The harmony of the divine attributes difplayed, in the redemption and salvavation of finners by JESUS CHRIST. BEINGA SERMON preached at Dumfermline upon the 29th of September, 1723, immediately after the celebration of the Lord's supper. By the Rev. Mr. RALPH ERSKINE. PSAL. lxxxv. 10. Mercy and truth are met together : Righteousness and peace bave kissed each other. MY friendly a Y friends, at a folemn marriage-fupper there friendly company who meet together; and when, at such an occafion, all things are managed with sobriety and decency, it is very joyful and pleasant to the parties concerned, to fee the members of the meeting, with mutual kindness to one another, harmoniously gracing the solemnity: Even so at the marriage-supper of the lamb, I mean, the facrament of the Lord's supper, which we have been celebrating, there is a joyful company, not of men and women, for that would make but a poor earthly meeting; nor yet of saints and angels, for that would make but at best a mean creature-meeting; but it is a glorious delightful company of divine attributes and perfections, in the sweetest concord meeting together, and embracing one another. This wonderful conjunction of divine excellencies is the friendly company that meets together, to put honour upon this nuptial folemnity; and to fee them thus harmonioufly embracing one another in the salvation of sinners, is the sweetest sight that the bride, the lamb's wife, shall ever fee at the marriage-supper, whether it be at the lower or upper table. There is a great meeting in this house, but an infinitely greater in this text; a meeting of divine excellencies, to grace the folemnity of the marriage-supper of the lamb: Mercy and truth are met together, righteoufuess and peace have kissed each other. When God made heaven and earth out of nothing, he made them by a word, without any other ceremony; but, when he made man, there was some particular folemnity, a grand council, as it were, of the glorious Trinity called; Come, let us make man after our image. But now man having unmade himself, if God hath a mind for the praise of his own glorious grace to make him up again, by a new creation in Chrift Jesus, there must be a more glorious folemnity yet; not only a council of the adorableTrinity, but a grand meeting of all the attributes of God, to confult their own glory that was marr'd, and reconcile their own interests, and seemingly contradictory claims: For the fin of man had brought real confufion among all the creatures of God on earth, yea, and a seeming war among all the attributes of God in heaven, concerning the execution of the fentence of the law upon mankind, the tranfgreffor thereof; fome of these attributes, such as Mercy, saying, if the sentence of death be executed upon them, how shall I be glorified? Others, such as Truth, saying, if the fentence be not executed, how shall I be glorified? Is it to be expected that such opposites can meet together? Or, if they meet, that they will agree together cordially? Yea, tho' it be beyond the expectation of men and angels, yet, behold, it is here celebrated with a fong? Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace Lave kissed each other. This Pfalm consists of a prayer of faith, and an answer of peace. 1st, The Church's prayer, from the beginning to the 8th verse, where they are praying for the removal of many tokens of God's displeasure they were under, notwithstanding their return out of the Babylonish captivity. 2dly, The answer of peace that is made to their prayer, fiom ver. 8. and downward. We have here the psalmist listening and waiting for the answer; I will bear what God the Lord will speak; the answer itself in general is peace, He will speak peace to his people, &c. If he give not outward peace, yet he will fuggest inward peace, speaking that to their hearts by his spirit, which he had spoken to their ears by his word. Whatever other fort of peace and profperity they enjoyed, when at length the children of the captivity, after a great deal of toil, had gained a fettlement in their own land, yet peace with God, and spiritual profperity under the Meffiah's kingdom, was the great thing here promised, and prophefied of; and that is a peace that lays the foul under the strongest obligation to keep at a di stance from all fin, which is the greatest folly, and to beware of backsliding thereto. But let them not re turn ! turn again to folly: For true peace with God brings in war with fin. But this is further explained in the main leading part thereof, namely, falvation and glory, ver. 9. Surely his falvation is near to them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Now, whatever other salvation be here imported, Christ is the great salvation intended: When he is near in view, then the believer cries out, with old Simeon, Now mine eyes have feen thy falvation: And whatever other glory and honour be here imported, Christ is the chief glory here intended: When he goes away from a land, then I-chabod, the glory is departed; but, where he abides, glory dwells; for he is called, A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Ifrael. But now, if we would know what fort of glory it is that appears when Christ is revealed, why it is even the glorious harmony of all the divine attributes illustriously mining in him, who is both our falvation and our glory: Mercy and truth are met together, righteoufness and peace have kissed each other. Now, tho' these words may be applied to the happy meeting of graces in men, upon the revelation of Chrift in the foul, which I may afterwards observe in the sequel, and in which sense some interpreters understand it; yet I take it mainly to import the happy meeting of perfections in God to be glorified in the finner's salvation by Jesus Christ, which is a gloss that no interpreter I have had occasion to confult does neglect or omit; and if any of them should miss it, I think they would miss the very ground-work and foundation of all other happy meetings: Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. In the words you may observe, 1A, The members of the meeting. 2dly, The manner of the meeting. 3dly, The harmony of the meeting. 4thly, The firangeness of it. Observe, I tay, 1. The members of the meeting mercy, truth, righteousness, peace. I hope I need not caution some in this assembly, that they beware of imagining these various perfections of God, under the names of mercy, truth, righteousness and peace, as if they were really distinct and different things in God: Or, as if they were really different parties, making a formal consultation, in order to their agreement: For God is one, and cannot be divided; he is one infinite, eternal and unchangeable Being; there are not distinct and different things in his nature and essence, however his perfections be thus reprefented to our weak, finite capacities, which cannot understand the perfections of God but in several parts, as it were. By mercy then, here, we are to understand God himself, as he is a merciful and gracious God: By truth we are to understand the fame God, as he is a true and faithful God: By righteousness we may understand his justice, or God himself, as he is a juft and righteous God; and, by peace, the same God, as he is the God of peace, and a God reconciling the world to himself. So that the whole comes to this; it is the great and eternal God himself, confulting with himself, in a manner becoming his infinite and adorable perfections, how to glorify himself in all his glorious attributes, in the way of saving finners in and by Jesus Chrift. 2. The manner of the meeting. These excellencies and perfections of God meet together, as it were, in pairs; mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, |