Use 3. Again, let us stay ourselves, ivJie)i we walk in darkness, with the con- sideration of the (jloriousncss of God's mercy in Jesus Christ, here called ' the gloiy of the Lord.' It is no less mercy than glorious mercy that will satisfy us, when we are in distress of conscience ; and if this will not, what will ? Let Satan aggravate our sins as much as may be, and join with conscience in this business ; yet set this glorious mercy against all our sins, make the most of them, they are sins of a finite creature. But here is infinite mercy, triumphing and rejoicing over justice, having gotten the victory over it. Oh beloved, when the time of temptation comes, and the hour of death, and conflict with conscience, and a confluence and con- currence of all that may discourage, Satan will bestir himself; and he is a cunning rhetorician to set all the colours upon sin, especially in the time of despair; be as cunning to set all colours upon mercy, glorious mercy. If God were glorious in all other attributes, and not in mercy, what would become of us ? The glory of other attributes without mercy tends to despair; glorious in wisdom to find us out; glorious injustice to deal with ns in rigour. These affright, but that that sweeteneth all other attributes is his mercy.
What a comfort is this to sinful man, that in casting himself upon Christ, and upon God's mercy in Christ, he yields glory to God ; that God hath joined his glory with our special good ; that here is a sweet concurrence between the sumvmm finis* and the swnnuim honum of man ! The last end of man of all is the glory of God ; for that is as it were the point of the circle from which all came (for he made all for his glory), and in which all ends ; so is the chief good. Therefore by the way it is a vain conceit for some to think, * Oh we must not look to our own salvation so much ; this is self-love.'
It is true, to sever the consideration of the glory of God's mercy and goodness in it, but see both these wrapped and knit together indissolvable, our salvation and God's gloiy. We hinder God's glory if we believe not his mercy in Christ to us. So at once we wrong ourselves and him, and we wrong him not in a mean attribute, but in his mercy and goodness, wherein he hath appointed to glorify himself most of all ; and therefore, I beseech you, let us yield to him the glory of his mercy, and let us think that when we sin we cannot glorify him more than to have recourse to his mercy. WTien Satan tempts us to run from God, and discourageth us, as he will do at such times, then have but this in your thoughts, God hath set himself to be glorious in mercy, above all other attributes. And this * Qu. ' summum finem ' ? or ' summus finis ' ? — Ed.
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is the first moving attribute tliat stirs up all the rest, and therefore God will account himself honoured if I have recourse to him. Let this thought therefore bo as a city of refuge. When the avenger of blood follows thee, flee presently to this sanctuary. Think thus, Let not me deny myself comfort and God glory at once : ' Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more,' Rom. v, 2b. Though sins after conversion stain our profes- sion more than sins before conversion, yet notwithstanding go to the glorious mercy of God still, to seventy times ^seventy times,* there is yet mercy for these. f We beseech you be reconciled, saith St Paul to the Corinthians, when they were in the state of grace, and had their pardon before. Let us never be discouraged from going to Clu'ist.
Oh, but I have offended often and grievously. What saith the prophet? * My thoughts are not as your thoughts ; but as high as the heavens are above the earth,' &c., Isa. Iv. 8. Therefore howsoever amongst men, oft offences breed an eternal alienation, yet notwithstanding with God it is not so. But so oft as we can have spirit to go to God for mercy, and spread our sins before him, with broken and humble hearts, so often we may take out our pardon. Compare Exod. xxxiii. with Exod. xxxiv. Moses, in chap, xxxiii. 18, scq., had desired to see the face of God. There was some little curiosity perhaps in it. God told him that none could see him and live. To see the face of God in himself must be reserved for heaven, we are not proportioned for that sight. But in the next chapter there he shews himself to Moses ; and how doth he shew himself and his glory to Moses ? ' The Lord, the Lord, gracious, merciful, long-suffering,' clothed all in sweet attributes. He will be known by those names. Now, then, if we would know the name of God, and see God as he is pleased and delighted to discover himself to us, let us know him by those names that he proclaims there, shewing that the glory of the Lord in the gospel especially shines in mercy; and as I said before, it must be glorious mercy that can satisfy a distressed conscience, howsoever in the time of ease and peace we think a little mercy will serve the turn. But when conscience is once awaked, it must be glorious and infinite mercy must allay it.