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promised a sinner his mercy to-morrow. If you will beg his mercy to-day, you may have it, and it shall endure for ever. But God never gave an allowance and liberty to any man, to spend one day or hour in consulting whether he should beg God's mercy or not. David had indeed a sad choice of judg ments laid before him, 2 Sam. xxiv. 13. and is bid by the Prophet, Advise now, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. But for a perishing sinner, that hath an offer of God's mercy in Jesus Christ, there is no delay allowed, but only he is bid ask it presently.

2. Receive God's mercy. Receiving is easier than asking. Asking requires some pains; receiving is but a consent of the heart to take what is offered. Asking supposeth a great and needful blessing, that he that wants it would fain have; and therefore he begs it. Receiving implies, that this great blessing is in his offer fully and freely; and therefore he must accept it. Here is the state of things betwixt God and men in the gospel. The Lord brings his mercy near to them, offers it to them, bids them take and receive it; but many will not. God offers quarter to rebels in arms against him; but they stand upon their sword, and will not take quarter. Ministers work is, to intreat and beseech in Christ's stead, 2 Cor. v. 20. God only can persuade and prevail with men. Mercy comes prepared and ready for men. It is prepared in the purchase of Christ; it is prepared in the well-ordered covenant; and as prepared and ready, it is tendered freely to sinners: All things are ready, come to the marriage, Matthew xxii. 4. All things are ready. God himself is ready to give mercy. Christ is ready; he is slain for us: let us come and keep the feast, 1 Cor. v. 7, 8. The Holy Spirit is ready to seal you to the day of redemption, if you will accept of God's mercy in the Redeemer. Heaven is ready, the way is plain, and all hindrances of law and justice removed, Heb. x. 19, 20. The city of refuge is ready; and its gates are open continu→ ally, to receive and give entrance to all that flee for safety, Heb. vi. 18. Alas! all things are ready; but men are not willing. There is not a moinent's time needed to ripen God's mercy for men. No perishing sinner, that seeth his need of God's mercy, and is willing to receive it, needs stay a mo

ment, till mercy be ready for him, or he more ready for it: Rom. x. 6, 7, 8. The righteousness which is of faith, speaketh on this wise, (How very few have ears to hear such a speaker, and such a speech ?), Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from above): Or` who shall descend into the deep: (that is to bring up Christ again from the dead). (Christ is come down already from heaven, and is gone back again to heaven). But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith which we preach. Mercy and salvation for lost sinners is prepared by Christ's coming down, and going up again; and he hath lodged the power and virtue of his undertaking in the gospel. Suck at that well with faith, and thy soul shall be saved: there thou wilt find Christ, and all his fulness. There was never such a treaty made in the world. We can fetch no similitude fully like this amongst men. Thus the Lord pleads with men in the gospel :-" You

are already undone with sin and misery lying on you, and "you are every hour sinking into greater; let but my mercy

in my Son enter in, and it will cure all that is past and pre"sent, and prevent all the misery that is coming on you." And will not miserable sinners receive God's mercy? Are you afraid of saving mercy? will it hurt you? why do ye not give it entrance? It is one of the greatest demonstrations what monsters sin hath made men, that they are unwilling to be saved by free mercy, in Jesus Christ. Open a door for God's mercy, by a free receiving of it; or else you will find the door of his mercy shut against you, when you need it most. Your giving way to his mercy, is your receiving of it. Say with the heart, "Let God's mercy enter in upon me, and "save me its own way." A yielding, and giving, and putting of a lost soul into the hand of Christ, is the nature of saving faith in him. Will ye not trust in his mercy? Is it not able to save you? Your want of a sense of your need of his mercy, is a giving the lie to all the threatenings and curse of the law; your doubting of the ability of his mercy to save you, is to give the lie to all the faithfulness and truth of God declared and sworn in the gospel.

