Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

XXX.

t John vi. 38. I came down from heaven, NOT to do MY OWN WILL, but the WILL of HIM that SENT

ME.

Matt. viii. 2. And behold there came a Leper and worshipped him, saying, LORD, if THOU WILT thou canst make me clean. And JESUS said, (e) I WILL, be thou clean.

XXXI.

† Acts xiv. 29, 30. And now LORD

-grant

that signs and wonders may be done by the NAME of

THY HOLY CHILD JESUS.

It seems here, that signs and wonders were not to be wrought by Jesus Christ, as the author of them; but by an higher power of the LORD, put into action by the name, Merits, or Intercession of the Holy Child Jesus. Yet St. Peter makes this same Jesus, though in heaven, the immediate author of the signs and wonders wrought by his disciples upon earth." Eneas (says he) JESUS CHRIST maketh thee whole." Acts ix. 34.

XXXII.

Matt. xx. 23. TO SIT on my right hand and on my left, is NOT MINE TO GIVE, but (it shall be given) to them for whom it is prepared of MY FATHER.

Yet our blessed Saviour has promised elsewhere, to bestow this reward in his own right To him that overcometh will I "GRANT to SIT with me in MY THRONE." Rev. iii. 21. This is sufficient to rescue the text from any heretical use that may have been made of it. But still there remains some difficulty, which, with God's help, I shall endeavor to clear up. It will appear to any person, not ignorant of Greek, that the original in this place does reserve to Christ that act of power and authority, of which the English version, by inserting a few words, seems to have divested him. The Greek is this-8κ εσιν εμον δουναι it is not mine to give, aaλ' ois ytoiμasai, but to them for whom it is prepared "nisi quibus paratum est." For in the eleventh verse of the foregoing Chapter, there is an expression exactly parallelαλλ' οις δέδοται save they to whom it is given; or as Beza hath itsed ii quibus datum." Now there can be no grammatical reason, why we should not take αλλ' οις ητοιμαται the same manner; and then the text will affirm what it now seems to deny. For to say, that Christ cannot give any particular reward, save to them for whom it is prepared of his Father, is the same as to say, to such he can and will give it; according to the common maxim. -Exceptio probat regulam in non-exceptis.

in

The scope of the Text therefore, is to shew, that nothing can be granted even by Almighty power itself, where there is not a suitable merit or disposition in the persons who claim-it.

God shall give this honorable place to those, for whom it is "prepared by an invariable rule of justice; whose victory of Faith being foreknown and accepted, a seat is allotted them accor"ding to it." And the two passages being laid together, supply us with this principle. As if our Saviour, who is the speaker in both places, had said "Though it be not mine to give; yet, "to him "that overcometh, will I (even I myself) grant to sit "with me in my Throne; because for him this seat is prepared.” It is not owing to a defect of power in the Trinity, or in any person of it, that the divine purpose cannot be changed; but because it is impossible for the power of God to break in upon the order of his distributive justice. And it is upon this account only, that we read of Christ, Mark vĩ. 5. He COULD there "do NO mighty work." For the power of doing a miracle was always present with him; but the place being improper because of their unbelief, made the thing impossible. In the same manner, that declaration of the Lord in Gen. xvii. 22. is to be accounted for,-Haste thee, escape thither, for I CANNOT do any thing till thou be come thither. No man would hence conclude, that the hand of God is straitened, or his power limited; but only that he does, and by his own nature must, act agreeably to the disposition of things and persons, known to himself.

(To be continued.)

On the Mercy of God to Sinners.

ΜΕ

ERCY is a subject on which much is said in the holy scriptures, and it should therefore be the matter of our frequent meditations. The mercies of God, duly considered, are very comforting to his people, excite to confidence, prayer, holiness and praise, and on these accounts are worthy of frequent and fixed meditation. There is also a strange readiness among many people, to consider God as hard and austere with them, by which they excuse their guilt in continuing in unbelief. This should be removed, by exhibiting the mercy of God as it is represented in his word.

ly objects of grace: they all deserve wrath for their disobedience to God, and their unholy natures; and favor to them is mercy.

The mercy of God is an holy mercy; it is exercised to promote and encourage holiness, and affords no reasonable grounds for men to support themselves in sin, by presumption on the favor of God. If men sometimes harden themselves in wickedness, it is not because there is any thing in the mercy of God which supports them. In this state of trial, the impenitent have many mercies. These are given to favor them with an opportunity to become the people of God, and that they may prove The mercy of God to man- their moral characters. When kind is favor to the ill deserving: these reasons for present favors It is grace. Sinners are the on-shall have ceased, their mercies

ners. By him God can be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth. The mercy of God is far from that weak tenderness which froward children are glad to find in over fond parents, and on account of which they at the same time despise their government. He exercises his mercy with discretion, and not in favor of rebellion and ungodliness.

will be taken away, and their abuse of them will greatly enhance their punishment. "Wo unto thee Bethsaida, wo unto thee Chorazin: for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in dust and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you." The proper II. The mercy of God is exend of mercy is to lead men to ceedingly great. Or, as the repentance. "The goodness of Psalmist elegantly expresses it, God leadeth thee to repentance.' "Thy mercy is above the heavWhen God proclaimed his name ens." No attribute appears more gracious and merciful," he strikingly expressed in the works foreclosed all presumption, by de- of God. Our God is indeed unclaring that he will by no means bounded in every perfection. He clear the guilty. Our Lord al- has so conducted the concerns of so, when he came to declare the his kingdom, as to bless his peomercy of God, and preach sal-ple with astonishing manifesta, vation to men, was at the same tions of all the known attributes time the greatest preacher of of his nature. What a sample wrath saying, "He that believ- has he given us of his unlimited eth not shall be damned." Di-power, in creating, supporting vine mercy will not save men in and directing the visible world? their iniquities. God will not de-"The heavens declare his glory, stroy his law, or subvert his own authority, or uphold men in their wickedness. His mercy saves only those who repent and trust in the Redeemer. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." It is no evidence that God is not merciful, because he will not support rebellion; but this is a real evidence that his mercy is an holy mercy. He can pardon only such as return to him through Christ, consistently with his purity.

