defires could be reconciled, if mercy and truth had not met together, and kiffed each other; for the glory of God's truth and righteousness, in the threatning of his law, seems to reft fatisfied with nothing less than our deftruction; and therefore to defire God's glory, would have been to defire our own damnation; and confequently in defiring our own falvation, we may have defired God's difhonour But now this bleffed contrivance of infinite wisdom lets us fee how these two are, not only reconciled, but made infeparable; Having fet forth Chrift to be the propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs in the remiffion of fins.

3. These feemingly oppofite attributes meet and kifs each other, that feemingly oppofite graces might meet and embrace each other; for example, reverence and confidence. How fhall fear and reverence meet together with faith and confidence? Why, truth and righteoufnefs are at the meeting, and therefore fear and reverence becomes us; but mercy and peace are alfo on the bench, therefore faith and holy confidence may boldly step in: We have boldnefs to enter into the holieft by the blood of Jefus.

4. These oppofite-like attributes meet and embrace each other, that oppofite-like duties may meet together. Prayer and praife feem oppofite duties in fome cafes; prayer fuppofes our wants to be great, otherwife, why fhould we pray? Praife fuppofes our enjoyments to be great, otherwife, why should we praife? Well, truth and righteousness, thefe awful attributes, prefent at the meeting, fay, we have nothing in ourselves, therefore we ought to pray; but mercy and peace fay, we have all, we have enough in Chrift, and therefore we ought to VOL. II.

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praife. Humiliation and gloriation feem oppofite duties; but the feemingly oppofite attributes of God meeting together, bring alfo thefe duties to meet and embrace each other. Is truth and righteousness in the company with mercy and peace? Then humiliation is our duty; but, is mercy and peace in company with truth and righteousness? Then gloriation is our duty; let him that glories glory in the Lord.

5. These feemingly oppofite attributes of God meet and embrace each other, that feemingly oppofite experiences may meet and embrace each other, and be reconciled, tho' feemingly irreconcileable. There are fad experiences, and sweet expe riences: O here is the fad experience of a guilty conscience, a powerful corruption, and a conquering temptation? Can ever that be reconciled with the experience of holy peace, pardon and victory? Yea, here is a foundation laid for the reconciliation of these oppofites. If justice and mercy have met together, then a guilty confcience and a mercy-feat may meet together; a prevalent corruption and pardoning purifying blood may meet together; as they did in the Pfalmift's cafe, Pfal. lxv. 3. Iniquities prevail against me: But as for our tranfgreffions, thou wilt purge them away. The fad experience of fatherly anger, or the feeling of divine wrath, may meet with the fweet experience of felt love and favour; for mercy and justice are met together, Ifa. liv. 7, 8. The fad experience of perplexing thoughts may meet with the fweet, experience of fpiritual confolation, and be swallowed up therein; fince truth and juftice have met with mercy and peace: Hence it was that these two met together in David, Pfal. xciv. 19. In the multitude of my

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thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my foul. O! Is fuch a fad experience confiftent with an interest in Chrift? Why? Both terrible and amiable attributes of God meet together in Chrift, and therefore it is not ftrange that the faddeft and sweetest experiences meet together, fo as not to be inconfiftent with the ftate of a believer that is in Chrift. To fee awful justice and lovely mercy meeting together in a sweet-smelling facrifice, is a greater wonder, than to see your faddeft and sweetest experiences meeting in Chrift, to make up a Hallelujah, praise ye the Lord; and the former meeting is the reafon of this.

6. These irreconcileable-like attributes of God meet and embrace each other, that irreconcileablelike fcriptures might meet together and embrace each other. How fhall Exod. xxxiv. 7. He will by no means clear the guilty, or juftify the finner, be reconciled with Rom. iv. 5. where he is faid to juflify the ungodly? O how can these two oppofites meet together? Why, mercy and truth have met together in Chrift, to make up a match betwixt them: A ranfom is found, a propitiation is fet forth; why then, thefe oppofite-like fcriptures may meet together, and kifs each other. He will by no means clear the guilty, without a ranfom, a propitiation: Well, is the ranfom found, and the propitiation fet forth? Then he will justify the ungodly on that ground; Deliver his foul from going down to the pit, I have found a ranfom. Now, he can justify the finner, and be just in so doing, while he draws him into Chrift by faith, Rom. iii. 25, 26. Thus you fee the reasons of the meeting. In a word, they meet together upon a defign to bring the greateit good out of the greatft evil, and the highest glory

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out of the deepest mifery, to the praise of all God's glorious perfections.

The fifth thing propofed was the application in a few inferences. Is it fo, that, in the falvation of finners by Jefus Chrift, the glorious attributes and perfections of God do thus harmoniously confpire, and embrace each other? Then hence we may fee,

1. What a dreadful evil fin is, which fets all the attributes of God, as it were, at odds, and puts all the world into confufion, and every thing out of order; it fets heaven and earth, and all things in them, at variance one against another. To think light of fin, is to think light of this glorious meeting of divine attributes, that met together to break this rebellion, and take order with this horrid infurrection against heaven. O what a great matter is the falvation of a finner! Ere that can take place, this grand meeting must be called; all the injured attributes of God must have an honourable reparation. Justice must be fatisfied, truth vindicated, righteousness cleared: And, in order to all this, a furety must be provided, even a God in our nature; the guilt must be imputed to him, and the iniquity of us all must be laid upon him; and then a bloody tragedy must be acted upon his foul and body, till he fink to death under the weight of infinite wrath. But,

2. Hence fee what a wonderful perfon our Lord Jefus Chrift is, in whom so many wonders meet together. It is in him that mercy and truth, righteousness and peace do meet together, and kifs each other. Here all the bright perfections of the divine nature do glorioufly confpire; here is the bright constellation of all the divine attributes fhin

ing forth in him, and every ftar performs its revolution in this orb. Behold in him the bright glory and excellency of God's grace and love, a whole Trinity in concert, each perfon to perform his own part, and each attribute its own work; and Chrift the image of the invifible God fet forth to be a glorious theatre, on which men and angels might fee the fplendor of the tranfaction; He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perJon. Here is the great mystery of godliness, God manifefted in the flesh, and all his attributes meeting together, and kifling each other, in our Emmanuel, God-man. There are two things meet in Chrift, which should make him wonderful to us: The one is, all our fins meet together on him, that they may be condemned, according to that word, Ifa. liii. 6. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all, or made them to meet on him: The other is, all the attributes of God meet in him, that they may be glorified: And indeed there is no faving or fatisfying knowledge of any property of God, but what is to be had in Chrift. To fee God to be a merciful, juft, true, righteous, good and holy God, is neither a faving nor a fatisfying fight, unless we see these attributes meeting in Chrift for our falvation; and to see this, is to fee the glory of God in the face of Chrift. Here see the glory of divine mercy! What is pardoning mercy? It is God's free gracious acceptance of a finner, upon fatisfaction made to his juftice, in the blood of Jefus Nor is any difcovery of mercy, but as relating to the fatisfaction of justice, confiftent with the glory of God; mercy cannot be feen favingly, but as meeting with justice in Chrift. Here alfo we fee the glory of divine truth in the exact accomplishment of all his threatnings and promifes.

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