11. It is mercy stays the speedy execution of God's justice. "Sinners continually provoke God, and make his fury come up in his face," Ezek. xxxviii. 18. Whence is it God doth not presently arrest and condemn them? It is not that God cannot do it, for he is armed with omnipotence; but it is from God's mercy; mercy gets a reprieve for the sinner, and stops the speedy process of justice. God would, by his goodness, lead sinners to repentance. as God is of mercy; God hath morning. mercies, Lam. iii. 23, "They are new every morning;" and night mercies, Ps. xlii. 8, "In the night his song shall be with me." God hath mercies under heaven, those we taste of; and in heaven, those we hope for. 3d. God's mercy is eternal, Ps. ciii. 17, "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting." It is repeated twenty-six times in one psalm, "His mercy endureth for ever," Ps. cxxxvi. The souls of the 12. It is dreadful to have mercy witness blessed shall be ever bathing themselves in against one. It was sad with Haman, when this sweet and pleasant ocean of God's mer the queen herself accused him, Esth. vii. 6. cy. God's anger to his children lasts but a So will it, when this queen of mercy shall while, Ps. ciii. 17, "But his mercy lasts for stand up against a person and accuse him. ever." As long as he is God he will be It is only mercy that saves a sinner. Now, showing mercy; as his mercy is overflow. how sad to have mercy become an enemy! ing, so everflowing. If mercy be an accuser, who shall be our advocate? The sinner never escapes hell, when mercy draws up the indictment. Use 1. Of Information. It shows us how we are to look upon God in prayer,-not in his judgment-robes, but clothed with a rainbow full of mercy and clemency. Add wings to prayer. When Jesus Christ ascended up to heaven, that which made him go up thither with joy was, “I go to my Father;" so that which should make our hearts ascend with joy in prayer, is, "We are going to the Father of mercy, who sits upon the throne of grace;" go with con I might show you several species or kinds of mercy: preventing mercy, sparing mercy, supplying mercy, guiding mercy, accepting mercy, healing mercy, quickening mercy, supporting mercy, forgiving mercy, correcting mercy, comforting mercy, delivering mercy, crowning mercy, but I shall speak of the qualifications or properties of God's mercy. 1st. God's mercy is free. To set up meritfidence in this mercy, as when one goes to a is to destroy mercy; nothing can deserve fire, it is not doubtingly, perhaps it will warm mercy, because we are polluted in our blood; me, perhaps not. nor force it; we may force God to punish us, not to love us, Hos. xiv. 4, "I will love them freely." Every link in the chain of salvation is wrought and interwoven with free grace. Election is free, Eph. i. 4, 5, "He hath chosen us in him," "according to the good pleasure of his will." Justification is free, Rom. iii. 24, "Being justified freely by his grace." Salvation is free, Titus iii. 5, "Ac-golden sceptre of his mercy and live. And this cording to his mercy he saved us." Say not then, I am unworthy, for mercy is free; if God should show mercy only to such as are worthy, he would show none at all. 2d. God's mercy is an overflowing mercy; it is infinite: Ps. lxxxvi. 5, "Plenteous in mercy;" Eph. ii. 4, "Rich in mercy," Ps. li. 1, "Multitude of thy mercies." The vial of wrath doth but drop, but the fountain of mercy runs. The sun is not so full of light Use 2. Believe in his mercy, Ps. lii. 8, “I will trust in the mercy of God for ever." God's mercy is a fountain opened, let down the bucket of faith, and you may drink of this fountain of salvation. What greater encouragement to believe than God's mercy? God counts it his glory to be scattering pardons; he is desirous that sinners should touch the willingness to show mercy appears two ways: 1. By his entreating of sinners to come and lay hold on his mercy, Rev. xxii. 17, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Mercy woos sinners,-it even kneels down to them. It were strange for a prince to entreat a condemned man to accept a pardon. God saith, Poor sinner, suffer me to love thee, be willing to let me save thee. 2. By his joyfulness when sinners do lay mercy, when it is improved,-nothing fiercer, when it is abused; nothing colder than lead, when it is taken out of the mine,-nothing more scalding than lead, when it is heated; nothing blunter than iron, nothing sharper when it is whetted. Ps. ciii. 17, "The mercy of the Lord is upon them that fear him," Mercy is not for them that sin and fear not, but for them that fear and sin not. God's mercy is an holy mercy; where it pardons it heals. QUEST. What shall we do to be interested hold on his mercy. What is God the better See ANS. 1. Be sensible of your wants. how you stand in need of mercy, pardoning, saving mercy. See yourselves orphans: Hos. xiv. 3, "In thee the fatherless findeth mercy." God bestows the alms of mercy