---- CHAPTER IV: That the mercies of God's heart and nature are the prime object of faith.
Old Testament faith to express his own New Testament faith by; and we professing with all the apostles and primitive saints to 'believe that we shall be saved by the same grace of Christ' and mercy of God that they, under the Old Testament, were saved by (which great maxim is expressly uttered in the name of the apostles, and of all the Christians of the New, Acts 15:11), may well be induced to make a like improvement and valuation of this Old Testament carkanet,* bestudded with so many jewels.
CHAPTER IV
That the mercies of God's heart and nature are the prime object of faith.
The first proof drawn from some special observations upon this proclamation of mercy, Exod. 34:6, 7; and upon the story, occasion, occurrences, circumstances, end, and purpose of it by God.—The issue and effect of it, and the use Moses made of it; which, as they exceedingly exalt the grace and mercy proclaimed, so do greatly commend it to our faith, fur the support of it.
That this proclamation of grace was fully intended by God for a foundation to our faith, and that it tendeth directly to prove the assertion, the following observations will, I hope, when taken along and put together, sufficiently possess us of. It is true that these observations themselves are but about circumstantials of the proclaiming it, in comparison unto the gracious matter and merits themselves contained in the proclamation itself; and these concern but the occasion, season, &c., which God took for this first publishing of it; yet such they are as the consideration of them doth greatly tend to the exalting of God's grace, which is proclaimed therein; and the two last of them will end in a punctual proof of this first head.
Obs. 1. That it was God himself who immediately published this.
Wise princes, if matters of extraordinary grace be to be declared or manifested, choose to do it themselves, and not by others, though favourites. And if ever there were words of grace spoken, then are these such. They are suavissima concio (as one styles them), the sweetest sermon that ever was preached. And God himself was the preacher, and for the reason fore-mentioned would be the proclaimer of them.
The vulgar translation, and the Romanists addicted thereunto, do put the honour of proclaiming it upon Moses (forsooth), and that it should be he who said, 'Jehovah, merciful,' &c., to the great obscuring of the greatness, yea, majesty, of God, given demonstration of herein.
It is true those words in verse 5, translated 'he proclaimed the name of Jehovah,' are elsewhere rendered 'called on the name of Jehovah.'
And indeed the very same words, in the Hebrew, are used of Jacob:
Gen. 12:8, that he 'called upon the name of the Lord.' And so if the coherence here had not apparently contradicted it, it might have been so understood here, and attributed to Moses. But, to be sure, those words, verse 6, 'And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, merciful,' &c., this must necessarily be referred to God himself, not to Moses. For,
1. He that passed by was he that proclaimed this, and that was God.
2. We find God himself, in chap. 33, to have given it out to Moses, and to have beforehand promised that himself would be the proclaimer: 'I will proclaim the name of the Lord' (saith he), and so not dictate it only for Moses to proclaim it. And accordingly we see that here in chap. 34 he performs it: ver. 5, 6, 'The Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord,
The Lord God, merciful,' &c.
3. Moses's true time and first beginning to speak was but at the 8th and 10th verses: 'And Moses made haste, and bowed his head, and worshipped. And he said,' &c., namely, after that God had done speaking. And thereupon it was that he began to speak in all great haste, and to urge what God himself had said. So as indeed it is plain that both speeches, both that in verse 5 as well as that in verse 6, are to be understood not of invocating the name of the Lord, but of proclaiming the Lord, as our translators have rendered them both, and both alike to be wholly referred to God as the proclaimer. And that it should be twice said he proclaimed, was to put a notoriety upon it, and to shew of what moment it was for us to know that the great God proclaimed thus his own name and glory. And the stream of the Hebrew text runs thus, verse 5, 'And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.' He that descended and stood with Moses, he it was that proclaimed it; and that, to be sure, was God.
But we find Moses, in Num. 14, expressly urging these words as God's own words upon him, so to put the more force into his plea: ver. 17, 'And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying' (quemadmodum pronunciasti dicendo,* even as thou hast pronounced, O God, in saying), 'The Lord is long-suffering,' &c.
