it: no joyful meeting, but what hath a refpect to

this.

3. It is a holy meeting: fome meetings among men that are called heartfome meetings, yet are very unholy and finful meetings; but here is an infinitely holy meeting; "Holinefs to the Lord," is the motto of it. A meeting of holy faints, and holy angels, is not fuch a holy meeting as this meeting of the holy attributes of God, to advance the great design of infinite holiness. All the holy meetings that ever were, or ever will be, are the refult of this, and the effect of fome portion of holinefs fent from it; for all holinefs iffues from it. Here Mercy and Truth meet together, in a holy manner; Righteoufnefs and Peace falute each other, in a holy way, and greet one-another with a holy kifs.

4. It is a happy meeting; all happiness and bleffings flow from this meeting: Chrift, the meeting-place, is the centre of all fpiritual bleffings, Eph. i. 3. Many unhappy meetings have been in the world fince fin entered into it; and finful, unholy meetings are always miferable and unhappy meetings: but this holy meeting, must be a happy meeting; and this holy kifs, must be a happy kifs. If Mercy and Truth had not met together, we had never met with God; if Righteousness and Peace had never kiffed each other, we had never got a kils of the fair face of the Son of God, nor ever been taken into the divine embraces.

5. It is a free meeting: Mercy and Truth met together freely, without being constrained; Righteoufnefs and Peace kiffed each other freely, without being forced; no motive from without could ever take place, to move God to call this meeting from eternity; it was," According to his own purpofe and grace, which is given us in Chrift Jefus, before the world began," 2 Tim. i. 9. Free fovereign grace is the original of the meeting. It is alfo fuch a free affembly, where every member might freely fpeak, and not one to interrupt another, as is ufual in meetings among men, where fome cry one thing, and fome another, in a confused manner; like that affembly, Acts xix. 22. where it is faid,

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The affembly was confufed, and the greater part knew not wherefore they were met together; and fome cried one thing, and fome another;" No, this meeting is free, in oppofition both to all constraint and compuifion from without, and to all confufion and commotion from within where fovereign free Grace is the masterconveener, there can be no compulfion; and where the God of order is the manager, there could be no confufion; and where the God of peace was all in all, there could be no diffention, Therefore,

6. It is a harmonious meeting; whatever different claims and pretenfions the members of the meeting may feem to have, yet they harmoniously concur in advancing one-another's honour and glory; and hence, as they mutually meet together, fo they affectionately embrace one-another. There was no difcord at this affembly, no proper variance or ftriving for flate; but gloriously confpiring with joint hearts and hands, to glorify each other in the falvation of a company of finners, by Jefus Chrift. The divine effence is undivided; and as, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit; and these Three are one;" fo the attributes of God, however manifold, to our apprehenfion, yet there is no divifion among them, they are all one; and their confpiring together in Chrift for our redemption, is called, THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD. The manifold perfections of God 'meet together in one, with one confent, and with one heart. Behold Mercy and Juftice in one-another's arms; and fo ciofs is the embracement, that they are just one. Though it be a full meeting, and all parties prefent, yet there is no war, no jar, no diffention, no divifion, but all harmony and concord, all love and affection it is the most peaceable meeting that And yet,

ever was.

7. It is a bloody meeting: and never was, and never will there be fuch a bloody meeting in heaven or earth; the mercy-feat must be fprinkled with blood; Mercy cannot be vented without blood; Truth cannot be cleared, without blood; Righteoufnefs cannot be vindicated, without blood; and Peace cannot be purchased,

without blood; "Without fhedding of blood, there is no remiffion;" no mercy to, be vented, no peace to be proclaimed;" Chrift hath made peace by the blood of his crofs," Col. i. 20. "A bloody husband haft thou been unto me," faid Zipporah; but, O how much more may Chrift fay, A bloody meeting hath this been unto me? Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozra?" Ifa. lxiii. 1. Why, what is the matter that his garment is dyed with blood! Why? When Mercy and Truth met together, they preffed to be fo near one-another in him, that they preffed the blood out of his veins; and fo it was a bloody meeting: And when Righteoufnefs and Peace kiffed each other, it behoved to be in Chrift, and fo the fword of justice behoved to pierce him through and through; that fo thefe facred lips, might meet and kifs each other in his heart; and fo it was a bloody kifs: They kiffed each other with fuch good-will, that Chrift was, as it were, bruised betwixt their lips, that the blood might cement and glue them together. One would think, fuch a bloody kifs would be no pleasant kifs; nay, but, “It pleafed the Father to bruife him :" They met together on a fea of blood.--Thus it was a bloody meeting. Again,

