mercy, or creature-mercy; but God's mercy. And who can tell what a great and vast thing his mercy is? Mercy, in the proper notion of it, is a kind, relieving, compassion to the miserable. The object of mercy, is a miserable creature. Divine goodness shines in giving being to nothing, and in creating all things; wisdom, in ordering them, and guiding them to his glory; justice, in disposing of them according to his will, the essential rule of righteousness. But mercy hath no fit object, till misery appear for mercy to act on. The shewer of mercy is a compassionate person; its nature and end is, to relieve the miserable. Mercy with God is another sort of mercy than what is required of, and can be practised by creatures. We may, and should have compassion on the miserable, whom we are not able nor allowed to relieve. The judge that condemns the criminal, should do it with mercy and compassion; but he breaks the law, if he suffer his mercy to delay or divert a righteous sentence and execution. But the Lord's mercy is not only tenderness and compassion in his own heart, (so we borrow words, by the pattern of sound words in the scripture, to speak of God after the manner of men), but it is always relieving to the person on whom it is bestowed. Let the misery be never so great, and of what kind soever it be; whoever they be that are the objects of his mercy, they are certainly relieved thereby. There is no redemption out of the pit, though their misery that are there is the greatest. Why? Because there is no mercy for them. If it were possible that God's mercy in Christ could enter into hell itself, (as it falls on many very near to it,) that mercy would bring them out. But the door of mercy is quite shut upon them; and the Lord hath resolved and declared, that his mercy shall never visit them.

That we may the better understand what this mercy of God is, the getting whereof we should make our great errand to the throne of grace, it will be needful to consider that misery in men that renders them needy of this mercy.

And this I would consider, as it actually lies on them, and is incumbent; or as it is coming on them, and imminent.

1. The misery that all natural men lie under. It is true, they do not see it, nor feel it; but this makes not their misery

the less, but the greater. For insensibleness of misery, espe cially where it is removable, and when this insensibleness is a hindrance of using the right means of removing it, is a great plague, and an aggravation of the misery. I shall give you a few scripture-accounts of this misery.

1st, The misery of a natural man, and of all natural men, is, that they are utterly destitute of all true good: In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, Rom. vii. 18. Must it not be so much more with them that are flesh, and in the flesh, and have nothing in them but flesh? the first notion we have of misery is this, that it stands in a deprivation of good. And the greater that deprivation be, and the more good things a man is deprived and destitute of, the more miserable we count the person to be. He is a miserable man that is blind ; because the light of the world is so pleasant and useful, and the eye simply needful to behold and use it. It is a great addition to this man's misery, if he be dumb also; because the tongue is a man's glory, and the organ of expressing our thoughts, and of communion with our own kind. The misery is yet farther heightened, if a man be also deaf; for the ear is the door of knowledge, both of things natural and divine. If you go to the inward senses or powers; if a man be deprived of those, his misery is yet greater; as it is a greater misery to be void of understanding and memory, to be an idiot, (an innocent, as we call them), than it is to be deprived of any of the bodily senses. Now, if one wanted all the senses of the body, and powers of the soul (if such a creature should be called a man), would we not account this a most miserable creature? But if there be yet somewhat better than all these, surely then he that is altogether void of that, must be more miserable still.. That there is somewhat better than all these good gifts of body and mind, and that every man by nature is without it, is most manifest in the word. To be without God, without Christ, without hope, Eph. ii. 12. is more and worse, than to be without any, or all outward good things. This destitute state is expressed by our Lord, Rev. iii. 17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, What a great difference is there

betwixt Christ's, and their opinion of their state? And must not Christ's be right and true, and theirs false if it contradict his? Were they any thing the less miserable; were they not rather much more so, that they so misjudged? Our Lord aggravates both their sin and misery from their ignorance, Because thou knowest not. Spiritual blessings are of that nature, that all are miserable indeed that are without them; but no man is sensibly miserable, till he seeth that he is without them. It is the knowledge of this want that brings in the sense of misery as every unpardoned sinner is a miserable man; but he never counts himself miserable, till he feel the weight of sin, and see the want of pardon.

