ftice commeth from without; for when men provoke him by their finnes, then he faith, Ifaiah the twenty eighth chapter and the seventeenth verfe, Fudgment will I lay to the rule, and righteousness to the ballance. Therefore if we conceive of God as a hard Lord, whereas we see he is ready to forgive ton thousand talents to his Servants, Matthew the eighteenth chapter, or think him to be a hard Father, whereas he is most kinde to naughty and unthrifty Sons, Luke the fifteenth chapter: We doe derogate against his mercie and goodness, who in refpect of his naturall inclination to mercy, is called mercy, Pfalm the fifty ninth and the feventeenth verse; wherefore as the Apostle faid to the Jewes, Acts the thirteenth chapter and the fourty fixt verfe; Seeing you have put the word of God from you, and judged your felves unworthy of eternall life, so it any man by taking an erronious opinion of Gods mercy, doe put it from him, and judge himself unworthy of mercy, there is no hope that he fhall ever obtain forgiveness, but he muft either fall into that defparate hardness of heart, that is mentioned, Feremiah the eighteenth chapter, or elfe be continually tormented with a wounded Spirit, Proverbs the eighteenth chapter, and be swallowed up of heavinefs, in the fecond to the Corinthians, the fecond chapter. Touching Cains conceit, it is certain if his fione cannot be pardoned, it is either in regard of the finne it felf; or of Gods justice; but neither of these are any fuch hindrance, that they ought to draw us to that which Cain faith. it. Touching finne, it is not a thing impoffible to obtain pardon for Firft, Because finne is the work of a Creature which is finite, and therefore can doe nothing but that which is finite; But God is infinite, and of his greatness there is no end, Pfalm the one hundred and fourty fift: And therefore look how much God is greater than man, fo great is his power to thew mercy, and consequently it is not poffible that his mercy should be overcome of our finne and miferie. Secondly, peccatum hominis eft infirmitas hominis, that is, finne is a work of infirmitie, and confequently it cannot overcome Gods power, for the weakness of God is stronger than the ftrength of man, in the firft to the Corinthians, the first chapter; but there is no reason to fay or think that the weakness of man is ftronger than the ftrength of God; and therefore the Apostle faith, Romans the third chapter, Can the unbelief of man, which is an infirmite of man, make the faith of God of none effect? It is not poffible: Though we be unfaithfull, yet he abideth faithfull, and cannot deny himself, in the second to Timothy, the fecond chapter and the thirteenth verfe. Thirdly, Whereas finnes are faid to be great, so the number of them how great or many foever they be, yet we are not to doubt but there is pardon for them, for there is mercy offered where there is multiplicitic of finne. Chrifts counsell is, Be ye merœfull as your heavenly Father is mercifull, Luke the fixt chapter: and we fee that mads mans mercie is so great, that it forgiveth those that doc oftend seventy times feven times, Matthew the eighteenth chapter and the twenty fecond verfe; therefore Gods mercy muft needs be greater: Therefore God, to fhew the greatness of his mercy, faith, Howsoever man will not receive his wife when she goeth from him, and becommeth another mans; yet turn ye to me, and I will receive you to favour, Feremiah the third chapter and the first verse: So we fee that Gods mercy exceeds mans mercy. But the reason why we despair of pardon upon the fight of our finnes is, for that as the Prophet fpeaketh, •Mans thoughts are not as Gods thoughts, Ifaiah the fifty fift chapter: man thinks that unpoffible to be numbred, which God doth number. David, to fhew that his finnes were innumerable, faith, they are more than the hairs on his head, Pfalm fourtieth and the twelfth verfe; and yet Chrift faith that our heavenly Father doth number all the hairs of our head, Matthew the tenth chapter and the thirtieth verfe. Manaffeh crieth out that his finnes are more than the fande of the Sea which cannot be told, and yet God doth comprehend and hold it in his hand, Ifaiah the fourtieth chapter and the twelfth verle: And albeit in mans judgment the Starres may feem innumerable, yet the Prophet faith, That God counteth the number of the Starres and calleth them by their names, Pfalm the one hundred and fourty seventh, so albeit our finnes feem innumerable to us, yet he can number them, and albeit we think it impoffible they should be forgiven, yet God doth not think fo. Fourthly, Against the grievousness of finne there is hope of mercy; For though they be as red as Scarlet, he will make them as white as snow, Ifaiah the first chapter and the eighteenth verse : As our finne is great, fo faith the Prophet, Great is thy mercy towards men, for thou haft delivered me from the nethermoft hell, Pfalm the eighty fixt and the thirteenth verfe, and fo great that he faith, Pfalm the