A Complete Body of Divinity, Sermons · 26 (Question 4 cont.)
SERMON XXVI.
(2.) GOD's Goodneſs is alſo conſiderable, as it diſcovers it ſelf to fallen Men in …ti…r. We have heard, That tho' all taſte of his Goodneſs, yet ſome more than others; and there are ſome peculiar remarks to be made of it in relation to the Children of Men; and this Goodneſs is twofold, either that which is common to all, or that which is ſpecial & peculiar to ſome.
Firſt, THERE is a Goodneſs of God which is common to all ſorts of Men, and is therefore called common, becauſe it is diſpenſed to good and bad, to friends & enemies: and yet it hath a ſpecialty in it, reſpecting them, from the general Goodneſs in which the whole Creation is intereſted, and hath a peculiar Conſideration on it, as it hath fallen on ſinfull Man for it's ſubject; and is therefore in a more reſtrained ſenſe called the Mercy of God: Mercy ſometimes in Scripture comprehends both of theſe, but elſewhere it intends the former, viz The benignity of God, which all fallen Men are ſharers in: The proper head to which this belongs is Efficiency, where it diſcovers it ſelf, and belongs there to the Day of Puniſhment, referring to the Moderation which God at preſent uſeth in the execution of it: but being one branch of his Goodneſs, may here be diſcourſed, and may thus be deſcribed:
GOD's Mercy or common Goodneſs, is God willing to ſuccour ſinful Men in their Miſery.
THAT there is ſuch an Attribute in God, the Scripture is full for; that it is common to ſinful Men will appear, if you compare, Matth. 3.3…, 25, 26. But I ſay unto you, Love your exemus, … that curſe you, do … them that bate you & pray for … wi… deſpitefully uſe you, ex…perſecute you: … ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for be maketh his ſ…n is riſe on the evil & in the good, and ſendeth rain on the juſt & on the unjuſt. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect with, Luk. 6.35.36. But have your enemies, and do good, and lend, b…ing for nothing again: and your reward ſhell be great, and ye ſtall be the children of the Higheſt: for he is kind unto the unthankful, and is the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father alſo is merciful.
WE may here conſider ſomething in general concerning this Attribute; and … obſerve the particular diſcoveries or diſplays aſ…t.
[1.] IN general, in the Deſcription conſider theſe things,
1. THE ſubject in which this Attribute exalts its declarative glory, viz. ſinful Men, and that univerſally. Sin is the common diſeaſe of Mankind, the whole race is fallen into it; (Rom. 5.12) there is not ſo much as one exempted; Rom. 3.12. They are all gone out of the … —.And this is the Emphaſis and Eminency of this Attribute, that it … choſen ſuch a ſubject to be its foil in which to make it ſelf known: and there are theſe conſiderations that make it admirable, 1. BY Sin they had forfeited … to any Goodneſs, and could expect nothing at God's hands, but that his revenging Juſtice ſhould fall upon them, and out them off; they were under the Curſe of Death, which contains in it a loſs of all good, and a ſuffering of every evil, and it belonged to them, Dax. 9.8. 2. BY Sin they had provoked God to do execution upon them; they had made themſelves his enemies; and ſuch is the ſtate of Men by Nature deſcribed to be, Rom. 5.10.—When we were enemies—.And therefore had all reaſon to expect the utmoſt of his Wrath to fall upon them; for if a Man find his Enemy, will he not ſtay him? 3. BY Sin they had made themſelves unprofitable, and could therefore have no ground in themſelves to expect ſuch a favour; Rom. 3 12.—They are altogether become unprofitable—.They had wholly loſt their ſtrength of ſerving God, or doing any thing to his Glory, become vain and uſeleſs, as to active Obedience; and why ſhould God trouble himſelf with ſuch an uſeleſs burden? and all this beſpeaks that it is meer Mercy that any favour at all is ſhewn to theſe Creatures.
2. THE particular thing which this Attribute employs it ſelf upon, in this ſubject, viz. their Miſery. God looks upon their miſerable condition, and he moves his own bowels in compaſſion to them: Miſery is the proper foil of Mercy, it can have no other Object. This Vertue was eminently in God from Eternity, but it could make … diſcoveries of it ſelf to the Creation, till the Creatures infelicity provided it a ſubject to work upon: all Creatures may partake in God's general Goodneſs, but this particular expreſſion of it in Mercy, always ſuppoſeth the Creature to be unhappy, in diſtreſs, labouring under ſome oppreſſion; and Sin had reduced all Mankind unto this Condition: Death was fallen upon them, and that contained all conceivable Miſeries in it. Man had no ſooner finned, but he knew what it was to be undone, and now he ſtands in need of Mercy: this is that which Mercy looks upon with a commiſerating eye; Judg. 10.16.—His ſoul was grieved for the miſery of Iſrael.
