The Grand Trial of True Conversion, Treatise 3 · Consideration 1 – Consideration 5
Firſt Conſideration.
1. God hath multitudes of mercies, to blot out the manifold ſinnes of our thoughts, Pſal. 51. 1.
David having multiplied his ſinnes in Pſal. 51. 3.the matter of Ʋriah, he petitions for multitudes of tender mercies, ſo Pſal. 5. 7. I in the multitude of thy mercies foreignwill come into thy houſe, &c.
So in Nehem. 9. 19. 27. God is ſaid to have manifold mercies, the Scripture expreſſeth the mercy of God in the foreign Miſericordie, viſcera, Singulare non invenitur, qui… multa ſunt opera miſericordiae. Piſcator.plural number, to ſet forth the multitude of his mercies.
The ſecond Conſideration.
2. God hath abundance of mercy an overflowing fumes of mercy, enough, & more than enough, to cover all the ſins of our thoughts; hence it is, that Gods mercy and pardoning grace is ſaid to be abundant, Exod. 34. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 3. and the faithfull are ſaid to receive a redundancy of grace, Rom. 5. 17.foreign.
Now a man cannot be ſaid to have abundance of riches, unleſſe his cup overflow, unleſſe he have an overplus more than enough: we ſay there is abundance of water in the ſea but we cannot ſpeak ſo of a Pond or Ciſtern, the ſea hath an overfulneſſe, which is inexhauſtible.
The third Conſideration.
God hath a ſuperabundancy of mercy, Rom. 5. 20. his pardoning grace is ſaid Rom. 5. foreign. … Tim. 1. 14. foreign. Superabundo.to ſuperabound, 1 Tim. 1. 14. the grace of our Lord was ſuperabundant.
The glorious mercy of God over abounds in three reſpects.
1. It abounds above all created Ʋnderſtandings, it is above all our knowledge, it is in it ſelf incomprehenſible.
2. There is a plenitude in Gods mercy, far beyond all that mercy that all faithfull men and women receive in this world, Pſal. 31. 20. Oh how great is thy goodneſſe that thou haſt laid up for them that fear thee, and wrought for them that trust in thee before the ſons of men? when the Prophet comes to ſpeak of this mercy he is at a ſtand as not able to expreſſe it in its ſuperabundancy: Oh, how great, how manifold is thy goodneſſe! It is farre above all that we can foreignſpeak or conceive.
2. That goodneſſe and mercy that God worketh for the faithfull here in this world, is exceeding abundant; but that which is laid up and hidden with God for them, is incomparably more abundant.
3. This pardoning mercy is far above all the ſin that can be in mens thoughts, Rom. 5. 20. where ſinne hath abounded, grace ſuperabounds, in forgiving believing penitents, there is an overflowing fulneſſe of evil in mans thoughts, James 1. 21. but there is an exceeding abundant, overabundant, overfulneſſe of mercy in God.
The fourth Conſideration.
4. God hath plenty and variety of pardons, multitudes of pardons, as we have multiplied our thought-pollutions, he will multiply his pardons upon our repenting and returning, as is plainly declared, Iſa. 55. 7. the Prophet exhorts the unrighteous man to forſake his own thoughts, and then Jehovah will have mercy on him.
Now becauſe this objection of the multitudes of their thought-provocations, the numberleſſe multiplyings of their evil Thoughts might come in to diſcourage poor ſouls in ſeeking mercy, therefore he purpoſely addes, that the Lord will multiply to pardon (for ſo the foreignwords are according to the originall) he will multiply his pardons anſwerable to the multiplyings of their thought-pollutions.
1 The God of mercy hath an inexhauſtible Treaſury of pardons that can never be ſpent, he is a God of pardons as he is called, Neh. 9. 17. Thou art a God of pardons, gracious and mercifull, foreignthat is, God hath variety of pardons for all ſorts of ſinnes, for all kind of evil thoughts and wayes, that men are or can be guilty of.
2. God hath abundant Riches of mercies, foreign condonatio.the Scripture ſpeaking of the riches of mercy and grace, riſeth high in expreſſions.
