An Expository Comment on 2 Corinthians 1, Exposition · Sermon 33
SERM. XXXIII.
Of the Multitude, Variety, Properties and Objects of Gods Mercies.
2 COR. 1. 3.
The Father of mercies.
VVE are further to explicate, what is comprehended in this ſweet and comfortable Attribute, The Father of mercies. We have already declared, what is in the word Father, and gave one inſtance, what is in the word mercies.
The ſecond thing comprized in it, is the multitude of them; he doth not ſay, The Father of mercy, but of mercies; it is not one or two, but mercies, many Of the multitude of Gods mercies.mercies, innumerable mercies, that he is Father of. Even as David doth ſometimes call God, The God of his ſalvations, in the plural number, becauſe of the frequent and many deliverances God vouchſafed to him. The Lord therefore is not ſtraitned in mercy, no more than in power; but as nothing is impoſſible to him, ſo every kind of mercy is eaſily producible by him. The multitude of Gods mercies, is that which David doth often mention, Pſal. 106. 7, 45. Pſal. 51. 1. And indeed were not theſe mercies many, our ſins would be more than they, and exceed them in number. David complaineth, That his iniquities were more than the hairs of his head; and yet at another time acknowledgeth, that ſuch were the benefits of God towards him, that he is never able to reckon them up. We cannot then come and ſay to God about mercies, as Eſau did to his father about bleſſings, Haſt thou but one bleſſing, O my father? Haſt thou but one mercy? Woe would be to us, if God had not multitude of mercies, for we have multitude of ſins and miſeries. Oh then, let the broken, humble heart, who groaneth under this, that he hath many ſins, they are not one or two, but many, yea the multitudes of them, are like ſo many locuſts and caterpillars in Egypt, he cannot look this way, or that way, but ſinne doth compaſſe him about! Let ſuch remember, that there are more mercies for them, then ſins againſt them. If thou haſt multitude of ſins, God hath multitude of mercies to cover them, ſo as thou doeſt not cover them, but confeſs and bewail them.
Secondly, In this expreſſion of Father of mercies, is not only comprehended Of the variety of Gods mercies.the multitude of them, but the diverſity alſo, he is the Father of all kind of mercies, God hath an unexhauſted treaſure of mercy. Therefore the Scripture calls God rich in mercy, Epheſ. 2. 4. Though God be rich in wiſdom, in power, yet the Scripture calls him only rich in mercy, as if herein he did moſt excell. Now from this treaſury ariſe all kinds of mercies. Do not ſay, God may by his mercy help me in this particular, and in that reſpect, he can give me bodily mercies, but can he give ſoul mercies? He can give private mercies, but can he give publick mercies? Yes, we have too low and narrow thoughts of God, if we limit him to any kind of mercy, he can do the greateſt as well as the leaſt. Let us inſtance in ſome kind of mercies. As
1. There are common mercies, and there are ſpecial mercies. Common mercies are thoſe the whole world is full of; He maketh the Sunne to ſhine upon the good and the bad. Therefore our Saviour preſſeth us, To love our enemies, becauſe God is thus mercifull even to his enemies; Is not the whole earth, every Village, every Town full of the common mercies of God? How come ſo many to live, to ſubſiſt upon his coſt and charges? Whence is it that all the people in the world are provided for? Is it not from the mercy of God? Lam. 3. 22. It's the Lords mercies that we are not conſumed; That famine, warre, plague and other judgements, do not ſweep away all the inhabitants of the earth; That the whole world doth not fall into ruines; This is from Gods meer mercy. That all are not roaring in hell, it's the mercy of God. Now this common mercy is the more admirable, if ye conſider what kind of perſons they are to whom he is thus mercifull, even to his very enemies, that hate God; and if it lay in their power, would deſtroy him, that he ſhould not have a being. Oh the mercy of God that is continued to many a prophane beaſt, and many a malicious Devil, to what is good! Why is it that every liar is not ſtricken dead with Ananias? Why is it that every drunkard quaffing in his pots, doth not ſee a terrible hand-writing in the wall againſt him? Why is it that the earth doth not open to ſwallow thee up, while thy mouth is full of curſing and ſwearing? Is not all this from the mercy of God? Oh how little doth this mercy of God lead you to repentance, whereas it is vouchſafed to you for that end! Let it not be deſpiſed, becauſe it is common. For though God be thus often mercifull, yet ſometimes his judgements are terrible to prophane men: They are ſuddenly deſtroyed, while they are in their drunken fits, and it is Gods mercy that what hath befallen others doth not alſo come upon thee; but after thy impenitent heart, Thou treaſureſt up wrath againſt the day of wrath; Now is the day of mercy, but then will be a day of wrath. There are ſpecial mercies, ſuch as the godly are only partakers of, To be called, to be juſtified, to be ſanctified, &c. Oh what heart or tongue can expreſs the happineſs of thoſe, who have theſe mercies! How ſacrilegious are thoſe Doctrines, that do not make God wholly and ſolely the father of theſe mercies, but they make themſelves, and their own free-will, to be yoynt-fathers with God in theſe mercies? But as Auſtin of old urged, If I cannot make my ſelf a man, which is the leſſer, can I make my ſelf an holy man, which is the greater? If there is not the leaſt temporal mercy that thou canſt procure by thy own power, not a morſell of bread, not a drop of water, canſt thou by thy own ſtrength obtain the greateſt of all? Though it be ſaid, The ſword of the Lord, and of Gideon; yet it cannot be ſaid, the vocation, the juſtification by Paul, and by Chriſt; but Chriſt alone doth theſe things in us and for us, though by his grace we are alſo ſanctified and inabled to do that which is holy.
