"With him my hand fhall be eftablifhd; and my faithfulness, and my mercy fhall be with him." And verfe 28. 66 My mercy will I keep for him for ever." Thus it is an everlasting meeting. IV. The Fourth thing propofed, was, Why, or for what reafons they have met together, and kiffed each other? Why have the perfections of the glorious God confpired fo harmonioufly, and met together in fuch a fweet folemnity? Surely fuch a meeting as this, muft have noble designs in view; and I will tell you these four reafons of the meeting, or four things that were to be concerted at this great affembly. 1. They met together, to concert meafures for advancing the glory of God to the higheft. This parlia ment of heaven met together upon ways and means, for bringing in the greatest revenue of praise and glory to the crown of heaven, to Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; and all the glorious attributes of this great and eternal God. Thefe glorious attributes confpired harmoniously to fet forth and glorify themfelves moft illuftriously they met together, and kiffed one-another, that they might glorify each other. The glory of God, was the first and last end of the meeting. What is the chief end of man, but to glorify God, and enjoy him for ever? And, O! what is the chief end of God! It is even to glorify himself in all his perfections, and to enjoy himself for ever. And how does God glorify himself moft brightly? It is even in Christ, the meetinging-place of thefe perfections, with a view to our redemption, "To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved," Eph. i. 6. And how does he enjoy himself most sweetly? It is even in Christ, "Behold mine Elect, in whom my foul delighteth. I was daily his delight, fays Chrift, while my delight was with the fons of men," Prov. viii. 30. They met together to put a crown of glory and honour upon each other. Adam's fin and rebellion, and your fin, man, woman, and my fin (O that Goddishonouring evil, fin!) it had pulled off that crown of glory, glory, as it were, from the head of the great King, eternal and immortal, and thrown it into the mire, and stained it with filth and pollution but behold these attributes of God meet together to take up the crown, to rub off the duft and dung that fin had caft upon it, and to add fome more fparkling jewels to it than ever, and fet it upon the head of their Sovereign, to the highest praises of his Mercy, Juftice, Truth, Righteoufnefs, Grace, Love, Holinefs, Wifdom, and all his other excellencies; that men and angels might fing and fay, Glory to God in the higheft, peace on earth, and good-will towards men;" that all the faints might fing a concert in praife of the meeting betwixt Mercy and Truth, Justice and Peace, faying, as it is Pfal. lxxxix. 14. Juftice and judgment of thy throne, Mercy, accompany'd with Truth, And that every faint might fing the fifty-feventh Pfalm, and ninth and tenth verfes. I'll praise thee 'mong the people, LORD, 'Mong nations fing will I; For great to heav'n thy mercy is, Thy truth doth reach the sky. They met together, to put a crown of glory upon the head of Chrift, Heb. ii. 9. in whom they met. This af fembly did conveen for the coronation of the Son of God: For, "He having humbled himfelf, and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue fhould confess that Jefus Chrift is our LORD, to the glory of God the Father," Phil. ii. 8,-13. Chrift hath glorified the Father, and, therefore, the Father glorified him: "And now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him; and and if God be glorified in him, God fhall alfo glorify him in him elf," John xiii. 31, 32. "Him that honoureth me, I will honour," fays God, 1 Sam. ii. 30. And in whom does this take place to perfection? It is in Chrift; God is honoured moft highly by him; and therefore, he is honoured moft highly; AMEN, fo let it be, and fo fhall it be.-And therefore it is concerted in that meeting, that all the faints fhall glorify him; hence that royal edi& comes forth, "He is thy LoRD, worship thou him," Pfalm xlv. 11. And fo we find them doing, Rev. v. 9. "Thou art worthy to take the book, and open the feals; for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood." It is concerted in that meeting, that all the angels fhould glorify him; hence that edict comes forth, "Let all the angels of God. worship him," Heb. i. 6. And fo we find them doing, Rev. v. 11, 12. "I heard the voice of many angels, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thoufands, faying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the LAMB that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and bleffings."-It is concerted in this meeting, that all the creatures in heaven and earth, fea and land, fhall glorify him, as we fee, verse 13. But left the finful creatures upon earth, like you and me, fhould not glorify him, or fee his glory, it is concerted in that glorious meeting, that the Holy Ghoft, the eternal Spirit, one God, equal in power and glory with the Father and the Son, fhall be fent down to the earth to glorify him; "He fhall glorify me, for he fhall receive of mine, and fhew it unto you," John xvi. 14.