3. THAT wherein this Attribute exerts it ſelf is, it ſuccours them in this Miſery. We conceive it as a Divine Vertue in God, to be an inclination & readineſs thus to do; this we diſcern by the effect when we ſee that he ſo doth: all the relief that he affords them in this forlorn eſtate of theirs, belongs to his Mercy. Would we then take a ſcantling of this Mercy of God, we muſt lay thoſe two things together, viz. What belongs to their Miſery, and what abatements of it they enjoy: to the former belongs the conſideration of what was their due demerit by the Rule of Juſtice; to the latter the obſervation of the degrees to which it is at preſent reſtrained or moderated in the execution: would we throughly underſtand the former, we muſt unbowel the Curſe, and that will give us an admirable diſcovery of the latter, by laying it by the Providence under which they are; and this leads us to Enquire,
[2.] WHAT are the particular diſcoveries or diſplays of this Mercy of God towards Sinners?
Anſw. HERE firſt take this general Rule, That whatſoever Sinners enjoy that is not of Merit, is of Mercy. And that will make way for another, viz. That every thing in the Sinners condition, which is better than Hell, is hither to be aſſigned, Lam. 3.22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not conſumed, becauſe his compaſſions fail not.
THE ſtate of the Sinner in point of merit, doth here come under a double conſideration, 1. What he doth deſerve, and that is Death; Rom. 6.23. For the wages of ſin is death—.And that contains in it all the miſeries of this life, but the height of it is in the Eternal ſtate of the damned: hence every mitigation of this, in what degrees ſo ever, is Mercy. 2. What he doth not deſerve, and that is any favour at all. If that good Man could make that ingenious confeſſion, Gen. 32.10. I am not worthy of the leaſt of all the …th which thou haſt ſhewed unto thy ſervant—.M…t not every Sinner do ſo? Where all is wholly forfeited, there can be nothing deſerved; and hence every good thing which a Sinner enjoys, is part of this Mercy.
UPON theſe conſiderations, the Mercy of God contains in it two Attributes, in and by which it makes it ſelf known to Mankind, viz. Clemency and Benignity; and in opening of theſe two, we ſhall make a particular diſcovery of it.
1. THE Clemency of God, is God enclined to ſpare Sinners a while, that deſerved preſently to die. Man is no ſooner a Sinner, but he is a Child of Death: as ſoon as ever ſin is committed, God hath an advantage put into his hands, which he might immediately lay hold of, and make the Creature know his fury; but in Juſtice he remembers Mercy, Clemency holds his hands, ſo as that he doth not ſtrike the Sinner down dead upon the place; and this is a fruit of Mercy, Lam. 3.22.2 Chron. 36.15: Pſal. 78.38. But he being full of compaſſion, forgave their iniquity, and deſtroyed there not; yea, many a time turned be his anger away, and did not ſtir up all his wrath. Now there are two other Attributes, in which this Clemency of God ſhines out, which are, as we may ſay, the degrees of its diſcovery, viz. his Patience and his Long-ſuffering, in both of which God makes to appear how willing he is to ſpare the Sinner. Theſe may be ſeverally ſpoken to
(1.) THE Patience of God, is God willing for the preſent to bear thoſe injuries that are offered him by Sinners. Whilſt the wretched Creature is offering all affronts and abuſes to his ſacred Majeſty, God keeps ſilence, Pſal. 50.21. He bears with all theſe indignities quietly. He is not put into a chaſe by them, as we are wont to be, when we think our ſelves to be affronted; he is calm and compoſed under all. Sin is contrary to the holy nature of God, and therefore he might j…ſtly break forth in fury, upon the leaſt Sin committed, cloath himſelf with indignation, and ſhew no pity; but Patience moderates his Anger, ſo that he witholds the deſerved puniſhment, and for this reaſon it is that the Sinner dies not upon the ſpot: and this very Patience is a glorious Attribute, and will appear to be wonderfull, if we lay it by the conſideration of the lives and converſations of Sinners, their daily carriages towards him; and remember, that God looks on, and ſees all this, and that they are not cut off and deſtroyed: let us then a little commorate here, and obſerve how admirably Patient God is.
1. HE ſees, for he cannot but ſee That the Sinner pays him not the homage or tribute of Obedience which he owes to him. Man owes to God the whole ſtrength of Body and Soul, to be continually improved for his Glory; to be always lifting of his Name on high, in all his thoughts, words, and actions; but the Sinner doth nothing leſs, God is not in all his thoughts, Pſal. 10.4.
