A practical exposition of the Lord's-Prayer

(2.) There is Mercy in it that pitieth the miserable. How doth it appear these good things come from Mercy? because of our Want, and because of our Forfeiture.

1. Our Want, and our Indigence. O when we think what shiftless creatures we should have been, if he had not provided for us: Psal. 40. 17. I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me. If we were but sensible of our own Weakness and Emptiness, and manifold Necessities, we would admire that God should think of us, such forlorn and wretched Creatures; or that our Baseness and Poverty doth not make us contemptible to God. Psal. 34. 6. This poor Man cried, and the Lord heard him; and saved him out of all his Troubles. He doth not say, this wise Man, this eminent Saint, but this poor Man. This was the Doctrine of the Gentiles, That the Divine Powers did only care for the great and weighty Concernments of the World, but other things he left to their own Event, and their own Chance; as if God in the great throng of Business were not at leisure to attend every private Man's Request. These were the fond Surmises the Gentiles had of God: But we are taught better. This poor Man cried unto the Lord, and be heard him. Poor Men in the World, when they have any thing to do with great Persons, they must look long, wait, pray, and pay, to seek their Face and Favour, & at length meet with a rough Answer, and sour Look. But God will not shut the Door, the Throne of Grace lies open for every Comer. You will say, this ⟨p. 330⟩would sweeten Mercies to the Poor: Nay, it concerns not only those that are actually poor, but the great ones of the World; (for they are poor and shiftless in themselves, if God did not provide for them) others are but Glasses where they might see their own Misery. If they did well weigh the Wants and Necessities of others, they might see what would have been their own Case, if the Lord had not been merciful to them. As Austin, when he saw a Beggar frisking and leaping after his Belly was filled, the Spectacle wrought much upon him, that he had not such rejoicing in God, who tasted so much of his Abundance. Saith Chrysostom, If you are not thankful for Health, go to the Spittles and Lazar-houses, and see what might have been your own Case. Thus if you are not thankful for abundance, go to the Families where there are Children that want Bread. It is the Lord's Mercy to the richest, for they were miserable and indigent. It is a great Mercy to relieve those from Hand to Mouth: