Christ the surety: so that there is justice in punishing the sin, and mercy in relieving the sinner. The sin is punished by justice in the Surety, and pardoned by mercy in the sinner: so that he is just without impairing the honour of his mercy, and merciful without invading the rights of justice. The nature of divine mercy lies in the promptitude and readiness of the divine will to succour and relieve the miserable. So that when God is called " merciful," or "of great mercy," the plain meaning is, he is of a most forward nature to help and relieve us in our miseries. This is the essential part of mercy. It is his mercy that sets all his other attributes a-work for our good; his wisdom to contrive, and his power to effect, what may be for our relief and happiness, and his justice to avenge our quarrel: so that all his other attributes are serviceable to his mercy. We are such ill-deserving creatures, that we could expect no good from God, were it not for his infinite mercy. As divine mercy is exercised freely, so also with delight. God delights in the manifestation of all his attributes, but chiefly in the exercise of his mercy. So it is said, "he delighteth in mercy." Acts of vengeance are not so pleasing to him as acts of mercy. Acts of mercy flow from him freely of his own accord; but acts of vengeance only when he is provoked; "for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Judgment is his "strange work," and his strange act." Hence he is called "the Father of mercies." The exercise of his mercy is so pleasant to him, that when it conflicts with justice in the behalf of sinners, and gets the upper hand, he rejoiceth in the victory: "Mercy rejoiceth against judgment." 66 How comfortable is it, that your covenanted God is a God of infinite mercy! How vile and unworthy 66 soever you be in yourselves, yet what may you not expect from infinite mercy? And having this merciful God for your God, you need not be dismayed at any misery. All his thoughts toward you are thoughts of mercy." All his designs are projects of mercy. All his ways toward you are mercy. If he smile, it is mercy; if he smite, it is mercy. And how comfortable is it, that in all your sorrows, sufferings, and weaknesses, God pities you! It is some relief, in our distresses, to be pitied even by men; how much more to be objects of the divine compassion! It cannot but yield great refreshment unto believers in Christ, that in all their hardships they have the compassionate and merciful God present with them, who hath all power in his hand, to render his compassion effectual for their relief. Under your heaviest afflictions you are in the hands of a merciful Father, who will lay no more on you than he gives strength to bear. Such is his mercy and compassion, that he will not consume you in the furnace, but only try you, and will bring all your trials to a blessed and happy issue. The wounds of mercy are better than the embraces of anger. Labour to get and entertain large thoughts of the mercy of God. When conscience is awakened, and men see the black and horrid nature of sin, they are apt to bound and limit the mercy of God in their thoughts. Against this that expression is designed as an antidote, "He will have mercy upon him, and he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts," &c. Sinners never err in having too large thoughts of God's mercy, but in seeking and hoping for mercy out of God's way. His mercy is infinite and incomprehensible. Meditate deeply and frequently upon it. Think of the large expressions of the divine mercy in the holy scriptures; and reflect seriously on the ample discoveries God hath given of his mercy in all his works, and more espe cially in his dealings with his own people. O do not think of divine mercy with extenuating and diminishing thoughts; but cherish good thoughts of God, and of the largeness and fulness of his mercy, that so you may admire and adore it, and praise him for it. Think of it so as becomes the infiniteness of his nature. Large thoughts of divine mercy will answer all your doubts and fears, when you are under the deep sense of your own vileness and unworthiness. THE TRUTH OF GOD. The true God is known by nothing so much as his goodness and truth. This is one remarkable letter in his name, as he himself proclaimed it before Moses, "The Lord God-abundant in goodness and truth." His truth is a precious jewel in his crown. To be a man of truth, a man of his word, is an honourable character. The glory of a man is his credit: so the truth of God is the glory of God. It is a title that God hath joined with his honour as a Creator: as in that of the psalmist, "The Lord, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein is, who keepeth truth for ever." The truth of God is the varnish, splendour, and glory of all his other perfections. He is truly infinite, truly all-sufficient, truly eternal. His goodness is true goodness, his wisdom true wisdom, his holiness true holiness. As sincerity is the beauty of all graces; so truth is the lustre of all the divine perfections. God cannot be deceived or disappointed in any of his purposes. There is a difference between the purposes and promises of God. His promises are declarations of his purpose. In fulfilling his promises, he is true to the creature; but in accomplishing his purposes he is true to himself. God is true, and cannot deny his own counsel; for that were to deny himself, and that eternal idea in his own mind. His truth engages his power, wisdom, and other attributes, to act agreeably to his immutable counsel, and the eternal resolutions in his own mind: and herein he cannot possibly fail; for as he can never be at any loss for want of means to execute his purposes, so no created power hath strength enough to be a bar in his way. The truth and faithfulness of God differ, according to our manner of conceiving. His faithfulness is one branch of his truth, and doth chiefly denote his firmness in keeping promise. Hence it is said, “He is faithful that promised:" and it is said of Sarah, "She judged him faithful who had promised." In this sense especially he is called "the faithful God." Now his faithfulness is incomprehensible; "it reacheth unto the clouds; " and it is greatly admired by the saints even in the darkest times. Hence the church, under the captivity, cries out, "Great is thy faithfulness." It is great, and great unto the heavens; so great that our shallow capacity cannot fathom it. Let me exhort you especially, who are the children of God, to trust God upon his word. Truth is a great ground of trust; we trust men of truth-and will you not much more trust the God of truth. Trust ' in him, and depend on him through Christ, for the accomplishment of his promises. Rest and rely upon his truth and faithfulness. In the promises God bath laid his truth in pawn with you, and hath thereby given you a right and claim to the blessings promised; and none that depended on his word were ever disappointed, for "the word of the Lord is tried." Well then, believe the truth of the promises. Let the promises be dear and precious to you, as they were to those ancient worthies, of whom it is said, that, having seen the promises afar off, they were persuaded of them, and embraced them." 66 Give God the glory of his truth and faithfulness before the world. Glorify him, not only by the quiet and content of your own hearts, but by your carriage before others. You should not only believe, but "set to your seal that God is true.' Seal the truth of God as his witnesses, by your joyfulness in all conditions, your patience in afflictions, your diligence in holiness, and your hope in God in the most desperate-like cases. Sanctify God in the eyes of other men; and let the world see that you can venture on the credit of God's word. GOD'S ETERNITY. The How little do we know of God's eternity! We cannot fully conceive it, much less express it. most soaring finite understanding cannot have a proportionable knowledge of it. There is no proportion between the longest duration of time and eternity. There are now near six thousand years since the beginning of time; but what are all these years, but as a moment, yea, as nothing, in comparison of eternity? Yea, suppose all angels and men had been constantly employed, each one by himself, from their creation till now, in summing up as many thousands and millions of imaginable years and ages as possibly they could; and suppose a product to be made of all these years and ages; yet all this vast and marvellous arithmetic would amount at most but to a faint shadow of God's eternity. O eternity, eternity! here is neither bank nor bottom. There is no way here but to flee into thy sanctuary, "O the height and the depth!" O who can fathom the depth of eternity! We know that God is eternal; but eternity itself is |