3. Plead mercy. When you beg it, use no other plea for

mercy, but mercy. When you beg mercy, you must beg mercy only for mercy's sake. That that moves God to shew mercy, must be our argument in pleading for mercy. Wherefore doth God shew mercy? Because he will shew mercy, and delights in it, Micah vii. 18. And therefore should we plead it. Mercy in his heart, is the only spring of mercy from his hand. David, who knew God's mercy well, had tasted of it often, and needed it greatly, when fallen into a foul pit, thus pleads for mercy: Psalm li. 1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Have a care of making any other plea for mercy from the Lord, but that of mercy with him. And stick to this plea, and it will prevail. If the Lord for trying of your faith, or Satan for shaking it, should say, How dare such a vile sinner as thou art, beg so great a gift as saving mercy, from so holy a God? the poor pleader hath a ready answer: "I want mercy as much as my soul is worth. "In vain do I seek it of any creature; nothing but his

mercy can save me. I beg mercy only for mercy's sake: "I bring nothing but a starving soul, and an empty hand. "I beg his mercy as an alms, which will eternally enrich "the receiver, and not impoverish the giver. What can "such as I beg of such a God as he is, but mercy? His "name is Mercy, my name is Misery. I would have my "misery relieved by his mercy, and his mercy glorified in "my relief."

4. Hope in his mercy: Psalm cxlvii. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy, Psalm cxxx. 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy. It is from the devil, for whom there is no mercy, that any of the most miserable out of hell are tempted to think there is no mercy with God for them. He envies men God's mercy. He doth not only tempt to sin, but also to security in it, till the day of mercy be past. If God awaken a sinner to see his need of mercy in time, Satan tempts him to think that it is out of time. In such temptations he acts most like himself, a reprobate damned spirit; and in managing of them he hath great advantages, from his

own craft and malice, and mens just deserving of wrath. Look on all such thoughts as from that adversary, and treat them accordingly. When you beg mercy, look for it; expect to obtain it, when you would lay hold on it. The Lord will never keep back his saving mercy from a sinner that would have it as his life. When you plead for mercy, for mercy's sake, hope to prevail; and that will help you to plead better.

So much for this exhortation. Will ye go home and do so? Will you study more your misery, and the greatness of his mercy; and ask and plead for it more earnestly? There is never better fruit of preaching, than when the hearers are sent away hungering and thirsting after the Lord's mercy.

SERMON VIII.

HEB. iv. 16.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I

HAVE spoke to the first of the blessings to be got at the throne of grace, which we should come for, obtaining of mercy. The second is, The finding of grace to help in time of neɛd. This expression, finding of grace, is probably borrowed from the Old Testament, wherein the bestowing of favour is usually so expressed. We find it in mens pleadings with one another. So Jacob to Esau, Gen. xxxii. 5. and xxxiii. 1. These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. And he pleads upon it, ver. 10. If I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God; and thou wast pleased with me. Jacob had seen. God's face that morning, and had found grace in his sight, and he remembers it when he finds grace in the sight of his angry brother. So we find the phrase used in dealing with God, by Moses, Exodus xxxiii. 12, 13, Yet thou hast said, I

know thee by name, and thou hast found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight.

The first thing I would remark here, is, the connection betwixt these two blessings and errands, obtaining of mercy, and finding of grace. Mercy and grace are joined together by God, and are not be put asunder by man. Many would separate them. They would be content to obtain mercy; but they care not so much for his grace. But such are only profane ignorant persons, that know neither God nor themselves, nor his mercy, nor his grace. The Lord will not give mercy without grace, nor grace without mercy. All that receive either, receive both; and all that would have either, must ask both; and none can ask either aright, but he that asks both.

This grace we are called to come to the throne of grace for the finding of, is specified from its great advantage and usefulness. It is grace to help in time of need. The words in the original are, grace for seasonable opportune help. It is the nature of this grace, that it is helpful. Its helpfulness mainly appears in a time of need. A time of need will come: this grace is to be asked before that time come; it is to be waited upon till the time of need come, and used when it comes.

The truth to be spoke to, is this plain one :—

DOCT. That all that hear of God's offer of grace, should come to God to ask it, to get it, to find it.

Men should come to God's throne of grace, for grace for themselves. They should come to God in Christ Jesus, for the grace of God in and by Christ Jesus. This is a truth so bright in its own evidence, that there is no need to confirm it. What hath been said of coming to obtain mercy, is equally binding unto coming to find grace.

Two things, then, I would speak unto at this time.

I. What is this grace we are called to come to the throne of grace for?

II. What finding of grace is; what specialty is there in this expression? It is certain, never did a man find grace, be

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