292 THE RETURNING BACKSLIDER. [SeRMON IV,
people, you think to jumble God's worship and that of heathens together ; ' you cannot serve God ' thus. So a man may say to those who look Eomewards, for worldly ends, and yet will be Protestants, You cannot serve God ; you cannot be sound Christians, halting thus betwixt both. These are not compatible, they cannot stand together ; you must disclaim the one if you will cleave to the other. We see the ground here, ' Neither will we say any more to the works of our hands, Ye are our gods : for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.'
Again, whereas upon disclaiming of false confidence in the creatures and idols, they name this as a ground, ' For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy,' observe,
In what measure and degree ive apprehend God aright to be the all-sufficient true God, in that measure we cast aimij all false confidence u-hatsoever.
The more or less we conceive of God as we should do, so the more or less we disclaim confidence in the creature. Those who in their affections of joy, love, affiance, and delight, ai'e taken up too much with the creature, say what they will, profess to all the world by their practice that they know not God. By the contrary, those who know and apprehend him in his greatness and goodness as he should be apprehended, in that propor- tion they withdraw their afiections from the creature and all things else. It is with the soul in this case as with a balance. If the one scale be drawn down by a weight put in it, the other is lifted up. So where God weighs down in the soul, all other things are light ; and where other things prevail, there God is set light. ' Asshur shall not save us,' for he can do us no good; nor 'horses,' because they are vain helps. How attained they to this light esteem of Asshur and horses ? ' For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy,' That which is taken from the creatui-e, they find in God. And this is tlie reason why the world so mahgn good and sound Christians. They think, when God gets, that they lose a feather, as we say, some of their strength. Surely so it is ; for when a Christian turns to God and becomes sound, he comes to have a mean esteem of that which formerly was great in his sight. His judgment is otherwise, as we see here, Asshur, horses, idols, and all, they esteem nothing of them. Horses and the like are good, useful, and necessary to serve God's providence in the use of means ; not to trust in, or make co-ordinate with God. In the world especially, great persons would be gods in the hearts of people ; therefore, when they see any make conscience of their ways, they think they lose them ; because now they will do nothing bvit what may stand with the favour of God. Thus far from the connection. Now to the words them- selves.'
' For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.'
Wherein we have set forth imto us for our consideration of God's rich goodness towards poor miserable sinners —
1. The attribute of God, mercy.
2. The fit object thereof, the fatherless.
Mercy is God's sweetest attribute, which sweeteneth all his other attri- butes ; for, but for mercy, whatsoever else is in God were matter of terror to us. His justice would afiright us. His holiness likewise (considering our impurity) would drive us from him. * Depart firom me,' saith Peter to our Saviour, * for I am a sinful man,' Luke v. 8. And when the prophet Isaiah saw God in his excellency a little, then he said, ' Woe is me, for 1 am undone, because I am a man of unclean hps,' &c., Isa. \i. 5. Hia ower is terrible ; it would confound us ; his majesty astonish us. Oh ,'
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but mercy mitigates all. He that is great in majesty, is abounding in mercy ; he that hath beams of majesty, hath bowels of mercy. Oh ! this draweth especially miserable persons. ' In thee the fatherless findeth mercy.' Aid now, in the covenant of grace, this mercy sets all awork. For it is the mercy of God by which we triumph now in the covenant of grace ; in that mercy which stirred up his wisdom to find out a way for mercy by satisfying his justice. So that the first moving attribute of God that set him awork about that great work of om- salvation by Jesus Christ, in the covenant of gi'ace, was mercy, his tender mercy, his bowels of mercy. Therefore, of all others, that attribute is here named. ' For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.'
Mercy in God, supposeth misery in the creature, either present or pos- sible ; for there is, 1. A preventing; 2. A rescuing mercy.
A preveniivf/ mercy, vfherehj the creature is freed from possible misery that it might fall into ; as it is his mercy that we are not such sinners in that degree as others are. And eveiy man that hath understanding is be- holden to God for their preventing, as well as for their rescuing mercy. We think God is merciful only to those unto whom he forgives great sins. Oh ! he is merciful to thee that standeth. Thou mightst have fallen foully else. Mercy supposeth misery, either that we are in, or may fall into. So that mercy in God may admit of a threefold consideration.