OF THE MERCY OF GOD
John Gill
The Mercy of God differs, in
some respects; both from the love and grace of God; from the love of God in its
objects, and order of operation: in its objects; which, though the same, are
regarded under different considerations. Love pitched itself originally
on objects, in the pure mass of creatureship, as unfallen, though it continues
with them in their fallen state, and through all the imperfections of this
life, to eternal happiness; mercy supposes its objects miserable, and so
fallen: in order of operation; for though they are together in God, the one as
early as the other, yet love seems to work by mercy, and mercy from it; the
objects being viewed as dead in sin, and for it, love stirs
up mercy to quicken them with Christ, and in themselves; God, "who is rich
in mercy, for the great love", &c. #Eph 2:4,5. Mercy also differs from
grace; for though all mercy is grace, because it is free, unmerited,
undeserved; yet all grace is not mercy {1}: much grace and favour are shown to
the elect angels; in the choice of them in Christ; in the preservation of them
from the apostasy others of their species fell into; in
constituting Christ the head of them, by whose grace they are confirmed in the
state in which they were created; and in their being indulged with the presence
of God, and communion with him; they always beholding his face in heaven; all
which is abundant grace, but not mercy; since they never were miserable, and so
not objects of mercy. The things to be considered respecting
this attribute, are,
1. The properties of it, which
will lead more clearly into its nature, and the knowledge of it.
1a. Mercy
is natural and essential to God; yea, it is his nature and essence: hence he is
often described as "merciful", #Ex 34:6 #Ne 9:17 Ps 116:5 indeed it
is not to be considered as a passion, or affection in God, as it is in men;
attended with grief and sorrow, with anguish and anxiety of mind for the party
in misery; which become the more vehement, the nearer the relation is, and the
stronger the love and affection is, bore to the object.
Hence the stoic philosophers {2} denied mercy to belong to good men, and so not
to God; and, indeed, it does not, in such sense, unless by an anthropopathy, or
speaking after the manner of men; since he is free from all passion and
perturbation of mind. The Latin word "Misericordia" signifies, as one
{3} observes, having another's misery at heart; but not a miserable heart, or
one made so by the misery of another, especially as applied
to God; with whom it is no other than a propensity of his will to help persons
in distress, whether in a temporal or spiritual way; and this is as essential
to him as is his goodness; of which it is a branch: and therefore as God is
essentially, originally, independently, and underivatively good, so is he in
like manner merciful. This is one of the perfections which
are in some measure imitable by creatures; "Be ye merciful as your Father
is merciful", #Lu 6:36. The Socinians {4} deny that mercy is essential to
God, supposing that mercy and justice are opposite, whereas they are not, not
even in men; a man may be just, and yet merciful, merciful and yet just: and
not caring to allow justice to be essential to God, which they think they must
grant, if mercy is; which would establish the doctrine of
Christ's satisfaction, and make that necessary which they do not choose to
embrace. But though mercy is natural and essential to God, it is not naturally
and necessarily bore towards, and exercised on every object in misery: for then
all would share in it, that are in misery, even all wicked men and devils;
whereas it is certain they do not; but it is guided in the exercise of it by
the love of God; and is governed and influenced by his
sovereign will; who "hath mercy on whom he will have mercy", #Ro
9:15,18 just as omnipotence is essential to God, but is not necessarily put
forth to do everything it could; but is directed and guided by the will of God;
who does whatsoever he pleases.
1b. Mercy
being essential to God, or his nature and essence, nothing out of himself can
be the cause of it; for then there would be a cause prior to him, the Cause of
himself, and that would be god, and not he: the misery of a creature is not the
cause of mercy in God; who is not to be moved and wrought upon as creatures
are; being a most simple act, and having no passive power to work upon;
besides, was this the case, all must partake of mercy, since
all are miserable; which they do not; see #Isa 27:11 nor are the merits of the
creature, or works of righteousness, the cause of mercy; these are opposed to
each other in the business of salvation, #Tit 3:5 nor are those to whom mercy
is shown, more deserving than those to whom it is not; and oftentimes less
deserving, or more vile and sinful; see #Ro 3:9 Eph 2:3 1Co 6:11 #1Ti 1:13. Nor are even the merits of Christ, or his obedience,
sufferings, and death, the cause of mercy in God; for they are the fruits and
effects of it, and flow from it; it is "through the tender mercy of our
God, that the dayspring from on high hath visited us", #Lu 1:78 that is,
it is owing to mercy, that Christ, who is meant by "the dayspring from on
high", became incarnate, obeyed, suffered, and died, in our room and stead, and wrought out salvation for us. The mercy of God
arises from the goodness of his nature, from his special love to his people,
and from his sovereign will and pleasure; who, as he loves whom he pleases, and
"is gracious to whom he will be gracious"; so "he has mercy on
whom he will have mercy", #Ex 33:19.