seventy first and the fifteenth verse, I know no end thereof: Therefore albeit the greatnels of finne be grande barathrum, yet major eft abyffus mifericordia dei. And as there is in us abundance of finne, fo in Chrift we finde fuperabundant grace for the remißion of finne, Romans the fift chapter, but as for peccatum meum, that is, fuch finnes as are of the fame fize that Cains was, against which the Devill chiefly takes exception, that we should not doubt of God's mercy, but that we may finde pardon though our finne be the fhedding of blood, yet it is pardonable; for David committed murther, and yet obtained forgivnefs, and was received to be a Saint in heaven Though a man be guilty of lying and denying the truth, yet there is mercy in ftore with God for that finne; for Peter after he had denyed his Mafter, and fwore that he knew him not, against his own confcience, was for all that forgiven and that we should despair of no finne to them that did fhead the blood of the Sonne of God that holy and just one, and killed the Lord of life, even to those the Apostle faith Amend your lives and turn, that your fins may be done away, Acts the third chapter and the ninteenth verfe; and yet this finne is farre greater than Cains fiane, Ferome faith that Fudas did offend God more in repelling his grace, and defpairing of his mercy after his finne, than he did in betraying the Sonne of God: Therefore when Cain faith My finne is greater than can be pardoned, the Fathers fay mentiris Cain and Bernard faith abfit, major enim eft dei pietas quam hominis iniquitas; whereupon albeit Manaffeh confeffeth that he hath finned above the number of the fand of the Sea, and that his tranfgreffions are multiplied; yet knowing that Göds mercy is greater than the malice of men, he ceafeth not to crave forgive nets, and for that obtained pardon, and was received into favour. To conclude this point, he that will hold Cains opinion, doth not beleeve the promises of God, that the womans feed shall be of fufficient power to break in peices the Serpents head,but in laying his fin us greater than can be forgiven; it is all one as if he said, the malice and pylon of the Serpent is greater than the virtue and power of Chrift, and contrary to that which the Apoftle faith, Hebrews the twelfth chapter (that Chriftes blood speaketh better things than the blood of Abel) he holds that Abels blood crieth lowder for vengeance, than Christs blood can doe which crieth for mercy and forgiveness: but it is abfurd and blafphemous fo to think, for it cannot be but Chrifts blood which is Gods blood, As the twentieth chapter,must have more force to intreat for remiffion at Gods hand, than the blood of a man can have to obtain vengeance; major enim eft propisiatio quam iniquitas.・・ For the Justice of God which is the fecond hindrance, thus it ftands That which God hath pronounced cannot be recalled, but we are to fee whether this hold true or no: the Sentence pronounced by God upon Hezekiah was, dispone domum tuum, moriêris enim, in the fecond of Kings, the twentieth chapter and the first verle, and the Sentence of God to be pronounced by Fonas was, That within fourty daies Nineveh should be destroyed, Fonah the third chapter; but yet neither did Hezekiah die at that time, neither was the City of Nineveh destroyed, as the Prophet had faid it should. The reafon is, because albeit God fpake fuddenly against a Nation or Kingdome, to pluck it up and destroy it; yet he faith, If this Nation against whom I have pronounced this Sentence, doe turn from their wickedness, I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring upon it, Feremiah the eighteenth chapter and the eighth verle; fo then Gods meaning was, that the King should die except he did repent, and that Nineveh fhould be deftroyed if it did not repent; but they repented, therefore God revoked his Sentence; and therefore as Chrift faith, Luke the thirteenth chapter, Except ye repent ye shall all likewife perish; fo all threatnings in the Scripture goe with this condition, The foul that finneth it shall die except it repent, Ezekiel the eighteenth chapter, and he that calls bis brother fool is in danger of hell fire, except he repent, Matthew the fifth chapter and the twenty fecond verfe: Sothat the juftice of God is no hindrance, but that the moft grievous finner that is, may obtain forgivene!s if he repent; and because Cain re Kkk pented pented not, therefore he is excluded from the remiffion of finnes. The point that remains is, That we confidero, in the fecond to the Corinthians, the second chapter, the devifes and ferches which the enemie of our Salvation useth to work our destruction ; for when finne is to be committed, he brings them to prefumption; and albeit God hath threatned plagues for fuch and fuch finnes, yet he perfwades a man, as Peter did Chrift, in the fixteenth chapter of Matthew, Non fiet hac tibi, that is before finne is committed, but when finne is finished, and the Devill hath that he would have, then he