God . . . delighteth in Mercy. — Micah

In the Pilgrim’s Progress we meet that beautiful young woman, Mercy, for the first time as she calls on Christiana of a “sun­shiny morning.” This section of the pil­grimage might be titled, A Morning Call and What Came of It. Christiana, in line with her calling as a Christian witness, prevailed with this lovely person to fall in love with her own salvation. May you and I be so wonderfully used of the Lord!

But Mercy comes to Christiana’s home with Mrs. Timorous, which reveals a con­nection with such other questionable com­pany, too, as Mrs. Light-mind and Mrs. Know-nothing. Now, just why is it that one with such a sweet personality is apparently conversant with the Lightminds and their modem set? For certainly they are of the world, but Mercy is not of the world. Mercy knows better than “to company with for­nicators, nor with the covetous, or extor­tioners or idolaters.” Yet she knows how impossible it is to be absolutely altogether separate from the people of this world, “for then must ye needs go out of this world.” Mercy is in the world, but not of the world. Mercy is of God, and He says, “I will have Mercy on whom I have mercy.” For by nature, the name of this charming Mercy was not Mercy, but Lo-ruhamah, Not-having-obtained-mercy. But then, by grace, she became Ruhamah, Mercy (Hos. 1:6; 2:1, 23), as the Lord promised, I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy. Then it could be said of her, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” “So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth Mercy. Therefore hath He Mercy on whom He will, and whom He will He hardeneth.” This is the answer: God’s sov­ereign predestination according to which He ordains vessels of wrath to destruction, and elects vessels of mercy unto glory.

Well, then, when Mercy, who was a lily among thorns, saw that Christiana was tak­ing her last farewell of her country to be gone on to a Better Country, she purposed to have more talk with her. So she chose to go with Christiana in the hope she should “find truth and life in what she shall say.” Nor would she listen to the dissuasions of Mrs. Timorous, who advised to cut it short and leave Christiana. Mercy was determined to go with her and help her on her way. She knew that was in the line of the promised Messiah, Prince Emmanuel. The Lord had promised concerning Him, “My Mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul,” or “as I kept it from being near Saul” (Heb.). He, Saul, never had mercy; it was never even near him. Mercy, in actuality, is not near, but far from such acquaintances as she had known, as Hate-good, Mrs. Love-the-flesh, Love-gain, Money-love and Mr. Hold-the-world. No. Mercy hungers with all her heart to be in the company of people in whom she finds “Truth and Life.”

Here then is one who is a lovely creaturely reflection of God, fulfilling the divine imperative, “Be ye merciful as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). For “mercy is natural and essential to God … it is his nature and essence” (John Gill, Body of Divinity, p. 85). “Of mercy it must be said that it is an attribute of God in the ab­solute sense of the word. God is rich in mercy, not because of or through any rev­elation to us, but absolutely and in himself” (H. Hoeksema, Reformed Dogmatics, p. 115). “But though mercy is natural and essential to God, it is not naturally and necessarily bore (sic) towards and exercised on every object in misery. For then all would share in it that are in misery, even all wicked men and devils; whereas, it is certain they do not; but it is guided in exercise of it by the love of God; . . . He loves whom He pleases, and is gracious to whom He will be gracious! . . . and is governed and influenced by His sovereign will; who ‘hath mercy on whom He will have mercy,’ Rom. 9:15, 18.” Mercy is displayed only in and through Christ; God out of Christ is a consuming fire. It is only in Him (Christ, that) God proclaims His name, ‘a God gracious and merciful.’ He is the mercy-seat, and throne of grace, at which men obtain mercy and find grace. He is the channel through which it flows, and through whom it, in its effects, is con­veyed to the sons of men. They are right who cast themselves not on the absolute (abstract) mercy of God out of Christ, but upon his mercy is displayed in him” (Gill, ibid., p. 87, ital. and paren. added). “The mercy which is ‘in common to all men,’ of what avail is it to any man?” (Charles H. Spurgeon). A so called ‘common mercy’ is no avail to any man. “The mercy of God is special and distinguishing, and yet … it is not limited to any family or nation, but is enjoyed by all that love and fear the Lord in every nation, Acts 10:34, 35” (Gill, ibid., p. 88).

Where Paul said God “included all under sin, that He might have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32), “he is . . . lauding the grace of God towards all of us who attain unto salvation (ie., the election and beloved of v. 28, RCH). Most certainly nothing was less in the mind of the apostle than an ex­tension of the mercy of God to all men. His sole object was to prostrate all glorying of the flesh, that we may clearly understand that no man will ever be saved but he whom God saves by grace alone” (John Calvin in Calvin’s Calvinism, p. 89).

The idea of a general or common mercy was to John Calvin a very wild idea run­ning loose. He says of one who held it, “Pighius, like a wild beast escaped from his cage, rushes forth, bounding over all fences in his way, uttering such sentiments as these: ‘The mercy of God is extended to everyone, for God wishes all men to be saved; (Pighius has many followers today in so called Reformed circles, doesn’t he? RCH) and for that end He stands and knocks at the door of our heart, desiring to enter. Therefore, those were elected be­fore the foundation of the world, by whom He knew foreknew He should be received. But God hardens no one, excepting by His forbearance, in the same manner as too fond parents ruin their children by excessive in­dulgence.’ Just as if anyone, by such puerile dreams as these, could escape the force of all those things which the apostle plainly declares in direct contradiction to such sen­timents! . . . Paul positively asserts that, out of the twins, while they were yet in the womb of their mother, the one was chosen and the other rejected! and that, too, with­out any respect to the works of either, present or future . . . but solely by the good pleasure of God that calleth! . . . the apostle testifies that ‘it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy,’ who hardened) whom He will, and hath mercy on whom He will! . . . the same apostle avers, ‘that God showeth forth His power in the vessels of wrath,’ in order ‘that He might make known the riches of His grace on the vessels of mercy!’ Paul undeniably here testifies that all those of Israel who were saved were saved according to God’s free election; and that, therefore, ‘the election obtained it; the rest were blinded’ (Rom. 11:71).” (Calvin, ibid., p. 152-3.)

The house of Mercy is built on the foun­dation of election, and to all in that house God is “the Father of mercies” (II Cor. 1:3).