p. 2 | SHOWING MERCY by T. E. Bowen

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 7, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 32.

SHOWING MERCY.

By T. E. Bowen

God has revealed to humanity His own manner of life—character—through Christ. One of the prominent features of the divine life is the mercy revealed in His kindness toward sinners. While He will not requite the wicked, yet God’s mercy is promised unto thousands of generations of those who love and keep His commandments.

But what is mercy? Is it a grace Christians in this time should cultivate? A few of the definitions for mercy, read, “Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it;” “disposition to exercise compassion or favor;” “willingness to spare or to help.” To whatever degree this spirit is exercised, so far the individual, whether a professing Christian or not, is exercising the Spirit of Christ. Mercy belongs only to God. Satan can lay no claim to mercy in any of its forms.

Perhaps the most common way of being unmerciful is in the matter of severe censure and cold criticisms of the actions or motives of others. This lies in the power of every individual. The tongue’s power belongs to the individual, whether rich or poor, high or low, in position or out of position. Have we the disposition to exercise compassion and favor toward those who seem to us to be out of the way, or who chance to cross our desires and inclinations? What if

they do not see everything just as we do, does this transform them into enemies? or, more important still, make them out of harmony with God? This very spirit of coldness and icy criticism in us, perchance is more offensive to God than the thing we think to be so offensive in them.

Right on this practical, every-day subject God has spoken in His Word: “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the ‘law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that ‘hath showed no mercy.” James 2:12, 13. Unless we show a spirit of mercy toward others, when God judges,—and from His judgment there will be no appeal,—no mercy will be shown us. We know there are none so good as to endure such an ordeal as this. Our merits would soon sink into utter insignificance when compared with what we ought to be and are not, the things we ought to have done, but have failed to do.

Let us fulfil that royal law by loving our neighbor as ourselves. Just notice for one day, and see how kindly we speak of ourselves, how compassionate we are of our own failings, in fact how careful we are to proclaim our own weaknesses. This is all right, but it is equally right when applied to our neighbor. In thus doing we shall “love ‘our neighbor’” as ourselves, and permit the Lord to exercise mercy toward us in the great day of His judgment for eternity.

T. E. BOWEN.