2. HE ſees the Sinner daily going on into more and more Sins; running himſelf into further and more provocation, encreaſing of Iniquity, adding of Sin to Sin, Iſa. 30.1. Inſtead of reforming former ways, and returning from them, he is multiplying of tranſgreſſions: Sinful Man is every day throwing in one more ſtick to his pile, running further and deeper on the ſcore; every new Action hath a new exorbitancy accompan…ing of it, and ſtill the more he acts, the more he Sins; all this God ſees.
3. HE ſees how the Sinner grow… …rſe and worſe every day, inſtead of growing better. How he is daily provoking him, not only by iterated acts of the ſame Sin, but aggravated degrees of ſinning, and finding out new Sins, and new ways of ſinning againſt him: how they grow holder and bolder in tranſgreſſing his holy Laws.
4. HE knows, for he keeps an exact regiſter, of all the individual ſins, ſecret and open, which they have committed. They are written in his Book, and laid up among his treaſures; his eye follows them to all their vain Companies, lewd Practices, all that they do in the dark, ſtands in the light of his countenance; he counts all their vain thoughts, and idle words, and obſcene actions, and how many thouſand of theſe hath the Sinner been guilty of, and God hath forgotten none, and can ſet them all in order before him.
5. HE ſees what entertainment Sinners give to all his Warnings & Counſels, which he ſends to them. All that ſcorn and contempt which they offer unto them: all their ſecret upriſings of heart againſt them: all their ſecret upriſings of heart againſt them; all the reſolves they make not to hear them; all the mocks and flouts at God, and Godlineſs; hears when they ſay as, Job 21.15. What is the Almighty, that we ſhould ſerve him? and what profit ſhould we have, if we pray unto him? Jer. 44.…6. As for the word that thou haſt ſpoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.
6. HE obſerves how all his Mercy & Patience, bardens them in Sin, and embo…ens them to perſiſt in it. Pſal. 50.21. Theſe things haſt thou done, and I kept ſilence: thou thoughteſt that I was altogether ſuch an one as thy ſelf—. How they deſpiſe his Goodneſs and forbearance, and make thoſe very things which ſhould lead them to Repentance, their encouragements in impenitence, and ſo bring a world of vanity upon the Creature. And,
7. HE ſees how they are always quarrelling, and finding fault with him; charging him with injuſtice, and finding flaws in his Providence, murmuring at every thing, and full of diſcontents: angry if they have not their wills in every thing; enraged if he croſs them; Pſal. 73.9. They ſet their mouth againſt the heavens—. All theſe things God knows right well, and the time is coming when he will make them underſtand that he ſo doth: but he ſuffers their manners for the preſent. And for all that God knows all this by them, they are not cut off, but have a room allowed them in God's World, and he for the preſent puts up all theſe wrongs; and is not only ſilent, but pitifull, and helpfull to ſuch Creatures; he ſuffers all this indignity with abundance of gentleneſs: This is the Patience of God.
(2.) THE Long-ſuffering of God, is God willing to deferr the Sinners execution, till there be no remedy. Sentence is paſt upon the Sinner as ſoon as he is one. In civil Courts, it uſeth not to be long between Sentence, and Execution. On ſome God ſhews his ſeverity in cutting them off ſpeedily, and this is juſt; for they are under the Sentence, and ſtand at the Judges diſcretion; but to others he deals otherwiſe; and though they go up and down the world, under a Sentence of condemnation, yet are they forborn, and ſometimes a very great while. Now the Long-ſuffering of God appears more eſpecially in the gradation, or thoſe many and ſlow ſteps which he takes in executing of his anger upon Sinners; he might do the work at once, but that he doth not, but proceeds gradually, ſpeaks him a long-ſuffering God. Here then, obſerve theſe ſteps
1. HE waits, and is not ſpeedy in coming out againſt the Sinner. Eccl. 8.11. — Sentence againſt an evil work is not executed ſpeedily—. He did not fall upon Adam immediately, but tarried till the cool of the day. Some he delays Ten, Twenty, Forty, an Hundred Years before he brings them to the Hell where they deſerved to be the firſt moment of their being: Gen. 6.3. We read of a Sinner of an Hundred Years old.
