"he teach finners in the way. The meek "will he guide in judgment: and the meek "will he teach his way.

"the Lord are mercy and

All the paths of

truth, unto such

"as keep his covenant, and his teftimonies. "For thy name's fake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity: for it is great."

On this most important and agreeable fubject, I fhall quote a few more paffages, Pf. ciii. 8. &c. "The Lord is merciful "and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous

in mercy. He will not always chide: "neither will he keep his anger for ever. "He hath not dealt with us after our fins: "nor rewarded us according to our iniqui"ties. For as the heaven is high above "the earth: fo great is his mercy towards "them that fear him. As far as the eaft is "from the weft: fo far hath he removed our tranfgreffions from us. Like as a father

pitieth his children: fo the Lord pitieth "them that fear him. For he knoweth "our frame: he remembereth that we "are duft." Pf. lxxxvi. 5. "For thou, "Lord, art good, and ready to forgive."

If. lv.

If. lv. 6. &c. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he "is near. Let the wicked for fake his way, "and the unrighteous man his thoughts: "and let him return unto the Lord, and he "will have mercy upon him, and to our "God, for he will abundantly pardon." Ez. xxxiii. II. "As I live, faith the Lord "God, I have no pleasure in the death of "the wicked, but that the wicked turn " from his way and live turn ye, turn ye "from your evil ways; for why will ye 'die, O houfe of Ifrael?" v. 14. &c. "When I fay unto the wicked, Thou shalt furely die if he turn from his fin, and "do that which is lawful and right; if the "wicked restore the pledge, give again that "he had robbed, walk in the ftatutes of "life without committing iniquity; he shall

furely live, he fhall not die. None of "his fins that he hath committed fhall be " mentioned unto him: he hath done that "which is lawful and right, be fhall furely "live." Ez. xviii. 31. &c. "Caft away "from you all your tranfgreffions, whereby

ye have tranfgreffed, and make you a new VOL. II.

R

"heart,

"heart, and a new fpirit; for why will ye "die, O houfe of Ifrael? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, "faith the Lord God: wherefore turn your"felves, and live ye."

Thefe paffages certainly exprefs more than a willingness, they difcover a most earnest defire in the divine being, that finners should repent and be happy. I fhall therefore close these quotations with only one more from Micah vii. 18. &c. "Who is a God

like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, "and paffeth by the tranfgreffion of the "remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not "his anger for ever, because he delighteth "in mercy. He will turn again, he will "have compaffion upon us: he will fubdue "our iniquities: and thou wilt caft all their "fins into the depth of the fea."

The mercy of God appears not only in fuch full declarations as thefe, but likewife in the history of his conduct, as recorded in the Old Teftament. As often as the Ifraclites repented, after fuffering for their frequent

frequent apoftacies, fo often did they find mercy. This was the cafe, in a remarkable manner, with king Manaffeh, and also with Ahab; nor was this grace confined to the Ifraelites. The inhabitants of Nineveh obtained the fame favour on the fame equitable terms; for upon Jonah's proclamation, that within forty days Nineveh fhould be deftroyed, we read, Jonah iii. 5. &c. that "the people of Nineveh believed God, and

proclaimed a faft, and put on fack-cloth, "from the greatest of them even to the "leaft of them; and that the king of Ni"neveh arofe from his throne, and laid "his robe from him, and covered him with fack-cloth, and fat in afhes. And he "caufed it to be proclaimed, and published through Nineveh, (by the decree of the king and his nobles) faying, Let neither "man nor beaft, herd nor flock, taste any

thing; let them not feed, nor drink waBut let man and beaft be covered

"ter.

with fack-cloth, and cry mightily unto "God: yea, let them turn every one from "his evil way, and from the violence that

Who can tell if God

"is in his hands.

"will turn and repent, and turn away from "his fierce anger, that we perifh not? And "God faw their works, that they turned "from their evil way, and God repented of "the evil that he had faid that he would "do unto them, and he did it not." Jonah himself was difpleafed that his prediction was not literally fulfilled; but the acknowledgment which he makes why he was unwilling to undertake the commiffion, is much to our prefent purpose, ch. iv. 1. &c. "But it difpleafed Jonah exceedingly, and "he was very angry. And he prayed unto "the Lord, and faid, I pray thee, O Lord,

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was not this my faying, when I was yet "in my country? Therefore I fled before "unto Tarih: for I knew that thou art "a gracious God, and merciful, flow to

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anger, and of and of great kindness, and repentest

"thee of the evil."

The above-mentioned declarations of mercy to the penitent, were delivered under the Jewith difpenfation, and no person will imagine that they were reftricted under the gospel. John the Baptift, the fore-runner