"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness" (Heb.
Mercy 169 (a) He owns himself a sinner by nature, by practice, guilty before God; "' Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee?"'? The Pharisee denied himself to be a sinner. None of his neighbours can charge him, and he sees no reason to charge himself, with any thing amiss. He is clean. He is pure from sin. But the publican gives himself no other character but that of a sinner, a convicted criminal at God's bar.
(b) He has no dependence but upon the mercy of God. That, and that only, he relies upon. The Pharisee had insisted upon the merit of his fastings and tithes; but the poor publican disclaims all thought of merit and flies to mercy, as his city of refuge, and takes hold of the horn of that altar. Justice condemns me. Nothing will save me but mercy, mercy.
(c) He earnestly prays for the benefit of that mercy; O God, be merciful, be propitious to me. Forgive my sins. Be reconciled to me. Take me into Thy favour. Receive me graciously. Love me freely. He comes as a beggar for an alms, when he is ready to perish for hunger. Probably he repeated this prayer with renewed affections, and perhaps said more to the same purpose. Still this was the burden of the song, ''God be merciful to me a sinner."
Here is the publican's acceptance with God. We have seen how differently these two addressed themselves to God. It is now worth while to inquire how they sped. There were those who would cry up the Pharisee, and by whom he would go to his house applauded, and who would look with contempt upon this sneaking, whining publican. But our Lord Jesus, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secret is hid, who is perfectly acquainted with all proceedings in the court of heaven, assures us that this poor penitent, brokenhearted publican "went to his house justified rather than the other."
7. PARDONING MERCY "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness" (Heb. vill. 12). Observe: (a) The freeness of this pardon. It does not result from merit in man, but from mercy in God. He pardons for His own name's sake.
(b) The fullness of this pardon. It extends to men's unrighteousness, sins, and iniquities; to all kinds of sin, to sins highly aggravated.
(c) The fixedness of this pardon. It is so final and so fixed that God will remember their sins no more. He will not recall His pardon. He will not only forgive their sins, but forget them, treat them as if He had forgot them.
This pardoning mercy is connected with all other spiritual mercies. Unpardoned sin prevents mercy and pulls down judgments, but the pardon of sin prevents judgment and opens a wide door to all spiritual blessing. It is the effect of that mercy that is from everlasting, and the earnest of that mercy that shall be to everlasting. This is the excellency of the new dispensation, and these the articles of it; and therefore we have no reason to repine, but great reason to rejoice, that that former dispensation is antiquated and vanished away.
Mercy 17]
SERMON OUTLINE
MERCY
Gop's Mercy REVEALED IN THE COVENANT (Exod. xxiv) (a) The God of the Covenant is a Great God (i) He is "Jehovah" —The Lord (ii) He is " Jehovah-el'—The Lord, the Strong God (b) The God of the Covenant is a Good God (i) He is merciful (ii) He is gracious (iii) He is longsuffering (iv) He is abundant in goodness and truth (v) He forgiveth iniquity
Gop's Mercy REALISED IN EXPERIENCE (Ps. Ciii) (a) God's Mercy is Abundant
Il.
(1) He is not soon angry (ii) He is not long angry (b) God's Mercy is Pardoning Our Sins (i) He does not deal with us according to our deservings (ii) He fully and freely pardons our sins (c) God's Mercy is Perpetuated (i) How frail and fleeting is man's life (ii) How long and lasting is God's mercy
Gop's Mercy RATIFIED IN THE GOSPEL (a) The Prayer of the Publican (Luke xviii)
III.
(i) He owns himself a sinner (ii) He throws himself upon God's mercy (b) The Pardoning Mercy of God in Christ (Heb. viii. 12) (i) The freeness of it (ii) The fullness of it (iii) The fixedness of it