Section 10: God is very gracious, full of Mercy, no Cruelty in him.

Book 2 Part 1 Chapter 2 Section 10 (p. 47-49)
God is very gracious, full of Mercy, no Cruelty in him.

The Knowledg of God, as he is merciful, is the ground of all Hope to poor Sinners; without this there is no coming to God. Psal. 130. 3, 4, 7, 8. "If thou, Lord, shouldst mark Iniquity; O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is Mercy, and with him plenteous Redemption: and he shall redeem Israel from all his Iniquities."

As we have shewed that Righteousness belongeth to God, so 'tis said that Mercy belongeth to him also, Dan. 9.9. Which glorious Attribute he hath always displayed to the Children of Men, though not always in the same manner. To Adam, Gen. 3.15. yea, to Cain himself, Gen. 4.7. "If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted?" This Negative Interrogative concludes in the Affirmative, viz. Thou shall be accepted if thou dost well. Thus timely did God lay a Foundation, whereon to build a sure belief, that he is gracious to all Men, even so as to accept their Sacrifice is they do well.

It was the Grace of God that moved him to warn, and wait upon the Old World so many years as the Ark was a preparing, and therefore called the Long-suffering of God, 1 Pet. 3.20.

The Covenant made with Noah, is full of God's Grace, and established as a Merciful Covenant for ever, Gen. 9. and no part annulled to this day, but confirmed rather by the Covenants delieved since. When Men had greatly Corrupted themselves, and Darkness had spread it self over the Earth, God sets up the Light of his Grace in the Covenant made with Abraham, for the Comfort of all Nations. Gen. 12.3. "I will bless them that bless thee, and Curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all Families of the Earth be blessed."

When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, then again he proclaimed his Name to be the Lord: "The Lord God, Merciful, Gracious, abundant in Goodness and Truth," Exod. 34.6. David sets forth this Gracious Attribute, to be from Everlasting to Everlasting, Psal. 103. And his tender Mercies to be over all his Works, Psal. 145.9. His Works and good Providence shew forth the same, insomuch that all Nations are without Excuse, Acts 14.17. Yea, his making of one Blood all Nations, to dwell upon the face of the Earth; his appointing the bounds of their Habitations, is, that they might seek the Lord and find him, Acts 17.26, 27.

But the most ample Demonstration of the Grace and Mercy of God, is that which hath appeared in the Lord Jesus Christ, full of Grace and Truth, Joh. 1.14. And as it is written, "When we were without Strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly," Rom. 5.6. And again, "God commended his Love unto us, in that whilst we were Enemies, Christ died for us."

This is the Root-Grace, from whence all our Graces spring, 1 John 4.10. "Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son into the World, to be a Propitiation for ours Sins." And again, "We love him, because he first loved us," 1 John 4.19.

This Grace, Favour, and Love of God, is of large Extent, every Man hath an Interest in it, Heb. 2.9. And truly, should any Man be born into the World, since Sin entered into the World, it had been happy for that Man he had never been Born, rather than to have no share in God as he is Gracious; the vilest Creature on Earth, would be more engaged to God than such a Man. But to divert all Conceits of that kind, viz. That there is no Grace extended to some Men. Let us hear what the Record of Truth saith: "The Grace of God which brings Salvation, hath appeared to all Men," Tit. 2.11. But after what manner, or measure, we need not much enquire (but rather to mind what it teacheth us, ver. 12) However, so Gracious was God to the whole World, as that the Propitiation, or Atonement in the Blood of Christ, is for them all, 1 John 2.2.

The Method in which God will judg the World, shews his Mercy, Grace, and Goodness to the whole World: For such as had not the Law, shall be judged without the Law, and they that sinned in the Law, shall be judged by the Law. See the Graciousness of God in this: He will not exact that of Men, they never had from him; he will not enter into Judgement with the Gentiles, on the same Terms that he will judg the Jews, they had five Talents to the Gentiles one; the Improved is not expected to be equal, but the Non-improvement according to each Mans proportion, shall justly incur the Censure of the Judg. Yet neither doth he in Judgment exact the utmost Mite; for if so, where were his Mercy? he remembreth that we are but Dust, Psal. 103.14.

Excellently doth the Apostle set out the Grace of God, in the Nature and Extent of it, Rom. 5.20, 21. where, having shewn how much, how greatly the Gift by the Second Adam, outvies the Loss we had by the First Adam; he then shews the use of the Law, That it entred, that Sin might abound, or appear exceeding Sinful (for by the Law is the knowledg of Sin). At length he displays the Mercy of God, saying, "But where Sin did abound, Grace did much more abound: That as Sin had raigned unto Death, (which sure is general enough) even so might Grace raign through Righteousness unto everlasting Life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Whereas, we say, there is no Cruelty in God; hereby we do exclude in our Thoughts and Belief in God, all such Notions as tend to impeach the great Attribute of his Mercy and Grace, viz. As to think that he made any Men, or Angels, with purpose or design to cast them into Hell. Such Cruelty is so contrary to the Nature of God, that he doth not only disclaim it as a thing not in him, Isa. 27.4. but holds it in Execration by his Word, where ever it is found: Gen. 49.7. "Cursed be their Anger, for it was fierce, and their Wrath, for it was Cruel": Proclaiming the sentence of Death against such as exercise Cruelty, Ezek. 18.18. "As for his Father, because he cruelly oppressed, - he shall die in his Iniquity." He that thus severely condemns Cruelty in his Creature, must not be supposed to be cruel to him himself; for all the Vertues that are found in us, are originally in God. But more of these things in due place.