their children simply as they are their children; but if they fall into misery, love works in a way of pity and compassion: love is turned into mercy.

with celestial visions, denied that any could arrive at perfect knowledge of the holy scriptures without the extraordinary succours of a divine illumination, and declared the approach of a new revelation "As we are all the objects of from heaven, more perfect than mercy in one degree or another, the gospel of Christ. They said the mutual exercise of it towards that the resurrection was accom- each other is necessary to preserve plished in the person of Jesus, the harmony and happiness of soand no other was to be expected;ciety. But there are those who that the inward man was not de-may be more particularly consifiled by the outward actions, what-dered as the objects of it; such as ever they were; that the pains of hell were to have an end; and not only all mankind, but even the devils themselves, were to return to God, and be made partakers of eternal felicity. They also taught among other things that Christ alone had merited eternal life and felicity for the human race; and that therefore men could not ac-tending the punishment beyond quire this inestimable privilege by their own actions alone-that the priests, to whom the people confessed their transgressions, had not the power of absolving them, but this authority was vested in Christ alone that voluntary penance and mortification was not necessary to salvation.

This denomination appears to have been a branch of the Brethren and Sisters of the Free Spi

rit.

MERCY is that disposition of mind which excites us to pity and relieve those who are in trouble, or to pass by their crimes without punishing them. It is distinguish ed from love, thus: The object of love is the creature simply; the object of mercy is the creature fallen into misery. Parents love

the guilty, the indigent, and the miserable. As it respects the guilty, the greatest mercy we can shew to them is to endeavour to reclaim them, and prevent the bad consequences of their misconduct, James v, 20. Mercy may also be shewn to them by a proper mitigation of justice, and not ex

the nature or desert of the crime. With regard to those who are in necessity and want, mercy calls upon us to afford the most suitable and seasonable supplies; and here our benefactions must be dispensed in proportion to our circumstances, and the real distress of the object, 1st John iii, 17. As to those who are in misery and distress, mercy prompts us to relieve and comfort them by doing what we can to remove or alleviate their burdens. Our Lord strongly recommended this act of mercy in the parable of the man who fell among thieves, and was relieved by the poor Samaritan: and in the conclusion he adds, Go and do thou likewise,' Luke x, 30 to 37.

"This merciful temper will shew and exert itself not only.

still greater hurt to others, he violates not only the laws of justice, but of mercy too.

"Mercy to the indigent and necessitous has been no less abused and perverted by acts of mistaken beneficence, when impudence and clamour are permitted to extort from the hand of charity that re||lief which is due to silent distress and modest merit; or when one object is lavishly relieved to the detriment of another who is more deserving. As it respects those who are in tribulation or misery,

towards those of our own party and acquaintance, but to the whole human species; and not only to the whole human species, but to the animal creation. It is a degree of inhumanity to take a pleasure in giving any thing pain and more in putting useful animals to extreme torture for our own sport. This is not that dominion which God originally gave to man over the beasts of the field. It is, therefore, an usurped authority, which man has no right to exercise over brute creatures, which were made for his service, convenience, sup-to be sure, every such person is an port, and ease; but not for the gratification of unlawful passions, or cruel dispositions.

object of our compassion; but that compassion may be, and often is, exercised in a wrong manner. "Mercy must be distinguished Some are of so tender a make, from those weaknesses of a natu- that they cannot bear the sight of ral temper which often put on the distress, and stand aloof from a appearance of it. With regard friend in and pain affliction, beto criminals or delinquents, it is cause it affects them too sensibly, false compassion to suppress the when their presence would at least salutary admonition, and refuse to give them some little comfort, and set their guilt before them, merely might possibly administer lasting because the sight of it will give relief. This weakness should be their conscience pain: such un-opposed, because it not only looks seasonable tenderness in a surgeon like unkindness to our friends, but may prove the death of his pa- is really shewing more tenderness tient; this, however it may ap-to ourselves than to them: nor is pear, is not mercy, but cruelty. it doing as we would be done by. So is that fondness of a parent that Again; it is false pity, when, out withholds the hand of discipline of mere tenderness of nature, we from a beloved child, when its fro- either advise or permit our afflictwardness and faults render sea-ed friend to take or do any thing sonable and prudent correction ne- which will give him a little precessary to save it from ruin. In sent transient ease, but which we like manner, when a magistrate know at the same time will inthrough excessive clemency, suf-crease his future pain, and aggrafers a criminal who is a pest to so-vate the symptoms of his disease." ciety to escape unpunished, or so Seeing, therefore, the extremes to mitigates the sentence of the law which we are liable, let us learn as to put it into his power to do to cultivate that wisdom and pru

