ven IS merciful, but tliey have found it so ; the honey -comb of God's mercy liath dropt upon them ; when in wants, mercy su])plied them ; when they were nigh unto death, mercy raised tliem from the sick-bed ; wlien covered with guilt, mercy pardoned them, Ps. ciii. 1., " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name." O how should the vessels of mercy run over with praise ! 1 Tim. i. 13., " Who was before a persecutor, and injurious ; but I obtained mercy." I was bemiracled with mercy ; as the sea overflows and breaks down the banks, so the mercy of God, did break down the banks of my sin, and mercy did sweetly flow into my soul. You that have been monuments of God's mercy, should be trumpets of praise ; you that have tasted the Lord is gracious, tell others what experiences you have had of God's mercy, that you may encourage them to seek to him for mercy, Fs Ixvi. 16, "I will declare what God hath done for my soul ;" when I found my heart dead, God's Spirit did come upon me mightily, and the blowing of that wind made tlie withering flowers of my gi'ace revive. O tell others of God's goodness, that you may set others a blessing
him, and that you may make God's praises live when you are dead ! — 2. To love God. Mercy should be the attractive of love : Ps. xviii. 1., "I will loA'e thee, O Lord, my strength." The Hebrew word for /oz'e, signifies love out of the inward bowels. God's justice may make us fear him, his mercy may make us love him. If mercy will not produce love, what will ? We are to Ipve God for gi^^ng us our food, much more for giving us gi*ace ; for sparing mercy, much more for saving mercy. Sure that heart is made of marble, which the mercy- of God will not dissolve in love ! " I would hate my own soul, (saith St. Augustine) if I did not find it lo%'ing God." — 3. To imi- tate God in shewing mercy. God is the Father of mercy ; shew yourselves to be his children, by being like him. St. Ambrose saith, " The sum and definition of religion is. Be rich in works of mercy, be helpful to the bodies and souls of others. Scatter your golden seeds ; let the lamp of your profes- sion be filled with the oil of charity. Be merciful in giving and forgiving. ' Be ye merciful, as your heavenly Father is merci- ful.' "
OF THE TRUTH OF GOD.
THE next attribute is God's truth, Deut. xxxii. 4., " A God of truth, and without iniquity ; just and right is he;" Ps. Ivii. 10., " For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds." A God of truth, Ps. Ixxxvi. I j., " Plenteous in truth," God is the truth. He is true : 1. In a phy- sical sense ; true in his being ; he hath a real subsistence, and gives a being to others. 2. He is true in a moral sense; he is true sine errore, without errors ; et sine fallacia, without deceit. God is prima Veritas, — the pattern and prototype of truth. Ther.' is nothing true but what is in God, or comes from God. I shall naw speak of God's truth, as it is taken, from his veracity in making good his promises, I Kings viii. 56., " There hath not failed one word of all his good pro- mise." The promise is God's bond, God's truth is the seal set to Ids bond. This is
the thing to be explicated and discussed, God's truth in fulfilling his promises.
There are two things to be observed in the promises of God to comfort us : I. The power of God, whereby he is able to ful- fil the promise, God hath promised to sub- due our corruj)tion, Micah vii. 19., "' He will subdue our iniquities." O ! saith a be- liever, my corruption is so strong, that sure I shall never get the mastery of it. Thus Abraham looked at God's ])owcr. Pom. iv. 21., " Being fully persuaded tliat wliat God had jHomised he was able also to ])erform." He believed, that God, who could make a world, could make dry bretists give suck. This is faith's support, there is nothing too hard for (iod. He that could bring water out of a rock, is able to bring to j)ass his promises. — 2. The truth of (iod in the pro- mises : God's truth is the seal set to the
OF THE TRUTH OF GOD.
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