Psalm 119:156
Verse 156. — Great arc thy tender tnercies, O Lord; quicken me according to thy judgments.
In the former verse, we presented you with the judgment of God against the wicked; we shall now present you with a more comfortable argument, his mercies to his people. Whenever we think or speak of the damnable condition of the wicked, we should remember the grace of God, that hath made the difference between us and them. We were no better by nature than they; only mercy interposed for our rescue, and snatched us as brands out of the burning: so here David fleeth to God’s mercy, as the original cause of all that he had, or hoped for, from him: “Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord,” &c.
In the words there is, —
1. A eulogy, or an aspiration of praise to God; “Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord.”
2. A prayer, “Quicken me according to thy judgments.”
The one maketh way for the other; for, because God’s mercies are so great, therefore he is encouraged to come unto him for help. In the eulogy, we have the thing praised, God’s mercy. It is set forth by a double adjunct; one taken from the quality, the other from the quantity. From the quality, it is tender and bowel mercy; from the quantity, it is great. Or the word mav be rendered many; the mercies of God (as one saith) are many and motherlike. Having laid this foundation for his hope, the man of God proceedeth to his prayer; which is our second branch, where you have the request, “Quicken me;” the argument, “according to thy judgments;” that is, thy promises in the new covenant; as we before explained the word. Those promises are called judgments, because they are rules of proceeding in the new courts which God hath set up.
Many things might be observed from these words.
1. That the primary cause of all that we have, and expect from God, is his mercy. The man of God beginneth here, when he expected different usage from the wicked, or that God should deal with him in another manner than with them.
SEli.MON CLXXIV. — VICIiSE CLVI. 359
2. That this mercy is so great and large, that it is every way sufficient for our help.
3. The terms and rules according to which Ave are to expect this mercy, are set forth in the new covenant; where God hath bound himself to show mercy to his people upon such conditions as are there specified. So that this covenant doth inform us, and assure us, both of God’s mercy and God’s quickening.
4. One special new-covenant blessing, is the preservation of the life of grace in our souls. There is a great necessity of it, because in the spiritual life we are subject to fainting; and the children of God have a great value and esteem for it; for they are more sensible of soul distempers than other men; and, when they see others stark dead in ti-espasses and sin, they are the more displeased with their own remaining deadness; and therefore would have the distinction between them and wicked men made more clear and sensible, by the activity and vigour of grace, and their diligence and care of salvation (which the wicked neglect) awakened by new influences from God; and therefore do they so often pray for quickening. Accoi’dingly, God in the new covenant, as the God of their life and salvation, hath undertaken to keep them fresh and lively; and therefore, whenever we are under deadness, we should not be satisfied with it, or think it a light evil, but present our condition to God, looking to the promise of the new covenant, wherein God hath promised to put his Spirit into our hearts, to cause us to walk in his ways.
But, because all these points have been often discussed, I shall only handle this one point: —
Doctrine. — That in the Lord Jehovah there are great and tender mercies.
