2. Because in the Midft of Judgment he remembers Mercy, and doth not punish us fo much as we deferve, Ezra ix. 13.

3. Because he gives us the Space and Means of Repentance, that fo we may escape Punifhment, 2 Pet. iii. 9. Ifa. xxx. 18.

4. Because upon our Repentance he doth not punish us at all, 2 Sam. xii. 13. Jonab iii. 10. Ezek. xviii. 30. Ifa. lv. 7.

Queft. 2. What Ufe are we to make of this the Long Suffering of God ?.

1. Abuse it not to the hardening your felves in Sin, Ecclef. viii. 11, 12, 13.

2. Imitate God, in being long-fuffering to one another, as he is to you, Col. iii, 12. Eph. iv. 2. Gal. v. 22. 2 Tim. iii. 10.

3.

Let this Long-fuffering of God lead thee to Repentance, Rom. ii. 4.

EX O D. Xxxiv. 6.

Abundant in Goodness and Truth.

רב חסד ואמת

1

Queft. I. WHAT is the Goodness of God?

An effential Property in God, whereby we apprehend him infinitely good in himself, and to all his Creatures, Pfal. cxix. 68.

1. He is infinitely good in and of himself, yea, Goodness it felf, the Summum Bonum, Matt. xix. 17. For,

1. All defirable Perfections whatsoever are united in him; all Things that can any way conduce to the making himself or us happy, Pfal. cxliv. 15. Pfal. xxxiv. 9.

2. Hence he is fo good as to be able to fatisfy all our Defires, Pfal. Ixxiii. 25. Pfal. iv. 6, 7. Pfal. xvi. 11. Pfal. xvii. 15.

2. He is infinitely good unto all his Creatures, Pfal. cxix. 64. TOM Pfal. cxlv. 9.

1. It is from him, that any of us are good, or holy, and conformable to his Nature Fac. i. 17:

2. It is from him that we do any Thing that is good, I Cor. iv. 7.

3. It is from him that we have any Thing that is good, A&ts xvii. 25.

Queft. 2. What Ufe are we to make of the Goodmelt f God ?

1. See

1. Seeing he is fo good, we muft never lay the Fault on him, nor complain of him. He cannot be the Author of Sin.

2. Hence we should be afhamed, and afraid, to offend him, Isa. i. 2, 3.

3. We fhould put our whole Truft and Confidence on him, Pfal. ix. 10.

4. We fhould love him above all Things, Matt. xxii. 37. Which if we do, he is fo good, that he will make all Things good to us, Rom. viii. 28.

5. We fhould make it our Business to get his Love and Favour, for then we fhall have all good Things, Pfal. cxlii. 5. Ifa. lv. 6.

And Truth.

God's Mercy and Truth do ordinarily go together, Pfal. xxv. 10. Pfal. lvii. 3. Pfal. Ixi. 7. Pfal. Ixxxvi. 15. Pfal. lxxxix. 14. Mercy and Truth meet together, Pfal. lxxxv. 10. But both by Chrift, John i. 17.

Upon thefe Two all our Hopes depend.

We have no Hopes of Mercy, but from his Word; nor Certainty of his Word, but from his Truth.

Queft. 1. What is that Truth wherein God is faid toabound?

Not Metaphyfical or Logical, but Moral Veracity. He is faid to be abundant in Truth; 1. Because he always thinks of, or apprehends, every Thing as really it is, Heb. iv. 13. 2. He always fpeaks as he thinks, Tit. i. 2. Heb. vi. 18.

Hence whatsoever God faith in Scripture, is infallibly true, Pfal. cxix. 151, 160.

All

All his Affertions.

1. Hiftorical, howfoever miraculous.

2. Doctrinal, how much foever beyond our Thoughts and Reason, 1 John v. 7. John

i. 14

3. He always acts both as he thinks and fpeaks.

1. In his Predictions, Exod. xii. 41. Jer. xxv. II, 12. 2 Chron. Xxxvi. 21. Ezra i. 1. Matthew v. 18.

2. In his Threatnings, Gen. vi. 7. Matt.xxiv. 2.
3. In his Promifes, Gen. iii. 15. cap. xlix. 10.
Dan. ix. 24.

Queft. 2. What Ufe is to be made of this?
1. It fhould confirm our Faith in all the Arti-
cles of the Chriftian Religion, 1 John v. 10.
2. Make us afraid of Sin, becaufe all God's
Threatnings againft us will moft certainly
be executed, unless we repent, Luke xiii. 3.
Make us truft and confide more firmly in
the Promises of God, Heb. xiii. 5, 6. Matt.
vii. 7. Ifa. lv. 7. Matt. xi. 8. Revel, ii, 21,

3.

I.

EXO D. XXXIV. 7.
xxxiv.

Keeping Mercy for Thousands.

For

Thousands of Perfons, Apoc. vii. 4. 9: 2. To Thousands of Generations.

as after is mention of נוצר חסד לאלפים

Three or Four Generations: Whence R. Sal. obferves, God's Mercy is reprefented as Five Hundred times greater than his Severity; for this is but Four, that for Two thousand Generations at leaft.

Forgiving Iniquity, Tranfgreffion and Sin,

-Perverfenefs, 2. Rebel .1 נשא עון ופשע וחטאה

lion, as Ifa. i. 2. NO, Miftake, or Error.

Queft. 1. What is Sin? Arquia, 1 Job. iii. 4.

In it is,

1. A Contrariety to God's Law, whereby it leaves a Blot on the Soul.

2. An Offensiveness to his Majefty, Pfal, cvi.

29.

3. Hence it deferves Death, Rom. vi. 23.

4. Whereby every Sinner is obliged to fuffer Death, Rom. iii. 19.

Queft. 2. What is Forgiveness of Sin?

A Discharging us from our Guilt or Obligation to Punishment, 2 Sam. ii. 13.

J. God only can pardon Sin: Because it is done against him, Pfal. liii. 4.