SEEMON UPON MALACHI III. 17.
And I loill spare them, as a man spareth his oion son that serveth him. — Mal. iii. 17.
These words are part of the promise which God maketh to them that fear him, or to those who are good in evil times. In them take notice of—
1. The blessing promised, that God will spare them.
2. The manner of this indulgence, amplified and set forth by the carriage of a father to his son ; wherein a double reason of this indul- gence is intimated —
[1.] Propriety, 'His own son.'
[2.] Towardliness, or obedience, his son * that serveth him.' Parents are not severe to any of their children, especially the dutiful.
[1.] Propriety, ' His own son.' A faulty child is a child still, and therefore not so easily turned out of the family as a servant. We often forget the duty of children, but God doth not forget the mercy of a father. A prodigal child hath some encouragement from his relation, though his manners be not answerable : Luke xv. 18, 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son ; make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father ; but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him.' A father will not be severe to a returning prodigal, as God is not to peni- tent sinners.
[2.] But this is not all ; it is not a prodigal son, a rebellious son, that is here considered, who by Moses' law might be turned out of doors and stoned : Deut. xxi. 18-21, * If a man have a stubborn and rebel- lious son, that will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and when they have chastened him, will not hearken to them ; then shall his father and mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place ; and they shall say unto the elders of his city. This our son is stubborn and rebellious ; he will not obey our voice ; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone liira with stones, that he shall die.' ♦Such a law did God make against disobedience to parents. And if •children put off all respect of natural duty, parents were to put off all bowels and compassion towards them. But this is not the case here ; it is a good child that is here spoken of : ' His own son that serveth him.' When a son is dutiful for the main, a parent will not be harsh and
VOL. XVIII. Y
338 SERMON UPON MALACHI III. 17.
severe to him upon every failinoj. Whatever men are to slaves, or to the children of others who serve them, yet they cannot so divest them- selves of the heart of a parent as to be inexorable to their own children, and correct them severely for a lesser fault. This is the expression that God useth to set forth his indulgence and compassion towards them that fear him.
Doct. That God's sparing his children, notwithstanding their mani- fold infirmities, is one of the choice privileges of them that fear him.
I shall discuss this point in this method — (1.) I will show you what it is to spare ; (2.) That this is a choice privilege ; (3.) The grounds and reasons of this indulgence or sparing that he useth towards them ; (4.) The qualification of the persons.
I. What it is to spare them. It is seen on two occasions — when he cometh to accept them, and when he cometh to afilict them ; in accept- ing their imperfect services, and not correcting them at all, or correcting them in measure and in mercy.
1. Sometimes sparing is spoken of in scripture with respect to some judgment to be inflicted, and so it is an act flowing from mercy, withdrawing or moderating deserved judgments ; for we by sin deserve the sharpest dispensations of God's anger and wrath, and so God is said to spare, as withholding or withdrawing the judgment : Joel ii. 17, ' Spare thy people, 0 Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach.' Sometimes as moderating, when he doth not stir up all his wrath ; as it is sweet to find mercy remembered in wrath, and that he will mode- rate the judgment to us, and make it more sufferable: Ezra ix. 13, ' Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve.'
2. At other times sparing is spoken of with respect to a duty to be accepted. We need to be spared in our best actions, they being defective and defiled. Nehemiah prayeth, Neh. xiii. 22, * Eemember me, 0 my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.' He speaketh this when he had procured God's holy ordinances to be duly observed ; he pleadeth no merit before God, but desireth rather to be spared and forgiven, for he was conscious to his own many failings. Well, then, God spareth when he forgiveth our sins, and pardoneth the manifold imperfections of our services.