^ As they said, 'We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings,' 1 Kinga XX. 31.
VeR. 2.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 63
ances from imminent dangers. Then the curse began to seize upon you ; but God snatched you out of the fire like ' brands out of the burning,' Amos iv. 11 ; or like a debtor that escapeth out of the ser- geant's hands. Every deliverance is a temporary pardon : see Ps. Ixviii. 38, ' Then he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not ; ' the meaning is, respited vengeance, as appeareth by the context. So Mat. xviii. 32, ' He forgave them the debt ; ' yet it was after required ; the meaning is, spared them for the present. Thus vsrhen God taketh you out of the teeth and jaws of wrath, when you are delivered out of sickness and apparent danger, you have a reprieve or a temporary pardon. Oh ! if you had died, you had died in your sins, and so been eternally miserable : if the Lord had taken the present advantage, you had been howling a sad note among the screech-owls of darkness. For ever blessed be that mercy that made a rescue !
10. Consider God's invitations. Mercy pointeth and beckoneth to thee to come and be saved. How many means hath God used to call thee to himself ! Every good motion is a call, every preacher a messenger sent from heaven to invite thee to Christ, every sermon a new summons. Plead with thyself, Though God hath not drawn me, yet he hath warned me. The elect have no more favour in the general means than thou hast. Though God's grace be limited by the pleasure of his wisdom, yet thou hast a fair warrant and encourage- ment, and every way as good a ground to come to Christ as others have : ' Whosoever,' &c., John vi. 37. When the gospel doth not exclude me, why should I exclude myself ? Doubts that God will not accept me if I come, are but foolish jealousies without a cause. But it is time to leave off this meditation upon God's mercy, which hath carried me out so far, and to come to the uses.
Use 1. It informeth us that those that would apply themselves to God must make mercy their only plea and claim. Returning sinners have this form put into their mouths, Hosea xiv. 2, ' Take away all iniquity, receive us graciously.' Lord, we desire to be entertained by mercy, to have our suits dispatched by mercy. So David professeth that he had no other claim : Ps. xiii. 5, ' I have trusted in thy mercy.' Upon which Chrysostom ^ sweetly glosseth : If any others have any- thing to allege, let them plead it ; Lord, I have but one thing to say, one thing to plead, one thing upon which I cast all my hopes, and that is thy mercy. So must you come to the throne of grace : Lord, my plea is mercy, all the comfort I expect to receive is from mercy. The apostle, I remember, maketh a challenge : Rom. xi. 35, ' Who hath first given him, and it shall be recompensed to him again ? ' Is there any man that can enter this plea, This is due to me ? Lord, give me what thou owest, I desire no more ; let me have no blessing till I do deserve it. Merit-mongers ^ are best confuted by experience. Let them use the same plea in their prayers which they do in their dis- putes ; let them say, Give me not eternal life till I deserve it at thy
^ ''Ot fi^v iSXXoi ei rl Kal ^xo'f ^e-yiriiiaav, ^yu oe iv olda, ^v 'Kiyu' &c. — Clirysost.
'"Chemnitius observat aliter de justiticatione sentire homines in disputationibus, quando cum hominibus sui similibus rixantur, aliter in meditationibus quaiido coram Deo sistuat conscientiam suam quasi causa dicenda asset,' &c. — Davenant. de Jastitia.
64 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 2.
hand ; let tliem dispute thus with God or with their own consciences, when Ihev are in the agonies of death, or under the horrors of the Lord's wrath. Surely men that cry up the merit of works are men of little spiritual experience, and seldom look into their own consciences. Dare they plead thus with God in their agonies and horrors ? The best claim God's dearest servants can make is mercy. Possidius, in the life of Austin, reporteth of Ambrose, when he was about to die, he said thus, Though I have not lived so that I should be ashamed to live among you, yet I am not afraid to die ; not that I Imve lived well, but because I have a good and gracious Master.^ This hath still been the ground of the saints' confidence.
Use 2. It exhorteth us to use this encouragement to bring our souls into the presence of God. Think of the mercies of God ; the vile abuse of this doctrine hath brought a suspicion and prejudice upon it : but children must not refuse their bread because dogs catch at it. When Benhadad was dejected, and in danger not only of losing his kingdom but his life, his servants comforted him with this fame, 1 Kings XX. 31, 'We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings.' You have heard how the God of Israel delighteth in mercy. When you come for mercy, 3"ou speak to his very bowels. You shall read in 2 Sam. xiv, 1, that ' when Joab perceived the king's heart was to Absalom,' then he setteth the woman of Tekoah a-begging. The king's heart is to show mercy ; he hath sworn that he hath no pleasure in thy destruction, Ezek. xviii. 32; therefore take courage and come to him. He hath sent Christ to you as a pledge of his good- will and mercy ; why will you not come to liim ? He that had love enough to give us Christ, hath bowels enough to give us pardon, and bounty enough to give us heaven, and whatever we stand in need of. Fear not his justice ; justice and mercy are made friends, Kom. iii. 25, 2G, and I John i. 9. Christ hath taken up the quarrel between them ; so that nothing hindereth but that God may act according to the natural inclination of his own grace. And let not the multitude of your sins discourage you : ' The free gift is of many offences to justification,' Eom. v. 16. Take it for the offences of many persons, as the context seemeth to carry it, and it is an encouragement to think of the multiplied instances of mercy, and how many monuments of free grace we shall see when we come to heaven, and that all this while mercy is not tired. Or take it for the many oftences of the same person, and still it is an encouragement that mercy can so often bear with our vanity and folly, and not only pardon several sorts of sin, but frequent relapses into the same sin. He will ' multiply to pardon,' Isa. Iv. 7. If the soul still draw back, and be under discouragement, consider your own need. If the Lord were never so tenacious and hard to be entreated, yet such is your need that you should follow him with incessant complaints. It is blasphemy to wrong his mercy by lessen- ing thoughts. But grant the sinner his supposition, yet you should be instant, and try what he will do for importunity's sake. See Luke xi. 8, hLCi ri]v avacBeiav, and Luke xviii. 5, iva fj-r] v-rrcoirid^i] /xk, &c. In those parables there is a kind of condescension and yielding to our