May 3

The riches of his goodness. - Romans 2:4.

WE may here observe, that, besides the displays of Cod’s general goodness, there is his goodness which we may call mercy and grace-a goodness which deals with us as sinners- a goodness which was the sovereign origin of our salvation, and of all those Spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, the goodness which led him to remember us in our low estate. In this, as John says, without overlooking other things-“In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.” “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

What an unspeakable, what an infinite instance of God’s love towards us is this. Herein we have a pledge, and indeed the substance of every other, for “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.” All things in grace. Are we oppressed with a sense of sin? and do we feel it to be a burden too heavy for us to bear? Here he says, “I will be merciful to thy unrighteousness and thy sins, and thy iniquity will I remember no more.” Are we groaning, by reason of the bondage of corruption, as well as under the sentence of condemnation, and do we long to be holy? Here he says, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart will I give you, and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.” Do we apprehend dangers and difficulties in our course, filling our minds with despondency? Here he says, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness;” “my grace is sufficient for thee.”

The riches of his goodness include all things in Providence. Here we learn that “all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that fear him;” here we find that “all things shall work together for good to them that love God”-the darkness as well as the light, pain as well as pleasure, enemies as well as friends, losses as well as gains; and “though no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby.”