verably plunged into it? who never awaken out of the sleep of security, till they are awakened by the flashes of hell-fire? who will never believe God's wrath, till they feel it? No true believer goes to hell; all unbelievers are sent thither: but as soon as they come there, they become woful believers, because eternal feelers of this wrath to come.

Mens danger of this dreadful state, should make them cry mightily for God's mercy, as it renders them unspeakably needy of it. But your own serious thoughts about it, would do you more good than many words can.

II. The second thing proposed, is, What is the obtaining of mercy? A frequent manner of speech in scripture: 1 Tim. i. 13. Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy. 1 Pet. ii. 10. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

This phrase of obtaining mercy speaks forth,

1. That the mercy is God's gift. Our obtaining, is the fruit of his giving. I obtained mercy, saith Paul, and may every believer say. How so? He gave it; he shewed, he demonstrated it, as 1 Tim. i. 16. It is the Lord's shewing it, tendering, and giving of it, that is the only spring of our obtaining it. We do not buy it, we do not work it out, we are no way meet for it but by misery. God's mercy springs not out of the earth, but comes down from heaven. It is the gift of God and as such must all seek it, that would obtain it; and as such will all eternally own it, that do obtain it.

2. This phrase speaks forth a particular application of mercy to the receiver by the giver of it. I obtained mercy, saith Paul. "General mercy would not do my business, "another man's mercy would not save me; I must have it of "my own, for myself; and so I got it. Mercy came to me, "made me a visit, and applied itself to me in particular." So must it be with you. You will never be saved, you shall never see God's face in glory, unless his mercy deal with you, and apply itself as particularly to you, as if there were no other person in the world to be saved by mercy besides thyself. There is indeed a blessed multitude of the vessels of mercy,

and the Captain of our salvation brings many sons to glory, Heb. ii. 10. But yet there is a personal particular application of saving mercy to every saved sinner. And for this application of mercy, we should come to the throne of grace. Though there be infinite mercy at his throne, and though many receive of this mercy; yet you must have of this mercy for yourselves, or you cannot be saved. Your soul is your own, and no man's else; your danger, sin, and misery, is your own, and no man's else; and the mercy that saves you, must be as much your own, and not another body's mercy. That deep discourse of the apostle looks this way, Rom. xi. 30, 31, 32. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. It is a great mystery of judgment and mercy the apostle is speaking of; the rejecting of the Jews, and calling in of the Gentiles. Mercy took occasion, from the just casting off of the Jews, tiles; and will in due time bestow itself again upon the Jews. But both of them must have mercy of their own. Mercy to the Jews will not save the Gentiles; mercy to the Gentiles will not save the Jews. Both must have their own mercy. The fountain is the same, the streams are the same; but the vessels are not the same, and every vessel of mercy must have its own measure of its own particular mercy. So must it be with you, if you be saved by mercy. It must be your own, and no man's else.

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3. Obtaining of mercy, speaks forth the receivers possessing of it. Obtained mercy, is not only bestowed and applied mercy, but it is possessed mercy. Such things as cannot be possessed and kept, are worth little pains in seeking. But God's mercy is well worth the seeking; because it may be both had by seeking, and kept when obtained, and is unspeakably beneficial when enjoyed: Psal. ciii. 17. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, As if the Psalmist had said, "Man is but a flower; his life is a "wind and vapour that quickly and surely passeth away. "But it is not so with God's mercy; it eternally abides on

"all it falls upon." O that men would think on this! As God lives, and is true in his word, God's everlasting mercy, or God's everlasting wrath, will eternally lie upon every one of you. And what an amazing difference is there betwixt these two! And yet how many behave, as if indifferent which of these two shall be upon them? God's saving mercy is such a jewel, that though the Lord gives it but. to few, yet he will never take it away from any he hath given it to, Psal. lxxxix. 28,-33. Believers, God may take any thing from you, but his mercy; and you may spare any thing, but his mercy. If God come to take away your children, give them; if he come to take away your estate, let him have it; if he come to take away your health and lives, yield them; strive not with him; bless a giving, and bless a taking God. If he crave thy right eye, or right hand, and what is dearest to you, give, yield all to him. But say, "Let me only keep thy mercy; I cannot part with that, "it is the only thing I cannot spare." The blessed Canaanite's striving with Christ was about his mercy: "Be "silent, disown, reproach me, I care not; but thy mercy "I must have." It were a cruelty that only unbelief can charge God sinfully with, to take away so precious a gift as saving mercy is. Let but this mercy follow me, as Psalm xxiii. 6. and it is no great matter where I go. If I be in the lowest hell, mercy will bring me out: Psal. lxxxvi. 13. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the loavest hell. There is no time-hell that a vessel of mercy can be in, but mercy will bring him out again; and this mercy will secure him from the eternal hell. This mercy is God's mercy; therefore sovereignly free, ther fore almighty, therefore eternal. You sin, believers, when you fear his taking away his mercy. He gave it at first, that you might be eternally possessed of it. Mercy gave mercy, and mercy will keep mercy, and mercy will stay with you, and keep you for ever.