1c. The
mercy of God is infinite; as his nature is infinite, so are each of his
attributes. His "understanding is infinite", #Ps 147:5 and so his
knowledge, wisdom, justice, holiness, and goodness, and likewise his mercy; it
is so in its nature, and in its effects; and this appears both by bestowing an
infinite good on men, which is Christ, who is the gift of God, and owing to the
love, grace, and mercy of God; and who though, as man, is
finite; yet, in his divine person, infinite; and as such given, #Isa 9:6 and by
his delivering them from an infinite evil, sin: sin, as an act of the creature,
is finite; but objectively, infinite, as it is committed against God, the
infinite Being, #Ps 51:4 and therefore is not only infinite with respect to
number, #Job 22:5 but with respect to its object, and also with respect to
punishment for it; the demerit of it is eternal death; and
this cannot be endured at once, or answered for in a short time; it is carried
on "ad infinitum", without end; and therefore spoken of as
everlasting and eternal. Now mercy has provided for the forgiveness of sin, and
for the deliverance of men from the punishment of it, and from being liable to
it, #Heb 8:12.
1d. The mercy of God is
eternal; the eternity of mercy is expressed in the same language as the
eternity of God himself; and, indeed, since it is his nature, it must be as
eternal as he himself is; see #Ps 90:2 103:17 it is from everlasting, as his
love is; which is to be proved by the instances of it, called his "tender
mercies", which "have been ever of old", or
from everlasting, #Ps 25:6 the council and covenant of peace were in eternity;
in which the scheme of reconciliation to God was formed, and the method of it
settled, which supposed them enemies, and so considered them as fallen
creatures, and objects of mercy: and, indeed, the covenant of grace, which was
from everlasting, is a superstructure of mercy, #Ps 89:1-3 and since mercy is from everlasting, not anything in time can be the cause of it;
not the misery of the creature, by the fall of Adam, nor works of righteousness
done after conversion; nor the obedience and sufferings of Christ; things in
time: and the mercy of God is to everlasting, in its fruits and effects; it is
kept with Christ, and for him, the Mediator of the covenant; into whose hands
are put all the promises and blessings of mercy; called,
therefore, "the sure mercies of David", #Ps 89:24,28 Isa 55:3 even
temporal blessings, which flow from the mercy of God, are new every morning,
and are daily continued; and spiritual ones always remain; the mercy of God
never departs from his people, notwithstanding their backslidings; and though
he chides them for them, and hides his face from them, yet still he has mercy
on them, #Ps 89: 30-33 Isa 54:6-10 Jer 3:12,14. Hence,
1e. The mercy of God is
immutable, as he himself is, and his love also; and therefore the objects of it
are not consumed, #Mal 3:6 it is invariably the same in every state and
condition into which they come; it is, as the Virgin Mary expresses it,
"from generation to generation", without any
variation or change, #Lu 1:50.
1f. It is common to all the
three divine persons, Father, Son, and Spirit; for as there is one common
undivided essence, of which each equally partakes, the same divine perfections
and attributes belong to them, and so this of mercy: mercy is ascribed to the God and Father of Christ, #1Pe 1:3 and to our Lord Jesus
Christ; not only as Man and Mediator, but as the true God and eternal life; to
whose mercy we are to look for it, #Jude 1:21 and to the blessed Spirit, who
helps the infirmities of the saints, "and makes intercession for them with
groanings which cannot be uttered", #Ro 8:26.