2. GOD often firſt debates the caſe with Sinners before be deſtroys them. He falls not upon them, till he hath reaſoned it out, and offered them matter of Conviction; he reaſons with them, Iſa. 1.18. Come now, and let us reaſon together, ſaith the Lord—. Gives them leave if they can, to find any fault with him, or bring any thing to juſtify their own Courſes; Jer 2.5. Thus ſaith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
3. AFTER Conviction he waits again, to ſee if they will hearken unto him. Whether there may be any ſenſe or remorce in them, that if Conviction would do, he might proceed no farther againſt them; and as long as there is any hope, he continues debating: thus he did by his Prophets of old with a degenerate People, Jer 8.6. I hearkned and heard, but they ſpake not aright: no man repented of his wickedneſs, ſaying, What have I done? every one turned to his courſe, as the horſe ruſheth into the battel.
4. IF pleading will do no good, he proceeds to threatning. He ſlays them by his Prophets, before he ſlays them by his Sword: He ſends his Servants to denounce Judgments, to ſee if this will make them walk ſoftly, with Ahab; and Faſt with Ninev…h; theſe blow the Trumpet, and tell Men of the wrath that is impending.
5. HE continues this diſpenſation ſome while. He threatons not once or twice, but many times. He ſends one Prophet after another; 2 Chron. 36.16. But they marked the meſſengers of God, and deſpiſed his words, and miſuſed his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord ariſe againſt his people tilt there was no remedy. Waiting to ſee if they thus may be perſwaded, if ſome warning or other will not faſten, and awaken them to bethink themſelves, and repent.
6. WHEN he begins to execute, he doth it gradually, and not all at once; but by ſteps, firſt by lighter plagues, and after that by heavier: tries firſt what rods will do, to ſee if they will prevent ſcorpions, Pſal. 78.38. And he hath many ſteps in the way, before he comes to the top, Lev. 26.27, 28. And if ye t…ll not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me: Then I will walk contrary unto you alſo in fury; and I, even I, will chaſtiſe you ſeven times for your ſins.
7. HE makes a pauſe between one Judgment, and another. He doth not bring them in an heap; but ſtops between, to give them opportunity, and that to ſee if there be no fruit of the caſter, which may obviate the heavier, and therefore they are ſaid to come, if ſo be the former will not check them; Lev. 26. Sinners have many reſpites.
8. IN the midſt of his Judgments, he looks carefully to ſee if there be none to ſtand in the gap, and make up the hedge. Would fain have ſomebody to hold his hands, and prevent further and ſorer Judgments; ſee Ezek. 22.30, 31. And I ſought for a man among them that ſhould make up the hedge, and ſtand in the gap before me for the land, that I ſhould not deſtroy it: but I ſound none—. Or whether they themſelves will return: hence that complaint, Amos 4.
9. HE wilts till there be no remedy: till all other ways fail, before he makes a full end of them, or proceeds to the utmoſt, 2 Chron. 36.16.
10. AND there is one amazing ſtep more, and that is, when there is no remedy, all means fail, all courſes have no Effect, but they continue obſtinate, he is now at a ſtand, and doth not know how to do this ſtrange work, yea oftentimes takes up a reſolution, that he will not do it, Hoſ. 11.8, 9. How ſhall I give thee up Ephraim? how ſhall I deliver thee Iſrael? how ſhall I make thee as Almah? how ſhall I ſet thee as Zeb…im? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceneſs of mine anger, I will not return to deſtroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man, the holy One in the midſt of thee, and I will not enter into the city. (Iſa. 57.19.)
USE 1. LET no bold & daring Sinners take encouragement from hence to perſiſt in ſinning. Know it, God can be patient and long-ſuffering too, and yet come ſoon enough to your coſt, to fall upon you and deſtroy you forever, and he will too, if you repent not; and then abuſed Patience, and neglected Long-ſufferance, will riſe up againſt you, and make your woes the more intolerable. Think not God is reconciled, forbearance is no payment; Pſal. 50.21, 22. Theſe things haſt thou done, and I kept ſilence: thou thoughteſt that I was altogether ſuch a one as thy ſelf: but I will reprove thee, and ſet them in order before thine eyes. Now conſider this, ye that forget God, leſt I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
USE. 2. LET it call upon Sinners to bleſs God for a Day of forbearance, and to make the right uſe of it. There is not the leaſt Child, but hath occaſion to take notice of it, but for which you had been now as long roaring in Hell as you have been; and Oh conſider what unſpeakable Mercy there is in it! The damned are gone to their own place, and there is no Redemption; theſe are the Attributes that give a ſpace and opportunity to repert in, and encouragement to repent. And Oh! think with yourſelves, it God be thus loth to deſtroy me a wretched, unprofitable, provoking Sinner, how ready then will he be to receive me a repenting, mourning, returning Sinner, betaking my ſelf to JESUS CHRIST. And let this quicken and encourage you to fly ſpeedily unto his Everlaſting Arms of Mercy.
[DECEMBER 31. 1689]