8. It is an efficacious meeting: Many meet, and affemble together, and yet do nothing for their meeting; it is to no effect: But here Mercy and Truth meet together efficacioufly, co-operatively; all is done at the meeting, that God propofed to be done, and all is done that concerns the glory of God, and falvation of men; their meeting together, is their working together, and that to perfection; "For God the Lord is a rock, and his work is perfect." Their meeting together, is their building together, Pfalm lxxxix. 2, 3. "I have faid, Mercy fhall be built up for ever thy faithfulness fhalt thou etablifh in the very heavens." There is Mercy and Truth both a building, and the foundation of the building is laid in Chrift: "I have made a covenant with my chofen; I have fworn unto David my fervant."

9. It is an unexpected meeting; it is beyond the expectation of men and angels. If friends and intimates

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fhould meet, and falute one another, it would not be furprizing; but to fee oppofites, antipodes and antagonifts meet together, and embrace each other, this were furprising and unexpected; fo to fee light and darkness, love and enmity, life and death meeting, how unexpec ted were that? Thus it is here, Mercy and Truth, Righteoufnefs and Peace, these attributes of God, with respect to us, were oppofites and antipodes. The language of Truth and Righteoufnefs, is death and damnation to the finner; the language of Mercy and Peace, is life and falvation to the finner; and when a finner finds himfelf purfued to death, at the inftance of divine Juftice, and the truth and veracity of God engaged against him, according to the threatening of the law, O how unexpected a rencounter is it! when he finds Mercy and Peace meeting with Juftice and Truth, and ftopping the purfuit, according to the promise of the gofpel, to the credit of the oppofite parties, faying, "Deliver his foul from going down to the pit, I have found a ranfom ;" and fo all differences are adjusted; all oppofites reconciled, to the infinite furprize, and beyond the expectation of all created beings. No wonder then, upon this meeting discovered, the poor foul cries, Is this the manner of man, O Lord? O, who is like unto thee! Nay, there is none like unto the God of Jefhurun, that rides on the heaven for their help, and in his excellency on the skies."

10. It is an everlasting, indissolvable meeting: other meetings will adjourn their meetings from time to time, and from place to place; yea, other meetings muft part, and when they part, they may never meet again; and we that are here met, muft part, and never all meet again in time; even as fome others that met together with us the last year, are away to eternity.But O! this meeting betwixt Mercy and Truth, Righ tequfnefs and Peace, it is à meeting where there is no parting; the meeting is from everlafting to everlasting; their meeting together, and kiffing each other, is an eternal and unchangeable meeting, and an eternal and unchangeable kifs it is every way like God,

without beginning, without ending, and without fucceffion. Whatever beginning, iffue, or increase it hath, with refpect to its manifeftation to us, yet, in itself, it is fill the fame in Chrift Jefus, who is, "The fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever; without any variablenefs or fhadow of turning," Heb. xiii. 8. The meeting never breaks up; it is a continued meeting, never to be diffolved; and there they kifs one-another to all eternity; "For his mercy endureth for ever, and his righteousness to all generations: And becaufe of truth, meeknefs, and righteoufnefs, in his majefty he fhall ride profperoufly And of the increase of his government and peace there fhall be no end. I have faid, Mercy fhall be built up for ever; and I have faid, Truth fhall be established in the heavens." Why, what is the meaning of all thefe expreffions? The language is, as if one glorious attribute of God, fhould fay to another, O! the fin of man fet us all, as it were, at variance, - and the whole creation knows not how to reconcile God with himself, if he fhall fave one finner; but behold we, having met together in Chrift, the Righteoufnefs, the Ranfom, the Atonement, the Propitiation; having embraced one-another in behalf of thofe poor miferable finners, our arms fhall never feparate, that are clasped together. Mercy and Truth have met together, faying, You and I fhall never part; Righteoufnefs and Peace have kiffed each other, faying, You and I fhall never funder, nor fufpend the embracement; neither death nor life, nor hell, nor devils, nor fin itfelf, fhall ever feparate us. It is a bargain among us, a divine match; they have met together by an everlasting covenant, fealed the bargain with an everlasting kiss, and fastened à knot in an everlafting Righteoufnefs, which is the bond of the union, even Chrift; " For the covenant does ftand faft with him," Pfalm lxxxix. 28. Where you will alfo fee how this everlafting meeting is estab lifhed in Chrift, verfe 14. "Juftice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne; or, the ESTABLISHMENT of thy throne," as it may be rendered; "And mercy and truth fhall go before thy face." And, verfe 21.