dence which are necessary to re- || 4.-3. Comforting mercy, 2d Cor. gulate this virtue. To be justi, 4.-4. Relieving mercy, Psal. without being cruel, and merciful cxlv, 8, 9.-5. Pardoning mercy, without being weak, should be our constant aim, under all the circumstances of guilt, indigence, and misery, which present themselves to our view. See BENEFICENCE, CHARITY, LOVE.

Is. lv, 6.-6. Universal or extensive mercy. It extends to all kinds of beings and fallen creatures. The brute creation share in it, Psal. cxlv, 9. Psal. xxxvi, 5, 6. The ungodly are the objects of it in a general way, Matt. v, 45. 1st Tim. iv, 10. The saints on earth are continual monuments of it, Rom. ix, 23; and the spirits of just men made perfect in glory are always praising God for it. Finally, it is enjoyed in an especial manner by all who are true bé

age, in every circumstance, in all places, and at all times. See GRACE, PARDON; Gill's Body of Div., vol. i, p. 124, oct. ed.; Saurin's Ser., vol. i, ser. 8; Dr. Goodwin's Works, vol. v, part 2; Tillotson's Ser., ser. 147; Hill's Ser., ser. 10.

MERCY OF GOD is his readiness to relieve the miserable, and to pardon the guilty. 1. It is essential to his nature, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7; not, indeed as a passion or affection as it is in men, but the result of his sovereign will, and guided by his infinite wisdom.-2. It is free, as nothing out of himself can believers, of every nation, in every the cause of it; for then there would be a cause prior to him, the cause of himself. The misery of the creature is not the cause of mercy, for he is not wrought upon as creatures are, nor are the merits of the creature the cause, Tit. iii, 5; nor are even the sufferings of Christ the cause, but the effects of MERIT signifies desert, or to it; but it arises from the goodness earn: originally the word was apof his nature, and from his sove-plied to soldiers and other military reign will and pleasure, Exod. persons, who, by their labours in xxxiii, 19. Rom. ix, 18.-3. His the field, and by the various hardmercy is infinite; it pardons of-ships they underwent during the fences committed against an infi-course of a campaign, as also by nitely Holy Being, and bestows another services they might occainfinite good on all who believesionally render to the commoneven Jesus Christ, Luke i, 78.-4. wealth, were said,merere stipendia, It is immutable; nothing can to merit, or earn their pay: which change it; it is invariably the they might properly be said to do, same, Mal. iii, 6. Luke i, 50.-5. because they yielded in real serShall be for ever celebrated in a vice an equivalent to the state for future state, Psal. lxxxix, 2. Psal. the stipend they received, whica ciii, 17.-6. It is only displayed was therefore due to them in jusin and through Christ, Eph. ii, Ittice. Here, then, we come at has been farther distinguished into 1. Preventing mercy, Psal. lix, 10 -2. Forbearing mercy, Rom. ii,

he true meaning of the word merit; from which it is very clearly to be seen that there can be no

such thing as merit in our best led an anathema against those who obedience. One man may merit shall pretend to calculate the time of another, but all mankind toge-of his coming. To reconcile the ther cannot merit from the hand prophecies concerning the Mesof God. This evidently appears, siah that seemed to be contradicif we consider the imperfections of tory, some have had recourse to all our services, and the express a twofold Messiah; one in a state declaration of the Divine word, of poverty and suffering, the other Eph. ii, 8, 9. Rom. xi, 5, 6. Tit.of splendour and glory. The first, iii, 5. Rom. x, 1, 4. The doctrine of Merit stated, ser. 1, vol. iii; South's Serm.; Toplady's Works, p. 471, vol. iii; Hervey's Eleven Letters to Wesley; Robinson's Claude, vol. ii, p. 218.