—O! hath the Spirit of God been fhewing any thing of Chrift among you this day! any thing of his grace, fulness, and righteousness, so as to glorify him, and make him glori. ous above all things to you: why then, we may reckon that you have found fomething of the faving fruits of this glorious meeting; for the grand design of it was to glorify God in Chrift, by the Spirit. They met to con. ċert all things relating to the glory of the Father, in the Son, by the Holy Ghoft. They met to confult their own own glory in Chrift, that Mercy and Truth might be glorified in him. 2. They met together to concert their proper work, in carrying on this great end, of the glory of God, and his perfections. They do not meet together to fit idle, and do nothing; no, they meet together to con cert each of them their proper business, as Christ said to his friends, "Wherefore was it that ye fought me ? Wift ye not that I must be about my Father's bufinefs?" So may I fay here, the attributes of God met together, that they may go about God's bufinefs. What bufinefs? What work belongs to each of them feverally? Why, Mercy and Truth meet together, that they may be fent upon an embaffy together; "God fhall fend forth his mercy and his truth," Pfalm lvii. 3.; his Mercy, to give in the promise of the gofpel; and his Truth, to make out the fame. Thus Mercy and Truth met together, that they may be fent forth upon fome gracious expedition, particularly both to be leaders and followers, to the remnant whom God appointed unto life. On the one hand, to be leaders; hence the pfalmift cries, "O fend forth thy light and thy truth; let them lead me, and bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacle: then will I go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy." Behold the wonderful bufinefs of Mercy and Truth, and the work they are fet out upon, even mer. cifully to lead blind fouls to God in Chrift.-On the other hand, it is to be not only leaders, but followers; Surely goodness and mercy fhall follow me all the days of my life," Pfalm xxiii. 6. " Pfalm xxiii. 6. If the child of God under any temptation, refufe to be led by Mercy and Truth, and give up with them as his leaders, yet for all that, he fhall not hinder them to be his followers: he may run out of God's way, but Mercy will follow and bring him back; and when Mercy follows, it is always in company with Truth. And, Q! what think ye of this wonder! Mercy and Truth meet together, that they might go forth together, like two pages, to follow you, believer, through all the fteps of your wilderness journey; "Goodnefs and mercy fhall follow me all the days of my life." Here is a piece of work, that Mercy and SERM. XX. and Truth have met together for, even to be sent forth as leaders and followers of poor elect finners, till they be out of all hazard, in IMMANUEL's land, where glory dwells: See Pfalm lxi. 7. But then, as, Mercy and Truth have met together, to purfue their proper work; fo, Righteousness and Peace have kiffed each other, for pursuing of theirs. Well, fay you, what is the work of Righteoufnefs and Peace? You have a word in the laft verfe of this Pfalm, where our text lies, Righteoufnefs fhall go before him, and fet us in the way of his fteps." Divine Righteoufnefs difplaying itself in Chrift Jefus, the Sun of righteoufnefs, goes before him, to prepare his way, and bring us to God, and to our duty and, to be fure, whenever Righteoufnefs goes before, Peace will follow after; for, "The fruit of righteousness is peace," whether it be imputed or implanted. Here then the work of Righteoufnels and Peace kiffing each other, is to bring in these bleffed effects in their order: we confider them as divine perfections in the text, and in thefe effects, Righteoufnefs leads the van, and Peace comes up with the rear. 3. Thefe attributes confpire harmonioufly, they meet together and kifs each other, for this reason, that by their meeting together, they may concert the dissolving of some unhappy meetings. These oppofite-like attributes of God meet together, that fome intimates may be feparate, and fad and finful agreements may be broken up: there is a fad meeting and agreement we read of, Ifa. xxviii. 15. "We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement." Why, is not this the cafe of all men by nature? Yea: but how is this fad and miferable meeting diffolved? See verse 16. Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried ftone, a precious corner-ftone, a fure foundation. Judgment alfo will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet." Well, when Judgment and Righteoufnefs mercifully meet in Chrift, the fure Foundation, what will be the effect? It follows, verfe 17, 18. "The hail fhall fweep away the refuges of lies, and your covenant with death fhall be difanulled, and your agreement with hell fhall not ftand." Whatever fad afpect this 66 |