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as you may very reasonably do, that you were now as miserable as that wretched creature is that craves your succour and relief; would not you desire relief with the same importunity that he doth? Doubtless you would; the sense of misery and the desire of mercy being naturally inseparable. Well, but why would you desire it? why, because you are miserable, you would say. And hath not he the same reason to desire it of you? You may want what he desires, and if you should, you cannot deny but you should desire the same: and is there not all the reason in the world why you should grant him what you would ask for yourself, if you were in his circumstances and he in yours? This therefore is eternally reasonable, that we should give and ask by the same measures; that we should grant that succour to those that are miserable, which we should think fit to ask or desire of them, were we as miserable as they, and they as happy as we. For since we are all of us naturally equal, whatsoever is fit for one, must be fit for another in equal circumstances. Either therefore it is not fit that I should desire relief from others when I am miserable, or else it is fit that I should grant relief to others when they are so: which if I refuse, I must condemn myself, either for being unreasonable in desiring mercy when I need it, or for being unjust in denying mercy when I am asked it. I know I may be miserable myself; and if ever I am, I know I cannot forbear desiring others to succour and relieve me: and can I blame them for desiring that of me, which I could not forbear desiring of them, were I in their circumstances and they in mine? And yet of necessity I must either blame them for desiring of me what they do, or

blame myself for refusing them what they desire; since whatsoever is just for them to desire of me, is very fit and reasonable for me to grant them: and if ever I should happen to want relief, with what face can I desire or expect it, who am deaf and inexorable to the wants of others? So that if I will shew no mercy, I were best take heed that I never need any, for if I should, it will be very unreasonable for me to expect it; because by my unmerciful treatment of others, I have made a precedent against myself; against which it would be impudence for me to plead for mercy, either with God or men. With what face can I supplicate for mercy from the hands of others, when I have so plainly declared by my actions, that were I in their stead, and they in mine, I would never grant them what I ask for? And when my actions do thus loudly deprecate the mercies which I pray for, and enter such an unanswerable caveat against my claim and pretence to them, it is but modest to let fall my suit, and give up my hope of mercy for ever.

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Fifthly and lastly, Another eternal reason upon which mercy is founded and rendered morally good, is the necessity of it to the tolerable well-being of human societies. That God is good and merciful to his creatures, hath been sufficiently demonstrated from the infinite beatitude of his nature; which being an unbounded ocean of bliss and happiness to itself, must needs be abundantly communicative of bliss and happiness to others, according to the capacities of their natures. Since therefore human nature, of all these sublunary ones, contains the largest capacities of happiness; we may be sure that God not only designs its welfare, but that he

hath made all the provisions for it that are necessary in order thereunto. Notwithstanding which, you see he hath at present exposed it to so many evil accidents and contingencies, that unless those that are happy will take some care of the miserable, and we will all of us mutually succour and relieve one another, there is not a sufficient provision made for our tolerable well-being in this world. Since therefore it is evident even from the eternal principles of God's nature, that he is so infinitely kind and benevolent to us; and yet notwithstanding this, he hath placed us in a condition wherein we need one another's mercy, and cannot be happy without it; it necessarily follows, that it is his will and pleasure that whereinsoever he hath left us unprovided, we should mutually provide for one another; and that our own mercy should be instead of a counterpart to supply those defects and void spaces, which his providence hath left us in our present happiness. For we being free agents, God did not so provide for our happiness as to exclude our own virtue from having an hand in it; but hath only taken care so to dispose and order our affairs, as that we may be happy; if we will contribute our part, and behave ourselves towards him, ourselves, and one another, so as is most conducive to our own and one another's welfare. Since therefore he designs that all should be happy, and in order thereunto, though he hath not actually made them so, yet hath fairly provided that all may be so; it is plain that he hath left something to be done on our part, and expects we should every one contribute what we are able towards every other man's happiness. When therefore God places another's happi

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ness, or any degree of it, within the power of my mercy, it is plain that it is with an intent I should employ that power to make him happy; and consequently that if I lavish out upon my own pleasures and conveniencies that power to relieve the miserable with which he hath intrusted me, and so permit them to continue miserable, I am an unfaithful steward to his trust, and responsible to him for all their miseries. In short, since God by the eternal bent and inclination of his nature aims at and intends our happiness; but yet hath put us into a condition, wherein without the assistance of each other's mercy we cannot be tolerably happy; this is a plain demonstration, that it is his will we should assist and further his intention, by being merciful to one another. Whilst therefore God permits misery in one, that is an immutable reason why he should exact mercy from another; since without that he can never obtain his end, which is, the happiness of all. For, as since by the laws of generation he hath ordered all men to come into, the world weak and helpless, and unable to provide for themselves; he was bound in goodness to oblige their parents by a natural σropy and affection, to nourish and take care of them, until they grow able to take care for themselves, that so they might not be utterly abandoned: so since he hath thought good to expose us here to so many miseries and calamities, he stood obliged by the eternal benignity of his nature, to oblige us by all the bowels of mercy to succour and relieve one another, until we are grown up to that perfection of happiness wherein we shall have no more need of succour; that so at present we may not be left destitute and forlorn,

but may find all that relief in one another's mercy, which is wanting to us in his immediate providence. For it is for wise and merciful ends that he permits us to be miserable here, to correct our follies, and polish and cultivate our nature, and train us up under a severe discipline into a state of everlasting happiness; and therefore for the redress of these miseries, which for our good he is fain to inflict upon us, it was necessary he should consign us to the protection of one another's mercy that so this for the present might be a cordial to our griefs, a supply to our wants, an ease to our oppressions, and a sanctuary to our calamities; till misery hath ef fected the gracious end she designed it for, and then he will release our mercy from its work, and permit it to enjoy an everlasting sabbath. But so long as he thinks fit to continue us in this state of misery, his own benignity will oblige him to oblige us to assist and comfort one another, by the mutual exercise of our mercy; that so being instead of gods to one another, we may not be utterly abandoned to wretchedness; but by mutually succouring each other might all of us be tolerably happy: which we should all of us most certainly be, were we but so benign and merciful to one another, as he expects and requires.

CHAP. I.

Of the nature of mortification.

GOD having made us free agents, and planted in our natures an uncontrolable liberty of choice; in wisdom he hath so ordered and disposed things,

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