Again, There are ſoul-mercies, and there are bodily-mercies; There are ſpiritual, and there are temporal mercies, now God is the Author of both. We may ſinne by unthankfulneſs for either of them; if thou takeſt thy bodily-mercies as due, thy health, thy ſleep, thy preſervation from daily dangers, in this thou wrongeſt the goodneſs of God; for if he take away his hand but for a moment, thou canſt not ſubſiſt. And as for ſoul-mercies, whether the natural ones of it, as thy wit, thy underſtanding, thy fancy, thy ſenſes, God is the Father of them: Or the ſpiritual ones, there he is much more; if thou haſt repentance, faith, aſſurance, a gracious contented heart in every condition, theſe are mercies of mercies, but God alone is the Father of them.
Furthermore, There are preventing, or privative mercies, and there are poſitive mercies. Now the Rule is, Plures ſunt gratiae privativae quam poſitivae, more privative favours than poſitive. Did not God prevent, what innumerable evils might ariſe every day to deſtroy thee? When we pray for daily bread, in that we comprehend all kind of outward bodily mercies; ſo that if the Lords hand were not alwayes giving, we could not abide a day. Now ſeeing that by ſinne we are made obnoxious to all the curſes in the Law, To be curſed at home, and curſed abroad. How manifold are Gods preventing mercies to us? What evil might every day bring forth to thee? What a ſad night might every night be to thee, if Gods preventing mercies did not compaſs thee about?
Laſtly, We might inſtance in private mercies, and publick mercies. But what hath already been ſpoken, may abundantly confirm us, That God is the Father of mercies.
In the next place, Let us conſider the Property of Gods mercy. AndOf the Properties of Gods mercies.
1. He is infinite in mercy, as well as in other attributes. So that this fountain can never be drawn dry, he hath mercy enough for thee and me, and for all the humbled ſinners in the world: If all the Nations of the world are but as a drop to him, ſo neither are all the ſins of the world, but as a drop to his mercy. No ſins are too many, or too great for Gods mercy. And truly this conſideration alone, is that which doth revive and eſtabliſh the drooping ſoul; for if it were but the mercy of a creature, if it were finite mercy that thou hadſt to do with, woe and again woe would be unto thee. The Prophet Iſaiah ſpeaks fully to this, Chap. 55. 7, 8, 9. where there is an encouragement given to the wicked, To forſake his evil wayes, becauſe God will have mercy, yea he will abundantly pardon, or multiply to pardon; and whereas the ſinner might think, Surely God will never do ſo, to ſuch an hainous and wretched ſinner as I am; the Prophet tells us, Gods thoughts are not as our thoughts, but as the Heavens are higher than the earth, ſo are his ways, viz. of mercy to our wayes. As then the earth is but like a pins head, in reſpect of the vaſt dimenſions of the Heavens; ſo are all our ſins comparatively to Gods mercy. If then thou haſt great thoughts about thy ſins, ſaying, They are greater than thou canſt bear, yet have as great thoughts of Gods mercy, and know they are not greater than mercy can take away.
2. As it's infinite mercy, ſo they are tender mercies, bowels of mercies. Pſal. 40. 11. David prayeth, God would not take away his tender mercies from him. Hence he is compared both to a Father and a Mother. Oh take heed then of diſhonouring God, by hard diſtruſtfull and unbelieving thoughts about him! Think not of him as an auſteer Judge, who reapeth where he doth not ſow. The Devil, and our guilty conſciences are apt to repreſent God otherwiſe than he is. Indeed while thou art ſecure and ſtupid in thy ſins, thou thinkeſt of God as an Idol-god, having no eyes to ſee; or thou preſents him only a mercifull God to thy ſelf, as if he were not alſo holy and juſt; but when once ſinne burneth in thy heart like fire; when God makes thee a terrour to thy ſelf, becauſe of thy wickedneſs, then all is turned; Thou thinkeſt of the juſtice and vengeance of God only, as if he had no mercy; but when thy ſins are a burden to thee, and thou doeſt in the ſincerity of thy heart forſake them; then think of God only, as the Scripture repreſents him; then hearken what mercy, comfort and peace he ſpeaks to ſuch a contrite ſoul as thou art.
