of the divine favour. 1. Righteousness is here put for all spiritual blessings. See Ps. 24. 5.—ch. 6. 33. They are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ; conveyed and secured by the imputation of that righteousness to us; and confirmed by the faithfulness of God. To have Christ made of God to us Righteousness, and to be made the righteousness of God in him; to have the whole man renewed in righteousness, so as to become a new man, and to bear the image of God; to have an interest in Christ and the promises—this is righteousness. 2. These we must hunger and thirst after. We must truly and really desire them, as one who is hungry and thirsty desires meat and drink, who cannot be satisfied with any thing but meat and drink, and will be satisfied with them, though other things be wanting. Our desires of spiritual blessings must be earnest and importunate; "Give me these, or else I die; every thing else is dross and chaff, unsatisfying; give me these, and I have enough, though I had nothing else." Hunger and thirst are appetites that return frequently, and call for fresh satisfactions; so these holy desires rest not in any thing attained, but are carried out toward renewed pardons, and daily fresh supplies of grace. The quickened soul calls for constant meals of righteousness, grace to do the work of every day in its day, as duly as the living body calls for food. Those who hunger and thirst will labour for supplies; so we must not only desire spiritual blessings, but take pains for them in the use of the appointed means. Dr. Hammond, in his Practical Catechism, distinguishes between hunger and thirst. Hunger is a desire of food to sustain, such is sanctifying righteousness. Thirst is the desire of drink to refresh, such is justifying righteousness, and the sense of our pardon.
Those who thus hunger and thirst after spiritual blessings, are blessed in those desires, and shall be filled with those blessings. (1.) They are blessed in those desires. Though all desires of grace are not grace, (feigned, faint desires are not,) yet such a desire as this, is; it is an evidence of something good, and an earnest of something better. It is a desire of God's own raising, and he will not forsake the work of his own hands. Something or other the soul will be hungering and thirsting after; therefore they are blessed who fasten upon the right object, which is satisfying, and not deceiving; and do not pant after the dust of the earth, Amos 2. 7. Isa. 55. 2. (2.) They shall be filled with those blessings. God will give them what they desire to their complete satisfaction. It is God only who can fill a soul, whose grace and favour are adequate to its just desires; and he will fill those with grace for grace, who, in a sense of their own emptiness, have recourse to his fulness. He fills the hungry; (Luke 1. 53.) satiates them, Jer. 31. 25. The happiness of heaven will certainly fill the soul; their righteousness shall be complete, the favour of God and his image, both in their full perfection.
V. The merciful are happy, v. 7. This, like the rest, is a paradox; for the merciful are not taken to be the wisest, nor are likely to be the richest; yet Christ pronounces them blessed. Those are the merciful, who are piously and charitably inclined to pity, help, and succour, persons in misery. A man may be truly merciful, who has not wherewithal to be bountiful or liberal; and then God accepts the willing mind. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must, by christian sympathy, partake of the afflictions of our brethren; pity must be showed, (Job 6. 14) and bowels of mercy put on; (Col. 3. 12.) and, being put on, they must put forth themselves in contributing all we can for the assistance of those who are any way in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them; pity the ignorant, and instruct them; the careless, and warn them; those who are in a state of sin, and snatch them as brands out of the burning. We must have compassion on those who are melancholy and in sorrow, and comfort them; (Job 16. 5.) on those whom we have advantage against, and not be rigorous and severe with them; on those who are in want, and supply them; which if we refuse to do, whatever we pretend, we shut up the bowels of our compassion, James 2. 15, 16. 1 John 3. 17, 18. Draw out thy soul by dealing thy bread to the hungry, Isa. 58. 7, 10. Nay, a good man is merciful to his beast.
Now, as to the merciful, 1. They are blessed; so it was said in the Old Testament; Blessed is he that considers the poor, Ps. 41. 1. Herein they resemble God, whose goodness is his glory; in being merciful as he is merciful, we are, in our measure, perfect as he is perfect. It is an evidence of love to God; it will be a satisfaction to ourselves, to be any way instrumental for the benefit of others. One of the purest and most refined delights in this world, is that of doing good. In this word, Blessed are the merciful, is included that saying of Christ, which otherwise we find not in the gospels, It is more blessed to give than to receive, Acts 20. 35. 2. They shall obtain mercy; mercy with men, when they need it; he that watereth, shall be watered also himself; we know not how soon we may stand in need of kindness, and therefore should be kind; but especially mercy with God, for with the merciful he will show himself merciful, Ps. 18. 25. The most merciful and charitable cannot pretend to merit, but must fly to mercy. The merciful shall find with God sparing mercy, (ch. 6. 14.) supplying mercy, (Prov. 19. 17.) sustaining mercy, (Ps. 41. 2.) mercy in that day; (2 Tim. 1. 18.) nay, they shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them; (ch. 25. 34, 35.) where as they shall have judgment without mercy, (which can be nothing short of hell-fire,) who have showed no mercy.
VI. The pure in heart are happy; (v. 8.) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. This is the most comprehensive of all the beatitudes; here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together.
1. Here is the most comprehensive character of the blessed; they are the pure in heart. Note, True religion consists in heart-purity. Those who are inwardly pure, show themselves to be under the power of pure and undefiled religion. True christianity lies in the heart, in the purity of the heart; the washing of that from wickedness, Jer. 4. 14. We must lift up to God, not only clean hands, but a pure heart, Ps. 24. 4, 5. 1 Tim. 1. 5. The heart must be pure, in opposition to mixture—an honest heart that aims well; and pure, in opposition to pollution and defilement; as wine unmixed, as water unmuddied. The heart must be kept pure from fleshly lusts, all unchaste thoughts and desires; and from worldly lusts; covetousness is called filthy lucre; from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, all that which comes out of the heart, and defiles the man. The heart must be purified by faith, and entire for God; must be presented and preserved a chaste virgin to Christ. Create in me such a clean heart, O God!
2. Here is the most comprehensive comfort of the blessed; They shall see God. Note, (1.) It is the perfection of the soul's happiness to see God; seeing him, as we may by faith in our present state, is a heaven upon earth; and seeing him as we shall in the future state, is the heaven of heaven. To see him as he is, face to face, and no longer through a glass darkly; to see him as ours, and to see him and enjoy him; to see him and be like him, and be satisfied with that likeness; (Ps. 17. 15.) and to see
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