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8. In pleading his remembring mercy, we plead he would remember the riches of his mercy: the Lord: is faid to be rich in mercy, and to fhew the exceeding riches of his grace, Eph. ii. 4.7. O what a strong plea is it that God accounts mercy, beyond all things elfe, to be his riches! the men of this world count gold and filver their riches: but God accounts his being merciful, his being rich, and being communicative of his mercy to poor finners.

-9. In pleading his mercy, we plead he would remember the multitude of his mercy: this is frequently the church's plea; "According to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my tranfgreffions," Pfalm li. 1. And in Pfalm cvi. 7. Ifrael is challenged for their not remembring the multitude of his tender mercy and v. 45. it is faid, "He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercy." We may as foon number the ftars of heaven, as the multitude of divine mercy and this we may fet against the multitude of our fins, when we plead, that in wrath he would remember mercy.

10. In this prayer, we plead that he would remember the objects of mercy. It is not himfelf that is the object of his mercy; but man, miferable and finful man: "The kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared," Tit. iii. 4. But the love of God and the mercy of God in this differs: that whereas God himfelf, as well as man, is the object of his love; for he loves himself, and fo is the greatest object of his love: but God himself is not the object of his own mercy; God hath no need of mercy, and is incapable of mercy for himself. What a comfortable plea is this, that the mercy which God accounts his chief riches and treafure, is what peculiarly concerns us, and our good and falvation! Hence we may make our own mifery a plea in prayer; because this is the proper object of divine mercy therefore, it is called, His kindnefs towards us through Christ," Eph. ii. 7. II. In this prayer, we plead ber the qualities of his mercy himself, great and infinite mercy; hence the church fo

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frequently in fcripture pleads the greatnefs of his mercy, and fets it against the greatnefs of their fins; "For his merciful kindness is great toward us, Pfalm cxvii. 2.Thy mercy is great unto the heaven," Pfalm lvii. 10. Nay, "Thy mercy is great above the heaven," Pfalm cviii. 4.-We may plead that his mercy is free mercy : and, indeed, if it did not exclude merit, and were not free, it could not be fo properly mercy.-We may plead that his mercy is fovereign mercy; regarding neither the worthiness nor unworthinefs of the creature.-We may plead that it is ancient mercy: with reference to eternity, that it is from everlafting; and with reference to time, that it is of old; faying, "Lord, thou haft been our dwelling place in all generations; thou haft been favourable to thy land:" and fo we may plead upon former mercies, faying, "Where is the founding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? Are they reftrained?" Ifa. Ixiii. 15. -We may plead not only the antiquity, but the perpetuity of his mercy; that "His mercy endures for ever:" he hath commanded the houfe of Ifrael and the house of Aaron to fay," His mercy endureth for ever."-We may plead the immutability of his mercy. Whatever changes befal us: yet" He is God, and changeth not; therefore the fons of Jacob are not confumed. He is the fame yesterday, to-day and for ever."

12. In this prayer we plead the kinds of mercy; the various forts of mercy. We may plead that he would remember his conquering and overcoming mercy; that can conquer our enmity, conquer our guilt, conquer the curfe of the law, and all the wrath we deferve.-That it is preventing mercy; that can and muft prevent our faith, prevent our repentance, and prevent our prayers; otherwife we will never believe, or repent or pray hence, as it is mercy that comes over mountains, fo it is called mercy found of them that fought him not. That it is following and purfuing mercy; ftill following those whom it prevents and prevails upon : "Goodness and mercy fhall follow me," Pfal. xxiii. 6. Even when the foul for fakes God, grace and mercy will follow the foul, and bring it back, otherwise it would run to ruin. Again, that it is forgiving mercy, faying, "I will be

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merciful to their unrighteoufnefs; their fins and iniquities will I remember no more."-And that it is a forthcoming mercy, faying, My grace fhall be made fufficient for thee; and my ftrength fhall be made perfect in thy weakness."-In a word, all kinds of mercy are with God; and we are to plead the variety of his mercy. There is no fin or mifery, but God hath mercy for it, mercy of every kind; and among others, uniting mercy; • I will give them one heart, and one way,' Jer. xxxi.39, And as there is no disease but God hath a remedy for it; fo there is no mifery but God hath a mercy for it. He hath in himself a treasure of all forts of mercies, divided into feveral promifes in fcripture, which are but fo many boxes or chefts of this treafury. If thy heart be hard and untender, he hath tender mercies and melting mercies if thy heart be dead, he hath quickening mercy if polluted, he hath purifying mercy: if thou art fick, he hath healing mercy: if finful, he hath allfanctifying mercy: if forrowful, he hath all-comforting mercy if loft and miferable, he hath all-faving mercy. As large and various as your wants are, more large and various are his mercies; fo that we may come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need, and according to our need, Heb. iv. 16. O what a rich product is to be had out of the womb of mercy! And, O how many powerful pleas and arguments are there in this one, Remember mercy! All the mercies that are in his heart, he hath transplanted them, as it were, into feveral beds, in the garden of the promises, where they grow; and we are allowed to pluck thefe flowers, by pleading the mercies contained in these promifes which are Yea and Amen in Chrift Jefus to the glory of God. O Sirs, be intreated to come to the mercy of God in Christ.

