302 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXI2. [Ser. LXXXIV.
j^ity in God, that moved hira to spare them for the time. So he doth sometimes for those that cry to him but in a natural manner, as a beast maketh its moan when it is in pain. But much more will his com- passion show itself to his people, when they bemoan themselves in a spiritual manner : Jer. xxxi. 18, 20, ' I have heard Ephraim bemoan- ing himself.' What then? 'My bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.' When Ephraim was bewailing his sins, God taketh notice of it, and returneth an answer full of fatherly affection, that he would surely show him mercy. God's compassion proceedeth from love as the cause, and produceth re- lief as the effect. Secondly, the next word is kindness ; that noteth tlie bounty of God, or his free inclination to do good without our merit, and against our merit. The cause is not in us, but himself. We draw an ill picture of God in our minds, as always angry and ready to destroy. No ; the Lord is kind, and that many times to ' the unthankful and to tlie evil,' Luke vi. 35. We should all enlarge our thoughts more about God's merciful natui-e, that we may love him more, that we may not keep off from him. As long as we think he delighteth in the creature's misery, or seeketh occasions of man's ruin and destruction, God is made hateful. No ; you must conceive of him as one that is kind, that ' doth not afSict willingly, nor grieve the children of men,' Lam. iii. 33, but is ready to do good upon all occasions. We need not fear any hurt from God, but what we willingly bring upon ourselves. He destroyeth not humble souls that lie at his feet, and would have mercy upon his own terms.
2, What encouragement this is to the people of God, [1.] It is an encouragement, because the object of mercy is misery. Mercy is favour shown to a miserable person. Now, the more sense of our misery, especially of our true misery, which is sin, the greater hopes. So that the broken-hearted are more capable of his mercy than others are. God will ' revive the spirit of the contrite ones,' Isa. Ivii. 15-17. He taketh care to comfort them and to look after them, whatever be neglected, Isa. Ix. 2. None are so apt to presume of mercy as the careless, nor none less capable of mercy, or more deserve judgment. While we make nothing of sin it is easy to believe mercy. In a time of peace sin is nothing, vanity and carnality nothing, a negligent course of profession nothing, vain talk, idle mis-spence of time, pleasing the flesh with all it craveth is nothing, and there needeth no such niceness and strictness — God is merciful ; but when the conscience is awakened, and we see our ac- tions with their due aggravations, especially at the hour of death, and when earthly comforts fail, then it is hard to believe God's mercy. Sin is a blacker thing than they did imagine, and they find it another manner of thing than ever they thought of ; and the same unbelief that now weakens their faith about tlieir duty, and what belongeth to their duty, doth now weaken their faith about their comfort, and what belongeth to their comfort. Those that now question precepts will then question promises. Well, then, the careless and negligent are not capable objects of the tenders of mercy ; but the sensible, and the contrite, and the serious, these are the fittest objects, though they think themselves farthest off from mercy. Those that have a deep
Ver. 7G.] sermons urox psalm cxix. 303
sense of their own uuworthiness most see a need of mercy, and most admire mercy, Gen. xxxii. 10. They see that mercy doth all, that there is somewhat of the pity and kindness of God in all things vouch- safed. They apprehend they are always in some necessity, or in some dependence, and they are unworthy, and that it is at God's mercy to continue or take away any comfort they have. Health, liberty, strength, all is dipped in mercy, continued in mercy, restored at mercy.
[2.] It is an encouragement to us, because the scripture saith so much of this mercy in God. Id agit iota-scriptura, ut credamus in Deiim, saith Luther. It is natural to him : 1 Cor. i. 3, ' The father of mercies,' not pater nltiomim, but misericordiarum ; he is as just as he is merciful, but he delighteth in the exercise of one attribute more than the other — Micah vii. 18, the other his ' strange work.' There is a fulness and plenty, abundant mercy, 1 Peter i. 3 ; and Ps. li. 1, ' According to the multitude of thy tender mercies.' Our wants are many, and so are our sins ; only plentiful mercy can supply and overcome them. They are tender mercies, compared with those of a father and a mother. Of a father : Ps. ciii. 13, 'As a father pitieth his children, so doth the Lord pity those that fear him.' We need not much entreat a father to pity his child in misery. An earthly father may be ignorant of our misery, as Jacob in Joseph's case : an earthly father pitieth foolishly, but God wisel}-, when it is most for our benefit ; an earthly father's pity may go no further than affection, and cannot always help his children and relieve their misery. But God, as he is metaphorically said to have the afiection, so he hath an all-sufficient power to remove any evil present, or avert that which is imminent. With that of a mother : Isa. xlix. 15, ' Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ? yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee,' saith the Lord. In the general, passions in females are more vehement, especially in human creatures ; the mother expressetli the greatest ten- derness and largeness of love. God hath the wisdom of a father and bowels of a mother. Mark, it is not to an adopted child, but to her own son, her sucking child that hangeth on her breast, cannot sub- sist Avithout the mother's care. Mothers are wont to be most chary and tenderly affected towards them, poor helpless infants and children, that cannot shift for themselves ; nature hath impressed this disposi- tion on them. Suppose some of them should be so unnatural as to forget their sucking babes, which is a case rare to be found, yet ' I will not forget you,' saith the Lord. They are durable compassions : ' His compassions fail not,' Lam. iii. 22. They are continual mercies, supplying daily wants, pardoning daily failings, bestowing daily mercies. Oh, that the miserable and the wretched, those that find themselves so, could believe this and plead this, and cast themselves in the arms of this merciful Father ! Surely the penitent are not more ready to ask than he to give : ' Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace,* Heb. iv. 16. Let not our sins keep us from him ; our misery rather than our worthiness is an object of his mercy.