But to shew some reasons why he is so styled.
1. There is good reason. Being the Father of Christ, his justice being fully contented, sin being taken away that stopped the current of his mercies, he being naturally merciful, his mercies run freely. ' Father of Christ, and Father of mercies.' It follows well. He is the Father of mercies, because he is the Father of Christ ; and because his justice is satisfied in him, and he being naturally merciful, what hinders but that mercy may run amain, freely, and abimdantly upon those that are in covenant with him ia Chrst, that are members of Christ. That is one reason, because his justice is satisfied.
2. And because he is naturally merciful, therefore he is the ' Father ot mercies.' The sea doth not more naturally flow, and is moist, and the sun doth not more naturally shine, the fii-e doth not more natm-ally bum, heavy bodies do not more naturally sink to the centre, than God doth natm'ally shew pity and mercy where his justice is satisfied ; for it is his nature, it is himself.
The apostle doth not name other attributes, for, alas ! other attributes would scare us. -As, for example, if the guilty conscience consider him as a God of justice, it will reason thus : What is this to me ? I am a sinner, and he will be just in punishing. If he consider he is a God of wisdom, the conscience considers he is the more wise to find out my windings and turnings from him, and my covering of my sins ; he is the more wise to find me out in my courses, and to shame me. He doth not say, he is a God of power, the father of power. The guilty conscience then would reason, he is the more able to cilish me and to send me to hell.
Indeed, there is no attribute of God, but it is matter of terror, being secluded from mercy ; biit considering God the Father of mercies, then we may consider sweetly and comfortably of all other attributes. He is mer- ciful and good to me ; therefore his wisdom, that shall serve to do me good, to devise good things for me ; his power shall serve to free me from mine enemies ; his justice to revenge my quarrel ; and so all other attributes shall be serviceable to my comfort. They may be thought upon sweetly, where mercy is laid claim unto before. Therefore, here he is called ' the Father of mercies,' and not the Father of other attributes.
' Of mercies.' To unfold the word a httle, ' mercy' is here the same with grace to a person in misery. Mercy is but free favour shewed to a miser- able person. Grace shews the freeness of it, and mercy shews the state of
* That is, ' transmitted.' — G.
t That is, = ' roarriage-born, nc^ in the modern sense, in Scotland, of illegiti- mate.'— G.
30 COMMENTARY ON
the person to "whom it is slicwn. Alway where mercy is, either there ii presout or else possible luisory.
There was mercy shewed to anp^cls that stood, to free them, to give them grace to stand. They might luive fallen as the devils did when they were angels. None are the subjects of mercy, but such as either are in miserj-, or are possible to fall into misery. Now, when God keeps and upholds the creature from falling into that which he is subject to fall into (he being a creature taken out of nothing, and therefore subject to fall to nothing with- out assistance), to hold him from that whereto he would fall without being uphold, this makes him the object of mercy, whatsoever the misery be, npiritual or outward.
Thus God is the Father of mercy ; he upholds his children from that which else they would fall into continually. He is ' the Father of mercy,' l)efore conversion, olfering and enjoining mercy to them, that as they will be good to their souls, they would receiyo mercy. He joins his glory and his mercy together, that he will be glorified in shewing mercy ; and he presseth it upon us. What a mercy is this, that he should press mercy upon us for our own good ? ' Why will ye die, 0 house of Israel,' Jer. xxvii. 13. And, ' Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden,' Mat. xi. 28. There is mercy before conversion. And there is mercy in prolonging his wrath, in not punishing ; and there is mercy in pardoning sin freely, in pardoning all sin, the punishment and the guilt, and all. And when we are in the state of grace, and have our sins pardoned, still it is his mercy to forbear the punishments due to us, in mitigating his corrections, and in seasonable corrections. For it is a mercy for God to correct his children seasonably. ' Therefore we are corrected of God, that we should not be damned with the world,' 1 Cor. xi. 32.
It is a mercy to have seasonable correction. It is a mercy to have cor- rection mitigated and sweetened with some comforts. It is a mercy after we are in the state of grace, besides this, to have the continuance of out- ward blessings.