The Grand Trial of True Conversion, Treatise 3 · Consideration 6
The ſixth Conſideration.
6. The mercies of God are tranſcendently great: ſurpaſſing greatneſſe is a glorious property, often aſcribed to the mercy of God in Scriptures, as Num. 14. 18, 19 The Lord is of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and tranſgreſſion,—pardon I beſeech thee the iniquity of this people, according to the greatneſſe of thy mercy; So Pſ. 57. 9. 10. I will praiſe thee O Lord,—for thy mercy is great, &c. Neh. 13. 22. O my God ſpare me according to the greatneſſe of thy mercy.
Yea Gods mercy is called greatneſſe, 1 Chr. 17 19. O Iehovah according to thin▪ own heart, thou haſt done all this greatneſs for thy ſervant, in making known all theſs greatneſſes, thus the words are in the Hebrew and in the margine, when poore contrite ſouls conſider the tranſcendent foreign Magnitudo, magnificentia.greatneſſe of pollution and provocation which is in their thoughts, and that beyond all their other ſins, they are apt to be diſheartened, and to think can God pardon? but let ſuch remember that the greatneſſe of Gods pardoning mercy is infinitely above all the greatneſſes of evil and guilt, that can be in their thoughts.
There be two things wherein the greatneſſe of Gods mercy doth moſt ominently conſiſt.
1. His mercy is greatly extended.
2. It is greatly powerfull, and both theſe are grounds of unſpeakable comfort.
1. The mercy of God is of greateſt extenſion: all the extenſions and dimenſions that make up greatneſſe, do meet in the mercy of God.
1. Mercy is ſaid to be extended, Ezra 9. 10. we were bondmen, yet our God foreign, pro foreign a foreign extendit.hath not forſaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy to us, &c.
2. It is greatly extended; Magnitude, (according to the Metaphyſicks) is the extenſion of a thing according to length, latitude and depth: they make greatneſſe to conſiſt in three dimenſions, but according to the Scriptures, there be four Quantitas continua eſt ſecundum quam res eſt extenſa ſecundum magnitudinem, hoc eſt, I ongitudinem latitudinem, profunditatem, Scheibler, Metaphyſ. l. 2. c. 6.extenſions or dimenſions concurring in that greatneſſe that is aſcribed to the mercy of God, Eph. 3. 18. heighth, depth, length and breadth.
1. There is a ſurpaſſing ſuperlative heighth in the pardoning mercy of God far above all that heighth of ſinne and wickedneſſe that can be in mens thoughts, this will appear moſt clearly in four things.
1. The mercy of God is as high as the heavens: the heavens are the greateſt viſible heighth, Pſal. 36. 5. Thy mercy O Lord, is unto the heavens, and thy faithfulneſſe reacheth unto the clouds, ſo Pſal. 57. 10. Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds, Pſal. 103. 11.
In both theſe places the mercy and truth of God are raiſed high, but mercy is ſet higher than truth, his truth reacheth unto the clouds, but mercy unto the heavens, the reaſons may be theſe.
1. Becauſe God extends his mercy beyond his promiſes: there was mercy to loſt man, before there was any Goſpel promiſe: it was mercy to give us the firſt promiſe, Gen. 3. 'tis mercy to give us any promiſe: 'tis mercy to continue promiſes after ſo many forfeitures and failings on our part.
2. Mercy is Gods exalted attribute, he accounteth his mercy his chiefeſt glory now under the Goſpel, Rom. 9. 23. Eph. 3. 16.
2. The mercy of God is higher than the heavens, Pſal. 108. 4. Thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth reacheth to the clouds or skies: mercy is Gods Royall Throne. Now ſuppoſe that the ſinnes of our thoughts appear like high mountains reaching up to the clouds, yea that we have heaped up mountain upon mountain, till they reach unto the heavens, yet the mercy of God is far higher, for that is above the heavens: this Conſideration may exceedingly raiſe the faith of humbled ſouls in believing the pardon of their thought-pollutions.
3. Gods thoughts of mercy to repenting ſinners are as far above their higheſt thoughts and apprehenſions that they have of Gods mercy, as the heavens are above the earth, this is evident by the teſtimony of the God of mercy, Iſa. 55. 8, 9. as the heavens are higher than the earth, ſo are my wayes higher than yur wayes, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. It is ſpoken of Gods thoughts and wayes of pardoning mercy to returning ſinners, as is apparant by verſe 7. there Jehovah promiſeth to ſhow mercy and to multiply pardons, anſwerable to the multitudes of their thoughts and evil wayes.
Now there be two grand objections that ſome ſorrowfull ſouls are apt to make againſt their cloſing with mercy offered.
