That original threatning and commination, whence all other threatnings flow, Gen. ii. 17. In the day thou eateft, thou shalt furely die, backed with a curfe, For curfed is every one that continues not in all things, &c. is in him accomplished fully, and the truth of God therein cleared to our falvation, while be tafted death for us, and was made a curfe for us; fo that in every threatning his truth is made glorious. And, as to the promises, they are all yea and amen in Chrift Jefus, to the glory of God by us, 2 Cor. i. 20. And fo of all the other attributes of God, they are made glorious and exalted in Chrift to our falvation. Hence when Chrift defired his father to glorify his name, John xii. 28. to make his name, that is, his nature, and properties, and perfections, all glorious in the work of redemption, that he had in hand; he was inftantly answered from heaven, I have both glorified it, and will glerify it again; I will give my attributes their utmost glory in thee. ད 3. Hence fee the difference betwixt the law and the gospel. One great difference betwixt them lies in this, that, in the law, the finner that hath violated the fame, may fee truth ftanding engaged against him, but no mercy in company with truth; and righteoufnefs in arms against him, but no peace in company with righteousness. Justice without mercy, and war without peace, to the finner, is the motto of the law: For therein truth and righteousness meet together, but mercy and peace are not at the meeting; and fo the language of the law, to you that are out of Chrift, and under the law, is, no mercy, no peace, but the wrath of God, the vengeance of God, the curfe of God upon you, and that fo furẹ as God is a God of truth and righteoufness: There is the law. But, in the gofpel, mercy and peace come into the meeting, and make up a match betwixt all the oppofite-like parties, to the highest glory of God, and the greatest happiness of the finner; and they feal the match with a kifs of infinite complacency, fo that the fum of the Gospel is this, mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace bave kiffed each other. 4. Hence we may fee what is the fountain-head and foundation of all true communion and fellowship with God and man. This glorious meeting is the foundation of all other happy meetings, fellowship with God, and an happy meeting with him, is a ftream that flows from this fountain. We could never have met with God, or got a kindly kifs or embrace in the arms of his favour and love, if this divine meeting and embracement had not made way for it. Fellowship with man, or the communion of faints, is a rivulet that flows from this fpring. When faints meet together for prayer or praifes, under the influence of the Spirit, and under a gale of heaven; when their hearts are fired with love to God, and to one another in him; what is this? It is just a live-coal caft in among them from the altar, Chrift Jefus, where all the attributes of God meet together, and kifs each other; and hence true fellowship with God, and with the faints, are both declared to be in and through Chrift Jefus, 1 John i. 3. That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us: And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. The harmony of the attributes of God in Chrift, is the fountain of all the harmony among the faints: The little harmony that takes place among them in our day, U 4 day, and the rarity of holy fellowship-meetings, flows from the little faith of this heavenly divine meeting; for all the faints, that are under the lively views thereof, cannot but defire to meet together, and embrace each other harmoniously, in the arms of mutual love. 5. Hence fee the malignity of the fin of unbelief, the great employment whereof is, to spoil the barmony of the divine perfections, and to do its utmost to diffolve that glorious meeting, and feparate what God hath joined, faying, in effect, they have not met together, nor kiffed each other. This we may difcern in the unbelief, whether of secure or awakened finners: See it in the unbelief of the fecure finner, who fets truth and righteousness out of the meeting, faying, God is a merciful God, and I fhall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my own heart, adding drunkenness to thirft: Thus they hope in God's mercy, and fpeak peace to themselves, while they never view the truth and righteoufnefs of God, and how the credit thereof fhall be faved, or the honour thereof repaired : And hence, as faith is faid to fet to the feal, that God is true, or that he is a God of truth; fo unbelief is faid to make God a liar. To fancy that God will have mercy on their fouls, without regarding the truth of his threatnings, is to make God a liar, and fay, mercy and truth have not met together; to think that God will be at peace with them, while his righteoufnefs and juftice are not fatisfied, is to make God a liar, and say, righteoufnefs and peace have not met together. Thus the unbelief of the fecure finner puts truth and rightecufness out of the meeting. Again, on the other hand, the unbelief of the awakened finner puts mercy mercy and peace out of the meeting, faying, O he is a God of truth, and how fhall he have mercy on the like of me? He is a God of awful juftice and righteousness, and how will he be at peace with me? What is the language of this, but that mercy and peace have not met with truth and righteousness? Here is a making God a liar alfo, and feparating what God hath in the gospel declared to be joined. Behold then the malignity of unbelief; it breaks the glorious meeting, and will not let them kifs one another. The prefuming finner will not let God have the glory of his truth and righteousness, the despairing finner will not let God have the glory of his mercy and grace; both are in a concert with the devil to break the harmony of the meeting. But O, may virtue come from that glorious meeting in Chrift, to the poor finful meeting in this houfe, for dashing your unbelief to pieces, that we may fee mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiffing each other! 6. Hence fee fure and noble ground for the boldness and confidence of faith in Chrift; In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him, Eph. iii. 12. Here's an answer to all the objections of unbelief and diffidence, the chief whereof lies here; O, fays unbelief, may I, finful guilty I, lay hold on the promise of mercy and peace in the gofpel, when I fee the great ordinance of the divine threatning hard charged with the truth and righteousness of God, and ready to be difcharged against me with thunder and lightning, faying, no mercy, no peace; He that made thee will not have mercy upon thee; and, There is no peace, Jays my God, to the wicked? Mercy and peace in the the promise then, fays unbelief, cannot take place with refpect to me; for truth and righteousness in the threatning ftand in the way, like a flaming fword, to keep the way of the tree of life. Nay, but, fays faith, here the promise and the threatning have met together, and kiffed each other in Chrift; mercy in the promise, and juftice in the threatning, have met and agreed in him, in whom all the promifes are yea and amen, and in whom all the threatnings are fully executed, by drawing out his heart-blood. Thus then, we have boldness to enter into the bolieft by the blood of Jefus, Heb. x. 19. By a new and living way which he bath confecrated for us through the vail of his flesh: Therefore let us draw near with a true heart, in full affurance of faith. O what ground for the boldness and affured confidence of faith, with particular application, notwithstanding the threatning! The threatning hath nothing to fay to me, faith faith, for Chrift hath fpoken with it already, and spoken it out of breath; he hath left it speechlefs and breathlefs; not a breathing of wrath in it towards me. The believer may have a million of doubts, while his unbelief keeps the chair; but let gallant faith come in, and take the room, it will difpel them all. Let once unbelief break the harmony of this meeting of divine attributes in Chrift, and then nothing but doubts of God's favour and mercy muft enfue; but let faith view the harmony, and fee them meeting and kiffing each other, and then, according to the measure of faith, fuch will be the measure of holy boldness, confidence and perfuafion of the favour, mercy and good-will of God in Chrift, with particular application to the perton himself. Take away unbelief from faith, and then not a |