peace, going hand in hand into the council-chamB ber to concert the matters that concerned their highest glory and honour.

3. The harmony of the meeting. Having met together, they kifs and embrace each other. Mercy and peace as it were, exprefs their complacency in truth and righteoufnefs, and truth and righteousness express their complacency in mercy and peace, and delight in one another's honour: For not one attribute of the divine majefty can or will be glorified to the dishonour of any other attribute, but mutually embrace each other in their everlafting arms, for fupporting the honour of each other's excellency with complicated ineffable endearments.

4. The frangeness and remarkableness of this meeting. For the agreement of these parties met together is the more remarkable, in regard of their jarring and oppofite claims; for that mercy and peace fhould meet together, and agree in favour to fave us, and that truth and righteousness should meet together, and agree in juftice to deftroy us, were not fo ftrange and remarkable. And, if they had kept feparate and remained so, man had been for ever separate from God, and fome darling attributes had never been glorified in man's falvation, our fin and rebellion having in a manner fet the attributes of God at fuch variance, as nothing else than infinite wifdom could provide a fufficient anfwer to all their contradictory claims and interefts, which behoved to be done ere the propofal concerning the falvation of any finner could be gone into. Why, fays mercy, it is my intereft that the finner live and not perish, that I may be magnified, fince I have faid, that I will have mercy on whom 1

is near.

will have mercy. Well, but fays truth, it is my intereft as a God of truth that the finner die, fince, I have said, that the foul that finneth fhall die. Yea, and fays righteousness, I must join with truth, and claim the finner's damnation for the advancement of my intereft and honour; for I have faid, and will not gainfay it, that I will by no means clear the guilty. Ŏ but, fays peace, I must join in with mercy, and claim the finner's falvation, for advancing my intereft; for I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him that is afar off, and to him that So there appears to be a war in heaven. among thefe infinitely adorable attributes and perfections, while mercy and peace are faying, we must have glory in fhewing undeferved pity on the finner, and yet truth and righteoufnefs are faying, we must have glory in executing the deserved vengeance. And now, O men and angels! pray tell us, can these antipodes meet together? Can thefe jarring-like attributes of the divine Majefty embrace each other in the falvation of the finner, fo as to get all their demands anfwered, and their different interefts advanced? What fay you, children of men, can you devife how thefe differences can be compofed for your own fafety? No, no; human wisdom, fays, It is not in me. fay ye, angels, that excel in ftrength and wifdom? Can you contrive the reconciliation of these irreconcileable demands. No, no; angelical wifdom fays, It is not in me. Well, fince creature-wisdom fails, may we address the infinite wifdom of the Deity and enquire at a higher hand? Behold, now we have taken upon us to speak unto the Lord, who are but duft and afbes: What fayft thou, O infinitely wife Jehovah? Can these oppofite claims be recon

What

ciled, to the fatisfaction of all parties, and the falvation of the finner? Yea, it is done, it is done in a crucified Chrift, whom we have been remembring at this folemnity; and therefore we may fing this marvellous fong upon an after review of it, faying, Glory, glory, glory to God, that mercy and truth are met together, &c.

OBSERVATION, That in the falvation of finners by Jefus Chrift, the glorious attributes and perfections of God do barmoniously confpire and embrace one another. Or thus, That in Chrift crucified for the redemption of finners, all the glorious attributes of the divine Majefty do harmoniously confpire, and embrace one another.

19, 20.

When God is well pleafed, no perfection of God is difpleafed But God is well pleafed in Chrift: And therefore every perfection of his nature is well pleafed, none of them difpleafed or diffatisfied, but all pleafed and fatisfied to the full. See Hof. ii. This is declared by an audible voice from heaven, faying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed, Matth. iii. laft. And why? Even for the reafon you have, Ifa. xlii. 21. We fee he hath brought in a righteoufnefs answering the demands of all that stood in the way of our falvation; Did divine truth and righteousness fay, that the threatning of the law must be executed, fo fure as God is true, as well as its precept obtemperated and obeyed? Well, can a righteoufnefs, fatisfying both thefe demands, do the bufinefs? Yea, fays justice itfelf in concert with mercy, if there be but one righteous man in the Sodom of this earth, that can fatisfy my broken and violated law, in its command of perfect obedience, and in its demand of complete fatisfaction; then I will fpare all the

elect

elect world, for the fake of that one righteous man, and, By his knowledge shall my righteous fervant justify many. Well lays mercy, here is one whose name is wonderful, and whom they call Immanuel, God-man, who hath brought in an everlafting righteoufnels, both active and paffive, fuiting the precept and penalty of the law: Why then, might one attribute fay to another, we are all pleafed, and with one confent let it be proclaimed on earth, that the Lord is well pleafed for his righteouf nefs fake; for he hath magnified the law, and made it bonourable. And now And now the great affair of man's falvation is fo well concerted and contrived, that God may have mercy upon them, and be at peace, with poor finners, without any wrong to his truth and righteoufnefs. The attributes of God have met and agreed, and fealed their agreement with a kiss of infinite kindness, harmony and fatisfaction; Mercy and truth are met together, rightecufnefs and peace have kiffed each other.

Now, that I may fpeak to this purpose a little more fully, the method I propofe is,

1. To touch a little at this question, who are the members of this meeting? Or, what are these attributes of God, which do thus harmoniously confpire together, propofing their various claims?

2. I would enquire, when and where it is that they meet together, and embrace one another?

3. How, and after what manner it is, that they meet together, and kifs one another?

4. Why, or for what reafon it is, that they have met together, thus harmoniously?

5. Make fome application.

First, I would speak a little of the members of this meeting, or the attributes of God, that thus

harmonioufly confpire together. We need not afk, at whofe instance this meeting is called? It is at the inftance, and by the order of JEHOVAH, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, one God; his fovereign will and pleasure, refolving, in a manner like himself to concert with himself. Neither need we afk, what is the occafion of the meeting? Why, man had finned, and all mankind, by their fin was involved under the curfe of the law, and wrath of God; and yet God had refolved and decreed for the glory of his grace and mercy, to fave a world of finners, elect according to the foreknowledge of God. And while grace, mercy and peace are upon this loving defign of faving finners, it was fit that justice, truth, and righteousness, should be called into the fame council, to appear for their intereft, fince the propofal of fuch a falvation of finners feems to encroach upon their honour, which required the vengeance due to be executed upon the finner. Well, the meeting being called, these glorious perfections, mercy, truth, righteousness and peace appear; mercy and peace full of pity, truth and juftice, full of fury, which made a feeming controverly in heaven. We may fuppofe Adam arraigned in the name of all mankind, and ftanding as a trembling prifoner at the bar; yea, his very tongue chained up in filence by reafon of fin and guilt, and he fentenced to eternal death, and ready to have the fentence executed upon him and all his pofterity. We may fuppofe, next, the several members of the meeting opening the affembly, by putting in their feveral claims; and we may obferve them in the order of the text.

1. MERCY,