above all His works," Psal. cxlv. 9, able to satisfy for all men's sins,
_antilutron_, 1 Tim. ii. 6. His mercy is a panacea, a balsam for an
afflicted soul, a sovereign medicine, an alexipharmacum for all sins, a
charm for the devil; his mercy was great to Solomon, to Manasseh, to Peter,
great to all offenders, and whosoever thou art, it may be so to thee. For
why should God bid us pray (as Austin infers) "Deliver us from all evil,"
_nisi ipse misericors perseveraret_, if He did not intend to help us? He
therefore that [6761]doubts of the remission of his sins, denies God's
mercy, and doth Him injury, saith Austin. Yea, but thou repliest, I am a
notorious sinner, mine offences are not so great as infinite. Hear
Fulgentius, [6762]"God's invincible goodness cannot be overcome by sin, His
infinite mercy cannot be terminated by any: the multitude of His mercy is
equivalent to His magnitude." Hear [6763]Chrysostom, "Thy malice may be
measured, but God's mercy cannot be defined; thy malice is circumscribed,
His mercies infinite." As a drop of water is to the sea, so are thy
misdeeds to His mercy: nay, there is no such proportion to be given; for
the sea, though great, yet may be measured, but God's mercy cannot be
circumscribed. Whatsoever thy sins be then in quantity or quality,
multitude or magnitude, fear them not, distrust not. I speak not this,
saith [6764]Chrysostom, "to make thee secure and negligent, but to cheer
thee up." Yea but, thou urgest again, I have little comfort of this which
is said, it concerns me not: _Inanis poenitentia quam sequens culpa
coinquinat_, 'tis to no purpose for me to repent, and to do worse than ever
I did before, to persevere in sin, and to return to my lusts as a dog to
his vomit, or a swine to the mire: [6765]to what end is it to ask
forgiveness of my sins, and yet daily to sin again and again, to do evil
out of a habit? I daily and hourly offend in thought, word, and deed, in a
relapse by mine own weakness and wilfulness: my _bonus genius_, my good
protecting angel is gone, I am fallen from that I was or would be, worse
and worse, "my latter end is worse than my beginning:" _Si quotidiae
peccas, quotidie_, saith Chrysostom, _poenitentiam age_, if thou daily
offend, daily repent: [6766]"if twice, thrice, a hundred, a hundred
thousand times, twice, thrice, a hundred thousand times repent." As they do
by an old house that is out of repair, still mend some part or other; so do
by thy soul, st