HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER.
By Editor
THREE weeks ago we presented some of the precious truth taught by the Scriptures with reference to "God's Wondrous Mercy." The query will arise in the mind of many, "Is it not a fact that the Scriptures teach that there will come a time when God will no longer have mercy,—when the day of mercy will be forever past?" No, not on God's part. "His mercy endureth forever." This is an oft-expressed statement of Holy Writ. In fact, mercy is an essential of God's character. When he revealed himself to Moses, it was as "the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands [of generations, Deut. 7:9], forgiving iniquity and transgression." Ex. 34:6, 7. These are all expressions of mercy and goodness. God were not God without mercy. Greatness of sin will not exhaust that mercy. This is well illustrated by the parable recorded in Matt. 18:23-35. The unforgiving servant had been freely forgiven by his king a sum which in round numbers may be stated as $10,000,000 (ten million dollars), but this servant would not forgive his fellow servant a sum equal to $15. Now the former sum represents the sinner's debt to God, the latter sum the sinner's offense against a fellow sinner. The free forgiveness of the king of the vast sum shows the unlimited extent of God's mercy and forgiveness, while the refusal to forgive fifteen dollars shows man's measure of mercy. There is no comparison between the two, for the fact that the king forgave the vast amount showed that his mercy was practically unlimited, while on the other hand there is no reason to believe that the servant would not have shown the same unmerciful spirit if the amount had been one dollar instead of fifteen. Truly does the Lord say:— "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts [of mercy] are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isa. 55:7-9. "For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." Ps. 103:11. Although sin, if persisted in, is infinite in its consequences, it is not infinite in its greatness, for He who is infinite in every attribute assures us that where sin abounds, grace, or unmerited favor, superabounds. Rom. 5:20. However great the sin, therefore, God's mercy is greater. And this the Lord represents by another figure. Through the prophet he gives the following invitation:— "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:18. By no process known to man can the "fast colors" of scarlet or crimson be wholly removed. Black may be made white, but crimson retains its hue. By no process known to man can sin be washed away. But the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ washes the crimson white, and cleanses the guilty soul from all unrighteousness. All that infinite mercy asks is that it be permitted to cleanse. It will gladly do it all "if ye [we] be willing." And God's mercy is not only manifest in the greatness of sin, but in its frequency. In other words, God's mercy is not only infinite in covering great sins, if we are willing, but it is equally infinite in pardoning the oft-repeated sin, if the sinner believes. This the Lord shows in the following:— "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven." Matt. 18:21, 22. Seven times represents man's idea of the extent of forgiving repeated offenses. Seventy times seven, or four hundred and ninety, is the number of times which the Lord says man should forgive, practically an unlimited number of times. And if the sin be repeated seven times in one day, and seven times forgiveness be asked, it should be granted. Luke 17:4. But God will do infinitely more than man can do. "He will multiply to pardon." Isa. 55:7, margin. All this is but a faint representation of God's mercy. It is infinite in quantity and exercise. It is an essential quality of his love, and "love never faileth." And, sinner, God "taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." Will you not listen to its voice? Will you not yield to its pleading? "Is there danger?"—Yes, there is, great and infinite danger; but not on God's part. He is infinitely and eternally merciful to all who will trust him, to all who will yield every deformity of character to the moulding power of his grace, to all who will renounce the sin.770This is all man can do to cleanse himself—is to renounce the sin, to yield to God. This is faith—to choose God's way. But when, after God's wondrous exhibitions of loving mercy, after its sweet voice has called year after year unheeded, the heart becomes hardened and it chooses sin rather than righteousness, here is the danger. The heart which rejects God once will reject him easier next time. The sin repeated makes the heart harder, and the yielding to God more difficult. And if this rejection of God, this slighting of his mercy, is persisted in, the heart becomes so hardened that it can no longer be impressed with the Spirit of God; so dull of apprehension that it cannot see and appreciate God's goodness. It becomes blind to its own eternal interest, and falls an easy prey to the devil. God would even then gladly save, "but ye will not," and God will not force the will nor compel the choice. Sinner, wanderer, why not return to-day? "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." God has "no pleasure" in your death; "therefore choose life." Respond to every call of his Spirit, and he will lead you to light and life.