120 Tb:: Harmony of tbe DiDine /lttrihutes ~ difpofition of his l,rm'idcncc, it fer ves to illuflr~te his Nam~, and, to maf<c it more glo· Chap. S· rious in the dtcem of rea{onable Creatures. Wtthout the ~m of Man there had been no .............-- place for the mofl perfeCt exercife of his Goodncfs. 0 fa:lhc culptt qu..c tantflm & fa. !em merflit habere Red.emptorem. (a) ~a ppy fault , not in it fclf, bur by the wife and merciful Counfel of God, to be repair'd tn a way fo advantageous, that the Salvation of the ~arth is the 'vVon~:\er of Heaven, the Redemption of Man raviihes the Angels. The Glory of God IS more vifible in the recovery of lapfed Man, than if the Law had been obcy'd , or executed. If Adam had per\ever'cl in Ins Duty, the Reward had been ~~~~lt~:"'f~ ~~~~~~i;.~n~J,mo'~:~ \~a~~r,~~10b~~~~~~:,c~i~~~. ~~~h~~~ i~ul~i~5htg1~K' a~J'~,~~ obilgmg ACts, which are to f.wc the G';lilty and Mtfcrable ; for Innocence ~s mcapable o[ Mercy . If the Sentence had been inHttlecl, Juflice had been honour'cl Wtth a folemn Sacrifice; but Mercy, the fweer, tender, and indulgent Attribute had never appear'd. But now the Wi[dom of God is emi nent in the accord of b?th thefc Attrib11tes. God is equal~ l y glorious, as equally God, [n preferving the A11thoml of his Law by an Art of Ju!lice upon our ,)'urery, as in the cxercife of Mercy by remitting the punifi1ment to the Of· fender. And 'tis no lefs honourable to God's \Vi~dom to rcO:ore Man with infinite advantage. 'ris a M;ftery in Nawre, that the corruptiOn of one thing is the seneration of another. 'tis more rnyfterious in Grace, ~hat the Fall C?f Man il1oul~ -~cafion h1s more noble Refli~ tution. Innocence was not lus lalt end, h1s ~upremc .F eltcz~y tranfcends the jirjl. The Holinefs of .Adam was perfeEt, but mutable : But Holmefs m the J!-edeemed, thd in a Iefs degree, fhall ~e viEtori_ou~ over all 'I_'emptations : for they are not Joyn'd to the Heavenly Adam in a fh_1a and uwtolablc ':Jmon. And thofe Graces arc aCted by them, for the cxercife of winch there was no ObjeEts :ind Occafions in Innocence, 1 Pet. 2.. 20. As Compaffion to the ~iferable, ~orgivcnefs ot l~j~rics, F~rti~ude and Patience; all which, as they arc a mof\ hvel y re\cmblance of the DJVJne Pedet\JOns, ( 1 Pet. 4· 14,) fo an excellent Ornament to the Soul, a n~ _infinit~ly endear it to God. And the happinefs C?f our renewed fiate exceeds our primttwe Felicity. Whether we contider the nature of It, ' tis wholly Spiritual; or the place of it, Heaven the Sant\uary of Life and Immortality; or the conflitution of the Body, which fball be cloathed with Celef\ial Q)!alities' But this will be particularly difcufl"ed in its proper place. Thc\e are the Ef.etts of Infinite Wildom, to the produRion of which Sin affurds no Ca\ualty, but hath meerly an accidental re\pea. As the Apof\le interprets the words of David, Ram. 3· 4· .Agarnft thee only have I jinned, thnt :hou m1gbtejl be jttflijied tn tl? Say~ ings, ana O'lltrcome when cbou judgeft•. ~h!Ch d~th not refpe~ the Intention of Dav:d, but the Event only. The greater his ln)ufhc~ w~s m the Comm1ffion, the more clear would GodJs J u!hce be in the condemnation ?f Ius ?m· 2 . The Wildom of God appeared m ordaming luch a Mediaror, who was quali fied to reconcile God roMan, and Man ro God. The fir ft and moll admirable Article in the Myl1e1 y of Godlincfs, and the Foundation of all the refl: is, that God i$ mani(efl in the Flijb, , Tim. l · ,6. The middle muf\ equally touch the Extreams. A Med~aror mull: he capable of the Sennments and Affcthons of both _the Parttes he w!ll reconcile. He mufl be a jufr cllcemer of the Rights and lnJunes_o t the one and the other, and have a cotnmon Intcrcll in both. The Son of God affummg the human Nature, perfeCtly poffefl"es thefc ~ml ities , he hath Zea l for God, and Compaffion fo r Man . He hath taken Pledges of Heaven and Earth; ~l~e fupremc; Nature m Heaven, and the mofl: excellent on the Earth, tO make the Hofhhty ceaf~ betw~en them. He i~ lmmamtel by Nature and Office. And if no lels than an Inlpn·ed WJ\dom could devde how to trame the Earthly Tabernacle, ( E.xod. ;o.) wherem God dwelt in a 0Jadowy and typical manner, \1 hat VV1idom was requihte to fi·amc the Humane Nature of Chrijf, wherein the DPity n•as rea!IJ to drl'ell? Jolm x. . Now to di[cover more clearly the Divine Vlif~om, ~~ uniting the n,·o Natures in Chrifr, to qualify him for his Office, ( Coio( 1.) 'us rcqmfite to confider, that the Office of Med iator hath three Charges anncx'd to it; the J>neJtly, wh1ch refpe8:s God~ the PropheJir:AL and K.;nglj, which regard_ Men. Thefe_ have a rcfpcCt to the Evils :'·hich op· prefs fair\ Man; and they are G:ult, Ignorance, Sm,and Death. Man wa_s capitally guilty of the breach of Gods Law, and under the tyranny of his Lulls, m the iOuc liable to Death. The Rc;dccmcr is made to him_ ~Vl(dom, Righteou(ne{s, San{/ijic.Jtion, and Re~empti~n. Thcfc Bene; fits arc difpens'd by bm in his _threefold Ofike; As~ Pnejl '\~e exp_1ates Sm, as a 1 ropbet he infhuC.h the Church, as a 10r1g he regulates the L1vcs of lu:> ~ubjc8s, de. livers rhcm from their Enemies, and makes rhcm happy. ~ow the Dr1.11nt! and H11-
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