Psalms 107:1-31

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy en-dureth for ever.

Men and mercy

I. Men consciously needing the mercy of Heaven. Morally, we are all distressed travellers, captives, invalids, mariners. The worst feature of this moral distress is that the subjects are not conscious of it.

II. Men effectually delivered by the mercy of Heaven.

1. Just in time. Each had reached the extremity. The lamp of hope was all but extinct, and black despair was settling on the soul, when mercy came to the rescue.

2. After the prayer, God listens to the cries of His distressed children.

III. Men urged to acknowledge the mercy of Heaven.

1. The mercy of Heaven is generally unacknowledged.

2. The acknowledgment of this mercy is an urgent obligation.

(1) Because a proper recognition of God’s mercy is essential to the extinction of the evil in man.

(2) Because a proper recognition of God’s mercy is essential to the generating of good in man. (Homilist.)