ther, fhould make his appearance in this lower world, the abode of guilty creatures, under manifeft tokens of their Creator's displeasure! that he should not only enter on the fcene in the weaknefs of infancy, but with every circumftance of meannefs and bafenefs! How often muft they have been put to a ftand, what to think of the feverity and perfecution, the contempt and oppofition which he met with from those very finners whom, he came to fave!

But above all, how muft they have been at a lofs to comprehend his being expofed, not only to the contempt of man, but to the wrath of God! For "it pleafed the. "Lord to bruife him, he hath put him to grief." What must have been the furprise of that minifter of providence, who was fent" from heaven to ftrengthen" him, when. he found him under an inexpreffible agony of fuffering, making fupplication with strong crying and tears, saying, "Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs from me!" And what created fpirit is able to reach the unfathomable meaning of his complaint upon the cross, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me ?" In the fufferings of an innocent perfon in the room of the guilty, in the fufferings of the well-beloved Son of God from his Father's hand, there is fuch an unfearchable depth, as no finite understanding is able to comprehend. At first view it feems to contradict the rectitude and holinefs of the divine nature; but on a nearer inspection, there is such a striking discovery of wif dom, holiness, juftice, and mercy, that angels defire with a holy curiofity to contemplate and adore it..

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3. As immediately founded upon the former, another circumftance in the plan of redemption through Chrift, which will afford matter of wonder to the celeftial fpirits, is the free juftification of finners, and their acceptance with God, through the imputed righteousness of Chrift. If it appears aftonishing, that God, who diftributes favor and punishment with the molt perfect equity, fhould punish the innocent, it appears, equally fo, that he fhould fhew favor to the guilty; that he should forgive their fins, accept their perfons, and vifit them with his loving-kindnefs, and all this for the merit and obedience of another, What! (may it be faid), is he not unchangeably holy?.

Is he not of purer eyes than to behold iniquity? Are we not affured that evil cannot dwell with him, nor finners stand in his prefence? How fhall he receive into his favor thefe offending rebels? how fhall he take into his bofom fuch polluted wretches? And what can be the meaning of imputation? Can perfonal worth be transferred? Can he commit fo great an error, as to view them with compla çency for the merit of another?

Muft not this appear a new and extraordinary plan to the angels, who, by perfonal and perfect obedience, retain the favor of their Creator, and who had been hitherto ftrangers to the influence and interceffion of a mediator? who had feen no fuch thing take place when their brethren had finned? Heb. ii. 16, "For verily he took not on him "the nature of angels, but he took on him the feed of "Abraham." The holy angels, not inclined to fay, as more prefumptuous men too often do," Let us continue in fin, that grace may abound," will rather fay, "Let us ftep afide, and fee this great fight." They will then fee, that there is no way more proper for maintaining the dignity of the divine government: nay, that it is the only way by which those who have been finners can be received into favor, They will fee and confefs, that there is no circumftance whatever that tends more to level the pride of the finners heart, and bring him to univerfal fubmiffion, and abfolute fubjection to the fovereignty of God. I am perfuaded indeed, that even angels who never finned, have more of tubmiffion to the divine fovereignty, and dependence on the abfolute grace of their Creator, than many are apt to imagine; yet furely our world is the great theatre of divine grace. The fame infinite benignity which fhews itfelf in heaven in favor to the worthy, is displayed on earth, to the astonishment of heaven itfelf, in mercy to the guilty,

Suffer me, my brethren, to embrace this opportunity of obferving, that nothing is more groundless than the accufation of men of corrupt minds, against the doctrine of divine grace, as encouraging to fin. It hath the very contrary effect, and that on these two accounts.

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(1.) It is fo mortifying to human pride, that the of fin must be broken at leaft, before it can be truly and cordially received. There is not fo difficult a duty in the whole compafs of the moral law, as an unfeigned denial of our own righteousness and ftrength, and being willing to count all things but lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift, To receive forgivenefs as mere mercy to those who had deferved to perifh, without any complaint either against the ftrictnefs of the law, or the feverity of the fanction, is not fo eafy as many feem to imagine, and what no man is brought to but by the Holy Ghoft