only on such as are indigent. Be emptied of all opinion of self-worthiness. God pours the golden oil of mercy into empty vessels. A. 2. Go to God for mercy, Ps. li. 1, "Have mercy upon me, O God!" Put me not off with common mercy that reprobates may have; give me not only acorns but pearls; give me not only mercy to feed and clothe me, but mercy to save me; give me the cream of thy mercies; Lord, let me have mercy and loving-kindness! Ps. ciii. 4, "Who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tenUse 3. Of Caution. Take heed of abusing der mercies." Give me such mercy as speaks this mercy of God! Suck not poison out of thy electing love to my soul! O pray for the sweet flower of God's mercy! Do not mercy! God hath treasures of mercy; prayer think, that because God is merciful, you may is the key that opens these treasures; and in go on in sin; this is to make mercy become prayer, be sure to carry Christ in your arms; your enemy. None might touch the ark but all the mercy comes through Christ: 1 Sam, the priests, who by their office were more vii. 9, "Samuel took a sucking lamb;" carry holy; none may touch this ark of God's mer- the lamb Christ in your arms,—go in his cy, but such as are resolved to be holy. To name,-present his merits,—say, “Lord, sin because mercy abounds, is the devil's here is Christ's blood, which is the price of logic. He that sins because of mercy is like my pardon! Lord, show me mercy, because one that wounds his head because he hath a Christ hath purchased it!" Though God may plaster; he that sins because of God's mer-refuse us when we come for mercy in our cy, shall have judgment without mercy. Mercy abused turns to fury, Deut. xxix. 19, 20, "If he bless himself, saying, I shall have peace though I walk after the imaginations of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst, the Lord will not spare him, but the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy, shall smoke against that man." Nothing sweeter than own name, yet not when we come in Christ's name: plead Christ's satisfaction, and this is such an argument as God cannot deny. Use 4. It exhorts such as have found mercy, to three things: 1. To be upon Gerizzim, the mount of blessing and praising. They have not only heard the King of heaven is merciful, but they have found it so; the honey-comb of God's mercy hath dropt upon him, and that you may make God's praises them; when in wants, mercy supplied them; live when you are dead!-2. To love God. when they were nigh unto death, mercy Mercy should be the attractive of love, Ps. raised them from the sick-bed; when cover-xviii. 1, "I will love thee, O Lord, my ed with guilt, mercy pardoned them, Ps. ciii. strength." The Hebrew word for love: sig1, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that nifies love out of the inward bowels. God's is within me, bless his holy name." O how justice may make us fear him, his mercy may should the vessels of mercy run over with make us love him. If mercy will not propraise! 1 Tim. i. 13, “Who was before a duce love, what will? We are to love God persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mer- for giving us our food, much more for giving cy." I was bemiracled with mercy; as the us grace; for sparing mercy, much more for sea overflows and breaks down the banks, so saving mercy. Sure that heart is made of the mercy of God, did break down the banks marble, which the mercy of God will not of my sin, and mercy did sweetly flow into dissolve in love! "I would hate my own my soul. You that have been monuments of soul, (saith St Augustine) if I did not find God's mercy, should be trumpets of praise; it loving God.”—3. To imitate God in showyou that have tasted the Lord is gracious, ing mercy. God is the Father of mercy; tell others what experiences you have had of show yourselves to be his children, by being God's mercy, that you may encourage them like him. St Ambrose saith, "The sum and to seek to him for mercy, Ps. lxvi. 16, "I definition of religion is, Be rich in works of will declare what God hath done for my soul;" mercy, be helpful to the bodies and souls of when I found my heart dead, God's Spirit others. Scatter your golden seeds; let the did come upon me mightily, and the blow-lamp of your profession be filled with the oil ing of that wind made the withering flowers of charity. Be merciful in giving and forof my grace revive. O tell others of God's giving. Be ye merciful, as your heavenly goodness, that you may set others a blessing Father is merciful.'" OF THE TRUTH OF GOD. THE next attribute is God's truth, Deut. [thing to be explicated and discussed, God's xxxii. 4, "A God of truth, and without in- truth in fulfilling his promises. iquity; just and right is he;" Ps. lvii. 10, There are two things to be observed in "For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, the promises of God to comfort us: 1. The and thy truth unto the clouds." A God of power of God, whereby he is able to fulfil truth, Ps. lxxxvi. 