laboureth to bring men into desperation, saying, it must needs be, and they cannot avoid the wrath and judgements of God. In the reading of the old Teftament, he layeth a vail over the hearts of men, as it was with the Jews, that by the Law they might not lee the grievouíneffe of fiane, and fo avoid the danger of it, in the fecond epistle to the Corinthians, and the third chapter; but when he hath entised men to commit finne, then he blindeth their eyes, that the light of the Gospell, whereby they are affured of the forgiveneffe of finnes, and of the mercy of God in Chrift, should not Thine into their hearts, in the second to the Corinthians, the fourth chapter he will neither let them fee the grievoufneffe of finne, Before they commit it, nor behold the mercy of God, after it is committed: Which mercy of God is fo generally offered to all forts, that even murtherers & lyars,albeit they be grievous finners,cannot defpair of mercy, for we fee both David and Peter obtained pardon, and none are debarred, but only they that fay, Quid nobis tecum Fefu Nazarene? in the first chapter of Mark, and the twenty fourth verse; That which excluded the Devill himself from mercy, was this defperate fear, for as Auguftine faith, obftinatione fuâ, & non enormitate fceleri, Damon eft Damon: Even lo Cain the Child of the Devill, feemeth to fay thus much in this his confeffion, I defire no pardon at thy hands O God,because I fee the greatness of my offence is greater than thy mercy For Cain, we lee what befell him, because, as the Prophet fpeaketh, Noluit intelligere, ut bene ageret, Pfalm the thirty fixt; because he had no care to doe as God would have him therefore God gave him up to the lufts of his own heart; and as the Apoftle fpeaketh, in the fecond to the Theffalonians, the fecond chapter, and the tenth verfe, because when God spake to him, he believed not the truth, that he might be faved, God fent him ftrange delufions, that he fhould believe the Devils lyes, who preached to him and perfwaded him after he had finned, that his finne was greater than Gods mercy: for if Pharaoh first harden his own heart, Exodus the eighth chapter, and the thirty fecond verfe, it is just that God harden his heart, fo as he shall not hearken to his minifters, Exodus the ninth chapter and the twelfth verfe. But because the Prophet complaineth, that while he would have healed Ifrael, then the iniquitie of Ephraim was difcovered, and the wickedneffe of Samaria, Hofea the feventh chapter: Therefore we must be heedfull, that while we feek to cure defperation, we make not a way to presumption, for that is the great finne against which the Prophet prayeth, in the ninteenth Pfalme, Keep thy fervant from prefumptuous finnes, fo fhall I be clear from the great finne: This was the finne of Cain, and we must beware that we walk not in his way, as Fude counselleth, Quia è nimiâ fpe prefumptio, is the high way to defperation; therefore when we know Gods will, as Cain did, we muft feck no farther, nor follow our own wifdom. It was Sauls fione, he would be wifer than either Samuel or the Lord himself; for being commanded to destroy the Amalekites, with all they had, Saul as it God knew not what he did, takes upon him to pare the best things, in the first book of Samuel, the fifteenth chapter; this was his prefumption. We muft beware, faith Mofes, in the twenty ninth chapter of Deuteronomie,and the ninteenth verfe, That when we hear the words of the curfes and the punishments, which God threatneth against the tranfgrefors of his Law, That wee doe not bleffe our felves in our hearts, faying, I fhall have peace, though I walk after the stubbornneß of mine own heart; thus adding drunkenneffe to thirst. It we will not defpaire we must fear, for fo did Fob, and therefore he faith, Timor meus fpes mea, in the fourth chapter of Fob and the fixth verfe: The fear he had and felt, when he was about to finne, wrought in him an affured hope and affurance of Gods favour; and that fear made him fay, Etiamfi occiderit, fperabo in eum, Fob the thirteenth chapter. That fear is a means of hope,the Apostle S.Peter fheweth; for having faid, that he would have all men to hope perfe&ly, in the first of Peter, the first chapter and the thirteenth verfe, he expreffeth the means how they shall attain to this perfe& hope, & that is,by paffing their converfation in fear, verfe the feventeenth. This courfe did not Cain take, but contrariwife, when he heard God tell him, that if he did evill, finne lay at the dore; he for all that bleffeth himself in his heart,and faid, fhall doe well enough, though I walk after the stubbornneffe of mine own heart, and kill Abel my Brother, contrary to Gods commande ments. En expellis me hodie à fuperficie iftius terra, ut à facie tua abfcon- Gen. 4. 14. dam me: cumque vagus fim & infeftus agitationibus in terra, fi ullus fuerit qui me inveniat, interficiet me. AINS fpeech to God (as we fee) ftands upon two Septemb. 9 him fhould kill him, which is his chief complaint. For |