(2.) As is his name, so is his nature. Saith he of him- self, Isa. xxvii. 4. ' Fury is not in me.' He speaks with reference to his church, to believers, of whom we are speak- ing. There is no such thing as that anger and wrath in God in I'eference to thee, whereof thou art afraid. Hast thou had hard thoughts of him? Hast thou nothing but entertained aifrighting reports concerning him, as thouo-h he were a devouring fire, and endless burnings? Be not, saith he, mistaken, ' fury is not in me.' He hath not one wrathful, revengeful thought towards thee. No, 'take hold of his strength, and you shall have peace ;' ver. 5. Nay, * he is love,' 1 John iv. 9. 16. of an infinitely loving and tender nature; all love, there is nothing in him that is in- consistent with love itself. We see how a little love, that is but a weak affection in the nature of a man, will carry a tender father towards a child. How did it melt, soften, re- concile the father of the prodigal in the parable ? ' Oh, my
320 THE STRENGTH OF FAITH.
son Absalom, [would to God I had died for thee !' saith David, a poor father in distress for the death of a rebellious child. How will a child bear himself above dread and ter- ror, under many miscarriages, upon the account of the love of a tender father? What then shall we say, or think of him, who is love in the abstract, whose nature is love ? May we not conclude, that certainly he ' is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and great in mercy,' as the psalmist speaks, Psal. ciii. 8. According as we are by degrees led into an ac- quaintance with God in his properties (for we are led into it by degrees and steps, not being able at once to bear all the glory which he is pleased here to shine upon us with), so are we amazed with his several excellencies. Expe- riences of any property of God as engaged in Christ, and exercising itself for our good, is greatly conquering to the soul : but none so much as this, his being love, and ready to forgive on that account. Such is the frame of the church, Micah vii. 18. 'Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by transgression?' Can it enter into the heart of man? Oh, who is like to him? Is it possible he should be thus to sinners? This discovery overwhelms the soul, and strengthens it in faith and trust in him.
There is a general compassion in God, by which he pro- ceeds in the dispensation of his providence, that is too hard for the apprehensions of men, when they come to be con- cerned in it. Poor Jonah was angry that he was so merciful ; chap. iv. 2. ' I knew that thou wast not one for me to deal with, thou art so gracious and merciful, slow to anger, of such kindness, and repentest thee of the evil,' that it is not for me with any credit or reputation to be engaged and em- ployed in thy work and service. And if God be thus full of compassion to the world, which to-day is, and to-morrow shall be cast into the fire ; is he not much more loving and tender unto you? * O, ye of little faith!' Suit then the thoughts of your hearts in- your dealing with God to this revelation, which he hath made of his own nature. He is good, love and kindness itself, fury is not in him, he is ready to forgive, accept, embrace. And,
(3.) According to his name and nature, so are his deal- ings with us, and his actings towards us. From him who is so called, so disposed, we may expect that what he doth in
THK STRENGTH OF FAITH. 321
a suitableness thereunto, he will do with great readiness and cheerfulness, that so he may answer his name, and express his nature. How then will he shew and manifest these things? See Isa. Iv. 7. 'He will have mercy:' he is love, ' he will have mercy;' yea, 'he will abundantly pardon:' But how will he do it? ver. 8. Alas! you cannot think how : / His thoughts are not as your thoughts.' You have poor, low, mean thoughts of God's way of pardoning, you can by no means reach to it or comprehend it : raise your apprehensions to the utmost, yet you come not near it ; ver. 9. ' As the heavens are higher than the earth ; so are my ways higher than your ways, and ray thoughts than your thoughts.' But doth not God then pardon as we do ? come hardly to it, through many persuasions, and at length do it iKwv aUovTi ye ^vfx<^, 'with an unwilling kind of willingness,' that ingenuous spirits had almost as willingly have our wrath, as our pardon ? No such thing. What he doth he doth with his whole heart, and his whole soul, Jer. xxxii.41. and rejoices in the doing of it ; Zeph. iii. 17. ' He will have mercy, he will abundantly pardon ;' he will do it with his whole soul ; he will rejoice in his so doing, and rest in his love. I know not what we can desire more to assure us of free acceptance with him. You will say perhaps, that this is but sometimes ; and it is well if we can come nigh him in that season. Nay, but he is acting herein suitably to his name and nature, his whole soul, and his whole heart is in it ; and therefore he will take a course for the accomplishing of it; Isa. xxx. 18. He will 'wait to be gracious;' his heart is set upon it, and he will take advantage to accomplish his desire and design. And if our stubbornness and folly be such as to be ready to wear out his patience, to make him weary, as he complains, Isa. xliii. 24. and to cause him to serve beyond the limits of his patience ; he will be exalted, take to himself his great power for the removal of our stub- bornness, that he may be merciful unto us : one way or other he will accomplish the desire of his heart, the design of his grace.