15, "Plenteous in truth." the promise, God hath promised to subGod is the truth. He is true: 1. In a phy-due our corruption, Micah vii. 19, "He sical sense; true in his being; he hath a will subdue our iniquities." O! saith a bereal subsistence, and gives a being to others. liever, my corruption is so strong, that sure 2. He is true in a moral sense; he is true I shall never get the mastery of it. Thus sine errore, without errors; et sine fallacia, Abraham looked at God's power, Rom. iv. without deceit. God is prima veritas,-the 21, "Being fully persuaded that what God pattern and prototype of truth. There is had promised he was able also to perform." nothing true but what is in God, or comes He believed, that God, who could make a from God. I shall now speak of God's truth, world, could make dry breasts give suck. as it is taken from his veracity in making This is faith's support, there is nothing too good his promises, 1 Kings viii. 56, "There hard for God. He that could bring water hath not failed one word of all his good pro- out of a rock, is able to bring to pass his mise." The promise is God's bond, God's promises.-2. The truth of God in the protruth is the seal set to his bond. This is the mises: God's truth is the seal set to the promise. Tit. i. 2, "In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie hath promised." 'Eternal life,' there is the sweetness of the promise: God which cannot lie,' there is the certainty of it. Mercy makes the promise, truth fulfils it. God's providences are uncertain, but his promises are the 'sure mercies of David,' Acts xiii. 24; "God is not a man that he should repent," 1 Sam. xv. 29. The word of a prince cannot always be taken, but God's promise is inviolable. | God's truth is one of the richest jewels of his crown, and he hath pawned this jewel in a promise, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, "Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure." Although my house be not so, that is, though I fail much of that exact purity the Lord requires, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, that he will pardon, adopt, and glorify me; and this covenant is ordered in all things sure "The elements shall melt with fervent heat;" but this covenant abides firm and inviolable, being sealed with the truth of God; nay, God hath added to his word, his oath, Heb. vi. 17, wherein God pawns his being, life, righteousness, to make good the promise. If as oft as we break our vows with God, he | should break promise with us, it would be very sad; but his truth is engaged in his promise, therefore it is like the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered. "We are not (saith Chrysostom) to believe our senses so much, as we are to believe the promises," &c. Our senses may fail us, but the promise cannot, being built upon the truth of God; God will not deceive the faith of his people, nay, he cannot; "God, who cannot lie, hath promised;" he can as well part with his Deity, as his verity. God is said to be abundant in truth, Exod. xxxiv. 6. What is that? viz. If God hath made a promise of mercy to his people, he will be so far from coming short of his word, that he will be better than his word. God often doth more than he hath said, never less. He is abundant in truth. 1. The Lord may sometimes delay a promise, but he will not deny; he may delay a promise, God's promise may lie a good while as seed under ground, but at last it will spring up into a crop. God promised to deliver Israel from the iron furnace, but this promise was above four hundred years in travail before it brought forth. Simeon had a promise that he should not depart hence, "till he had seen the Lord's Christ," Luke ii. 26, but it was a long time first, but a little before his death, that he did see Christ. But though God delay the promise, he will not deny. Having given his bond, in due time the money will be paid in. 2. God may change his promise, but he will not break his promise. Sometimes God doth change a temporal promise into a spiritual, Ps. lxxxv. 12, "The Lord shall give that which is good," perhaps this may not be fulfilled in a temporal sense, but a spiritual. God may let a Christian be cut short in temporals, but God makes it up in spirituals. If he doth not increase the basket and the store, he gives increase of faith, and inward peace; here he changeth his promise, but he doth not break it, he gives that which is better. If a man promiseth to pay me in farthings, and he pays me in a better coin, in gold, he doth not break his promise? Ps. lxxxix. 