POWER and benevolence are rarely united in our fellow---creatures. Here is one who has abundance, but, he has no disposition to do good; he turns away his ear from hearing the poor, and seems to live as if he was born for himself only; yea, the disposition often decreases as the capacity grows, so that there are some who not only give less comparatively, but less really than they did when they were poorer. Then it hardly seemed worth their while to be covetous and to hoard : but now they have the means, and the temptation conquers them. On the other hand, there is many a one who has bowels of mercies, but he can only pity, and shed unavailing tears over victims of distress. He is compelled to say only, Be ye warmed, and be ye filled, for he has it not in his hand to give such things as are needful for the body ; his hand is shortened that it cannot save, though his ear is not heavy that it cannot hear. But some few there are in whom the means and the mind to use them are found united. The Lord increase their number. These are little images of himself, in whom we equally find greatness and goodness, the resources and the readiness of compassion. "He is over all and he is rich unto all that call upon him."
Let me look at his greatness. He is over all. All beings of every rank are under his absolute control. He rules over all material agents over all animal agents : over all human agents: over the best of men, the greatest of men, the worst of men---over all invisible agents : over devils ; over angels : over departed spirits. He is Lord both of the dead and the living. How astonishing then are his possessions and his dominion. A nation seems a great thing to us. But what is the greatest nation to our earth? And what is our earth to the luminaries of heaven? Many of these are discernible by the naked eye. When this fails, art assists nature, and Herschel sees innumerably more. When the telescope fails, the imagination plunges into the immensity beyond, and eye exclaim, Lo, these are parts of his ways ; but how small a portion is known of him!
Yet, for his mercy equals his majesty, the same Lord who is over all, "is rich unto all that call upon him." His goodness has three characters.
First. it is plenteous. He is rich unto all that call upon him. Some, if they are bountiful, are poor in bounty. And this appears not only in the smallness of their gifts, but in the mode of giving. It seems done by constraint, not willingly and of a ready mind. It does not drop from them as honey from the comb, or flow like water from a spring; it seems an unnatural effort. You feel no more respect when they give much, than when they give little; every thing like nobleness is destroyed by the manner: the meanness of the disposition is betrayed ; and the poor---spirited mortal can no more give kindly and generously, than a clown can dance gracefully. But the Lord God is a sun ; he gives grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold. He is abundant in goodness and in truth. He abundantly pardons: and while he gives liberally, he upbraideth not.
Secondly, it is impartial. He is rich unto all that call upon him : for there is no difference between Jew and Greek. And the same will apply to sex and age, and calling, and condition, and character. The proclamations of divine grace exclude none, whatever be their circumstances, and it is well they do not. If any were excluded, awakened souls would be sure to find themselves among the exceptions. But what exceptions can any find when they read, "Preach the gospel to every creature:" " Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely?" Evangelical mercy is like Noah's ark, that took in the clean and the unclean, only with this difference in favor of the truth above the type; there all the beasts came out as they went in, whereas if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. He changes all he receives, and sanctifies all he saves.
Thirdly, it is wise. He is rich unto all that call upon him. This is required, and cannot be dispensed with ; not only because God wills it, but because it seemeth good in his sight. He knows that we should never praise him for blessings which we do not value, and he knows that we never could be made happy by them. For that which gratifies, is something that relieves our wants, fulfils our desire, accomplishes our hope, and crowns our endeavors. God's way, therefore, is to make us sensible of our state, and to cause us to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and then we shall be filled ; for whoso asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
God reveals himself not only for our encouragement, but imitation and vain is our confidence in him, without conformity to him. Therefore says the apostle, "Be ye followers of God, as dear children''---how? in what?---"and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet--smelling savor." Men would be like God, as the greatest of beings ; but we are to be like him as the best of beings. They would resemble him in his natural perfections, but we are to resemble him in his moral. They would, as he is, be over all, and gladly have every thing at their own disposal ; but we are to be holy as he is holy. and true as he is true, and patient as he is patient, and forgiving as he is forgiving, and tender as he is tender, and according to our resources to be rich unto all that call upon us.
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