II. The fecond thing was, When and where did thefe bleffed parties meet together? When we peak of a remarkable meeting, it is ufual to enquire into the time and place of the meeting. Now, the place where, and the time when as to this wonderful meeting, are two questions, which I put together, for they may both be answered at once, becaule of their near relation.

ift, Then in general, the meeting place, or the place of the meeting, is CHRIST; and the time of the meeting was, when Chrift put himself in our room, or fubflitute himself in the place of the finner, to answer the demands of all the members of the meeting, that had any objection against our falvation, or any thing to lay to our charge: Where then, and when did they meet together and kifs each other? Why, it was even in Chrift, when he took our law room, to pay our debt and purchase our liberty in fuch a manner, as Mercy and Peace might have their interefts advanced, without injury to Truth and Righteoufnefs; that Mercy might vent, to the credit of Truth; and Peace might be proclaimed to the honour of Righteoufnefs; and the finner faved, to the fatisfaction of Juftice. They meet together and embrace each other in him, as the Surety, The Surety of the better Teftament," Heb. vii. 22.

We were debtors to the mandatory and minatory part of the law, arraigned at the inftance of divine Juftice to pay the debt. Chrift fubftitutes himself in our room, comes under the law to pay the whole debt: it is true, the debt was perfonal, and Juftice had a demand upon the perfon that finned, by virtue of the covenant of works; but that covenant never excluded a furety, though it provided none. The law promifed life upon our perfonal obedience, but in cafe we fail, it revealed no furety to make out an obedience in our room. There behoved, indeed, to be a fecret reserve in the covenant of works, whereby the perfect obedience of another was not excluded: for, if the covenant of works, had abfolutely excluded a furety in qur room, then the covenant of grace had been excluded,

SERM. XX. eluded, and our falvation had been impoffible after our fall; but though the covenant of works did not exclude a furety, yet that covenant did neither provide, nor reveal a furety. This is done in the covenant of grace, which is Chrift as Surety fulfilling for us the covenant of works, in all the articles of it.

Now, is Truth and Faithfulness at any lofs here ? No: the truth of the promife and threatning both, of the law of works is fulfilled. On the one hand, the promise of eternal life, made to perfect obedience, which, though we forfeited in our own perfon, yet we recover in the perfon of Chrift; the promife of life upon the ground and condition of perfect obedience, being fulfilled to us in him, who hath yielded that perfect obedience in our room. On the other hand, divine Truth and Faithfulnefs, in the threatening of the law, which was death, is glorified in that it is fulfilled upon the Surety; while we, who came under the fentence of death in the first Adam, undergo that death in the fecond.

Again, is Righteoufnefs and Juftice at any lofs by this Surety in our room? No, no: whether we look upon it as vindictive or retributive Juftice: vindictive Juftice is difplayed in its utmoft feverity againft Chrift; "Awake, O fword, againft my Shepherd, and the man that is my Fellow." And fo the fword is drunk in his blood to infinite fatisfaction. Retributive Juftice is gloriously displayed alfo in the finner's being rewarded, juftified, faved, upon this ground. It is.true, might Jultice fay, I could have demanded fatisfaction upon the finner himself, in his own perfon, but as I can fuftain no injury to my honour, by fuch a Surety as this, whom they call IMMANUEL, God-man; fo I find my honour and intereft, inftead of being impaired, is advanced by this exchange of perfons: for, though I fhould damn the finner to all eternity, I will never get fuch full and complete fatisfaction upon any finite creature, as I will get by one ftroak of my avenging fword upon that Perfon of infinite dignity; and fo it pleafed the Lord to bruife him. -Why then, they meet to

gether

gether and embrace one-another in him, as the Surety; and if Truth and Righteousness be both pleased to the full, the parties cannot but all agree, and embrace each other.- -Again, they meet together and embrace oneanother in him, as a Sacrifice; "A facrifice and offering of a fweet-fmelling favour unto God," Eph. v. 2. Why, "He offered up himfelf by the eternal Spirit." O great! Even by his eternal Godhead; a valuable facrifice indeed!-They meet together in him as a propitiation; "Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs, for the remiffion of fins that are paft, through the forbearance of God," Rom. iii. 25. Behold him righteous in fhewing Mercy! Here is the atonement, the propitiation that very word which the Septuagint calls the mercy-feat, in the Old Teftament; and it is the word that the poor publican made ufe of, when he was feeking Mercy, "God be merciful to me a finner; or, Be thou PROPITIOUS to me," Luke xviii. 13.