2dly, Every natural man is needy of God's mercy, because he is a condemned man. A condemned man, is a dead man in law. As there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, Rom. viii. 1.; so there is nothing but condemnation to all that are not in him: John iii. 18, 36. He that believeth not, is condemned already; and the wrath of God abideth on him, You may have seen and heard, how malefactors will cry for mercy from the judge, when he cannot, and ought not to pity them, so as to spare them: when they are bid hold up their hand at the bar to receive their doom, how earnestly on their knees, with tears, they will cry, Mercy, my lord, mercy for God's sake. Every natural man is condemned. But how few of their consciences can witness for them, that they ever sought God's mercy? so as convicted criminals an earthly judge's mercy? The mercy they beg is small, in regard of what sinners stand in need of from God. An earthly judge may reprieve or pardon to-day, and the pardoned man may die tomorrow. But if the great Judge condemn you, and you are not pardoned, you are sentenced to a never-dying misery. Prisoners beg mercy of a man, who, may be, is bound up by law, and conscience of his oath, to shew none, but to execute justice. Here the case is just contrary. The Lord bids men beg his mercy, and condemns them only that despise it. We have his command, and promise, and many acts of pardon, for our encouragement. What pleading for pardon would there be at earthly bars, if they had the judge's command to ask, his promise to grant it, and his hand and seal to that pro

mise? Such is our case; yet few beg it in good earnest. Be ashamed, and convinced of your sin, when you see men begging a frail, short life of a judge; and say, "Alas! I never "begged the mercy of eternal life so earnestly at the throne "of grace, as these wretches do a frail, short, uncertain life."

3dly, The natural man hath all the creation against him, and therefore is needy of God's mercy. The whole creation groans under him; he is a burden to God's earth, a plague to the creation, Rom. viii. 20, 21, 22. What a noise do men make, and what pains do they take, to heap up dust? If God prosper their endeavours, they think he blesseth them, and count themselves happy in their enjoyment. But what is all this for, to a natural unrenewed man? All these creature-, comforts will be but as so many witnesses against them in the day of the Lord, James v. 1,-4. Men seek the creatures to satisfy their carnal desires, and supply their outward wants; but they do not remember, that, unless the special saving mercy of God come along with them, the creatures are abused, and, in their way, witness and groan to God against them. They groan to be put in God's room in mens hearts, and to be made fuel for mens lusts. They all wait but for God's call to execute vengeance on his enemies. Is not such a man needy of God's mercy, that hath the whole creation of God at war with

him?

4thly, But there is worse than all these: The man himself, and all he is, hath, and doth, is under the curse of God, Gal. iii. 10. What is the curse? It is the malediction of God, on a man it is God's devoting him to ruin. He is cursed in his body, cursed in his soul, cursed in his family, cursed in his trade and estate, cursed in his crosses, cursed in his mercies, cursed in his life, and cursed in his death; cursed in time, and cursed to eternity. Ah, how long and broad is this curse! Zech. v. 2, 3, 4. O what need is there of God's mercy! for it is this mercy only that can take away the curse. There is no evil we are in danger of from an angry God, but must be removed or prevented by the opposite good from a reconciled God. If God's anger be our plague, nothing can remove it but his love. If his curse be our burden, only his blessing' can take it away. The whole creation cannot make up the

loss God's favour. And this they know well, that ever saw the face of an angry God.

So much of the necessity of God's mercy, from the present misery of natural men.

2. I might proceed to speak of that which is coming on them, without the intervening of this mercy of God. We do not reckon a man miserable only, on the account of what he feels, but also on that of his just fears. And generally the smart of misery is raised from fear, rather, and more than from feeling. If any thing renders a man's present state miserable, the apprehension of the duration or increase of what he feels, adds greatly to his misery. Many things would be little complained of as great evils, were a man sure that in a moment they shall be removed. But in a sinner's case, for as bad as it is at present, it will surely be worse with him shortly, if mercy prevent not. There is certainty of its coming, and an eternal duration of it when it comes. It is called the wrath to come, 1 Thess. i. 10. Nothing like it ever came on them. Present wrath, though dreadful, is but a trifle to that that is to come. It is wrath to come; for it will surely come. As surely as God lives, as surely as God is true in his word of threatening, this wrath will come on the world of the ungodly. There is no putting of this evil day far away, but in vain thoughts; no diverting or keeping it back a moment. All the united force of the rebellious part of the creation will not be able to stem or stop this fearful tide of wrath. It is wrath to come; for it is still coming and approaching. As many days and years as an ungodly sinner counts in his life, as many days and years journeys hath God's wrath made towards him. Think on this, old sinners; God's wrath and you are near to meet, except mercy interpose. You think that you run from it, but it runs after you. It will come upon you, and pursue you, and overtake you, as Deut. xxviii. 45. It is wrath to come; because it is always a-coming, and never past. The tide of God's wrath on the damned is an eternal flood; there will never be an ebbing. Look down to hell, and see how they fare there. Alas! men

and therefore must feel.

will not believe, and fear, and fly; How many daily hear of this wrath

to come, and yet never have any fear of it, till they be irreco