3. They are ſure mercies to all the godly. Iſa. 55. 3. They are called, The ſure mercies of David. For all neceſſary mercies, either for ſoul or body, they are bound up in Gods promiſe; and therefore they may well be called ſure mercies; even thoſe thou haſt not yet, are as ſure mercies, as if thou waſt already poſſeſſed of them. Glorification and ſalvation are the ſure mercies of God to thee, though for the preſent thou art in a valley of tears, ſighing under thy miſeries.
4. They are free mercies, ſuch as God doth only for his Names ſake, when we have nothing but ſinne in us, that may juſtly provoke God to turn his mercies into judgments, yet for his own ſake he will be mercifull. Though we have loſt our grace, yet he hath not that attribute of mercy. Thus Pſal. 6. 4. Pſal. 31. 16. David ſtill prayeth, Save me for thy mercies ſake; So that this may greatly encourage thee, when thou thinkeſt, Oh what a barren and dry wilderneſs am I! Oh what matter do I find in me, to diſpleaſe God for ever! In the midſt of theſe thoughts remember Gods mercies are free; They have no other original or riſe, but from himſelf. Think though I have degenerated from my holineſs, yet God can never lay aſide his mercy.
But you will ſay; Is this truth to be indifferently publiſhed to all? May we tell every one, that God is the Father of mercies to him? Will not this be to make the heart of the wicked glad, whom yet God would have made ſad?
To anſwer it therefore firſt, It cannot be denied, but that God is very mercifull even to wicked men, and that while they continue in their obſtinacy. Doth not experience confirm this? And this mercy of God is not only ſeen in temporal things, he giveth them health, life and wealth, ſo that they can never plead againſt God; but alſo he is mercifull to many ungodly wretches, and that in ſpiritual mercies, he giveth them the kingdom of grace, he giveth them the Miniſtry of the Gospel, he alloweth them the day of grace, whenas they might have been alwayes kept up in darkneſs. Hence it is that the Scripture doth ſo often complain of the unprofitableneſs, of the unthankfulneſs and forgetfulneſs towards him, even worſe than of the bruit creatures.
But in the next place, There are the moſt ſpecial mercies of his complacency and delight, and theſe are vouchſafed only to true believers. So that we cannot properly ſay, God is a Father of mercies to any but to the upright in heart. For though wicked men do taſte of many mercies from God, yet he is not a reconciled Father to them; They come not from him as a Father in Chriſt; and therefore though in themſelves they may be called mercies, yet if you conſider the event of them, how the wicked abuſe all mercies, and increaſe their ſins by them, it will be at laſt confeſſed they were not mercies, but judgements to them. The mercies then which ariſe from Gods favour none have but thoſe that are godly; and we may in brief take theſe Characters of ſuch who are Objects of his mercy.
Firſt, Such as are of a broken contrite heart for ſinne, ſuch who forſake and caſt Who are the fit objects of Gods mercies.it away in their lives. To theſe only God is a Father of mercies: For as for the wicked, it's ſaid, God is angry with the wicked every day. To whom doth the juſtice of God, the curſe of the Law belong, but to thoſe that are thus guilty of ſin? The doubt then is not, Whether God be mercifull? but whether thou art the fit ſubject of mercy, whether thou art the man God will honour.
Secondly, Such only are the Objects of his mercy that have faith in him, that hope in his mercy. Hence David doth ſo often profeſs his truſt in Gods mercy. For there is either a phariſaical ſelf-righteouſneſs in us, whereby we are apt to truſt in our righteouſneſs, and in the works we do. We ſee by the Jews of old, and moſt Chriſtians at this day, that they are ſo full of themſelves, that they never truſt alone in Gods mercy, or elſe if ſin be ſet home upon the conſcience, then many prove Cains and Judaſſes, they flie from the mercies of God in Chriſt, and damn themſelves for fear of damnation; ſo that preſumption makes moſt, and deſpair ſome few, the unfitted objects of Gods mercy; miſery alone doth not prepare thee for mercy: The Devils and damned in hell are miſerable enough, yet cannot obtain one drop of mercy; but there muſt be a debaſing of thy ſelf, becauſe of ſin, and then raiſing up of thy ſelf to catch hold on mercy.