moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth, my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Ps. 16. 8. The apostle says that our high priest in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, was heard in that he feared. Heb. 9. 7. He feared the name of his God, this was the turning point with him for this is expressly said to be the ground of his life and peace. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared before me, and was afraid before my name. Mal. 2. 5. Now where there is no mercy promised there is no reverential, tender, filial fear felt, let the sufferings be never so keen, and acknowledged to be just, and therefore in such there is no confidence. For in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence. Prov 14 26. Here then our Lord pleads, Mercy, the tender mercies promised, and there can be no mercy where there is no guilt, it is but justice if we plead merits, to afford us relief and support. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me: let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me : about, my sins have taken hold upon me. Be pleased O Lord to deliver me, O Lord, make haste to help me. Ps. 40. 11. Hear me O Lord for thy loving kindness is good; turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. Ps. 69. 16. And this plea and this prayer prevailed; for we read abont the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, and again crying with a loud voice he said, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit. Wherein was fulfilled God's promise unto him that he should cry unto him. my Father, my God and the rock of my salvation; his obedience unto death was now complete. His love to God, and his love to his sheep were displayed in giving himself a ransom for many. Then he again said, it is finished, and bowing his head gave Thus was his soul made an offering the ghost. for sin, and thus was the body prepared for him bruised, and so he gave according to his word his life a ransom for many. And having set his love upon God to fulfil his will, he was delivered, and was finally set on high, because he had known his name. Ps. 91. 12. And being exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he saw of the travail of his soul, and was, and is satisfied. up In the 40 Psalm. Then said I, lo, I come: In the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness. in the great congregation. Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Here is his spotless obedience and so a lamb without blemish meet for a burnt offering. But the sure and tender mercies of David were his plea in his last agony. But as for me: my prayer is unto thee in an acceptable time O Lord, O God in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. Draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it, deliver me because of mine enemies. Ps. 69. 13. He pleads not his righteousness, but the mercy of God. All his life, love reigned and ruled in his heart, love to God and love to his brethren. Had there been the least personal sin there must have been enmity, and he. could not have put away his own sin, much less our's, he could not have submitted to God, and therefore could not have been delivered. But he set his love upon God, and therefore he was delivered. Ps.91.1, 12. He knew his name, gracious and merciful, and therefore was he set on high. Judgment and justice take hold of sinners. He bare our sin, and they took hold of him. But the promise of God to him and his was mercy. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore. Truth had engaged to make this good. Once I have sworn by my holiness I will not lie unto David. This he in his sufferings mentions. Where are thy former loving-kindnesses which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? The oppression of many enemies joined with the load of our sin makes mercy welcome. But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. Ps. 109. 21. As it was with the great high priest so it is with all that are sanctified by faith that is in him, The head and the members, David and his spiritual offspring find their glory great in God's salvation, and are made blessed for ever. Finding then at the hands of his God mercy and truth according to promise, and there could be no mercy if no guilt thro' our sin taken upon him; his song, being being delivered, is this, I will sing of mercy and judgment, to thee Lord will I sing. Ps. 101. 1. And so the song of the elder brother is the same with all the family, when he stands in the midst of the church, and sings praise unto God. Heb. 2, 12. When therefore God delivered his soul from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet from falling, it was in mercy, and he claimed such deliverance upon the ground of promise. And God's promise was mercy, and mercy supposes guilt, not his own, but our's. But Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. Gal. 3. 13. And in him have we redemption thro' his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of his grace. Eph. 1. 7. . All the sanctification we need, and all we have, is in him-and it becomes our's in happy enjoyment when according to his mercy God saves us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. We then become saints or are called saints; being called by a faithful God to the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ: and we know and feel our hapру interest in him, when, as John says, we love him because he first loved us; and herein is love not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and gave this son to be the propitiation for our sins.-And this is holiness enough both for God and us. Now, what is all religion without a sense of God's mercy in Christ, how insipid and unsatisfactoryand without truth, how vain and deceptive the highest enjoyments, and the most rapturous frames. These are the rays which go from and before the Father's face, and bow the hearts of all true worshippers unto him. None who set out to meet him, hoping in his mercy, ever found truth wanting at the end, to set free, and confirm and more than fulfil every expectation. Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his will: this part of his will is, that his purpose according to election may stand, and therefore he says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. And the very first |