"SEEKING ANOTHER SOURCE OF MERCY
"And among others, how do they wrong themselves and Him that will have other mediators to God for them than He [Jesus]! Are any more [compassionate] than He who became man to that end, that He might be [merciful] to His own flesh? Let all, at all times, come to this meek Saviour, and put up all our petitions in His prevailing name. What need do we have to knock at any other door? Can any be more tender over us than Christ? What encouragement we have to commend the state of the church in general, or of any broken-hearted Christian, to Him by our prayers, of whom we may speak to Christ, as they did of Lazarus, 'Lord, the church which You love, and gave Yourself for, is in distress'; 'Lord, this poor Christian, for whom You were bruised (Isa. 53:5) is bruised and brought very low.' It cannot but touch His heart when the misery of those so dear to Him is spread before Him.
"MISTREATING THE HEIRS OF MERCY
"Again, considering this gracious nature in Christ, let us think with ourselves thus: when He is so kind to us, shall we be cruel against Him in His name, in His truth, in His children? How shall those that delight to be so terrible to 'the meek of the earth' (Zeph. 2:3) hope to look so gracious a Saviour in the face? They that are so boisterous towards His spouse shall know one day that they had to deal with Himself in His church. So it cannot but cut the heart of those that have felt this love of Christ to hear Him wounded who is the life of their lives and the soul of their souls. This makes those that have felt mercy weep over Christ whom they have pierced with their sins. There cannot but be a mutual and quick sympathy between the Head and the members. When we are tempted to any sin, if we will not pity ourselves, yet we should spare Christ, in not putting Him to new torments. The apostle could not find out a more heart-breaking argument to enforce a sacri-
fice of ourselves to God than to appeal to us 'by the mercies of God' in Christ (Rom. 12:1)."