and the firmament showeth his handy work." His wisdom is equally conspicuous in the immense plan, by which all things are adjusted in a perfect manner. His rectitude and infinite holiness are as gloriously illustrated, in framing his whole moral government, with the most excellent simplicity, on the great social principle, love-impartial goodness. And his penal justice is awfully revealed, in the everlasting condemnation denounced The mercy of God is also against fallen men and angels. consistent with justice. Though But his mercy is more wonderit bestows salvation on such as fully exercised than any sample deserve wrath, yet, as it is given which he has given of his other by means of the atonement of attributes. God is merciful, and Christ, it declares his abhorrence the manifestation of this perfec of sin and delight in justice. tion of his nature would exalt Justice was never more honored, the blessedness of his loyal subthan when Christ died for sin-jects, and he resolved that his

creatures should have the advan- several offices in this work.tage of the blessedness derived The Father covenanted with the from the knowledge of it. This Son, that in consideration of the world was from eternity selected office which he was to sustain, for the purpose: it was created, he would give him all power in and the concerns of it were in heaven and on earth, that he its beginning so directed, as to might be head over all things to prepare it for a place in which the church, and cause all things mercy should be exemplified as to work together for its good, it is, in all its glory. Mercy is that he should see of the travail a kind of supreme exercise or of his soul and be satisfied, that quality of goodness, and pecu- he should have the heathen for liarly glorious. Therefore when an inheritance, and the uttermost God declared his glory to Moses, parts of the earth for a posses he particularly proclaimed him- sion, and should break them self to be gracious and merciful. with a rod of iron, and dash them His mercy is infinite as his na-in pieces like a potter's vessel, ture, and he resolved to repre- saving his saints, and destroy sent it as it is, that it might ap-ing all his enemies. All judg pear great above the heavens." ment was to be given unto the The mercy of God appears Son. Our blessed Lord acceptgreat when we consider towards ed the appointment, and covewhom it is exercised-towards nanted to do the office of a me. this guilty world, involved in re-diator, saying, "Lo, I come, in bellion and total moral depravity the volume of the book it is writof heart towards enemies, who ten of me." And the holy spirwere far from submitting them-it was to proceed, and do his of selves to him, and towards even fice work in accomplishing these the vilest of the vile. "While designs of mercy.-This was we were yet enemies Christ died an admirable preparation to glofor us." In this respect the ex-rify the attribute of divine merercise of mercy is as great as possible. It would have seemed less, if our depravity had been but partial, or if we had first submitted ourselves to God, and manifested a disposition to return to duty, before favor had been offered.

The mercy of God is great, because the exercise of it towards mankind was designed from eternity. There was a covenant between the sacred persons of the blessed Trinity on this subject. In this the divine Trinity is revealed to creatures, and they are introduced as covenanting together on a plan of grace for fallen man, and engaging to perform their

cy.

According to this covenant of redemption, each person of the sacred Trinity began his work, after the apostacy of man, and did wonders of grace to accomplish it. The Father manifested his infinite compassion, in freely delivering his only begotten son to death. We admire the obedience of Abraham, in delibe→ rately offering his son upon the altar; but what was this in comparison with the supreme Father, when he spared not his Son, whom he loved with infinite strength of affection, but gave him up to be a propitiation for sinners that deserved his abhorrence and wrath? This

was an expression of infinite "In this was manifested grace. the love of God towards 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 a propitiation for our sins." The mercy of the Father appears also very glorious, in receiving into everlasting life, all that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God." He freely passeth by all our iniquities, and the depravity of our hearts, great as it may have been, as soon as we receive and rest upon the sacrifice which he has provided; and gives us power to become the sons of God.

Jesus Christ has also manifested his love and mercy towards us, no less wonderfully than the Father has done.That he might gratify his merciful disposition, he stepped in as a Mediator, immediately after the apostacy, and by undertaking to make an atonement, he procured a state of probation for mankind, and that the world should be given over into his hands, that he might turn all things in heaven and earth to the advantage of his grace. This was the first act of favor, which fallen man received. Christ then began to open his designs of grace to this world, and to instruct mankind in the things necessary to salvation; and he has continued in this employment ever since, giving mankind patriarchs, prophets, apostles and other ministers, to instruct, export and persuade

them to confess and forsake their sins, and return to God through Christ. He has also taken upon him the seed of Abraham, and been made a sinoffering to redeem mankind, and has given us assurance, that such as will come unto God by him, shall be heirs with him of God. Here we are to learn the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. Christ has done wonders for the salvation of those which were lost.

The

The Holy Spirit too, has come into the world, to carry on this admirable work of mercy. He inspired the writers of holy scripture, he strives with sinners, and creates anew the elect; they are made the temples of the Holy Ghost, and he is their sanctifier and comforter. Spirit of God is continually employed in these things, and he perseveres in them, though so often grieved by the unprofitableness even of the elect. Thus the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are all employed, each in his peculiar office, in the work of mercy for sinners, and they make all things subservient to this work. No sacrifice was ever made to manifest any di vine attribute by the Most High, the infinite sacrifice of the Premer was made to the exere Sf mercy. This is a most expensive work; believers are bought with a price; here the greatest wonders are wrought, which manifest the riches of divine grace.

Further, We should also consider the greatness of the benefits which divine mercy furnishes for such as will accept it, and which are freely offered

« VorigeDoorgaan »