by Thomas Reade
It is profitable to consider what I deserve, and what I enjoy, to awaken self abasement, and gratitude.
If the righteous Lord were to deal with me according to my deservings, I would at this moment be under the rack of excruciating pain; or, under the pressure of most abject poverty; thus feeling the foretaste of eternal woe.
If thus dealt with in strictest justice, Death would receive his commission to hurl my affrighted soul into the gulf of endless misery, there to remain an everlasting monument of the vengeance of a holy God.
All short of this is mercy!
Do I enjoy a portion of health? It is all mercy!
Am I undergoing a sanctified affliction? It is all mercy!
Do I partake of the bounties of Providence? It is all mercy!
Do I possess dear, affectionate friends? It is all mercy!
Do I experience the love of God in Christ, pardoning my sins, and purifying my heart?
Oh! this is mercy beyond the power of language to praise or to express!
Rejoice in such a Savior, who snatched you as a brand out of the burning!
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From Christian Meditations by Thomas Reade