III. The third thing to be spoke to, is, the end and design of coming to the throne of grace; and that is, that we may obtain mercy. Not only that this mercy is to be got at the throne VOL. I.

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of grace, and there only; nor that this throne of grace is erected on purpose to dispense this mercy; nor is it only that we should come to the throne of grace, to ask and beg this mercy; but that we should come to obtain it. This is the duty exhorted to in the text. And in the setting about this duty, two things are required.

need of mercy. No man He that hath no sense

1. Come as sensible of your can come truly without this sense. of misery, compliments God in asking mercy, and takes this saving name of God in vain. It is dreadful to provoke God to wrath in our way of asking his mercy and all such contract this guilt, and expose themselves to his wrath, that have no heart-sense of their need of this mercy. It is an amazing stupidity that the power of sin hath brought on men, that, in a world of sinners sinking into everlasting misery, so few are really sensible of their need of saving mercy. And no man is sensible, till God by his grace make him so.

2. Come in faith of his mercy. You cannot come at all without this faith. Faith is coming to God, Heb. xi. 6. Unbelief is departing from the living God, Heb. iii. 12. No man can come, but he that is sensible of misery; for coming is the act of a man drawn and moved by the cords of a man. No man can come but in faith; for there is no other coming for a Christian. These three things should be in this faith:

1st, A believing that there is abundance of mercy with the Lord; which if shewed and put forth to you, and on you, would save you abundantly. So argues the prodigal, Luke xv. 17, 18. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough, and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise, and go to my father, and say, &c. Psalm cxxx. 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. The highest working of unbelief is, when men judge their misery greater than his mercy: the great work of faith. is, to get these two to meet fairly and mercy will surely prevail. His tender mercy is over all his works; much more is his abundant mercy above a sinner's misery. Cain's words

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should be left for himself, and used by none else, Gen. iv. 13. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear; or, My iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven: words sounding like the language of hell, and not to be spoken by any that would escape it. I know many secure people find no difficulty in that they count believing of this, that there is mercy enough with the Lord. But yet the matter is far otherwise. It is mighty difficult to believe the abundance of his mercy, when men are in great pressures of misery. The best of saints have sometimes stumbled here. Moses is pleading with the Lord for mercy to Israel, Numb. xiv. 17, 19. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken. And pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, according unto the greatness of thy mercy.. As if Moses had said, "Lord thou hast proclaimed thy name, " and I heard it, and believed it; but I did not think, that "their wickedness would have been so great, as now I find it "to be." Was not Moses a great believer? yet he stumbled in this point of the power of God's mercy, Numb. xi. 18,— 23. Israel murmureth for flesh, God promiseth a whole month's diet of it. What saith Moses, ver. 21, 22.? How doth the Lord answer him? ver. 23. And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now, whether my word shall come to pass unto thee, or not. This great man's unbelief was greatly aggravated, in that he saw, the Lord bring that people out of Egypt, with signs and wonders, and with a mighty hand; he saw them daily fed, clothed, and led, and protected with miracles of divine power and mercy: yet one new difficulty shakes his faith. When Paul gives us his last account of his faith, (for that epistle was his last writing), he lodgeth his faith on Divine power: 2 Tim. i. 12. I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. "If I be persuaded that he is able, I "shall not doubt of his being willing to keep that charge safe "I have conmitted to him." Let the eye of faith take up clearly the power of mercy; and the faith of its application to thy benefit, will be the more easy. But he is a rare believer, whose view of the power of mercy is not darkened