1. Their Thoughts have ſuch an heighth of malignity and ſinfulneſſe by reaſon of their horrid nature, and numberleſſe ſwarms that they cannot think how God ſhould pardon them.
2. That their wayes have been ſo highly injurious and offenſive to God, that if any man ſhould do but the thouſand part of that treſpaſſe to them that they have done againſt God, they could not forgive them: how hard is it for us to paſſe by ſmall injuries? &c-
To both theſe objections, God anſwers my thoughts of pardoning mercy, (ſaith he) are as far above all your apprehenſions thereof, and my wayes of mercy are as far above all your wayes of forgiveneſſe to men, as the heavens are above the earth.
When ye think thus with your ſelves we could not poſſibly forgive any man, in caſe of ſo great wrong, and ye cannot conceive any reaſon why I ſhould forgive you; yet know that my thoughts and wayes of mercy, are as infinitely above all yours as the heaven is above the earth.
Men are revengefull in their diſpoſitions, and will not forgive, but Jehovah is a God of mercies, and ready to forgive; he hath the mercies and power of a God, an infinite, incomprehenſible mercy and power, and therefore he can pardon where men cannot, yea beyond what they can poſſibly think and conceive, Jer. 3. 1. The heart of man being inlarged and raiſed by divine grace is able to think of high and admirable mercies, yet when the moſt inlarged hearts have gone as high as is poſſible for a created heart to riſe in conceiving of Gods mercies; yet even then Gods thoughts of mercy to Repentants, are infinitely above and beyond their largeſthoughts.
It is very obſervable that God ſayes not that his wayes and thoughts of knowledge and wiſdome, but his wayes and thoughts of mercy are as far above mans, as the heavens are above the earth, indeed as God is above men which is infinitely.
The great God argues from the immenſe heighth of his mercy, purpoſely to heighten and ſtreng…hen the faith of bruiſed ſouls who cannot think how God ſhould pardon ſuch a world of wickedneſſe as they have acted in their thoughts, oh therefore, when our thoughts are at a ſtand in apprehending and conceiving mercy, let us learn to believe above all our own thoughts.
4. The mercies of God have a heighth above all that is, or can be written of them, exceeding high and glorious things are ſpoken of Gods mercies in the holy Scriptures, but the heighth thereof is above all that tongue or pen can poſſibly expreſſe: as there are Curſes written and not written for diſobedient ſinners, Deut. 28. that is, the curſes and miſeries prepared for wicked men, are farre greater than are written in the Scriptures, ſo there be mercies written and not written: the Scriptures cannot hold and contain all that mercy that is in God for his people, becauſe his mercy is infinite and incomprehenſible.
Secondly, there is an unſearchable depth in the pardoning mercy of God beneath the deepeſt guilt that can be found in mans thoughts, Pſal. 86. 13. Thy mercy is great towards me, and thou haſt delivered my ſoul from the loweſt hell foreignſayes David.
The heavy weight of our thought-wickedneſſe ſinks our ſouls as deep as the loweſt hell, in reſpect of demerit: but the great depth of Gods mercy, raiſeth believing ſouls out of the deepeſt hell to the higheſt heavens.
The judgements of God are a great deep, Pſal. 36. 7. but his mercies are a greater depth, they are a bottomleſſe ſea ſufficient to ſwallow up mountains of thought-pollutions, as well as mole hills, Micah 7. 19. Gods pardoning mercy is compared to the depths of the ſea, he will turn again, he will have compaſſion upon us, he will ſubdue our iniquities and thou wilt caſt all their ſins into the depths of the ſea.
1. Obſerve, There are many depths in this ſea of mercy: if we fear that one depth will not be enought, let us conſider that there are manifold depths.
2. God promiſeth to bury all the ſins foreign In profunda maris.of his people in the depths of mercy, which muſt needs include all the ſinnes of their thoughts and wayes, though never ſo many and great.
Thirdly, there is a boundleſſe breadth in the mercy of God, a latitude beyond all limits, Pſal. 103 12. as far as the Eaſt is from the Weſt, ſo far hath he removed our Tranſgreſſions from us by his pardoning mercy. What a vaſt diſtance is there betwixt the Eaſt and the Weſt; of all viſible latitudes this is the greateſt: now ſuppoſe that there be an exceeding great breadth of evil in our Thoughts, yet there is a breadth in the mercy of God beyond it; there is a latitude and largeneſſe of power in his mercies, to remove all this evil farre from us.