Obs. 2. It is further said, that 'God descended to proclaim this,' in verse 5, which still speaks the more grace. I know it is historically meant of God's visible descending in the cloud; yet give me leave from that shadow or type thereof, to decipher the impresses of grace signified thereby. For, 1st, That God should shew mercy to sinners, hath the greatest condescension in it, but much more to come down and proclaim it:
'He humbled himself to behold things in heaven' (even to behold his angels that never sinned), Ps. 113:6; but for him not only to behold, but withal to deign to cast an eye of grace and mercy upon sinners, the things on earth, yea, and himself to descend unto earth to
proclaim it, this is condescending indeed in 'the high and lofty One.'
And further, 2dly, For the great God to shut up the emblazoning his incomprehensible simple nature into the narrow compass of a few words and form of speech, and those words importing several distinct things, and so, as it were, to pourtray forth himself by piecemeals and brokenly, by an imperfect delineation (for such these epithets are) to the end to bring himself down to our low capacities and conceits, this was a farther condescending indeed; it is a speaking to us of himself in the image of our own puerile understandings. But, 3dly, This his visible descending in the view of all the people, to proclaim this grace by words, was a most certain pledge given that he who was the Jehovah, God blessed for ever, would one day break the heavens, and come down and take our nature, and dwell among us, and put this proclamation into full force and virtue, which in the mean while, until he should do this, had yet its efficacy upon the saints of the Old Testament; and upon that descending, to be sure, we shall have cause to say, as in the same chapter, that 'the law came by Moses, but grace and truth by Jesus Christ;' which are the great materials of this great proclamation, and of which the second person, the Son of God, was indeed the proclaimer.
Obs. 3. The subject-matter of this proclamation consists chiefly of grace and mercy. It is true matter of justice comes in and hath a place in it, but how? Afterwards; but mercy excels, exceeds, and is the prevailing argument.
1. In the number of the particulars here recited. There are thirteen titles (say the Jewish writers) given to God here; others reckon fewer, some but eleven (that is the least), whereof the three first are counted by them to be the proper names of God: Jehovah, Jevohah
El, translated the Lord, the Lord God; all which three do yet suit with and impliedly intend mercy. The other nine (which are attributes)
even seven of them speak altogether God's gracious affections towards repentant and believing sinners, as is evident in the very reading and counting of them.
2. If all the first three be taken for the proper names of God, yet of those attributes that follow, mercy, &c., have the first place and rank; yea, and all the seven (the whole set for mercy) are placed together first, and so claim to have the chief place in point of order and precedence before all.
3. In God's own foreshewn declaration of what his mind was to be therein (chap. 33:19, which explains this), where, when he promiseth, 'I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee,' he adds, 'I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy.' Why are these latter so nearly and immediately subjoined to his proclaiming his name, but that his great name, which he then and here intended to proclaim, consisted most in his being merciful and gracious,* &c. Himself beforehand professeth it; yea, and the other, the first words before these in the same verse refer most properly thereunto. 'I will cause all my goodness to pass before thee;' and goodness is the genus that comprehends mercy, grace, long-suffering, kindness, truth, &c., in it, as branches from that as the root.
4. The quotations that David so often, and the prophets, make of the words, do confirm this, they rehearsing no other but only those that belong to mercy: Ps. 86:15; Ps. 103:8; Ps. 145:8.
The two latter, indeed: 1. 'That will not clearing clear the guilty;' 2.
'Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generations;' these two are commonly referred to punitive justice, as importing acts and resolutions in God thereof, the first being rendered, that will by no means clear the impenitent. And yet,
1st. About this meaning there is a very great controversy among interpreters, some very judicious casting this very clause in among
God's mercies, in chastising, but not destroying; in taking vengeance on their inventions, and yet forgiving them, as in Ps. 99:8, of which interpretation afterwards. And if so, then justice hath but one left, and mercy may challenge eight of the nine to belong to it; but however mercy may triumph and say, if justice be avenged twofold, mercy is gracious sevenfold, it carries it clear.
2dly. This rehearsal of his mercy and grace doth come in directly and absolutely and for themselves, and the current of them hath its spring purely from the heart of God, and runs with a straight, direct, natural stream; but these of justice mentioned come in but accidentally, and indeed but as occasioned by God's having gone so far in declaring so much mercy, and having poured forth so much grace from his whole heart, to the view of sinners of all sorts and sizes. Because he knew how much and how deeply this root of bitterness was seated in men's hearts, to say in their hearts, 'I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart,' &c., Deut.
