into dancing : thou hast put oif my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness "'."]
The whole preceding context, whilst it declares
God's mercy, sets also before us,
II. Our duty in the contemplation of it —
As having experienced mercy, we are called to sing, and praise our God. But, as we are not all in the holy frame of David, and as the text itself suggests views somewhat different from those of joyous exult- ation, I shall adhere rather to the words before us, and point out our duty, not so much in the contem- plation of mercy enjoyed, as of mercy needed and desired.
Though God so delights in the exercise of mercy, yet he requires that we seek it at his hands". We must seek it,
1. Supremely —
[" In his favour is life:" and the enjoyment of it must be our one object of pursuit. Not only must all earthly things be as nothing in our estimation, but life itself must be of no value in comparison of it. To have our interest in his favour a matter of doubt, must be as death to our souls : and we must live only to obtain reconciliation with him. What the frame of our minds, in reference to it, should be, we may see in those words of David : "I stretch forth my hands unto thee : my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Hear me speedily,
0 Lord ! my spirit faileth : hide not thy face from me, lest I be like imto them that go down into the pit ! Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning ; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies:
1 flee unto thee to hide me°."]
2. Humbly —
[" Weeping may endure for a night." We should certainly weep and mourn for our sins, as our blessed Lord has told us in his sermon on the mount p. And who amongst us has not just ground to weep? Who is there that has not reason to smite upon his breast with grief and shame for his past life, and, like David, to say, " I am weary with my groaning : all
™ ver. 10, 11. For the further elucidation of this, see Jer. iii. 12, 13, 14, 22. andiv. 1.
n Ezek. xxxvi. 37. ° Ps. cxliii. G — 8.
P Matt. V. 4. with Luke vi. 20, 21.
542. j THE MERCY OF GOD. 201
the night make I my bed to swim : I water my couch with my tearsi?" This should be the experience of us all: " we must sow in tears, if ever we would reap in joy''." Shall this be thought suited to the Mosaic dispensation only? It is not a whit less necessary under the Gospel dispensation : "Be afflicted, and mourn and weep : let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness: humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord; and he shall lift you up."]
3. Confidently —
[We should never doubt God's readiness to accept us, when we return to him. Whether our night of weeping be more or less dark, or of a longer or shorter duration, we should feel assured that " a morning of joy shall come," when " there shall be given to us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourn- ing, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ^" In the contemplation of God's mercy as revealed in the Gospel, we should see, that he can be " a just God, and yet a Saviour';" yea, that because " he is faithful and just, he will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness^." To the exercise of his mercy He has assigned no limit : and loe should assign none. We should be perfectly assured that " the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cleanse from all sin^;" that " God will cast out none who come to him in Iris Son's name^";" on the contrary, that " though our sins have been red like crim- son," we shall, through the Redeemer's blood, " be made white as snow^."]