1. I shall open the mercy of God.
2. The adjuncts; the greatness and tenderness of them.
First, I shall open the mercy of God. That mercy is one of God’s attributes, the Scripture is plain and clear: “Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy” (Psalm lxii. 12): he said before, “God halh spoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God.“‘This is an evident and certain truth, that God is almighty, and hath all power to avenge his enemies and reward his friends; but, because this is not a sufficient foundation for our trust, there wanteth more to invite the creature to depend upon God, than his bare power and ability to help us; there must be also an assurance of his readiness to do what he is able: and that we have in this other attribute, which is as proper, and as much belonging to God, as power, and that is mercy: yea, it is an attribute in the exercise of which God delights most of all:” I3ecause he delights in mercy ’ (Mic. vii. 18). God delighteth himself in all his attributes; yea, in the manifestation of them to the world; but chiefly in acts of mercy: these come readily from him, and unextorted. Though God willeth the punishment of a sinner for the manifestation of his justice, yet these acts of his vencjeance are not so pleasing to God as the acts of his mercy; for he never doth them of his own accord, but is provoked. Acts of mercy flow from him like life-honey, but acts of vengeance are his strange work (Isa. xxviii. 21). Bees give honey naturally, sting when provoked; therefore God is nowhere caWed pa /cr ulfionum, whereas he is called ^w/f?- miseraiionum, “the Father of mercies” (2 Cor. i. 3). It is the original and fountain cause of all our comfort: get an interest in his mercy, and all his other attributes shall be for our good. Mercy will set a work his wisdom to contrive, his power to accomplish, what is Ibr our comfort and salvation; his justice and wrath to avenge our quarrel: all other attributes are serviceable to mercy. Among the things that are ascribed to God, there is this order, that one is given as a reason of the other; as, in the business of our salvation, why doth God discover himself with so much wisdom and power? Because of his mercy: “According to his mercy he saved us” (Tit. iii. 5); of his mercy quickened us (Eph. ii. 4, 5); of his mercy begotten us to a lively hope (I Peter i. 3). But what moved him to show mercy to us? You can go no higher, unless you assign a cause like itself; “God, who is rich in mercy, out of his great love wherewith he loved us:” indeed, so he showed mercy, because he would.
1st, The goodness of the Divine nature, as it doth discover itself to the creature, is called benignity, or bounty; sometimes grace, and sometimes mercy. The first issue or eflect of the Divine goodness, is his benignity or bounty; b which, God, by giving something to the creatures, showeth himself liberal or bountiful. This is his goodness to the creature, as a creature. Thus he hath given being to all things, bare life to some, sense to others; and to man and angels, reason and grace. The next term by which the goodness of God is expressed, is grace; by which he freely giveth to the creatures all that good which they have, beyond all possibility of requital. The third term is mercy; which implieth the ready inclination that is in God to relieve our misery, notwithstanding sia, These three terms agree in this, that they all express the goodness of God, or his communication of himself to the creature. God knoweth himself, loveth himself; but he cannot he said to be bountiful, or gracious, or merciful, to himself: these things respect us. And again, that none of these can be j-eciprocated, or turned back from the creature to God. We may love God, who hath loved us first (1 John iv. 19); but mercy or grace never results from the creature to God: we know God, and love him, but cannot be said to be merciful to him. He giveth out mercy and grace, but receiveth none. Thus they agree; but they differ, in that bounty or goodness respects the creature, as a creature; grace respects the creature, as being able to make no recompence to God, or to merit anything at his hands; bat mercy addeth these two things to the former, as supposing us in misery (the object of it is j/erscna miserabtlis), or as finding us under demerit or ill deserving, and appoints a remedy for us. God doth good to the angels, that never sinned, out of grace; but to man fallen, out of mercy: so that his mercy is nothing else but his proneness to help a man in misery, notwithstanding sin.
2ndly, We must distinguish between mercy, as it is an attribute in God; and the acts and effects of it, as they are terminated upon the creature. As it is an attribute in God, “The Lord is merciful and gracious” (Psalm ciii. 8), so it is infinite, as his nature is; but, in the effects as to us, there is a great difference. Mercy is one in the fountain, many in the streams; because there are divers effects, divers ways of showing mercy. Mercy, in the effect, may cease, as when the angels turned devils, and when God threateneth to take away his mercies from us; but God doth not cease to be merciful in himself: the effects of God’s mercy are more or less; but the attribute in God is not so. Mercy, as an attribute, doth not oppose justice; but the effects of God’s mercy may be, and are, contrary to the effects of his justice, as punishment is contrary to blessing.
SEEMON CXXXIY. — -VERSE CiVI. 361
3rclly, God’s mercy is either general, or special, or peculiar. First, God’s general mercy hath for the object of it, not only men, even them that are strangers to the faith, but also all the creatures; for it is said,^ “His tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm cxlv. 9). God hely)eth the poor brute creatures in their needs, and doth supply them with provision convenient for them: then there is his special mercy to man, helping and succouring him in his misery, notwithstanding sin; and so the giving of Christ to be the saviour of the world: “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared” (Tit. iii. 4). His mankindness, this was pity to us above the angels; no remedy was plotted for them. And then, his peculiar mercy is to his elect in Christ; so the Lord saith, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” (Rom. ix. 15). This is again seen, either in the first grace, or bestowing that tipon us; or in all the subsequent grace that we stand in need of.
