preffure of avenging Juftice; every drop of blood was an ocean of Mercy and while he was preft in the wine-prefs of God's wrath, Mercy was expreffed. No mercy to Chrift; for, God fpared not his own Son, even when he cried, Mercy, mercy; God's mercy, faying, "Father, if it be thy will, remove this cup from me." No, no; no mercy was fhown to him, otherwife no mercy had been fhown to us; Juftice must have its due from him, that mercy might vent towards us; and fo here Mercy and Truth meet together.

6. Another remarkable period is, their meeting on mount Calvary, where Chrift was crucified. It was upon the cross of Chrift; that Mercy and Truth met together, that Righteoufnels and Peace kiffed each other; for there it was that he paid all the elect's debt, to the leaft farthing that Truth and Righteoufnefs could demand; until he cried with a loud voice, and faid, "It is finished" Having done all that the law could enjoin, he fuffered all that the law could threaten, so as it cannot crave a farthing more: "It is finifhed:" All that was ftipulated for with the Father, in that federal tranf action; all that was promifed, in that eternal compact, is finished; every article agreed to in the council of peace was finished. The bargain that he had figned with his hand, he now fealed with his blood; and in this appearance upon the cross, or in his obedience to the death, did all the attributes of God meet, as in a centre. And on this account was mount Calvary more glorious than mount Sinai; for, in mount Sinai, God appeared in his terrible majefty, making the mountain to tremble, and the earth to fhake; but here in mount Calvary, he appeared not only in his terrible majefty, but in his tender mercy, in his terrible fury against fin; and in his tender favour towards the finner; and now, the controverfy betwixt Juftice and Mercy feems at a crifis; here was the critical juncture, wherein their different demands behoved to be decided; and it was done with fuch a folemnity as made the whole univerfe, as it were, to tremble and quake: for then did God fhake, not the earth only, but alfo heaven; for when Chrift was under the mighty load of this terrible wrath, in the finner's room,

room, there was a great earthquake, and the heavens grew black, the fun was eclipfed; and, that at a time, contrary to the common rules of nature, which made a heathen philofopher, at a distance, cry out, "That "either the frame of nature was on the point of dis"folution, or the God of nature was fuffering." And indeed he was fuffering unto blood, and unto death. Behold the living and eternal God here, in our nature wounded to death, and bleeding out his life, to be a facrifice for fin, that juftice might be fatisfied, and mercy might be magnified, and all the attributes of God glorified to the higheft. O wonder! that GoLGOTHA, the place of a fkull, fhould be fuch a famous meeting place for the divine perfections. It was a place of the greatest shame and ignominy; but, in him who endured the crofs, and defpifed the fhame, it was made a place of molt refplendent glory; for, in the crofs of Chrift, Mercy and Truth, Righteoufnefs and Peace met, and embraced each other. God's attributes did harmonioufly join together, fo as the one does not blacken, but illuftrate the glory of the other, while they fhined gloriously in the face of Christ crucified, as a beautiful and bright conftellation; for he was fet forth to be a propitiation, to declare the Righteoufnefs and Juftice of God, together with his other glorious names.

7. Another remarkable period, is their meeting together at the bar of God's great Juftice-court in heaven, "Within the vail, whither the Fore-runner hath for us entered, even Jefus," Heb. vi. 20. When Chrift was upon the cross, the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom; and a way was made for entering into the holy of holies: and as the priests under the law were not only to offer the facrifice without the camp, but after that, were to enter the holiest of all, not without blood, but with the blood of the facrifice, to sprinkle the mercy-feat, Lev. xvi. 14, 15. "Even fo, Chrift having offered himself a facrifice, and fuffered without the gate, Heb. xiii. 12. He is entered into the holy place by his own blood," Heb. ix. 12. there to appear as our High-prieft, in the power and virtue VOL. II.

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of his blood, to make a full atonement of, and sprinkle the mercy-feat. Hence believers are faid to be come to Jefus, the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling: And where is this? Even in heaven, as you fee in the context, Heb. xii. 23, 24. Now, in this work, Chrift carried the price of his blood into the very prefence of God for us, Heb. ix. 24. and paid it down before him and in this act, Juftice hath its fatisfaction brought home; and by this aft, Mercy and Justice actually are met; for hereby Christ sprinkled the very mercy-feat with blood, all over, both upon it, and before it, as the fore-cited, Lev. xvi. reprefents. For the mercy-feat, of old, flood fo, that it could be feen but two ways, namely, upon it, and before it, as a table next to the wall; and fo this points cut, that whatever way we look to mercy by faith, we may fee mercy and blood mixed; mercy and justice met together; and all forts of mercy conveyed through the blood of Chrift; top-mercies and fide-mercies, uppermercies, of a spiritual nature, and lower-mercies, of a temporal nature; for the mercy-feat is fprinkled with blood upon it, and before it, and whatever way you look to it. The facrifice was finished on the cross; and all facrifices finifhed therein: but the blood of the facrifice behoved alfo to be carried within the vail, in order to the full atonement, that what was written in blood upon the crofs, might be fealed in the prefence of God, at the heavenly bar: and we act not our faith far enough, for redemption, unless we follow Chrift from the cross to the bar of God's juftice-court in heaven, to see all fealed and fecured there, within the vail, where this blood is expofed, as it were, and pled at the bar; where Mercy and Juftice meet together, and embrace each other.

