“MERCY OVERSTEPS JUSTICE.”
By E. W. Webster
A BROTHER was in discouragement and darkness. By looking at the magnitude of his sins so constantly he had lost his hold upon God; they had weighed him down, and Satan had succeeded in getting him completely disheartened. I had written him trying to encourage and help the dear soul, using an illustration in which I made the statement that a father would have more tender care for a son who had been severely injured even in direct disobedience than to there and then punish him for the transgression, tho he had said he would do so. His pity for the suffering son would be so great that his compassion would be shown instead of his justice, and he would tenderly care for the suffering disobedient. A reply came back: “Your illustration would lead me to think that God’s mercy had overstepped His justice in my case. But I am wholly to blame myself for my present condition. Do you not think that justice must be administered as well as mercy?” Here is my reply; and, thinking that some other discouraged brother or sister may be benefited by the thoughts, I send it for publication. You say that you are wholly to blame for being away from God. Of course you are. Any and all of3us are wholly to blame for that, or for any other sin. God has made such entire provision for sin and against sin that if we sin, or when we do sin, we are wholly to blame for it. There is not a person on this earth who can blame any one but himself for his departure from God, or for staying away from Him. But that does not prove that I should not do all I can in co-operation with God to get your soul out of the enemy’s hands again. So long as God is doing so much to help you, you should not complain about others doing so much to help you, too, or think that you can not get back again. The fact that you are wholly to blame and recognize it, is the best of evidence that God is working for you by His Spirit; and it ought to encourage you much to know that this is the best of evidence that there is hope; so take courage. You say that my former illustration would lead you to think that mercy overstepped justice in your case. Would to God that I could get you to believe that fully. That is a fact. Read Rom. 5: 20: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” The “mercy-seat” was placed over the law in the ark to show to sinners that mercy for the time being triumphs over justice, to give them hope that they may escape the penalty of the law. With sin abounding as it does, what would be the hope of a single soul if MERCY did not overtop Justice and cause Justice to stand silently aside with bowed head for a time? “Mercy and truth [law] are met together; righteousness [law] and peace have kissed each other.” Ps. 85: 10. Here is a condition of things where Justice and Mercy stand side by side; where they have made a loving agreement; where Justice does not go before Mercy to mete out its righteous deserts upon the offenders against God’s holy law; where sweet Peace holds Righteousness and Justice, under a flag of truce, in its loving embrace. Justice submits to be subject to Mercy, and Righteousness agrees to let Peace reign for a time. You ask if I do not think that justice should be administered as well as love and mercy. I certainly do, but not now. If justice were administered as generally and as promptly as it is deserved, no one could be saved; for Justice would overtake and destroy all before Mercy could reach them and be accepted. It would be so in every case. Do you know of any one in all your life who has accepted mercy before he deserved to have justice administered to him? Why was it that God directed the children of Israel to appoint cities of refuge to which the man-slayer might go for mercy and protection? Was it not to teach us that Mercy is a refuge from Justice? So long as the guilty remained in the city of mercy the avenger could not mete out justice to him. Yes, justice should and will be administered; but God has so planned it that justice is stayed for a time to give the guilty, deserving soul a chance for life, even tho he is guilty and deserving of punishment,— and because he is so. Justice will be meted out, but not till after Mercy triumphs to the salvation of every sinner who takes advantage of the delay of Justice. The philosophy of the plan of salvation is, that God has intentionally, purposely, deliberately, delayed to mete out justice till mercy has been exhausted in its refusal and rejection by the last sinner, and there are no more who will accept it. Then the justice of God will break loose with the more fury for having been dammed up by mercy, and will break over the defenseless heads of the rejecters of mercy. Then there will be no more hope for a single soul. But so long as mercy abounds more than sin, so long is there hope for you. We will constantly pray that you may accept the pardon which Mercy still extends to you; that you will do this before the elements of nature are let loose in the earth; before Mercy has forever folded her pinions of love and protection, and God visits judgment upon the impenitent. But make haste. Your brother in love,