Eighth Privilege. Do you fear the Lord? Hearken yet again—"The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children" (Psa 103:17). This still confirms what was last asserted, that is, that his salvation is nigh unto them. His salvation, that is, pardoning mercy, that is nigh them. But mind it, he says it is nigh them, but here it is upon them. His mercy is upon them; it covereth them all over, encompasseth them about as with a shield. Therefore, they are said to be clothed with salvation and covered with the robe of righteousness in another place. The mercy of the Lord is upon them, that is, as I said, to shelter and defend them. The mercy, the pardoning preserving mercy, the mercy of the Lord is upon them. Who is he then that can condemn them? (Rom 8).
But there is more behind, "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them." It was designed for them before the world was and shall be upon them when the world is ended; from everlasting to everlasting, it is on them that fear him. This from everlasting to everlasting is that by which, in another place, the eternity of God himself is declared—"From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God" (Psa 90:2). The meaning, then, may this; that so long as God has his being, so long shall the man that feareth him find mercy at his hand. According to Moses—"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them" (Deut 33:27).
Child of God that fearest God, here is mercy nigh thee, mercy enough, everlasting mercy upon thee. This is long-lived mercy. It will live longer than thy sin, it will live longer than temptation, it will live longer than thy sorrows, it will live longer than thy persecutors. It is mercy from everlasting to contrive thy salvation and mercy to everlasting to weather it out with all thy adversaries. Now, what can hell and death do to him that hath this mercy of God upon him? And this hath the man that feareth the Lord. Take that other blessed word, and O thou man that fearest the Lord, hang it like a chain of gold about thy neck—"As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him" (Psa 103:11). If mercy as big, as high, and as good as heaven itself will be a privilege, the man that feareth God shall have a privilege.
Ninth Privilege. Do you fear God?—"Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" (Psa 103:13).
" The Lord pitieth them that fear him"; that is, condoles and is affected, feeleth and sympathizes with them in all their afflictions. It is a great matter for a poor man to be in this manner in the affections of the great and mighty, but for a poor sinner to be thus in the heart and affections of God, and they that fear him are so, this is astonishing to consider. "In his love and in his pity, he redeemed them." In his love and in his pity! "In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old" (Isa 63:9). I say, in that he is said to pity them, it is as much as to say, he condoles, feel, and sympathizes with them in all their afflictions and temptations. So this is his happiness, and he fears God. He has a God to pity him and be touched by all his miseries. It is said in Judges, "His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel" (Judg 10:16). And in the Hebrews, he is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" and can "succor them that are tempted" (4:15, 2:17,18).
But further, let us take notice of the comparison. "As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Here is not only pity but the pity of a relation, a father. It is said in another place, "Can a woman," a mother, "forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may, yet will not I forget thee." The pity of neighbors and acquaintances helpeth in times of distress, but the pity of a father and a mother is a pity with an over and above. "The Lord," says James, "is very pitiful and of tender mercy," Pharaoh called Joseph his tender father because he provided for him against the famine, but how tender a father is God! How full of bowels! How full of pity! (James 5:11; Gen 41:43). It is said that when Ephraim was afflicted, God's bowels were troubled for him and turned within him towards him. O that the man that feareth the Lord did but believe the pity and bowels in the heart of God and his father towards him (Jer 31:18-20).
