The sublimest Spirits in Heaven were at a loss how to unravel the difficulty, and to find out the miraculous way to reconcile infinite Mercy with inflexible Justice; how to satisfy the demands of the one, and the requests of the other. God was to overcome Himself before He restored Man. In this exigence his Mercy excited his Wisdom to interpose as an Arbiter, which in the Treasures of its incomprehensible Light, found out an admirable expedient to save Man, without prejudice to his other Perfections: That was, by constituting a Mediator both able and willing, between the guilty creature and Himself: That by transferring the punishment on the Surety, he might punish Sin, and pardon the Sinner. And here, the more severe and rigorous Justice is, the more admirable is the Mercy that saves. In the same stupendous Sacrifice he declared his respect to Justice, and his delight in Mercy. The two principal relations of our Redeemer are, the one of a gift from God to man, the other of an oblation for men to God. By the one God satisfies his infinite Love to Man, and by the other satisfies his infinite Justice for Man. Neither is it unbecoming God to condescend in accepting the returning Sinner, when a Mediator of infinite dignity intercedes for favour. The Divine Majesty is not lessened when God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Neither is the Sanctity of God disparaged by his Clemency to Sinners,1 for the Redeemer is the principle and pattern of Holiness to all that are saved. The same Grace that inclined God to send his Son to die for us, gives his Spirit to live in us, to renew us in the inward Man, that by conformity to God we may be prepared for communion with him. Here is a sweet concurrence ⟨p. 83⟩of all the attributes,2 Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteousness and Peace kiss each other. Who can count up this heap of wonders? Who can unfold all the treasures of this mysterious Love? The tongue of an Angel cannot explicate it according to its dignity: 'Tis the fairest copy of the Divine Wisdom, the consummation of all God's Counsels, wherein all the Attributes are displayed in their brightest lustre: 'Tis here the manifold wisdom of God appears.
The sublim•st Spirits in Heaven were at a loss how to unravel the difficulty, and to find out the miraculous way to reconcile infinite Mercy with inflexible Justice; how to satisfie the demands of the one, and the requests of the other. God was to overcome Himself before He restored Man. In this exigence his Mercy excited his Wisdom to interpose as an Arbiter, which in the Treasures of its incomprehensible Light, found out an admirable expedient to save Man, without prejudice to his other Perfections: That was, by constituting a Mediator both able and willing, between the guilty creature and Himself: That by transferring the punishment on the Surety, he might punish Sin, and pardon the Sinner. And here, the more severe and rigorous Justice is, the more admirable is the Mercy that saves. In the same stupendious Sacrifice he declared his respect to Justice, and his delight in Mercy. The two principal relations of our Redeemer are, the one of a gift from God to man, the other of an oblation for men to God. By the one God satisfies his infinite Love to Man, and by the other satisfies his infinite Justice for Man. Neither is it unbecoming God to condescend in accepting the returning Sinner, when a Mediator of infinite dignity intercedes for favour. The Divine Majesty is not lessen'd when God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. Neither is the Sanctity of God disparag'd by his Clemency to Sinners,1 for the Redeemer is the principle and pattern of Holiness to all that are saved. The same Grace that enclin'd God to send his Son to die for us, gives his Spirit to live in us, to renew us in the inward Man, that by conformity to God we may be prepared for communion with him. Here is a sweet concurrence ⟨p. 83⟩of all the attributes,2 Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteousness and Peace kiss each other. Who can count up this heap of wonders? Who can unfold all the treasures of this mysterious Love? The tongue of an Angel cannot explicate it according to its dignity: 'Tis the fairest copy of the Divine Wisdome, the consummation of all God's Counsels, wherein all the Attributes are displayed in their brightest lustre: 'Tis here the manifold wisdome of God appears.
- 12 Cor. 5.
- 2Psal. 85.10.
