What full provision is made for man's happiness!

Posted : 25 Apr, 2013 02:10 AM

Psalm 119:64 The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy: teach me Your statutes.





What full provision is made for man's happiness! The first

creation was full of mercy. God knew that He had created a

being full of want. Every faculty wanted some suitable object,

as the source of enjoyment in the gratification- of suffering in the denial; and now has He charged Himself with making

provision for them all-so perfect, that no want is left

unprovided for.

But what a picture does the earth now present on every side-a

world of rebels! yet a world full of the mercy of the Lord! "O

Lord, how manifold are Your works! in wisdom have You

made them all. The earth is full of Your riches. The eyes of all

wait upon You, and You give them their meat in due season.

You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living

thing." And how does the contemplation of the Lord's mercy in

providence encourage our faith, in the expectancy of spiritual

privileges! "O Lord! You preserve man and beast. How

excellent is Your loving-kindness, O God! therefore the

children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your

wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of

Your house; and You shall make them drink of the river of

Your pleasures." 'As You largely bestow Your blessings upon

all creatures according to their nature and condition, so I

desire the spiritual blessings of the lively light of Your law and

word, which are fitting and convenient for the being and

happiness of my soul.' As an ignorant sinner, "what I see not,

teach me." Teach me Your statutes; that which You have

appointed, as the way of duty, and the path to glory-that path

which I am utterly unable to discover, or when discovered, to

walk in, without the help of Your grace. And indeed the hearts

of His people are the vessels, into which the Lord is

continually pouring more and more of Himself, until they shall

"be filled with all the fullness of God." Every good, according

to its character and degree, is diffusive. And thus the

goodness or mercy of God pervades His whole universenatural-plentiful-free-communicative.

Yet none but a believer will understand how to use the plea

which is here employed. The mercy that he sees on every

side, is to him a pledge and earnest of that mercy, which his soul needs within. The world indeed in its present fallen state,

when seen through the medium of pride and discontent,

exhibits a picture of misery, not of mercy; and only ministers

occasion for complaint against the Creator. But the believerfeeling the infinite and eternal desert of sin-cannot but know,

that the lowest exercise of goodness in God is an act of free

undeserved mercy. No wonder then that he sees mercy in

everything-in every part of the universe of God-a world full of

mercy. The very food we eat, our clothing, our habitations, the

contrivances for our comfort, are not mere displays of

goodness, but manifestations of mercy. Having forfeited all

claim upon the smallest consideration of God, there could

have been no just ground of complaint, had all these

blessings been made occasions of suffering, instead of

comfort and indulgence.

Indeed is it not a marvel, that when man-full of mercy-is lifting

up his hand against his God-employing against him all the

faculties, which His mercy gave and has preserved-that God

should be so seldom provoked to strike by their aggravated

provocations? What multitude-what weight-what variety of

mercy does He still shower upon us! Even our hair, though

seemingly so unimportant, the seat of loathsome, defiling, and

even mortal disease-is the object of His special care. All the

limbs of the body, all the faculties of the mind, all the

affections of the heart, all the powers of the will: keeping us in

health, and capable of acting for our own happiness-how does

He restrain them from those exercises or movements which

might be fatal to our happiness!

And then the question naturally recurs-and to a spiritual mind

will never weary by its recurrence-Whence flows all this

mercy? Oh! it is delightful indeed to answer such an inquirydelightful to contemplate Him, "in whom" we are not only

"blessed with all spiritual blessings;" but who is also the

medium, through which our temporal comforts are conveyed to us. How sweet to eye these mercies, as bought with the

most precious blood that ever was known in the world, and to

mark the print of the nails of our crucified Friend stamped

upon the least of them! We allow it to add a relish to our

enjoyments, that we can consider them as provided by some

beloved friend; and should not our mercies be doubly sweet in

remembrance of that munificent Friend, who purchased them

for us so dearly; who bestows them upon us so richly; yes,

who gives Himself with them all?

Have we heard of this mercy of God? And do we feel the need

of it for ourselves-for every moment? Then let us apply to the

throne of grace in the free and open way of acceptance and

access. Let us go to the King (as Benhadad's servants to the

king of Israel,) in the spirit of self-condemnation and faith. Our

acceptance does not depend (as in the case referred to) upon

a "peradventure;" but it rests upon the sure word of promise-

"Him who comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out."



by

Charles Bridges

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