have the comfort to know, that our virtue and piety will do good to ourselves; and, we trust, to others; as it is written,

Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art, Job xxxv. and thy righteoufnefs may profit the fon of man.

8.

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Hezekiah was fick unto death. And the Kings prophet Ifaiah came to him, and faid, Thus xx. 1, &c. faith the Lord, Set thine houfe in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed.

And

it came to pass, after Ifaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, faying, Turn again and tell Hezekiah, Thus faith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have feen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee. On the third day thou shalt go up unAnd I will add

to the house of the Lord. unto thy days fifteen years.

Did Hezekiah's prayer perfuade the fu

preme Being to alter his measures?

Befides

20.

Béfides the addition to his own term of life, his fupplications seem to have procured alfo favour for his people. I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee, and this city out of the hand of the King of Assyria.

It is added, And I will defend this city, for mine own fake, and for my servant David's fake. The piety even of King David also comes in, you fee, as fome reason ftill, fo long, long after his death, for mercy to the Jews, and the protection of Jerufalem.

Where then are all our calculations of human merit, and God's goodnefs? proportions between our fcanty virtue, and Eph. iii. the fulness of Him that is able, and willing too, to do exceeding abundantly, above all that we, not only deferve, but afk, or think? What is the measure of his bounty, whose mercy reacheth unto the heavens,

Pf.lvii.11.

and

and his falvation from generation to gene- Ifai. li. 8.

ration.

Jonah iv.

Ezek.

Is it not enough, that we know fo much of his thoughts and providence, Nehem. that he is flow to anger, and of great kind- ix. 17. nefs? condemns unwillingly, forgives 2. with joy; punisheth us less than our iniqui- xviii. 31, ties deferve, and for a little fervice, or a 32, light affliction, that is but for a moment, re- 7, 10. pays us with a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?

When we are fure, he will do us no wrong; let us allow him to be as liberal as he pleafes, and to whom he fees fit: not imitating the rebellious, and afterwards repining, Prophet; who would readily have been the meffenger of God's wrath, but for the fear of becoming the minister of his mercy. Because fixfcore thousand perfons that were innocent, and many more, probably, that were pe

nitent,

Luke xv.

Ezra ix.

13. 2 Cor. iv. 17.

1

Jonah iv. nitent, perished not; it difpleafed Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry; complaining to his Maker, even of his goodnefs, and reproaching him with his difpofition to forgive: O Lord, was not this my faying? I knew, that thou art a gracious God and merciful. Therefore, now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die, than to live.

Happy, happy is it for us, that our Judge and Lord is not man; mean, and petulant, revengeful, inexorable, and cruel bearing in mind the offences, perhaps the flips and follies of his creatures for ever, and treasuring up all their infirmities against the day of vengeance.

Yet the noble, or the tender hearted, even among men, relax and foften at the miferies, at the fupplications of those, who are brought down and humbled be

fore

fore them and if they must not pardon,

:

punish with a tear.

How much more is the Lord nigh Pf. cxlv. unto all them that call upon him, that call

upon him faithfully! He will fulfil the de-
fire of them that fear him; he will hear
their cry, and will help them.

9.

Ifai. lxv.

Thou shalt call, and the Lord fhall answer; Ifai. Iviii. thou shalt cry, and he fhall fay, here I am. Nay, it shall come to pass, faith the Lord, that before they call, I will anfwer; and whiles they are yet fpeaking, I will hear.

24.

9.

My thoughts are not your thoughts, nei- Ifai. Iv. 8, ther are your ways my ways, faith the Lord: for as the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

All the regard that is on earth from one man towards another, the fidelity of

2