Again, observe, it is not mercy, but mercies; the expression is plural —
[1.] To note the plenty and perfection of this attribute in God. God is very merciful to poor creatures. See in how many notions God's mercy is represented to us. A distinct consideration of them yieldeth an advantage in believing ; for though they express the same thing, yet every notion begetteth a fresh thought, by which mercy is more taken abroad in the view of conscience. This is that pouring out God's name spoken of Cant. i. 3, ' Thy name is as ointment poured forth.' Ointment in the box doth not yield such a fragrancy as when it is poured out. God hath proclaimed his name : Exod. xxxiv. G, ' The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long- suffering, abundant in goodness and truth.' God hath given this description of himself, and the saints often take notice of it : Ps. ciii. 8, ' The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and of great kindness ; ' Joel ii. 13, ' Turn to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil ; ' Jonah iv. 2, * I knew that thou wert a gracious God, slow to anger, and of great kindness ; ' and in divers other places. What doth the Spirit of God aim at in this express enumeration and accumulation of names of mercy, but to give us a help in meditation, and to enlarge our apprehensions of God's mercy ?
(1.) The first notion is mercy, which is an attribute whereby God inclineth to favour them that are in misery : it is a name God hath taken with respect to us ; the love of God first falleth upon himself God loveth himself, but he is not-merciful to himself; mercy respects crea- tures in misery. Justice seeks a fit object ; mercy, a fit occasion. Justice looketh to what is deserved ; mercy, to what is wanted and needed.
442 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. XLVII.
(2.) The next notion is grace, which noteth the free bountj' of God, and exchideth all means on the creature's part. Grace doth all gratis, I'reel)^, though there be no precedent debt or obligation, or hope of re- compense, whereby anything can accrue to God. His external motive is our miser}^, his internal motive his own grace. Angels, that never sinned, are saved merely out of grace. Men, that were once miserable, are saved, not only out of grace, but out of mercy.
(3.) The next notion is long-suffering or slowness to anger. The Lord is not easily overcome by the wrongs or sins of the creature. He doth not only pity our misery — that is mercy, and do us good for nothing — that is grace, but beareth long with our infirmities — that is slowness to anger. Certainly he is easily appeased, and is hardly drawn to punish. Men are ready to anger, slow to mercy, quickly inflamed, and hardly appeased ; but it is quite the contrary with God. It is good to observe the difference between God and man. Man cannot make anything of a sudden, but destroyeth it in an instant. When men are to make anything, they are long about it, as building a house is a long work ; but plucking it down and undermining it is done in a short time. But God is quick in making, slow in destroying ; he made the world in six days. He could have done it in a moment, were it not that he would give us a pattern of labour and order in all things. Now it hath continued for six thousand years, and upwards, as some account. Such is his long- suffering. How many of us has God borne with for ten, twenty, thirty years, from childhood to grey hairs, from the cradle to the grave ! The angels were not endured in tlieir sinful state, but imme- diately cast into hell.
(4.) Kindness and bounty ; ho is plenteous in goodness. God is good and doth good ; his communications to the creature are free and full, as the sun giveth out liglit and the fountain water. Thus you see reason wliy mercies are plurally expressed.
[2.] The frequency of it : Lam. iii. 23, ' His mercies are new every morning ; ' that is, renewed ; those that concern the body and soul : not only merciful in saving once or twice, but every day pardoneth our new sins, and giveth to his repenting children new comforts. There is a throne of grace open every day, not once a year, Heb. iv. 16, as it was to the high priest under the law. The golden sceptre is daily held out, the fountain is ever open, not stopped up nor drawn dry. God keepeth not terms, but keepeth a courtof audience ; and every day we may come and sue out our pardon, and take out the comforts we stand in need of.
[3.] The variety of our necessities, both by reason of misery and sin ; so that not mercy, but mercies, will do us good. We have not one sin, but many ; not one misery, but many ; therefore mercies are needful to us.