1g. Mercy is displayed only in
and through Christ; God out of Christ is a consuming fire; it is only in him
God proclaims his name, "a God gracious and merciful"; he is the
mercy seat, and throne of grace, at which men obtain mercy and find grace; he is
the channel through which it flows, and through whom it, in its effects, is conveyed to the sons of men: they are right who
cast themselves not on the absolute mercy of God out of Christ; but upon his
mercy, as displayed in him, as the Publican did, #Lu 18:13. In a word, it is
represented, as great, large, and ample, and very abundant; we read of a
"multitude" of tender mercies; and God is said to be "rich"
and "plenteous" in it; as will appear more fully by considering the
objects and instances of it, #Ps 103:11 51:1 1Pe 1:3 Eph
2:4 Ps 86:5.
2. The objects of mercy may be
next observed: and that this may appear in a plain and clear light, it will be
proper to remark, that the mercy of God is general and special: with respect to
the general mercy of God, all creatures are the objects of it; "the
Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works", #Ps
145:9 there is not a creature in all the earth but partakes of it; hence says
the Psalmist, "The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy!" #Ps 119:64
even the brute creation, the mute animals, share in it; it is owing to mercy
that they are preserved in their beings, #Ps 36:5,6 and that a provision of
food is made for their sustenance; and who sometimes are in
great distress, and when they cry to God he gives them their food, #Joe 1:18-20
Ps 104:27,28 147:9 Job 38:41. All men, good and bad, partake of the
providential goodness and mercy of God; he is kind to the unthankful and
unholy, and makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain
on the just and on the unjust, #Lu 6:35 Mt 5:45. He preserves and supports all
men in their beings, and so is the Saviour of all, and
especially of them that believe, #1Ti 4:10 and gives them the necessaries of
life, food and raiment, and all things richly to enjoy, both for convenience
and pleasure: yea, even the devils themselves partake of mercy, in some sense;
for though God has not spared them, so as to save them, and not condemn them;
yet he has given them a kind of reprieve, and reserved them to the
judgment of the great day; so that they are not yet in full torments, as their
sins have deserved; and as God punishes none more but less than their sins
require, this may be reasonably supposed to be the case of devils, even
hereafter.
As to the special mercy of
God, none are the objects of that but elect men, who are called
"vessels of mercy", #Ro 9:23 because they are filled with it, even
with all spiritual blessings, which flow from it, and which are bestowed on
them according as they are chosen in Christ, #Eph 1:3,4 and so particularly
regeneration, which is according to the abundant mercy of God, they are
favoured with, being the elect of God, #1Pe 1:2,3 and these, as they are
redeemed by Christ, share in the special mercy and goodness
of God; and therefore are under obligation to say, with wonder and
thankfulness, "the Lord is good; his mercy endures for ever", #Ps
107:1,2 and especially, being effectually called by the grace of God, they
appear to be the objects of mercy; then they who "had not obtained
mercy", did not know their interest in it, nor actually enjoyed the
blessings of it, "now have obtained mercy"; are blessed both with knowledge of interest in it, and with the open
possession of the blessings of it, #1Pe 2:10. These are described sometimes by
them "that call upon" the Lord, to whom he is plenteous in mercy, #Ps
86:5 by "them that love him, and keep his commandments; to whom he shows
his mercy", #Ex 20:6 Ne 1:5 Da 9:4 and by them that fear him, and towards
whom his mercy always is, #Ps 103:11,13,17. Not that calling
upon God, love to him, and observance of his commands, and the fear of him, are
the causes of his mercy to them, since that is prior to all these, and is the
cause of them; but these describe the persons who openly, and manifestly, share
in the mercy of God, and to whom the effects of it have been applied, and who
may expect a continuance of it, and larger discoveries and displays thereof to
be made unto them; as well as they show that the mercy of
God is special and distinguishing, and yet that it is not limited to any family
or nation, but is enjoyed by all that love and fear the Lord in every nation,
#Ac 10:34,35.
3. The instances of mercy, to
the objects of it, are many and various.