29:19; and how apt are they to 'turn all this grace into wantonness;' therefore it is that at last, and but at last, he brings this high threatening in, 'that will by no means clear the impenitent.' And so, as the apostle says of the law, that it was 'added because of transgression,' so is this a mere occasioned additional (though most necessary by reason of man's corruption), because of obstinate sinners continuing in sin against light, and indeed but to vindicate and turn the glory of his mercy, which he is pleased to account his highest glory, from impure claim and profane hands of presumptuous sinners laying hold thereon when resolved to continue in their sins. And look, as mercy itself in him is from and of itself, not moved by anything in the creature, but on the contrary, justice
(though it is as essential to him as mercy) yet makes and puts forth itself but only upon man's sin, just so doth the mention of it come in but in relation and for the prevention of man's sin, and abusing of his mercy.
3dly. Again, unto those acts of justice specified there are bounds and limits set, 'visiting the iniquities, &c., to the fourth generation,' and
further; and after that is passed and gone, leaving the door for mercy wide open; and it is for them that hate him, which is the second commandment's addition; and those that hate him love death. Yea, in that very decalogue, the law (which, if any part of Scripture, was designed to speak justice and wrath), the comparison between the shewing mercy exceeds by thousands, so as it is not the proportion of one thousand to three or four, but of thousands;* and to how many thousands he limits not that neither, but leaves room for to set down millions of millions of thousands, and yet this is in the law. But here in this gospel declaration he plainly sets no number either of thousands or millions of thousands, none at all; for of his mercy there is no end.† And at this very time, whilst God renewed that law and those words in it with his own hands, he utters with his own mouth this proclamation of grace so far excelling, professing to pardon all sorts of iniquities, transgressions, and sins, which he knew and foresaw the sons of men would commit against that law.
Obs. 4. The season which God was pleased to take the advantage of is most observable. It was this: this people had immediately before committed that greatly heightened sin in all manner of circumstances of it, of making and worshipping the golden calf; the story of this you find to be the subject of chap. 32 throughout, by which high transgression they had utterly, on their parts, broken the covenant, as Moses his breaking the tables of stone did shew; the sense of the high heinousness of which sin the Jews bear upon their spirits unto this day, it being usual with them when any eminent punishment befalls their nation, to say that an ounce of the golden calf is in it. In which chapter you also have the deep resentment which God took thereat, and a most eager zeal to have been avenged was breaking forth: 'Let me alone,' says he to Moses, that was about to intercede for them, 'that my wrath may wax hot against them to consume them,' ver. 10, which, though in sound of words seems to express an high indignation conceived, and to check Moses, as it were, for praying for them, yet in reality did tacitly insinuate an inclinableness to mercy upon Moses's farther entreaty; and indeed, to invite him the more earnestly to put himself forth in interceding
for them, importing that he was not absolutely or wholly resolved, but overcomeable by entreaties, which Moses took the advantage of, and followed his suit, and upon the assault God began to relent of the severity he had threatened;* and yet still God did not reveal this to Moses, but kept it to himself, for, ver. 30, Moses, as it were, speaks of it uncertainly to the people: 'Peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sins.' But God carried it still to him, as if it still stuck with him, so as to be avenged, as by the hard conflict Moses had with God, carried dialogue-wise between them, and God's quick reply unto his prayer, ver. 31 to the end of the chapter, appears. And again, chap. 33 to ver. 4, the tidings hereof the people hearing, though they mourned and humbled themselves, ver. 4, yet still God carries it reservedly and aloof off to them, as unto what he would do with them (as those words shew, 'that I may know what to do unto thee,' ver. 5), whether pardon or destroy them. But Moses thereupon farther speaking with God, the Lord was so familiar with him above all times ever before, either with himself or ever with any other man, that Moses was bold to plead for farther favour to that people, and for a special high privilege to himself: 'Shew me thy glory;' all which transactions were the most lively representations and types of Christ's intercession and prevalency for us, in and by whom God was to manifest all his glory, specially of grace and mercy, to his chosen children; John 1:17 and 18 compared. And hereupon God sets him a time, which was the next day early; and at his time set comes down to him (which was in view of all the people), and then comes off like the great God himself, proclaiming all those his mercies to him of 'pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin.' And though this was done in his hearing alone, yet for the people's sake, and on their behalf, for whom he had so vehemently interceded, whose concernment this was as well as his own, as that clause, 'keeping mercy for thousands,' shews. And having done this, he restores and estates them into the same favour they were in before, he renews his covenant with them which they had broke: ver. 10, 'Behold, I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people amongst which thou art shall see the work of the Lord.'