He hath a mind of this Mercy-feat and Propitiation. It is not fimple mercy that he fought, but Mercy through a propitiation; he looked to the blood of atone ment, to the facrificed Lamb of God, faying, Give me Mercy for this; by that folemn propitiation; "Be thou propitious to me." Here it is that Mercy and Juftice meet together.They meet together in him as a ranfom: "Deliver his foul from going down to the pit; I have found a ranfom," Job xxxiii. 24.In a word, they have met together, and kiffed one-another in a crucified Chrift; whofe death was the payment of our debt, the punishment of our fin, the price of our redemption, and a purchase of our life, liberty, and eternal falvation.Here is the meeting place then of these glorious perfections of God: here is the perfon in whom they centre, that they may be all glorified to the higheft. Mercy, Truth, Righteoufnefs, and Peace, all are pleased.Mercy is gratified, and conftitutes him to be the Mercy-feat: Truth is fatisfied, and centers in him as the way, the truth, and the life: Righteoufnefs is contented, and declares him to be the Lord our righteouf

eoufuefs: Peace is perfected, and proclaims him to be the Prince of peace: yea, not only are all the members of the meeting pleafed and satisfied for themselves, in the advancement of their own particular interefts, but they are infinitely well-pleafed in each other; and that the interefts of their feemingly oppofite parties are advanced, as well as their own particular claims. Mercy is pleafed, that Truth hath got all its demands; and Truth is pleafed, that Mercy hath got all her defire; and Righteoufnefs is pleafed, that Peace is proclaimed; and Peace is pleafed, that Righteouinefs is honoured. Mercy and Peace rejoice that they are magnified, to the infinite glory of Truth and Righteousness; and Truth and Righteousness rejoice, that they are glorified, to the infinite pleasure of Mercy and Peace: and hence they not only meet together, but kifs one-another. Here you fee where they meet together. So much for an anfwer thereto more generally.

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2dly, More particularly, as to the meeting-time, you may take thefe following particulars, for further clearing of it. Although this bleffed meeting once taking place, is ftill continued, and cannot be faid properly to adjourn from time to time, and from place to place; for this affembly never diffolves; yet, in a fuitablenefs to our weak capacity, and finite underflanding, which cannot rightly conceive of a meeting that never had a time to meet, because they met in eternity, and never fhall have time to part, because they meet to eternity; we cannot conceive of it, I fay, but by taking it, as it were, into fo many parts, or confi 'ering it in fo many periods; and there are these eight remarkable periods, wherein Mercy and Peace meet with Truth and Righteoufnefs, and kifs each other.

1. The firft remarkable period is this, They met together at the council-table of the covenant of redemption from eternity; before ever the foundation of the world was laid, and ere ever the morning ftars fang together, Mercy and Truth met together, Righteoufnefs and Peace kiffed each other: for the council of peace did then meet, Zech. vi. 13. And all was concerted by infinite Wisdom, how Mercy should be magnified, Truth clear

ed,

ed, Righteoufnefs vindicated, and Peace concluded; and all in Chrift, who, according to tenor of that covenant (whereof the covenant of grace is but a tranf cript) was to give his foul an offering for fin; and then was to fee his feed, and the pleafure of the Lord to profper in his hand. Then it was that this pleasant meeting was first conftitute, as you may fee, Prov. viii. 30, 31. He being fet up from everlafling, ere ever the earth was, God in all his glorious perfections was delighted in him: and, in him, "His delights were with the fons of men." This was the grand meeting, at which the time and place of all the fubfequent meetings were concerted, and all the other particulars we are to mention, are by the refult of this, and, as it were, emanations therefrom; for it is a meeting that never diffolves, tho' in feveral periods it appears like a new meeting unto us. Therefore,

2. Another remarkable period is, their meeting together in the garden of Eden, after man had made himfelf naked and obnoxious to the flaming fword of di vine juftice. Mercy comes walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the guilty pannel being examined in open court, behold Mercy and Truth meet together in the happy sentence that was pronounced, "The feed of the woman fhall bruife the head of the ferpent," Gen. iii. 15. Behold Righteousness and Peace kiffing one another in the righteous vengeance, that was to be execute upon the devil and his works, in order to effectuate a happy peace betwixt God and man. This meeting was gradually cleared up under the Old Teftament; and in the legal facrifices, pointing out the great propitiatory Sacrifice.

3. Another remarkable period is, their meeting together at Bethlehem Ephratah, upon Chrift's incarnation, Micah v. 2. 4, 5.

4. Another remarkable period is, their meeting together at the banks of Jordan, when Chrift was baptized, Mat. iii. 13. 16, 17.

5. Another remarkable period is, their meeting to gether in the garden of Gethsemane, when Chrift being in an agony, did fweat great drops of blood under the

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