3a. It appears in election: it
is, indeed, a controversy among divines, whether election is an act of love or
of mercy: I am inclined to be of the opinion of those who take it to be an act
of love, and not mercy; as God chose literal Israel, because he loved them, #De
7:7,8 so spiritual Israel are first beloved, and then chosen, #2Th 2:13 "electio praesupponit dilectionem"; but then,
though the decree of election flows from love, and not mercy; yet God has in it
decreed to show mercy; he has resolved within himself, saying, "I will
have mercy, and will save"; and therefore in this decree he has appointed
them not unto wrath, which they deserve, but to obtain salvation by Christ;
which supposes them fallen creatures, and so objects of mercy; for
the decree of election may be distinguished into the decree of the end and the
decree of the means: with respect to the end, the glory of God, men were
considered as unfallen, in the pure mass out of which God designed to make them
for himself: but with respect to the means, redemption by Christ, and faith in
him, the Redeemer, and sanctification of the Spirit; here they were considered
as fallen creatures; and so, with propriety, those chosen
ones may be called vessels of mercy.
3b. The covenant of grace is a
display of the mercy of God, as before observed; it is built upon mercy, and
built up with it; it is stored with it, and is full of it. Mercy called Christ
to engage in it, and set him up as the Mediator of it, and came before him with the blessings of goodness: the provisions of Christ,
as a Redeemer and Saviour in it; of forgiveness of sins through his blood; and
of reconciliation and atonement by his sacrifice; and of regeneration and
sanctification by his Spirit, are so many displays of mercy.
3c.
Redemption itself is a signal instance of the mercy of God. Mercy resolved upon
the redemption and salvation of the elect; being viewed as fallen in Adam, and
as sinners, mercy provided a Redeemer and Saviour of them, and laid their help
upon him; mercy called Christ to undertake the work of redemption, and engaged
him in it; mercy sent him, in the fulness of time, to visit them, and perform
it; mercy delivered them up into the hands of justice and
death, in order to obtain it, and it is most illustriously glorified in it;
"mercy and truth have met together", #Ps 85:10 yea, Christ himself,
in his love and pity, has redeemed his people, #Isa 63:9.
3d. The forgiveness of sin is
another instance of the mercy of God, to which it is frequently
ascribed, #Ps 51:1 Da 9:9 Lu 1:77,78. God has promised it in covenant, as the
effect of his mercy; "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness",
#Heb 8:12. He has set forth Christ, in his purposes, to be the propitiation for
the remission of sins; and has sent him, in time, to shed his blood for it, #Ro
3:25 and it is the mercy of God, which is the foundation of hope of it; and
encourages sensible sinners to ask, and through which they
obtain it, #Ps 103:8 Lu 18:13 1Ti 1:13.
3e. The mercy of God is
displayed in regeneration, to which that is ascribed in #1Pe 1:3 and it is
wonderful and special mercy, to quicken a sinner dead in trespasses and sins;
to enlighten such that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; to deliver from the bondage of Satan those, that are led captive by him
at his will; to snatch them as brands out of the burning, and save from
everlasting fire; to bring men out of a pit, wherein there was no water, no
relief and comfort, and in which they must otherwise die; and to reveal Christ
to them, and in them, the hope of glory; and give them a good hope, through
grace, of being for ever happy. These are some of the great
and good things which God does for his people in the effectual calling, having
compassion on them.
3f. Complete salvation, and
eternal life itself, flow from the mercy of God; he saves, "not by works
of righteousness, but according to his mercy", #Tit 3:5 and when he shall put his people into the full possession of salvation,
then they shall find and obtain mercy in that day, even in the day of judgment,
when they shall go into life eternal; and therefore are now directed to look
unto the mercy of Christ for it, #2Ti 1:18 Jude 1:21.
{1} Vid.
Maccov. Theolog. Quaest. loc. 13. p. 32.
{2} Zeno apud Cicero. Orat.
23. pro Muraena, Laert. in Vita ejus, l. 7. p. 512. Seneca de Clementia, l. 2.
c. 4, 5, 6.
{3} Zanchius de Natura Dei, l.
4. c. 4. p. 372.
{4} Socinus de Servatore, l.
1. par. 1. c. 1. Praelectiones, c. 16. Racov. Catechism, c. 8.
qu. 20.