Fifthly, God's vindictive Justice and minatory Law being thus satisfied, he becomes reconciled. There are two degrees of reconciliation; the first is that whereby God is ready to receive men into grace and favour if they believe; the second is that whereby God is actually reconciled to them upon their believing. The Apostle ⟨p. 240⟩mentions both these, Col. 1. 20, 21. for first he tells us, ver. 20. That God did reconcile all things to himself by the blood of his Cross, and then it follows, ver. 21. Yet now hath he reconciled you, you O believing Colossians! All were reconciled in the first degree, and believers in the second; the first was done all at once upon the Cross, and the second is yet now a doing, and so will be till the Believers are all come in; therefore the Apostle says, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, 2 Cor. 5. 19. Reconciling, which imports a continued Act, a carrying on the work of Reconciliation from one degree to another by particular applications. Now both these degrees of Reconciliation are wrought by the Death of Christ; the first was wrought by it ipso facto, without it God would have breathed out nothing but wrath, but through it he is ready to forgive, Psal. 86. 5. As full of mercy as he is, he could not forgive in a way opposite either to his Justice, which in its nature calls for satisfaction for Sin, or to his Truth which in the Law pronounces death on the Sinner; but Justice and Truth being satisfied by Christ's death, he is ready to forgive. The mercy-seat was covered ⟨p. 241⟩with a cloud of incense, Levit. 16. 13. and the reason there rendered is very remarkable, lest he that was before it should die. What, die before the Mercy-seat? Yes, even there, unless the Merits of Christ be as a Cloud round about it. Mercy as of it self alone would not save us, but every Sinner must have died before it, had it not been surrounded with the Incense of Christ's Merits. God out of Christ is a consuming Fire to Sinners, but in Christ he is reconciling them to himself. The second is wrought by Christ's death as applied by Faith; therefore 'tis called propitiation through faith in his blood, Rom. 3. 25. and both these were typified by the sprinkling of the blood of the Sacrifice under the Law. That blood was sprinkled on the mercy-seat, Levit. 16. 15. prefiguring the first degree of Reconciliation by Christ's death in it self;
Fifthly, God's vindictive Justice and minatory Law being thus satisfied, he becomes reconciled. There are two degrees of reconciliation; the first is that whereby God is ready to receive men into grace and favour if they believe; the second is that whereby God is actually reconciled to them upon their believing. The Apostle ⟨p. 240⟩mentions both these, Col. 1. 20, 21. for first he tells us, ver. 20. That God did reconcile all things to himself by the blood of his Cross, and then it follows, ver. 21. Yet now hath he reconciled you, you O believing Colossians! All were reconciled in the first degree, and believers in the second; the first was done all at once upon the Cross, and the second is yet now a doing, and so will be till the Believers are all come in; therefore the Apostle says, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, 2 Cor. 5. 19. Reconciling, which imports a continued Act, a carrying on the work of Reconciliation from one degree to another by particular applications. Now both these degrees of Reconciliation are wrought by the Death of Christ; the first was wrought by it ipso facto, without it God would have breathed out nothing but wrath, but through it he is ready to forgive, Psal. 86. 5. As full of mercy as he is, he could not forgive in a way opposite either to his Justice, which in its nature calls for satisfaction for Sin, or to his Truth which in the Law pronounces death on the Sinner; but Justice and Truth being satisfied by Christ's death, he is ready to forgive. The mercy-seat was covered ⟨p. 241⟩with a cloud of incense, Levit. 16. 13. and the reason there rendred is very remarkable, lest he that was before it should die. What, die before the Mercy-seat? Yes, even there, unless the Merits of Christ be as a Cloud round about it. Mercy as of it self alone would not save us, but every Sinner must have died before it, had it not been surrounded with the Incense of Christ's Merits. God out of Christ is a consuming Fire to Sinners, but in Christ he is reconciling them to himself. The second is wrought by Christ's death as applied by Faith; therefore 'tis called propitiation through faith in his blood, Rom. 3. 25. and both these were typified by the sprinkling of the blood of the Sacrifice under the Law. That blood was sprinkled on the mercy-seat,