1. The first grace is pardoning all our past sin, or receiving us into a state of favour upon our repentance. So it is made the motive: “Turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful” (Joel ii. 13): penitent sinners will find him so to be. The Apostle saith, “But I obtained mercy” (I Tim. i. 13); »;Xfi7^>;y, I was overwhelmed in mercy. So, also, in giving us a heart to repent and turn ur.to him. We were unworthy and mise* rable sinners, could not help ourselves; and then his eye pitied us, and his hand saved us: by his preventing grace, he brought us home to himself.
2. In all the subsequent grace that we stand in need of. So the objects of his mercy must have a qualification; such as fear God (Psalm ciii. 11); such as love him, and keep his commandments (Exod. xx. G); that v»’alk according to the rule of his word exactly (Gal. vi. 16); to the merciful (Matt. V. 7); for to the unmerciful God will not show himself merciful (James ii. 13); but to those that are thus qualified, he reneweth his pardoning mercy, in taking away the guilt of our daily failings (Psalm xxv. 7); his sanctifying mercy, by freeing them more and more from the dominion of sin (Rom. vi. 14); his preserving mercy, by delivering them from afflictions, so far as it is convenient: “Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according to thy word” (Psalm cxix. 41); “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lam. iii 22). His rewarding mercy: “Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21). So, “Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy; for thou renderest to every man according to his work” (Psalm. lxii. 12). He will graciously accept, reward, and crown every sincere and faithful servant of his, when they have done their work. Sincerity and faithfulness shall be accepted and rewarded, when infirmities and weaknesses shall be pardoned and covered.
Secondly, Let me now open the tw’o adjuncts of his mercy.
1st, It is tender mercy: “Through the tender mercy of our God “’ (Luke i. 78). The word signifieth bowels; as, when you see a poor miserable creature, your bowels work within you; especially if you be related to him: Misericordia complectihir affectwm et effeetnm. Let us take the nearest relation. If you be a father, we need not much entreat a father to pity a poor helpless child; his own bowels will persuade him to it: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm ciii. 13). Or, if you think passions in females more vehement, take the relation of a mother; as Hagar was affected to Ishmael, when the water was spent in the bottle, she sate over against the child, and
362 SERMOXS ox rSALM CXIX.
lifted up her voice and wept (Gen. xxi. 16). God will take the affections of a mother; as, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget; yet will I not forget thee” (Isa. xlix. 15). It is passionately set out by the Prophet: if all the compassions of all fathers and mothers Mere joined together, it were nothing to God; he is the Father of mercies, he is pitiful and merciful (James v. 11). It is true, there is in God no sickness, or trouble of mind, no commotion; but there is pity and tender love, though no perturbation, which will not stand with the perfection of his nature: that is, he layeth to heart, and taketh notice of our misery. The tenderness of God may be known by the compassion which Christ had in the days of his flesh; for he was the express image of his Father’s person. Now, we read, “When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd” (Matt, ix, 36). Their teachers did not do their duty to them in any profitable way; this wrought upon Christ’s heart, when he saw the multitude. So when he saw many sick and under noisome diseases, when they followed him he pitied them, and helped them (Matt. xiv. 14). So, “Jesus had compassion on the multitude, when they continued with him three days, and had nothing to cat” (Matt. xv. 32). The care of man’s welfare lieth near unto Christ’s heart. Before the disciples took notice of it, he taketh notice of the people’s necessities, and is affected with it; he would not send them away fasting. The two blind men, when they feelingly laid out their miseries, “Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes” (jNIatt. xx. 34). So the widow of Nain lamented her only son, “The Lord saw her, and had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not” (Luke vii. 13). This for a taste what a tender heart Christ had; and, in Heaven, he is still a merciful high-priest. He came down on purpose to acquaint himself with our griefs and sorrows: surely he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and God’s pity, though it hath no trouble with it, is real, operative, and efficacious.