3dly, We may view the import with reference to the season of God's remembering mercy, viz. In the midft of wrath remember mercy. Now, What is it for God to remember mercy in the midft of wrath? Why, the Lord may be faid to remember mercy in the midst of wrath, in the following refpects.

1. When

1. When he imbitters fin to his people, which is the procuring caufe of wrath, and weans their hearts from it: "By this fhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is the fruit of all to take away fin."

2. When he humbles them under his mighty hand; makes the rod of correction drive away the folly that is bound up in their hearts; and brings them to confels that it is an evil and bitter thing to depart from the living God.

3. When he makes them fearch and try their ways; to enquire what meaneth the heat of his great anger; and induces them to turn to the hand that fmiteth them: to feek the Lord of hofts while he may be found; and to pour out a prayer when his chaftning hand is upon them.

4. When he enables them to exerife faith and patience, and other graces in the time of anger and wrath, and to justify God in all his procedure; for, "Tribulation and the trial of faith worketh patience;" and to acknowledge that he punifheth us lefs than our iniquities deferve; and therefore to bear the indignation of the Lord because we have finned.

5. In a word, God may be faid to remember mercy in the midst of wrath, when he only corrects them in measure; when he stays his rough wind in the day of his east wind: when he grants them fome little reviving in their bondage, and fupporting cordials in these wrathlike difpenfations; and favours them with any fecret interview with his gracious prefence, and lets them fee any love-defigns that he has in thefe afflictions *.

Thus much may fuffice for the third thing propofed, viz. the import of the Lord's remembring mercy in the midft of wrath, and our praying that he would do fo.

IV. The fourth thing propofed was, To fhew that it is both feasonable and reasonable to plead, that he would remember mercy in the midst of wrath, and wrathful

*Those who incline to fee further what mercy and love-defigns the Lord may have in affliction and wrathful-like difpenfations, may confuit Vol. VI. p. 108,--113.

times. This will appear evident, if we confider thefe fix particulars.

1. It is both feasonable and reasonable to do fo, because we are warranted of God to plead his promifed mercy, at all times, and efpecially in the midft of wrath;

For this will I be enquired of by the houfe of Ifrael, to do it for them," Ezekiel xxxvi. 27. compared with Pfal. 1. 15. "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou fhalt glorify me." There needs be no other reafon; and there can be no higher reason, than the will and authority of God; his command obliging us to plead with him, and put him in remembrance, Ifa. xliii. 26.

2. It is feasonable and reasonable, in the midst of wrath to plead he would remember mercy, because wrathful difpenfations are ordered of God, for this very caufe, to fir up his people to feek after him, and plead for his merciful return; "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offences, and feek my face: in their affliction they fhall feek me early," Hofea v. 15. And, indeed, feldom do we feek him in earnest, till the road be made use of, and the way be hedged up with thorns; then we begin to fay, I will go and return to my first hufband, for then it was better with me than now," Hofea ii. 7.

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3. It is feasonable, becaufe as this hath been the way of God's people, in their distress and under wrathful difpenfations, to fly to his mercy; fo it is God's way toward his people, to fhew mercy to them in their greatest extremity of diftrefs. He makes their time of need, his time of love; their time of mifery, his time of mercy : "I called upon the Lord in diftrefs; the Lord answered me, and fet me in a large place," Pfalm cxviii. 5.— Their experience hath it to fay, Many a time I was brought low, and he helped me. He brought me out of the horrible pit and miry clay, and fet my feet upon a rock, and established my goings."

4. Neceffity makes it both feafonable and reafonable: in the midst of wrath the people of God fee their need of mercy; and fee mercy to be mercy indeed: when all the waves and billows of God's wrath are flying over them, then it is time for the Lord to work, for his YOL. IX.

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