8. Another remarkable period, is their meeting together at the bar of Confcience, God's lower court, on the day of actual reconciliation betwixt God and the finner; for then, "The blood of Chrift, who, through the eternal Spirit, did offer himself without fpot to God, doth purge the confcience," Heb. ix. 14. And "The blood

of fprinkling, wherewith the confcience is purged from dead works, to serve the living God," doth put forth its purgative power and virtue by a certain internal fpeech: And what doth it fpeak to the confcience?" It fpeaks "It better things than the blood of Abel:" That speaks vengeance, but this fpeaks mercy and peace, in conjunction with truth and righteoufnefs, and juftice for where ever justice-fatisfying blood cries for mercy and peace, Mercy and Truth, Righteousness and Peace meet, and embrace each other. This blood is the cement whereby they are joined together; before this blood be applied, the confcience of the convinced finner is all in a flame, like mount Sinai; thunder, and lightening, and fmoak, and darknefs, and fear of hell and vengeance, compaffing the foul about, while it is arraigned at the inftance of the fiery law, to pay the double debt to the mandatory and minatory part of the law; that is, perfect obedience upon the pain of eternal death and damnation. The finner finds himfelf loft and undone for ever by this law; but then, whenever the blood of fprinkling comes in, and appears at the bar of confcience, it fpeaks better things; it is a better fpeaker than the law: And what fays it? Why, the language of it is, With your leave, O law, you have nothing to crave; for Chrift, the Son of God, was arraigned at the inftance of divine Juftice, to pay all this debt, because he was this finner's Surety and Subtitute; and he actually paid it, by obeying the command, and undergoing the penalty of the law; and for this I produce the ancient records of God; "In the volume of his book, it is written of Chrift, that when facrifice and offering would not, he faid, Lo, I come; I delight to do thy will and that the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all: That he was made a curfe for us; yea, that he was made fin for us, even he who knew no fin, that we might become the righteoufnefs of God in him." And therefore, O law, though thou haft Truth and Righteoufnefs on thy fide, yet Truth and Righteoufnefs have met with Mercy and Peace, and they have concerted matters, and agreed harmonionfly, and kiffed one-another, in token of their full agreement in

Chrift; fo that in Chrift all charges are answered.And thus in the believer's confcience parties meet together.

III. The Third thing propofed was, How and after what manner is it, that they meet together, and kifs each other? We are to conceive of it after the manner of God; for it is more than a meeting of faints; it is more than a meeting of angels; it is a divine meeting of all the glorious attributes of God; and we may notice. thefe following qualities of it.

1. It is a wonderful and myfterious meeting: it is above our apprehenfion and conception: O! how wonderful a meeting is this! The very name of the Person, that is made the trifting-place, the meetingplace, is called WONDERFUL, Ifaiah ix. 6. Because

the meeting is about us, his name is called, IMMANUEL, God with us.-O how myfterious is this. meeting! "Great is the mystery of godlinefs! God manifested in the flesh," 1 Tim. iii. 16. That is all the attributes of God meeting together, and harmonioufly embracing one another in the eternal Son of God, who hath affumed our nature into his own perfonality: this is the most wonderful, myfterious meeting that ever was in heaven or earth.

2. It is a joyful meeting: they meet with infinite pleasure and fatisfaction in one another; "Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my foul delighteth," Isaiah xlii. 1. As the perfections of God are glorified in Chrift, fo they rejoice and are delighted in him; "For JEHOVAH is well-pleafed for his righteousness fake; and therefore the pleasure of the Lord fhall profper in his hand; and he shall fee the travel of. his foul and be fatisfied." Surely, if God hath his pleafure, and Chrift his fatisfaction, no attribute of the divine Majefty, no member of the meeting is difpleafed, or out of humour; no, no; " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleafed." My Juftice is pleased, my Mercy is pleafed, and all my other attributes are pleased. O it is a heartfome, pleafant, and joyful meeting! May all that hear me, be well-pleafed to fee