Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON III. He delighteth in mercy.—Micah vii. 18. There are statements in the Bible which, to a superficial observer, seem to proceed from erroneous views of human nature. But on investigation it will be found that they rest upon a thorough and profound knowledge of man, his condition, wants and exercises. Many illustrations might be given of the correctness of this remark; but my purpose admits the suggestion of only one. A careful and considerate reader of the Bible will perceive that great and unwearied pains are taken by its writers to persuade sinners that God is a merciful being, a very merciful being, entirely worthy of their confidence in this respect; that iie has no pleasure in their death, that he is quite willing and altogether disposed to save them ; and this, however inveterate their sinful habits, however depraved their hearts, accumulated their guilt, deep their un- worthiness, multiplied and enormous their transgressions. We find God assuring men on this subject in every variety of language, inviting them to reason with him about it, and for the sake of securing their confidence, actually condescending to asseverate under oath that he has no pleasure in their death ; and we find Christ not only in the most affectionate and earnest manner inviting sinners to come to him, but assuring them that he will in no wise cast out any that do come. Why this? say some; what need of these repeated assurances, these strong asseverations, this oath ? Is any one disposed to distrust the mercy of God, or the willingness of him who died for sinners, to save them ? These declarations appear to proceed on a mistaken view of human nature. They seem to imply that there is in sinners a proneness to doubt on these points ; to fear that their sins are too many and great to be pa... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.