"By the mere Mercy of
God, I mean his sovereign Mercy."
Here
we can hear Graham emphasizing the mercy of God in a way that Edwards did not
do in his rendering of Sinners. Edwards' language is of God's arbitrary
pleasure, whereas Graham offers more comfort from the beginning in articulating
the presence of God's mercy right off the bat.
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And the expression that I have chosen for my text
tonight, their footshall slide in due time; seems to imply the following
things, relating to the punishment and the destruction that these wicked
Israelites were exposed to because of their sins.
That they were always exposed to destruction is
number one, as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to
fall. This implied in the manner of
their destruction’s coming upon them, being represented by their foot’s
sliding. Surely thou didst set them in
slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction, says Psalm 73.18.
It implies, secondly, that they were always exposed
to sudden unexpected destruction. As he
that walks in slippery places in every moment liable to fall; he cannot foresee
one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and when he does fall, he
falls at once, without warning. Which is
also expressed in Psalms 73, surely thou didst set them in slippery places;
thou castedst them down into destruction.
How are they brought into desolation as in a moment?
Thirdly, another thing implied is that they are
liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of
another. As he that stands or walks on
slippery ground, needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down.
That the reason why they are not fallen already,
and do not fall now, is only that God’s appointed time has not come and for the
mercy of almighty God. For it is said,
that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their feet shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall as they are
inclined by their own weight. God will
not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and
then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands
in such slippery declining ground on the edge of a pit and he cannot stand
alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost forever.
The observation from the words that I would now insist upon
is this,
There
is nothing – listen to this – there is nothing that keeps sinful men, at any
moment, out of hell, but the mere mercy of almighty God. By the mere mercy of God, I mean his
sovereign mercy, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by
no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God’s mere will had
in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation
of wicked men one moment.
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