they say, is to proceed from the tribe of Ephraim, who is to fight against Gog, and to be slain by Annillus, Zech. xii, 10; the second is to be of the tribe of Judah and lineage of David, who is to conquer and kill Annillus; to

MERITS OF CHRIST, a term used to denote the active and pas-bring the first Messiah to life asive obedience of Christ; all that he wrought and all that he suffered for the salvation of mankind. See arti

gain, to assemble all Israel, and rule over the whole world. Whoever will take the trouble to com

cles, and character of Christ, with the predictions respecting him, must, if he be not wilfully blind, be convinced that he is the true Messiah, and that we are to expect no other. Christ, indeed, warned his disciples that false Messiahs should arise, Matt. xxiv, 14; and the event has verified the prediction. No less than four and twenty false Christs have arisen in different places and at different times, an account of which we will here present the reader.

cles ATONEMENT, IMPUTATION,pare the life, death, work, miraRIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST. MESSIAH, signifies anointed the title given by way of eminence to our Saviour; meaning the same in Hebrew as Christ in Greek, and alludes to the authority he had to assume the characters of prophet, priest, and king, and that of Saviour of the world. The ancient Jews had just notions of the Messiah, which came gradually to be corrupted, by expecting a temporal monarch and conqueror; and finding Jesus Christ to be poor, humble, and of an unpromising appearance, they rejected him. Most of the modern rab. bins, according to Buxtorf, believe that the Messiah is come, but that he lies concealed because of the sins of the Jews. Others believe he is not yet come, fixing different times for his appearance, many of which are elapsed; and, being thus baffled, have pronounc

1. Caziba was the first of any note who made a noise in the world. Being dissatisfied with the state of things under Adrian, he set himself up at the head of the Jewish nation, and proclaimed himself their long expected Messiah. He was one of those banditti that infested Judea, and committed all kinds of violence against the Romans; and had become so

sitation or reluctance, till so great a number of them were drowned, as opened the eyes of the rest, and made them sensible of the cheat. They then began to look out for their pretended leader, but he disappeared, and escaped out of their hands.

powerful, that he was chosen king || rock; men, women, and children, of the Jews, and by them ac- threw themselves headlong down knowledged their Messiah. How-into the sea, without the least heever, to facilitate the success of this bold enterprize, he changed his name from Caziba, which it was at first, to that of Barchocheba, alluding to the star foretold by Balaam; for he pretended to be the star sent from heaven to restore his nation to its ancient liberty and glory. He chose a forerunner; 3. In the reign of Justin, about raised an army, was anointed king, 520, another impostor appeared, coined money inscribed with his who called himself the son of Moown name, and proclaimed him- ses. His name was Dunaan. He self Messiah and prince of the entered into a city of Arabia FeJewish nation. Adrian raised an lix, and there he greatly oppressed army, and sent it against him. He the Christians; but he was taken retired into a town called Bither, prisoner, and put to death by Eleswhere he was besieged. Barcho-ban, an Ethiopian general. cheba was killed in the siege, the 4. In the year 529 the Jews city was taken, and a dreadful ha-and Samaritans rebelled against the vock succeeded. The Jews them- emperor Justinian, and set up one selves allow, that, during this short Julian for their king; and accountwar against the Romans in de-ed him the Messiah. The empefence of this false Messiah, they lost five or six hundred thousand souls. This was in the former part of the second century.

ror sent an army against them, killed great numbers of them, took their pretended Messiah prisoner, and immediately put him to death.

5. In the year 571 was born Mahomed, in Arabia. At first he professed himself to be the Messi

By this means he drew many of that unhappy people after him. In some sense, therefore, he may be considered in the number of false Messiahs. See MAHOMETANISM.

2. In the reign of Theodosius the younger, in the year of our Lord 434, another impostor arose, called Moses Cretensis. He pre-ah who was promised to the Jews. tended to be a second Moses, sent to deliver the Jews who dwelt in Crete, and promised to divide the sea, and give them a safe passage through it. Their delusion proved so strong and universal, that they 6. About the year 721, in the neglected their lands, houses, and time of Leo Isaurus, arose another all other concerns, and took only false Messiah in Spain: his name so much with them as they could was Serenus. He drew great numconveniently carry. And on thebers after him, to their no small day appointed, this false Moses, loss and disappointment; but all having led them to the top of a his pretensions came to nothing.