we have made of all those great mercies which our God hath bestowed up on us: great favours we have had, equal with those he had showed to his people at Shiloh; yea, if all things be considered, we may well say, Superior unto them, in as much as the lays of the Gospel ⟨p. 18⟩afford far greater light, then the days of the Law did; and have we remembered what God hath done for us? so as to make our returns unto him; hath he had his tribute of thankful Obedience? have we lived up to our enjoyments? have we been singular in holiness? as we have been singular in the means of holiness; of have we not rather grown vain and loose, and profane? despising of the means, and hardening our hearts against the Counsels of God? if it be so with us, Go to Shiloh, and tremble.

5. The greatest Mercy abused by sin, give God the highest provocation God recounts what he had done for them, and what they had done against him, Israel sinned greivously, after such and such favours, and when God heard this, when this was the report brought him of the improvement that they had made of all his mercyes, this brings them into abhorrence: and good reason there is for it, for every mercy is an obligation laid upon the creature to obedience; hence the greater the mercy is, the stronger tye lyes upon the creature; to sin therefore against mercy, grace, and speciall mereyes, is to break Gods strong cor• of Love, then which, what greater provocation can there be: Consider David & Han,