(2.) As the finner must be really fubjected to God the Creator, before he can lay hold of his mercy through Christ the Redeemer; fo it is plain, that the most effectual measures are taken to continue and perpetuate this fubjection. It is plain, that the infinite unmerited love of God to his foul, is the moft powerful and operative principle of obedience that can dwell in the human heart: 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. "For the love of Chrift conftraineth "us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then "were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which

live, fhould not henceforth live unto themselves, but "unto him which died for them, and rofe again." Such confidence has the fame apoftle in the ftrength of this principle, he bids defiance to all trials and opposition : Rom. viii. 35. "Who fhall feparate us from the love of "Chrift? Shall tribulation, or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or ́nakedness, or peril, or sword?" And again, ver. 38, 39. "For I am perfuaded that neither death, nor "life, nor angels, or principalities, nor powers, nor things "prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor

any other creature, fhall be able to feparate us from the "love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord." These great principles of fanctification are new to the angels, When therefore they fee the holiness of God fhining in the free juftification of finners through Christ, it will add new force and new meaning to that fong of praise which they are reprefented as finging, Rev. iv. 8. " And they "reft not day and night, faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord “ God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come,”

4. In the last place, Another circumftance in the myftery of the gofpel which will be matter of wonder to the angels, is the application of redemption, or the manner and means of tranflating finners" from darkness to light," and "from the power of Satan unto God." Before the plan of divine grace with regard to fallen man was opened to them, they had feen no examples of finners, but the fallen angels. From their irreversible fentence, and blafpheming rage in their torment, those who remained in their happy ftate, would be apt to conclude, that there could be no recovery for a creature who had once departed from his integrity at all. But when they learned fomething of the divine purpose for the falvation of fallen man, efpecially the amazing and unfpeakable grace that appeared in the appointment of the Mediator, and the univerfal unlimited offer of falvation in his name, what would be the effect? I dare fay they would certainly conclude, that it would be received with the higheft tranfports of joy, by all thofe unhappy criminals who were lying under the curfe of a broken law. Accordingly the angel, in his meffage to the fhepherds, calls it good tidings of great joy to all people.

What then must have been their additional furprife, when they heard the prophet faying, Ifa. liii. 1. "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of "the Lord revealed?" when they faw that this gracious Saviour was "defpifed and rejected of men ?" when they obferved fo many turn a deaf ear to the most importunate ealls of the gofpel? when they found them cavilling themfelves out of eternal happinefs, and advancing their own blinded and bewildered reafon in contempt of the infinite wisdom of God? What muft thofe holy angels, who are filled with gratitude for creating goodness, think of thofe heirs of hell, who pour contempt upon redeeming love? I cannot touch upon every thing that rifes here to our view, but I am perfuaded that the adminiftration of the covenant of grace is as full of myftery to the celeftial fpirits, as any part of the plan. Inftead of every finner humbly im ploring reconciliation with an offended God, our Redeemer, as a Sovereign Lord, as the Prince of Peace, firft conquers thofe as enemies, whom he afterwards cherishes as

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friends. He is endued with all power for this great work; and the Pfalmift gives a beautiful defcription of its influ ence and effect, Pfal. xlv. 3, 4, 5. "Gird thy fword ups on thy thigh, O most mighty; with thy glory and thy majefty; and in thy majefty ride profperoufly, becaufe "of truth, and meeknefs, and righteousness; and thy right "hand fhall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are "fharp in the heart of the king's enemies whereby the ti people fall under thee." He hath fent forth his Holy Spirit as an almighty agent, to reconcile finners unto God. Is there not alfo a depth of divine fovereignty to be seen in the choice of the veffels of mercy? The apoftie Paul in the midft of the fury of perfecuting zeal, Mary Magdalene from the midst of the flames of unclean lufi, Zaccheus from the heart hardening crimes of covetoufnefs and oppreffion, and many others of the chief of finners, have been made the trophies of divine grace, and may fay, in the words of their great example the apoftle Paul, 1 Tim. i. 15. "This is a faithful faying, and worthy of "all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to "fave finners, of whom I am chief."

It deferves also particular notice, that faith itself is faid to be the operation and the gift of God: Eph. ii. 8. “For t by grace are ye faved, through faith; and that not of "yourselves it is the gift of God." And indeed the change in general which confiitutes the new nature, is confidered as a birth or creation from above; John i. 13, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flefh, nor of the will of man, but of God." It appears plainly, from many exprefs declarations of fcripture, fron the power neceffary to overcome their obftinacy, and from the feat of the disease itself, which lies in the will, that finners, while they continue fo, inftead of defiring, refift their recovery. What a fubject of contemplation prefents itfelf to the angels here! What an unknown view is given. them of the infinite evil and malignity of fin! What a humbling fenfe of created weaknefs! What a leflon of caution for their after conduct! It hath been conjectured, not without apparent reafon, and fome countenance from fcripture, that the great purpose which the human fyftem is