Obs. 5. Observe the haste God made to do this. After that this treatment between himself and Moses was come to its full issue, he makes no delay, his heart was so full of it: ver. 2, 'Be ready,' says God to Moses, 'in the morning.' And it could be appointed no sooner; for the solemnity which the Lord was pleased to make and observe in the doing it, which was to have all the people forewarned, ver. 3, put in expectation, &c., and then himself to descend in their view, ver. 5.
And according to God's command, 'Moses rose up early in the morning,' and, it is added, 'as the Lord had commanded him' (so that God had appointed the very earliest of the morning too), and all speed was used that could be, and God made him not stay for a moment. After Moses was come, 'the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there;' and then 'the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed,' &c. And what he performed to Moses and the people in this respect he also doth to us; for how often do you read of his hearing us in the morning; as in Ps. 5:3, and of his 'causing us to hear of his loving-kindness in the morning;' as Ps. 143:7, 8, 'Hear me speedily, O Lord! Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning.' And Ps. 90:14, 'O satisfy us early with thy mercy.' Look, as Moses hasted, ver. 8 (as is said), to put up his suit and petition upon it, and that we are bidden to seek God early, so God was as early with him, which was intended for a precedent for us that shall for ever need this grace and mercy which he here proclaims. Nay, sometimes
God prevents us before we call, but is always ready to forgive' (as the Psalmist's word is), and, to be sure, comes down to 'help in time of need,' Heb. 4:16. Oh the riches of his grace! and the depth of the 'riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God,' Rom. 11:33, that thus contrived and took the fairest season and opportunity for advantage for his expressing his grace and heart to us, magnifying thereby his mercy and goodness to the utmost. I said there were two grand pillars in the Old Testament: one, God's promise of Christ; and the other, this manifesto of God's gracious nature: and lo, the advantage
God took for both, upon the commission of the most heinous sins; the one upon occasion of the first and greatest sin, and of the largest extent of mischief in the consequence that ever was committed, viz., our first parents' fall, by which all mankind were undone; and it was
upon that occasion he let fall that promise of Christ, which was the first foundation of Old Testament faith, and continues such to the end: and now again upon the first greatest sin this people did commit after their having received the law, and heard God's voice, it was that he publisheth this other. And he pardoned each of these their sins whilst he was a-speaking and uttering of these promises; and this latter of his mercy was the original of that other of the Messiah himself, considered as he is our Saviour, and the over-comer of Satan for us. We may well, therefore, hereupon glorifying him say, as that the Lord is 'gracious and full of bowels' (with the apostle James), so in respect to the opportunity God took, that he 'waiteth to be gracious' (with the prophet Isaiah), that is, to manifest it in the fittest season; for he is a God of judgment, Isa. 30:18. What heart guilty of the most heinous sins, that is now humbled for them, should not this move and encourage to come in unto such a God!*
Obs. 6. Moses having heard what God had spoken, God then speaks anew inwardly to Moses's heart, and Moses instantly puts it into practice and suit. Now, as this shews most effectually what God's intention had been in uttering his meaning, Isa. 55:10, 11, so it doth most exemplarily instruct us what use this publication of mercy is to be put out unto by us; that we should lay hold on it by faith, and turn, and put it into prayer, but especially in the case of pardon of sins. For so of Moses it is said, ver. 8, that when God had done speaking, and was passing apace by him, 'Moses made haste, and bowed his head towards the earth, and worshipped;' even as one that is an humble suppliant to a king, as he passeth by him, follows him, and humbly presents his petition in haste, lest he should be gone out of sight; so here.
If it be said, might he not at leisure have, at any time afterwards, put up the same petition upon the same ground? the answer is, that when God is near, and greatly present to the soul (as he was here to Moses), that is the most acceptable time of praying for all or anything a believing soul desires. Let them take that opportunity, and though such a special nearness should not fall out till towards