Ver. 13. For he shall have judgment luithout meraj that showed no mercy ; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
He applieth the former direction to the matter : ' So speak, and so do,' as those that would not come under the rigour of the covenant of works ; for if you allow yourselves in any sin, or do anything against any part of the royal law, you can expect nothing but 'judg- ment without mercy.' But to be cruel to your brethren with allow- ance and indulgence is a sin that will put you into that capacity ; not only as it is an allowed transgression of the law, but a special sin, that in equity seemeth to require such a judgment ; it being most meet that they should find no mercy that would show none.
For he shall have judgment ivithout mercy. — In which expression he intimateth the effect of the covenant of works, which is judgment without any mixture and temper of mercy, the law abating nothing to the transgressor ; as also to imply the retaliation of God : hard men justly meet with hard dealing and recompense.
That shoiued no mercy. — As if he had said, Mercy is not for those that only honour rich men, but them that are full of bowels and bounty to the poor ; for by ' showing no mercy ' he either intendeth shutting up the bowels against the necessities of the poor, or using them with contumely, injury, and reproach. They were so far from giving due respect, that they were guilty of undue disrespect ; a prac- tice which certainly will leave us ashamed at the day of judgment, when the Lord shall slight our persons, and leave us to our own just horrors and discouragements.
And mercy rejoiceth over judgment. — The word is KoraKavyaTai, hoastetli, li/teth up the head ; as a man will when anything is accom- plished with glory and success. This latter clause hath been tortured and vexed with diversity of expositions : it were fruitless to number up all to you : they may be referred to two general heads. Some take mercy here for God's mercy ; others for man's mercy. They that apply it to God either expound it thus : They have a severe judg- ment ; and if it be not so with all, it is merely the mercy of God
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which hath rejoiced and triumphed over his justice. So Fulgentius among the fathers. But this is too forced. Others, as G-regory, &c., carry it, with more probability, thus : Tiiough unmerciful men be severely handled, yet, in the belialf of others, mercy rejoicetli over judgment; that is, in the conflict and contest between attributes about sinners, mercy getteth the victory and upperhand, and so rejoiceth, as men when they divide the spoil. Piscator maketh out this sense yet more subtilely, taking koI, which we translate and, for though or yef, as it is often in scripture ; and then the sense is. Though mercy itself would fain rejoice over judgment, acts of pity and kindness being exercised with more of God's delight, yet at the sight of unmercifulness the bowels of it shrink up and retire. I should incline this way, but that the apostle speaketh here of that mercy which man showeth to man : for there seemeth to be a thesis and an antiiliesis, a position and an opposition, in the verse. In the position the apostle assertetii that the unmerciful shall find no mercy ; in the opposition, that mercy findeth the judgment not only tempered, but overcome ; that is, he that showeth mercy is not in danger of damnation, for God will not condemn those that imitate his own goodness ; and therefore he may rejoice over his fears, as one that hath escaped. Now the orthodox, that go this way of applying it to man's mercy, do not make this disposition a cause of our acceptance with God, but an evidence ; mercy showed to men being an assured pledge of that mercy Avhich he shall obtain with God. I confess all this is rational ; but look to the phrase of the text, and you will find some inconvenience in this opinion ; for it will be a speech of a most harsh sound and construction to say that our mercy should rejoice against God's judgment; for then man would seem to have 'somewhat wherewith to glory before God,' which is contrary to David, who denieth any work of ours to be justifiable in his sight. Vs. cxliii. 2, or to be able to hold up the head or neck against his judgment; con- trary to Christ, who forbiddeth this rejoicing against the divine judgment, though we be conscious to ourselves of performing our duty, Luke xvii. 10 ; and contrary to Paul, who saitli there is no glorying before God, Kom. iv. 2. All the rejoicing we have against God's justice is in the victory of his mercy ; therefore I believe these two senses may be well compounded and modified each by the other, thus : It is the mercy of God that rejoiceth over his justice, and it is mercy in man that giveth us to rejoice in the mercy of God ; and therefore the wisdom of the apostle is to be observed in framing the speech so that it might be indifferently compliant with both these senses. Yea, upon a more accurate and intimate consideration of tlie words, I find that the opposition in the apostle's speech doth not lie so much between unmercifulness and mercy, as between judgment with- out mercy and judgment overcome by mercy. Therefore, upon the issue of the whole debate, I should judge that the apostle's speech is elliptical, and more must be understood than is expressed ; mercy in God being expressed as the rise of our triumph, and mercy in man being understood as the evidence of it : and the sum is, that the merciful man may glory as one that hath received mercy, for the mercy of God rejoicing over the justice of God in his behalf ; he may