Fourthly, the mercy of God hath an immeaſurable length beyond all times, mercy is extended and ſtretched out at length, Pſal. 36. 10. extend thy mercy to them that know thee, draw out thy mercy at length, as the word in the originall foreign Extraxit, protraxit, protendit.ſignifies; and as it is in the margine, in this ſenſe the word is uſed, Pſal. 85. 6. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to generation and generation?
1: God extends and draws out his mercy towards his people, unto thouſands of generations, as is evident, Exod. 20. 5. 6. compared with Exod. 34. 7. Doing mercy unto thouſands of them that love me, &c. that is to the thouſand generation, yea to many thouſand generations, the Hebrew word is plural. foreign
Generation is not in the Hebrew, neither Exod. 20. 5. foreign, &c.in the fifth or ſixth verſe, but is ſupplied in the Greek and Chaldee verſion
There is the like phraſe in Exod. 34. 7. keeping mercy for thouſands, that is, as Thargum Jeruſalemy explains it, for a thouſand generations, Luk. 1. 50. his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. Here generation is expreſly mentioned. This world ſhall not continue to thouſands of generations; we are now in the laſt dayes of this world. The time ſhall be when this world and time ſhall be no more▪ but the mercy of God to his people hath no end, no interruption.
2. Mercy is drawn out to eternity, this is confirmed by ſix and twenty everlaſting that are ſpoken of the mercy of God in one Pſalm to make the deeper and ſtronger impreſſion upon the hearts Pſal. 136.of the faithfull, the mercy of Jehovah is to everlaſting.foreign
3. The length of this divine mercy is, from everlaſting to everlaſting upon them that fear God, Pſal. 103. 17. he had thoughts of mercy from eternity in his Electing love in Chriſt.
Oh what ſtrength of comfort may be drawn out of this immenſe length of mercy: that which greatly troubleth poor ſouls, is the lengthening of the iniquity of their thoughts. Oh ſay they, we have lived in thought-pollutions, in the inward acting of ſpeculative filth and folly, in vain, wanton, wicked thoughts, theſe forty, yea threeſcore years we have drawn out the ſinnes of our thoughts to a very great length, therefore how can we believe that there is any mercy for us.
This Conſideration ſhould lengthen our ſorrows, and heighten our ſelf abhorrency, yet know that there is an incomparable greater length in divine mercy then can be in mans thought defilements: the length of Gods mercy is from eve…laſting to everlaſting: now what is the length of threeſcore years to eternity?
Secondly, as the mercy of God is greatly extended in all the dimenſions thereof, ſo it is greatly powerfull.
As there is a power in the wrath of God that paſſeth our knowledge, Pſal. 90. 11. ſo there is a power in his pardoning mercy paſſing all created underſtanding, this mighty power of Gods mercy appears herein, that he is able by a word ſpeaking to pardon the greateſt height of ſinne.
Now for the clear underſtanding of this glorious myſtery, we muſt know, that in the juſtification of a ſinner, remiſſion of ſinnes and righteouſneſſe is given by an act of Royall Prerogative and power in God; he ſpeaks, and pronounceth a ſinner pardoned, he ſaith unto him, live, Ezech. 16. 6.
It is an act of omnipotency to pardon ſin, the ſuperlative greatneſſe of Gods power is manifeſted in forgiving his people, as is moſt evident, Numb. 14. 17, 18, 19. And now I beſeech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou haſt ſpoken, ſaying, the Lord is long ſuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and tranſgreſſion: pardon I beſeech thee the iniquity of this people according to the greatneſſe of thy mercy, in ſhowing great, pardoning mercy, God ſhows great power.
This is the exceeding greatneſſe of Gods Prerogative, and tranſcendent power of his mercy, that he can take men, that are moſt ungodly in themſelves, and ſpeak them the moſt righteous men in the world, if he do but reckon and declare a ſinner pardoned and juſt…fied, he is really pardoned and juſtified from all his ſinnes.
Th…s doth infinitely manifeſt and magnifie the power of Gods free grace and mercy in Chriſt, that if he do pronounce a ſinner forgiven, he is fully and for ever acquitted from the guilt of all his ſinnes; if God be pleaſed to account and reckon a man righteous, by the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt Jeſus imputed, he ſtands compleatly righteous in Gods ſight: this is the higheſt declaration of the omnipotency of Gods mercy, that he is able to pardon the greateſt ſinner by a word: in the word of this King of Kings, there is power, Infinite power.
Oh therefore let repenting ſouls conſider, that though the ſinnes of their thoughts be exceeding great and innumerable, heightned with all the aggravations that Satan and their own diſtruſtfull hearts can put upon them: yet there is that infiniteneſſe of power in Gods mercy, that if he be pleaſed but to ſpeak the word onelyonly, they ſhall be fully cleanſed from the guilt of all their thought-ſinnes.