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blessed Saviour himself has explained and enforced it so strictly, as well as his Apostles. But let us remember that heaven and earth shall pass away, sooner than one jot or tittle of the word of God shall fail;* and that we shall be all judged at the last day by this rule of unchangeable righteousness.

* Matt. v. 18.

SERMON VI.

THE CHARACTER AND BLESSEDNESS OF THE MERCIFUL.

MATTHEW v. 7.

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN

MERCY.

THE Gospel of Jesus Christ is a revelation of mercy to mankind. Its object and design are to reconcile sinners to God, through the death of his Son, and to teach them to be merciful to others, as they hope to obtain mercy themselves. This truth is evidently taught by our Lord in the words of the text, and is confirmed by him in several other passages; and every faithful follower of Jesus Christ will endeavour to imitate his goodness and loving-kindness to men. True faith is a living and active principle, which, while it forbids all malice, hatred, and revenge, at the same time produces holiness and every good work. The only sure and certain evidences of true faith are to be found in its effects, and especially in the practice of that charity which arises from a sincere profession of the Christian

religion. The blessings of the Gospel are not bestowed on unfeeling and unmerciful men, who violate the laws of God and the principles of humanity; but pardon and peace are promised only to those, who through faith in a merciful God and Saviour are merciful themselves. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. To understand these words rightly, it will be necessary to consider,

I. The character of the merciful; and

II. Their blessedness.

We must refer to the Scriptures of truth for an accurate description of the character of the merciful. According to them it consists not merely in a merciful and charitable disposition of mind, but in a merciful and charitable conduct. It does not consist so much in kind and benevolent words and wishes, as in kind and benevolent actions. Justice is one of the highest virtues in a moral sense; but mercy means MORE than justice in a scriptural sense, because mercy does MORE than strict justice requires.

We find justice and mercy mentioned together in the sacred Scriptures, and they are placed in their natural and proper order; first, justice, and then, mercy, as a higher degree of Christian excellence and perfection. Thus the Prophet Micah declares in that beautiful and sublime passage, which cannot be too much observed and admired: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy

God? Our Lord himself also intimated the same superiority in his reproof of the Pharisees. Ye have neglected the weightier matters of the law-judgment and mercy.*

Justice must evidently be found where there is mercy; for it is impossible that he who is merciful to all, should be unjust to any; or, that he who takes delight in doing good, should be the author of evil in the least respect. In vain, therefore, does any person make pretensions to the greater virtue who does not observe the less. To do justice with mercy is the first great principle of our laws, and of the executive government. In the common acceptation of the word, mercy is goodness or charity exercised towards the afflicted or distressed, who are the proper objects of pity and compassion. The merciful man takes pleasure in relieving the wants and necessities, and alleviating the miseries, of suffering humanity. The merciful man is therefore one who has all the goodness of the Christian character. By the goodness of the Christian character, I mean such a benevolence and good-will towards our fellow-creatures, as proceeds from the true and genuine principles of the Christian religion. The merciful man, in the judgment of God, is merciful out of choice, and from a sense of duty. He desires to be conformable to the divine likeness, and obedient to the divine law. In the performance of this duty, he is strengthened and assisted by the grace of God, actuated by the love of Christ, and animated and encouraged by the promise here given, of present and • Matt. xxiii. 23.

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eternal blessedness. Not that he supposes there is anything meritorious in his best services, which he well knows are imperfect; but he is convinced, that without the help of divine grace, he is incompetent for any good works, and consequently he disclaims all merit to himself, and ascribes all the goodness and the glory to God in the words of the Apostle: Yet not I, but the grace of God which was given me.*

The merciful man, acting on these principles, and in this manner, bears the nearest resemblance to God of which human nature is capable. We read in the Scriptures of the tender mercies of God, which are over all his works, of his being full of compassion, and of his heart's being turned within him; with many similar expressions, which are evidently used in condescension to human weakness, signifying that the mercy of God operates as effectually as if it immediately sprang from natural affections. From hence, however, we may justly argue, that such natural affections, however incompatible they may be with the divine perfections, are not disgraceful, but highly honourable to human nature in its present state of sin and misery. If what is now called Political Economy require us to restrain as much as possible in ourselves all the feelings and emotions of mercy, it is directly contrary to the precept of the Apostle Paul, who earnestly exhorted the Colossians to whom he wrote, to put on, as the elect of God, bowels of mercies, kindness, and humbleness of mind—as well

* 1 Cor. xv. 10.

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