Lord mercifull, and gracious, long-Juffering, & abun dant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for shoufanda, forgiving iniquity, trunfgreffion and fin; innumerable other parallel pallages may be inftanced to the fame purpose, but the thing is to clear and undeniable, that we need not multiply words, yet methinks I hear fome ferious Souls whispering thefe following Obje&ions.

1. Obj. I would moft gladly buy an Act of Indem nitie,but I fear it concerns not me whof fins are so many alas I fay my Debts are beyond count & reckoning. Anfu. Art thou guilty of amultitude of fins, with himis a multitude of tender mercies, Pfal. s. 1. haft bou abandandie offended? he bath mercy enough abundantlie to pardon, 1 55. 7. O finner, be it known to thee, were thou alone guiltie of all the fins of the whole Ele&t world, that could not limite the boundlefs mercie of the infinitlie gracious God, if hoo have but the faith of Gods elect, and arc a true penitent like one of them. The Prophet Jeremiah gives to understand that this Plea of the guilt of mas mie fine fhould be fo far from being an objection againft pardoning grace, that the rather should it be an incentive to argue the harder with God, for pityng and pardoning us. Jer. 14. 7. O Lord, though our niquities seflific against us, do thow it for thy names, akes for our backflidings are many, we have finned as ain thee. And holle tender David is not fearred plead for Gods teader mercies and loving kindefs though with the fame breath he owns, that is fint were innumerable, and moe than the bairs of read, Pfal, 40, II, 12.

2. Obj. But alas my fins are not only many but grea and grievous.

infw. Be it so that thy fins are great: haft thou not a God to go to, whose tender mercies are also great, Pfal, 19. 156. are thy fins of a deep dye? Though they be as jcarlet, faith the Lord, they shall be white as fnow, though they be red as crimson they all le as wool, Ila, 1. 18. Were not Lots fins very great, viz repeated acts of horrid drunkenness, and unparalleled Incest, and that upon the back of a moft fignal and mercifull deliverance, Gen, 19, 19 to 37. yet Lot was pardoned; were not Davids fins very great, to wit, grofs Adultery and deliberate Murder, yet was David forgiven, 2 Sam. II. 12 chapters, What should I fay of Solomon, of Peter, of Paul, were not they exceeding great finners, yet were they not all mercifully indemnified; yea lisner, grant thou art match to Manaffes for impieties, yet thou mayft be forgiven as well as he, and what a one he was, ye may fee 2 Chron. 31. But why fhould I fpeak furs ther of the fr of the Sons of Adam, when we have Adam himself for a moft notable inftance, was no he, after a fenfe guilty of the fins of the whole World, baving ruined himfelf and maffaered all his Pofteri tv,yet how foon had Adam peace and pardon pre claimed to him, Gen. 3.15.But yet let me once more argue with thee, O finner, is there any of thy fins of fuch a bloody dye, as shedding the blood of the innocent Lamb of God, or crucifying the Lord of Glory, yet even thefe his zealous enemies did The injured exalted Prince of Glory moft graciously in Tanific, AЯs 2, 36, 38, 41. Aas 5, 30, 31. from all

which, Oferious perplexed tinner thou mayft conclude, that neither the number, nor the nature of thy fins can top the pardoning grace of God, whole Nature it is to forgive innumberable fins, and all kinds of tre paffes, Matth, 13 21.

3. Obj. But alas, I have long rejected the offers of pardon.

Anfw. I grant indeed this is a very grievous fault,and fhould be matter of thy deep humiliation; nevertheless there is hope in Ifrael concerning this thing, for fo long as thou art in the land of hope, there is place for repentance, even of this thy folly of reje ang Chrift; I am apt to believe there are not a few fincere Converts who have the fad experience of their frequent Refufals of Chrift, yea I may venture to say, there are none (come to adult age) but (in lefs or more) they have oppofed his dealings with their hearts,ere they have finally clofed with him, & perhaps fome have fuck long faft in the place of breaking forth of children, yet they have had a fafe & comfortable delivery; bence O exercifed perplexed Soul if thou art really and unfeignedly burthened with this cafe thou here regrates, I have this word of confolation unto thee,that though thou haft rejected his favourable offers a thousand times twice told, yet if for this once, if this day thou art heartily content to receive Chrift, I fay he is readie to receive thee into his grace, for after fo long time he faith, to day. if ye will bear bis voice harden not your hearts, and ye fhall obtain mercie and find grace at the throne of grace. Heb, 4. 16, 17. and Jer, 2.25, 32. Ifrael re jects the Lord, loves ftrangers, and after the

needs go, and bad forgotten God days without number, and 30 Chap, the Lord again and again proclaims his Act of Indemnitie, ver. §, 1, 7, 12, 14, yet they reject his offers, and continue ftill refractory backfliders, but notwithstanding all these frequent retufals, yet again ver.12.he renews his repeated formerly neglected proposals, with a gracious promife of acceptance, return ye 'backsliding children, and I will heal your backflidings; ye might readilie think, they had just reason of objection, O Lord, fure thou wilt not look on us though we look to thee, we have fu long unworthilie rejected thy mercifull offers; but there is no fach language comes out of their head, but a present obediential compliance with Gods call, faying bebald we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God; hence it is clear, the edge of thy objection is blunted, for if thou persist not obftinatlie to reject God, md reje& thy own mer cie, a mercifull God will never reject thee a retura. ing penitent.

4. Obj. But it may be, lam excepted our of heavens Alt of Indemnity.

Anfw. It may as well be thou art not excepted, let the one may be, be set over against the other, and thus one may bees ftand both on even ground; but further, I would have thee confider that there is a more fure word of promise & prophefie warranting thee to believe in Chrift, than thy uncertain mys bees to byals thee to unbelief. Ila. 55. 1. Ho every one, come and buy viz, an A& of Indemnitie, verfe 7. his being an indefinite general propofition includ

all individuals, by what Logick canft then ex.

clude

clude and feere off thy felf, from being one of thefe Every ones to whom this gracious offer is made. Rev. 22. 17, Whoever will let him take of the water of life freely, here is a clear declaration of Chris willinge nefs for his part, if thy own unwilling Will be not tby wrack, as Chrift regrates. John 5. 40. And ye will not come unto me that ye might have life, fo that Chrift will not exclude as, if we exclude not our felves.

5.06. Why fhould I offer to buy an Act of Ins demnitie, for I bave not bing to pay for it, an emptie parfe will come fmall speed.

Anfwo. O thou unwarrie finner, this conceit is Rone other then one of Satans tricks, who by this impofture would have thee bear thy felf in band, this is true heart humilitie, that thou oughteft not to come to God or meddle with Christ, till thou have clean hands and a pure heart (and when will that be? not in this world) and then when theu exe cells in holiness and good works (thus having a price in thy hand) thou mayat be the more bold to make a bargain; alas 1 fay this is to play the proud Papift in feeking beaven for thine own merits

but Satan by this fine spun plausible temptation de ceives not a few, making the highest pitch of damnable pride pafs unobferved for apparent humility which amounts to no lefs then a big dream that we need not be obliged or beholden to Chrift for hea ven or happinefs, but may purchase it with our own' treafures; while alas if we do but judicioufly and ferioufly ponder the matter, it will be found, that tho we had never fo vaft a flock of inherent righ

teouf