1. His tender mercy is seen in his readiness to hear, and help, and come in to the cry of his people, if they be but anything humble and profitable hi their afflictions: “And, if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day” (Isa. Ivhi. 10); “And he arose and came to his father. But, when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him’’ (Luke XV. 20). When the son was coming, the father ran to meet him:” Before they call, I will answer’ (Isa. lxv. 24): as if God could not tarry to hear the prayer made: “I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm xxxii. 5); “Surely, after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remem - ber him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will suj-ely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord” (Jer. xxxi. 19,20). The first relentings of the creature work upon the bowels of God’s mercy; when Ave do but conceive a purpose, the Lord is easy to be entreated.
2. By the motives that do induce God to show mercy. The bare sight of our misery; and therefore the saints do so often represent their condi-SERMON CLXXIV. — VERSK CLYI, oG’S
tion: “I am poor and sorrowful; let thy salvation, O God, set nic up on high” (Psalm lxix. 29). You see he hringeth no other argument hut his grief and misery. Justice seekcth a tit object, mercy a fit occasion: “For the Lord shall judge his j)eople, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left” (Deut. xxxii. 36).
2ndly, The next adjunct is great. The mercies of God arc seldom spoken of in Scripture, but there is some additional word, to show their plenty and excellency: as, “For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption” (Psalm cxxx. 7); “Which according to his abundant mercy” (1 Peter i. 3); and, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Eph. ii. 4). So, ‘* The exceeding riches of his grace” (Eph. ii, 7), vTnp(3aWovTa vXhtov. Paul thinketh he can never word it enough. When he spcaketh of mercy, he saith it over over-abounded; all to show the multitude and greatness of God’s mercies. So Psalm Ii. 1, we read of the multitude of his tender mercies. It must needs be so, if we consider,- —
1. How many there are to whom God hath done good; even as manv as there have been, are, and shall be creatures in the world. None that ever had a being, but tasted of God’s goodness; nay, for his special mercies, the many persons that are pardoned, all the elect from the beginning of time till the day of judgment. What hath God been doing these thousands of years that the world hath continued, but multiplying pardons, and passing acts of grace, in favour of his people? Time would be no more, but only that there are some more whom God meaneth to pardon: “Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter iii. 9). When we come to Heaven, how many monuments of grace shall we see there! A man would think that the unthaidiful world had given discouragement, and God should wait no longer; but yet there are some vacant places to be filled: “In my Father’s house there are many mansions” (John xiv. 2). We waste by giving, give from ourselves what we give to another; but this fountain is never dry: “The free gift is of many offences” (Rom. v. 16).
2. How many benefits he bestoweth on every one, many repeated acts of grace of the same kind, divers kinds of benefits, bodily mercies, soul mercies! “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalm xl. 5.) Private merries, and public mercies; mercies in hand, and mercies in hope: “Oh! how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee, before the .sons of men!” (Psalm xxxi. 19.) We have not one sin, but many sins; not one misery, but many miseries: therefore Ave have many mercies: the creatures arc always in some necessity, and so are always an object of mercy. Plow many supports this life continually needeth! all which the pro idence of God supplieth to us.
3. The greatness of these effects, the sending of his Son: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John iv. 9, 10). The gift of the Spirit himself to be everlastingly with us (John xiv. 16); and by present (roubles, to prepare us for future glory (2 Cor. iv. 17, and Rom. viii. 18), Surely, nothing but mercy, and great mercy, could do all this for us.
Use I. — To exhort us to consider of this, and to meditate much upon this attribute. To this end, I shall lay down a few considerations.
1. All that come to God, should consider of his mercy; it is the great motive to repentance, and beginning our acquaintance with God: “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and tiu-n unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth htm of the evil” (Joel ii. 13). Our distrustful and unbelieving thoughts draw an ill picture of God in our minds; we think him a hard and austere one, that is more ready to condemn us than to receive us to mercy. Thus we look upon him in the glass of our guilty fears. Oh! no; he is merciful, if we will but stoop to him. Besides, it is a great check to our pursuit of carnal vanities: “They that observe lying vanities, forsake their own mercy” (Jonah ii. 8). Thus to the secure and careless, when they consider all this grace and tender mercy, it is the great means io overcome them with kindness. A serious consideration of what God hath done, and is ready to do for us: “I beseech you, &c., by the mercies of God” (Rom. xii. 1). Saul wept when David had spared him (1 Sam. xxiv. 16). If we had not lost all ingenuousness, we should say, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant” (Gen. xxxii. 10). Then when we come to a reckoning and audit with God, how great is the sum of them! There are more effects of his mercies, and of more diverse kinds: “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Psalm cxxxix. 17.)
