And reap in Mercy

And reap in Mercy.

For the opening of this, I find many carry it, Mercy to men: that is, Do you sow the seeds of righteousness, and let the fruits of mercy be abundant among you. But to carry it according to that that is more like to be the scope of the Holy Ghost.

By Mercy, we are to understand, the mercy of God. Now there's two things that is to be observed in this phrase.

First, That it is in the Imperative Mood, Reap in Mercy, not, You shall reap in Mercy.

Secondly, In the Original it is, The Mouth of Mercy.

Now for the opening of the words according to these phrases.

For the First, That it is in the Imperative Mood, Reap in Mercy; not, You shall reap in Mercy.

This signifies these two things.

1. The certainty of the mercy they shall have. And

2. The readiness of the mercy, that it is ready at hand for them to possess; just as if one should say to you in your shops, Let me have this commodity and here take your money, that is, here's your money ready and certain.

And then, from the other word, In the mouth of Mercy.

Now if the Translators had translated it thus, Sow in Righteousness, and reap in the mouth of Mercy, it would have been obscure: but those that understand the Hebrew tongue, know the meaning of this phrase to be nothing but thus much. The mouth of a thing is used for the proportion and measure of a thing, you shall have it thus in (Leviticus 27:16) (the same Scripture that I quoted before for another purpose) Your estimation shall be according to the seed thereof. Now the word in the Hebrew is, The estimation shall be to the mouth of the seed, that is, according to the proportion of the seed so shall the estimation be. And so you have it in (Exodus 16:16) Gather every man according to what he shall eat. It is the same here, To the mouth of every man, in a proportion according to what's fit for every man.