33, "I will not suffer my faithfulness to fail." In the Hebrew, it is to lie. OBJ. 1. But how doth this consist with the truth of God? He saith, He will have all to be saved, 1 Tim. ii. 4, yet some perish. ANS. St Austin understands it, not of every individual person, but some of all sorts shall be saved; as in the ark, God saved all the living creatures, not every bird or fish were saved, for many perished in the flood, but all, that is, some of every kind were saved, so God will have all to be saved, that is, some of all nations. OBJ. It is said, Christ died for all; "he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world,” John i. 29, how doth this consist with God's truth, when some are vessels of wrath, Rom. ix. 22." ANS. 1. We must distinguish of world. The word is taken either in a limited sense, for the world of the elect; or in a larger sense, for both elect and reprobates. "Christ takes away the sins of the world," that is, the world of the elect. A. 2. We must dying for the world. for all, not effectually. There is the value of Christ's blood, and the virtue ; Christ's blood hath value enough to redeem the whole world, but the virtue of it is applied only to such as believe. Christ's blood is meritorious for all, not efficacious. All are not saved, because some put away salvation from them, Acts xiii. 46, and vilify Christ's blood, counting it an unholy thing, Heb.ings as his promises; God hath oft, to show x. 29. distinguish of Christ's ings; the threatenings are a flying roll against Christ died sufficiently sinners. God hath threatened to "wound the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses," Ps. lxviii. 21. He hath threatened to judge adulterers, Heb. xiii. 3. To be avenged upon the malicious, Ps. x. 14, "Thou beholdest mischief and spight, to requite it with thy hand:" To "rain fire and brimstone" upon the sinner, Ps. xi. 6. And God is as true in his threaten Use 1. Here is a great pillar for our faith, the truth of God. Were not he a God of truth, how could we believe in him? Our faith were fancy; but he is truth itself, and not a word which he hath spoken shall fall to the ground. “Truth is the object of trust." The truth of God is an unmoveable, rock we may venture our salvation here, Isa. lix. 15, Truth faileth' truth on earth doth, but not truth in heaven. God can as well cease to be God, as cease to be true. Hath God said, he will do good to the soul that seeks him, Lam. iii. 25, He will "give rest to the weary?" Matt. xi. 28. Here is a safe anchor-hold, he will not alter the thing which is gone forth of his lips. The public faith of heaven is engaged for believers: can we have better security? The whole earth hangs upon the word of God's power, and shall not our faith hang upon the word of God's truth? Where can we rest our faith but upon God's faithfulness? There is nothing else we can believe in, but the truth of God; we cannot trust in an arm of flesh, we cannot trust in our own hearts, this is to build upon the quicksands, but the truth of God is a golden pillar for faith to stay upon. God cannot deny himself, 2 Tim. ii. 13, "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Not to believe God's veracity, is to affront God, 1 John v. 10, "He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar." A person of honour cannot be more affronted or provoked, than when he is not believed. He that denies God's truth, makes the promise no better than a forged deed; and can there be a greater affront offered to God? Use 2. Of terror to the wicked. God is a God of truth, and he is true in his threaten his truth, executed his threatenings, and let his thunderbolts of judgment fall upon sinners in this life; he struck Herod in the act of his pride; he hath punished blasphemers: Olympius, an Arian bishop, reproached and blasphemed the blessed Trinity, immediately lightning fell down from heaven upon him, and consumed him. God is as true in his threatenings as in his promises; let us fear the threatening, that we may not feel it. Use 3. Is God a God of truth? let us be like God in truth. 1. We must be true in our words. Pythagoras being asked what made men like God? answered, "When they speak truth." It is the note of a man that shall go to heaven, Ps. xv. 2, "He that speaketh the truth in his heart." Truth in words is opposed, (1). To lying, Eph. iv. 25, "Putting away lying, speak every man truth to his neighbour." Lying is when one speaks that for truth, which he knows to be false. A liar is most opposite to the God of truth. There are (as Austin saith) two sorts of lies: 1. An officious lie, when a man tells a lie for his profit; as, when a tradesman saith his commodity cost him so much, when perhaps it did not cost him half so much; he that will lie in his trade, shall lie in hell. 2. A jesting lie: when a man tells a lie in sport, to make others merry, he goes laughing to hell. When you tell a lie, you make yourselves like the devil, John viii. 44, “The devil is a liar," and the father of it. He deceived our first parents by a lie. Some are so wicked, that they will not only speak an untruth, but will swear to it; nay, they will wish a curse upon themselves, if that untruth be not true. As I have read of a woman, one Anne Avarie, 1575, who being in a shop, wished that she might sink if she had not paid for the wares |