1. God is ſaid to have Riches of grace, and glorious mercy, Eph 2. 4 Rom. 2. 4. Rom. 9. 23. by Riches of glory is meant his Riches of mercy, which is his glory.
2. A depth of Riches, Rom. 11. 33. oh the depth of the Riches, &c. oh the bottomleſſe depth of the riches of Gods mercy; by comparing this place with Rom. 12. 1, it is evident the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of the Depth of Mercy.
3. God hath the higheſt Riches of grace foreign. ſummas opes.Eph. 2. 7. a ſupereminency, magnificence and ſuperlative ſublimity of pardoning grace.
Theſe expreſſions do clearly import theſe two things.
1. That God hath an over ſufficiency of mercy.
2. variety of all kind of mercies, both forgiving and giving mercies, Jehovah gives and forgives according to his manifold mercies, Neh. 9. 19. 27.
1. God is called the Father of mercies, he begets mercies for his people every day.
2. Jehovah is the God of mercies, he createth new mercies every morning Lam. 3. 22. 23. he hath variety of healing mercies ſuitable to the variety of our miſeries, he hath variety of pardoning mercies, ſuitable to the variety of our ſinnes.
1. Oh, what multitudes and variety of pardons do we receive at our firſt coming to Chriſt, when God forgives ten thouſand Talents to us?
2. What variety of mercies do concur in the pardoning of our daily treſpaſſes?
3. There is a multitude of mercies that meet in the pardoning of every ſinne that wee commit, Pſalme 51. 1.
The fifth Conſideration.
5. The pardoning mercies of God are paſt all number: there are ſuch multitudes of mercies in God for repenting ſouls, as are beyond number and numbering. The greateſt Arithmetician is not able to calculate and ſumme them up: this is elegantly expreſſed in Pſal. 40. 5. Many O Lord, my God, are thy wonderfull works that thou haſt done, and thy thoughts that are to us ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee, if I would declare and ſpeak of them, they are more then can be numbred, they mightily increaſe above telling or numbring.
Queſt. What are theſe Thoughts of God towards us?
Anſwer, They are Thoughts of mercy and forgiveneſſe: his works of mercy that he doth in and for his people, are many and marvellous, but his thoughts of mercy are innumerable: that this: the reall meaning of the words, evident.
1. If we compare them with Iſa. 55. 8, 9. my thoughts (ſaith Iehovah,) are not your thoughts, &c. but as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, ſo are my thoughts, &c. See Ier. 29. 11.
2. This Pſalm is a propheticall declaration Compare Heb, 10. 5. with Pſal. 40. 7, 8:of Gods ſending his ſonne into the world, to ſave loſt man by the oblation of himſelf: in this manifeſtation of Chriſt there was a world of mercy manifeſted; all mercies meeting and concenterating in this one mercy.
2. All Gods thoughts and intentions of mercy towards us are in Chriſt, Eph. 1. 3. 4. all his works and wayes of mercy come to to us in Chriſt.
Gods thoughts of mercy that he thinks towards believing ſouls, are ſo innumerable that they cannot be numbred, yea ſaith the Prophet, if I would number them, they increaſe ſo mightily in number, they are ſo ſtrong in number that they are more than I or any can number:
2. Gods thoughts of pardoning mercy, are foreignfar more innumerable than mans thoughts of iniquity can be: there are incomparably more thoughts of mercy and forgiveneſſe with God than can be thoughts of vanity and wickedneſſe with us, we are but as it were of yeſterday; it is not many years ago ſince we began to think thoughts of iniquity againſt God, but his thoughts of mercy have been from everlaſting, and reach to everlaſting, Pſal. 25. 6. Remember thy tender mercies Iehovah, and thy kind mercies, for they are from eternity.
In effectuall calling, we actually obtain mercy; but Gods mercy hath been towards us in reſpect of his own thoughts and purpoſes from everlaſting, he hath been thinking thoughts of mercy from eternity, Pſal. 103. 17.