Indeed for height, it is higher than the heavens-for depth, it fetches the soul from the nether-most deep we have depths of misery: "out of the depths have I cried unto thee!" Psalm cxxx. 1; yet notwithstanding, his mercy is deeper than our misery. O the depth of his mercy! There is a depth of mercy deeper than any misery or rebellion of ours, though we have sunk deep in rebellion. And for the extent of it, his mercy is over all his works, Psalm cxlv. 9, it extends to the utmost parts of the earth. The scripture doth wonderfully enlarge his mercy, beyond all dimensions whatsoever. These things are to good purpose, and it is a mercy to us, that God sets forth himself in mercy in his word; because the soul, sometime or another when it is awakened (as every one that God delights in is awakened first or last) needs all this; fallen as we are, it is all little enough. God is merciful to those that are heavy laden—that feel the burden of their sins upon their souls-such as are touched with the sense of their sins: God meets them half way; He is more ready to pardon, than they are to seek mercy. As we see in the case of the prodigal, Luke xv, when he had wasted all, when he was reduced as low as a man could be, when he was come to husks, and when he had despised his father's admonition; yet, upon resolution to return, when he was stung with a sense of his sins, his father meets him, "and fell on his neck and kissed him," ver. 20; he upbraids him not with his sin. Take sin with all the aggravations we can, yet if we repent, and abandon our former courses, there is comfort, though we relapse into sin again and again; if we are commanded to pardon seventy times seven, as Christ hath commanded us, certainly there cannot be more mercy in the cistern than there is in the fountain—there cannot be more mercy in us than there is in the "Father of mercies," which God is. Take sin in its utmost aggravations :-in the greatness of it-Manasseh's sin-Peter's denying the Lord, who bought him—the thief on the cross-Paul's persecution and blasphemy: take sin as great as you will, still God is the Father of mercies. If we consider that He is infinite in mercy, and that the scripture reveals Him as the Father of mercies, there is no question, but there is abundance, nay, a world of comfort to any distressed soul that is ready to cast itself on God's mercy. Let this stir up all desponding souls to embrace mercy; every day to live by mercy; to plead mercy with God in our daily breaches; to love and fear God, because "there is mercy with him that he might be feared,' Psalm cxxx. 4. It is a harder matter to make a daily use of this than is generally considered; those that are the fittest subjects for mercy think themselves farthest off mercy. Come to a broken soul, who is caught in Satan's snare, whose conscience is on the rack, he thinks, There is no mercy for me, I have been such a sinner,— God hath showed me mercy before, and now I have offended him again and again. Those that are subjects of mercy, that are nearest to mercy, when their conscience is awakened, think themselves farthest off mercy, and we have need to press abundance of mercy to put the soul into a frame; there will be few of us but shall see the necessity of pressing this one time or another before we die. David, when he had sinned, well knew that God was merciful, but it was not a slight mercy that would satisfy him, as we see in Psalm li, how he there presses God for mercy-" according to thine abundant mercy;" he not only presseth for mercy, but abundance of mercy-a multitude of mercies; and unless he had seen infinite mercy in God, when his conscience was awakened with the foulness of his sin :-if the blood of Christ had not cried above it, "Mercy, mercy," and abundance of mercy, the soul of David would have sunk down in despair. So other of God's people, when they have considered the foul nature of sin, how odious it is to God, they could not be pacified or comforted, but that they saw mercy, abundance of mercy; as the apostle Peter saith, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," &c., 1 Pet. i. 3. For faith will not have sufficient foundation but in infinite mercy, in the time of despair, in the time of torment of conscience, in the time of desertion ;-it must be mercy, and the Father of mercies, and the multitudes of compassions, the bowels of love, and all little enough for faith to rest on-the faith of a conscience on the rack: but when faith considers God set forth, not as Satan sets him forth, a God of vengeance, a consuming fire, but as he is set forth in the gospel, it sees him as the Father of Christ, our Father, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort it sees infinite mercy in an infinite God; and seeing mercy triumph against justice, and all other attributes, it stays itself here; the converted and sanctified soul, seeing the odiousness of sin, and the clamourousness of sin, such that it will not be satisfied, but with abundant mercy, it presents God to itself as the Father of mercy and compassion, and finds peace. Therefore if so be at any time our conscience be smitten and the "accuser of the brethren" lay hard upon us, let us think of God as he has revealed himself to us in his word. Times of desertion will come when we seem forsaken of God: times of desertion will come when the soul will think "God hath forgotten to be gracious, and hath shut up his love in displeasure." Oh no, it is we are mistaken; he never shuts up his bowels altogether, he never stops the spring of his mercy; he doth so to our feeling, but it is his mercy that doth that, it is his mercy that hinders the sense of mercy, it is to make us more capable of mercy afterwards; therefore, saith the Father, when he comes to us in his love it is for our good; and when he takes the sense of his love from us, it is for our good-it is to enlarge our souls to be more capable of mercy after, to prize it more, to walk more circumspectly, and to look more to our corruptions. Therefore, in a time of desertion, when God seems to forget us, think of Isaiah xlix. 15, "Can a woman forget?" Supposing she should be so unnatural, which can hardly be believed, that a mother should forget her own child, yet saith God, "I will not forget you." So that if there were no bowels to be found in nature, no bowels to be found in a mother, yet is there mercy to be found in the Father of mercy still; therefore in such times let us make use of it. And another thing we ought to learn hence is this, if God be so in Christ Jesus, (for we must always plead his complete obedience, the perfection of his atonement, for he is merciful with satisfaction, and yet, is it not his mercy, that he would admit of satisfaction?) it devised a way to satisfy justice, it set all on work; mercy is above justice in the work of salvation; justice hath received satisfaction from mercy to make us have higher thoughts of it than of any other attribute of God in the doctrine of the gospel in that kingdom of Christ—it is a kingdom of grace and mercy, if we have hearts to embrace it. Let this encourage poor desponding souls, the tried and tempted, the weary and heavy laden, to come to God, and to cast ourselves into the arms of this merciful Father. If we have followed other courses before, let the mercy of God now work upon our souls. In Rom. ii. 4, it is pressed excellently, "that the goodness, (that is the mercy) of God leadeth to repentance;" it should encourage us to do so. What makes a rebel or a traitor come in, when there is a proclamation out against him? If there be a pardon sent after him, it is that makes him come in, or else he runs out still farther and farther, while the hue and cry pursue him—but hope and pardon will bring him in again: so it is that which brings the sinner in again to God, the very hope of pardon. Whatever our state is, whatever our state may have been, do not put it off, now is the time, now, "while it is called to-day," Heb. iii. 13; take the present time. LXXXII. Come, weary souls with sin distrest, The Saviour offers heav'nly rest; The kind, the gracious call obey, Oppress'd with guilt, a painful load, Here mercy's boundless ocean flows, To cleanse your guilt, and heal your woes; Lord, we accept with thankful heart We come with trembling, yet rejoice, |