[4.] All this trust must be set awork in prayer ; so doth David, and so saith the word : Ps. 1. 15, ' Call upon me in the day of trouble ; I Avill deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify my name ; ' Jer. xxix. 11, 12, ' I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord ; thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto 5^ou ; ' Ezek. xxxvi. 37, ' Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them.'
4. The effectual application, ' Let thy mercies come also unto me.'
[1.] He beggeth application : ' unto me also.' God is every day scat- tering his mercies abroad in the world, and David would not be left out of God's care and blessed provision, but have his share also. Esau's words are applicable upon this occasion : Gen. xxvii. 38, ' Hast thou but one blessing, 0 my Father ? Bless me, even me also.' When the earth is full of his goodness, beg your share. God is the Father of mercies ; he hath not the less for bestowing, as the sun hath not less light for us because others enjoy it with us. God doth not waste by giving.
[2.] lie beggeth an effectual application, ' Let thy mercies come unto me.' The way was blocked up with sins and difficulties, yet mercy could clear all, and find access to him, or make out its way. Let it come to me, that is, let it be performed or come to pass, as it is rendered. Judges xiii. 12, ' Now let thy words come to pass to us;' Heh. — Let it come ; here let it come home to me, for my comfort and deliverance. David elsewhere saith, Ps. xxiii. 6, ' IMercy and goodness shall follow me all my days ; ' go after him, find him out in his wan- derings. So Ps. cxvi. 12, ' What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me ? ' They found their way to him though shut up with sins and dangers. Thus we see how to plead with God for temporal salvation ; we must make grace, and nothing but grace, the ground of our hope, and this according to the tenor of the word.
Secondly, As it is applicable to eternal salvation ; and then —
1. The ground of all is mercy, or pity of the creatures' misery. The Lord is not moved to bestow grace upon sinners for any goodness that he findeth in them, or could foresee in them, for he findeth none, and could foresee nothing but what was the fruit of his own grace : Rom. xi. 35, ' Who hath given him first, and it shall be recompensed unto
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him again ? ' It is the honour of God to begin all things, as the river oweth all to the fountain, the fountain nothing to the river ; as none can give him first, so none can be profitable unto him, for he needeth nothing : Acts xvii. 25, ' Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things/ Nay, we deserve the contrary, to be cast into utter dark- ness : Ezek. xxxvi. 21, 22, ' I do not this for your sakes : I had pity for my name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen ; ' 1 Peter i. 3, * Of his abundant goodness he hath begotten us to a lively hope.' We have not a right notion of mercy unless we admire the plenty of it > Eph. ii. 4, ' Grod, who is rich in mercy, for his great love where- with he loved us, wdien we were dead in trespasses and sins, hath quickened us with Christ.' There need many mercies from first to last for the saving of a poor sinner ; their natural misery is great : Ezek. xvi. 6, ' When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live ; yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood. Live.' Their actual sins many : Jer. xiv. 7, ' Our iniquities testify against us.' The way of their recovery by Christ is mysterious: John iii. 16, ' God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believetli in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The course taken for satisfying wronged justice ; the application involveth many mercies. The renewing of their natures : Titus iii. 5, ' According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.' The preserving of inherent grace against temptations, forgiving many sins after conversion : Isa. Iv. 7, ' Let the wicked for- sake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon ; ' Prov. xxiv. 16, ' The righteous fall seven times a day, and riseth up again.' The great eternal good things to be bestowed on them : Jude 21, ' Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Chi-ist unto eternal life.' So that from first to last there is nothing but a concatenation of mercies.