Babylonish captivity. Secondly, The answer of peace that is made to their prayer, from verfe 8: and downward. We have here the pfalmift listening and waiting for the answer; "I will hear what God the Lord will fpeak." The anfwer itfelf in general is peace; "He will speak peace to his people, and to his faints." If he give not outward peace, yet he will fuggeft inward. peace; fpeaking that to their hearts by his Spirit, which he had fpoken to their ears by his word, whatever other fort of peace and profperity they enjoyed; when at length the children of captivity, after a great deal of toil, had gained a fettlement in their own land, yet peace with God and profperity under the Meffiah's kingdom, was the great thing here promifed, and prophefied of; and that is a peace that lays the foul un der the ftrongeft obligation to ftand aback from all fin, which is the greateft folly, and to beware of backfliding thereto; but let them not return again to folly: For true peace with God brings in war with fin. But this is further explained in the main leading part thereof, namely, falvation and glory, verfe 9. Surely his falvation is near to them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land." Now, whatever other falvation be here imported, Chrift is the great falvation intended; when he is near in view, then the believer cries out with old Simeon, "Now mine eyes have feen thy falvation:" and whatever other glory and honour, be here imported, Chrift is the chief glory intended; when he goes away from a land, then ICHABOD, the glory is departed; but where he abides, glory dwells; for he is called, "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Ifrael." But now, if we would know what fort of glory it is that appears when Chrift is revealed; why, it is even the glorious harmony of all the divine attributes illuftrioufly fhining in him, who is both our falvation and our glory: "Mercy and truth are met together, righteoufnefs and peace have kiffed each other." Now, though thefe words may be applied to the happy meeting of graces in men, upon the revelation of Chrift in the foul, which I may afterwards notice in the fequel, and in which fenfe fome interpreters underVOL. II.

fland

ftand it, yet I take it mainly to import, the happy meeting of perfections in God, to be glorified in the finner's falvation by Jefus Chrift; which is a glofs that no interpreter, I have had occafion to confult, does neglect or omit and if any of them fhould mifs it, I think they would mifs the very ground-work and foundation of all other happy meetings; "Mercy and truth have met together, righteoufnefs and peace have kiffed each other."

In the words you may notice, 1. The members of the meeting. 2. The manner of the meeting. 3. The harmony of the meeting. 4. The ftrangenefs of it. 1. Notice, I fay, firft, The members of the meeting; Mercy, Truth, Righteousness, Peace. I hope, I need not caution fome in this affembly, that they beware of imagining these various perfections of God, under the names of Mercy, Truth, Righteoufnefs, and Peace, as if they were really diftinct and different parties, making a formal confultation, in order to their agreement; for God is one, and cannot be divided; he is one infinite, eternal, and unchangeable Being: there are not diftinct and different things in his nature and effence, however his perfe&tions be thus reprefented to our weak, finite capacities, which cannot underftand the perfections of God, but in feveral parts, as it were. By Mercy then here, we are to underfiand God himself, as he is a merciful and gracious God. By Truth we are to understand the fame God, as he is a true and faithful God. By Righteoufnefs we may understand his juftice, or God himself, as he is a just and righteous God; and by Peace, the fame God, as he is the God of peace, and God reconciling the world to himfelf. So that the whole comes to this, It is the great and eternal God himself, confulting with himfelf, in a manner becoming his infinite and adorable perfections, how to glorify himself in all his glorious attributes, in the way of faving finners, in and by Jefus Christ.

2. The manner of the meeting: thefe excellencies and perfections of God meet together, as it were, in

pairs; Mercy and Truth, Righteoufnefs and Peace, gos ing hand-in-hand to the council chamber, to concert the matters that concerned their highest glory and honour.

3. The harmony of the meeting; having met toge ther, they kifs and embrace each other. Mercy and Peace, as it were, exprefs their complacency in Truth and Righteoufnefs; and Truth and Righteoufnefs exprefs 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 difhonour of any other attribute, but mutually embrace each other in their everlafting arms, for fupporting the honour of each other's excellency, with complicated in effable endearments.

4. The ftrangenefs, and remarkableness of this meeting for, the agreement of thefe 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 Righteoufnefs fhould meet together, and agree in juftice to destroy us, were not fo firange and remarkable. And if they had kept fuch a feparate meeting, and remained at variance without meeting together, man had been for ever feparate from God, and fome darling attributes had never been glorified int 'man's falvation; our fin and rebellion having in a manner fet the attributes of God at fuch a variance, as nothing else than infinite wifdom could provide a fuf ficient anfwer to all their contradictory claims and in terelts, 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 I will have mercy:" well, but, fays Truth, It is my interest as a God of truth, that the finner die, fince I have faid, that "The foul that finneth fhall die :" yea, and fays Righteoufnefs, I muft join with Truth, and claim the finner's damnation, for the advancement of my inte reft and honour; for I have faid, and will not gain.

fay it, "That I will by no means clear the guilty:" O! but fays Peace, I muft 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 is near." So there appears to be a war in heaven among infinitely adorable attributes and perfections, where Mercy and Peace are faying, We must have glory in fhewing undeferved pity on the finner; and yet Truth and Righteoufnefs are laying, We muft have glory in executing the deferved vengeance. And now, O men and angels! will you tell, 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 wifdom fays, It is not in me. What fay ye angels? you 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-wifdom fails, we may addrefs 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 afhes.What fayeft thou? O infinitely wife JEHOVAH! can thefe oppofite claims be reconciled to the fatisfaction of all parties, and the falvation of the finner? yea, it is done, it is done; it is done in a crucified Christ, whom we have been remembering at this folemnity; and therefore we may fing this marvellous fong upon the back of it, faying, Glory, glory, glory to God, that mercy and truth are met together, and righteousness and peace have embraced each other.

OBSERV. That in the falvation of finners by Jefus Chrift, the glorious attributes and perfections of God do harmonioufly 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.

When

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, fee Hof. ii. 19, 20. This

is declared by an audible voice from heaven, faying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleafed," Mat. iii. 17. And why, even for the reason you have, Ifa. xlii. 21. "The Lord is well-pleafed for his righte bufnefs fake, he will magnify the law, and make it honourable."-We fee he hath brought in a righteoufnels answering the demands of all that flood in the way of our falvation. Did divine Truth and Righteousness say, That the threatning of the law muft be execute, so sure as God is true, as well as its precept obtemperate and obeyed? Well, can a Righteoufnefs fatisfying both thefe demands, do the bufinefs? Yea, fays Juftice itfelf, in concert with Mercy, if there be one righteous man in the Sodom of this earth, that can fatisfy my broken and violated law, in its demand of complete fatisfaction, then I will spare all the elect world, for the fake of that one righteous man; and by his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant juftify many. Well, fays Mercy, Here is one whofe name is WONDERFUL, and whom they call IMMANUEL, God-man, who hath brought in an everlasting righteoufnefs, 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 righteoufnefs fake; he hath magnified the law, and made it honourable." 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 agreements with a kiss of infinite kindnefs, harmony, and fatisfaction; Mercy and truth are met together, righteoufnefs and peace have kiffed each other."

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

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I. To