in Contri·ving Man's Redemption. Attributes fecm'd to be attendants on Jttflice. The Wifdom of God enforc'd its Plea, it.~ being malt indecent that Sin which prol'ol;cs tl:e Exccmio~ lhmt\d procure the Abroga- Chap. 'J. tion of the Law; thts would encourage the cornmillion of Sm wtthout fear. The Ma· ~ jef1y of God was concern'd, for it was nor becoming his ex~ellent Greatnef! to treat .with defiled Dult, and to alter Pardon to a prefumptuous Rebel nnmediatel)' after his Offence, and before he made Supplication to his Judge. The Holinefs of God did quicken his JuH-ice to execute the thrcatn ing, For he £1. of purer eyeJ than to behold iniquity, t-tabak I. As Goodnefs is the effential ObjeEI: of his Will; which he loves unchangcabl)' whcreever it is, fo is Sin the eternal ObJeCl: of his hatred, and where 'tis fOund in the love of 1t, renders ~1tc~~~f,~~e~;lifu~bit~s ~~~:ity~~cti~o~~rt~~e ::e~~;~~~:{,:~~~ ha;~d~~~~ 8i,:r~~it;'~J~~f~-~~ 7o~ ~~J ~~~~ quir'd the infli~ing the Punif11_mcnt. For the Law hcin_g a Decla~tion ?f God's Will, ~l~i~:U~r~ according to whtch he would dtfpenfe Rewards and Pumlhments, ctther tt mutt be exe- ' cutcd upon the Offender, or if extraordinarily difpens'd with, it muft be ~tpon fuch terms, as the honour of God's Truth may be preferv'd. This feeming ConfltEI: was between the Attribmes. The Jt~blimejl Spirits in Heaven we~e at_ a l?fs how to t~nra"!'el t1_1e diffic~lty, and to find out the miraculous way to reconetle 1nfimre Mercy With mflex,blc Jufhce; how to fatisfy t!tc Demands of the one, and tl~e R~quefts o~ the other.. God _,vas ~o overcOJ_ne bimfelf before he reltorcd Man. In thts EXIgence IllS Mercy exctted Ins WJfdom to m- "tetpofe ~s an .Arbite!, which, in the Tr:afurc of ~ts ~ncomprchcnfiblc I ishr, found out an admn·ablc expedient to_fave Man, Without r:e~ud!CC tO his other PedeClions: That ~f~r~fr ~o;r~~u~;~r:n~=~~~~t~r t~~t~u~~~~~~t '~:~11:~~; s~~-~~\~~e71:~~~:~~~~~;uSn~a~~1,~~ ~~~ pardon the Sinner. And here, the more fevere and r_1sorous J ufbce IS, the more ad. mirable is the Mercy that faves. In the fame ltupendtous Samfice he declared his refpeCl: to Jultice, and his delight in Mercy. The two principal Relattons of our Redeemer are, the one of a ~ift from God to Man, the other of an Oblation for Men to God. lly the one, God fatis fi es his infinite Love to Man, and, by the other, fatisfies his infnite Jultice for Man. Neither is it unbecoming God to condefcend in accepting the returning: Sinner~ when a Mediator of in~nite J?ignity i_n_tercede~ for Favour. The Di.. vine M~JeHy is not leffen'~, when God~~ rn Chrijl_ reconcelmg the JIVorld rmto himfelf, 2 Cor. S· Netther is the Sanchty of God dtfparag'd by his Clementy to Sinners, for the Redeemer is the Principle and Pattern of Holinefs to all that arc faved. The fame Grace that inclin'd God to fend his Son to dye for us, gives his Spirit to live in us, that we may be rev1v d and renew'd acccm:ding to his Image, and by Conformity to God be prepared for Communion With him. Here is a fweet concurrence of all the Attributes, J.l!fercy and Trtith are met together, Righteoufnefs and Peau kifs each other, Pfal. 8). 10. Who can count up this heap of Wonders? Who can unfold all the Treafures of this mylterious Love? The fongue of an Angel cannot explicate it according to its dignity: 'Tts the fairelt Copy of the Divine Wildom, the Confummation of all God 's Counfels, wherein all the Attributes are difplayed in their brightelt !ultre: 'Tis here the manifold Wifdom of God appears, Ephef. J-10. The Angels of Ltght bend themfelves with extraordinary Application o( Mind, and ardent Aftections· to ltudy the rich and unfear~lmblc V_anety that is 111 it, 1 Pet. 1. 12. ?rnQW-¥u an allufion to the pojfure of the _CherubJms fookmg mto the Ark. Only the fame Undedlanding comprehends it wluch contriv'd it. But as one that views the ocean, though he cannot fee its Bounds or l!ottom, yet he fees fo much as to !mow that that valt ColleEI:ion of Waters is far greater than what is within the Compafs of his 010rt fight: So though we cannot underltand all the depths of that immenfe Wifdom, which order'd the \V ay of our Salvation, yet we may d1fcovcr_fo much~ as ro know wah the Apoflle, that it jurpaffes l(non>ledg,, Epb. .l· He that ts the llnghtnefs of his Father's Glory, and the Light of ~~~a~l~~~~e;J.fo tllummate our dark underftands, that we may conceive aright of this The J:oirji thing that offers it felf to Confideration, is, the C ompafs of the Divine Wif, rlom,_ in t~lnng occafion from the Sm and k~ll ~f ~fan to bring more Glory to God, and to ratfe h1m to a more _excellent ftatc, ~m, 111 tts own nature, hath no tendency w Goo_d, _'tis_ no~ an ~pt medttJm~ ha~h no rroper efficacy to promote the Glory of God : So far IS Jt tr~rp. a chreEt comnbutmg to ~t, tha~, on the ~ontrary_, 'tis r_he matt real dinlopou~· to Hun. But as a b!.tck_grounrl 111 a PJ[ture, "~IHch, i-n 1ts_ felt, only defile~, whc11 plac d by Art, fets off the brtghter Colours, and hctghtcns thm Beauty; ( z) So the 1, J '" rJ. GV!l gf Stt}_, wl1ich, ~Qpfidc;t·'d abfolqte~, oPfcurcs the Glory of (3od1 yet, by the over-rnling ~~~.t11 J;;n;.~, ~ ~111m l'~i'ifi1;n,11-mrnd.l!t flifl•
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