2. It is not enough to know that God is merciful, but we must also consider how great and tender his mercy is; for God’s children are wont to have great and large thoughts of it: we must think of it, as becoraeth the infiniteness of his nature whose mercy it is: “For ray thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my wa) s, saith the Lord. For, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. Iv. 8, 9); “For I am God, and not man” (Hos. xi. 9). We must not straiten God to our scantling; our drop is soon spent. Peter, a good man: What! forgive seven times a-day? How tender it is! It is so natural to God. Acts of punitive justice are exercised with some reluctancy; but he rejoiceth over them to do them good: he is strongly inclined to let out his goodness to unworthy and miserable sinners, who deserve the contrary from him. The sea doth not more naturally flow, nor the sun more naturally shine, nor Are more naturally burn, than God doth naturally show mercy. These thoughts will answer all the doubts and fears of a penitent; thou canst never have too large thoughts of God.
3. We shall never have such great and large thoughts of God’s tender mercy, as when they arise from our own experience and particular observation. To know God by hearsay, will not work upon you, as when we have seen him ourselves; as they said unto the woman, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John iv. 42). We do not speak or think of God with any sense and life, affection and admiration, till we have studied his nature, and observed his ways; otherwise, we speak by rote, when we praise him for his mercies, and it is but an empty compliment: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases,” &c. (Psalm ciii. 1 — 3.)
4. Then will our own experience inform us of the greatness and tenderness of mercy, when we are sensible of our sins and miseries. When a man seeth his sins great, his dangers great, then he will see God’s mercies towards him great also: “For great is thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell” (Psalm lxxxvi. 13). We do not know the greatness of the pardon, but by the greatness of the debt; nor the greatness of our protection and deliverance, but by the greatness of the danger. God continueth trouble upon his people, that they may be sensible of the sweetness of the mercy, and his help in their deliverance: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”’ (Rom. v. 8).
5. When our sense of sins and miseries hath most recommended mercy to us, we should magnify it, both with respect to supplication and gratulation.
(1.) With respect to supplication. When we are under fears and discouragements, we should oppose and set these great and tender mercies in the balance against our doubts and fears. Our sins are many, our troubles great; yet let us not be discouraged from praying, and makmg our supplication to God; for God will pardon a penitent people, and help a sensible supplicant. The more sensible of our misery, the fitter objects for mercv. What is it that troubleth us? Fear of not speeding with God in prayer? You hear how soon he relenteth, when you relent and lie at his feet; for to what use doth pardoning mercy serve, but to encourage broken-hearted sinners? “We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings.” Benhadad having lost the day, and in great fear of losing his life with his kingdom, his friends comforted him with the fame they had heard of Israel’s kings (1 Kings xx. 31). We know most certainly, it is hard to raise up truly poor, down-lost sinners, how presumptuous soever they have been before. God would have these by all means to be encouraged. So that, though you have many objections from your unworthiness, the multitude and greatness of your sins; or is it the power of men, and difficulty of our deliverance r God’s mercy is beyond the proportion of their cruelty. The more violent and ungodly our oppressors are, the more hope of God’s pity towards us: “O God, the proud are risen aeainst me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set thee before them; but thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm lxxxvi. 14, 15).
(2.) Let us magnify it as to gratulation: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies,” &c. (Gen. xxxii. 10;) less than the least of all thy mercies. Let us consider our imworthiness, that God may have all the glory.
Use II. — Is to press us to be merciful. We should be like God; let us put on bowels of mercy: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering” (Col. iii. 12); “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father ako is merciful” (Luke vi. 36).
366 SKRMOXS ON PSALJr CXIX.