in this populous Place was the Christian now difcribed: What an happy People should we be! We fhould have a Paradice; we should have a little Heaven upon Earth! Drinking, Gaming, vitious Pleasure and Debauchery; Pride, Injustice, Evil-fpeaking, Lying and Slandering; Deadnefs, Formality and Lukewarmness, together with all the long Catalogue of Hell-born Crimes, wou'd hide their impious Heads. Repentance, Faith, and Holinefs; Juftice, Peace and Truth; Charity, Friendship and Benevolence; these, and such as thefe, would flourish and bloffom as the Rose. For this we will labor; for this we will study; for this we will preach; for this we will pray. By his Grace enabling us, we will give the Redeemer no Reft, till he make this our Jerufalem, this our Church, a Name and a Praise in the Earth. And when that happy Event is accomplished, we will contentedly take up the dying Words of good old Simeon: "Lord, now letteft thou thy Servant "depart in Peace; for mine Eyes have seen "thy Salvation", * The Harmony of the Divine Attributes in the Salvation of Man displayed: A SER MON. Mercy pleads, If Man be ruined, the Creation is in "vain: Justice pleads, If Man be not fentenced, the Law "is vain. Truth backs Juftice, and Grace abets Mercy. "What shall be done in this feeming Contradiction? Mer e cy is not manifested, if Man be not pardoned; Justice will 66 complain, if Man be not punished. "An Expedient is found out by the Wisdom of GOD to "answer these Demands, and adjust the Difference between "them. The Pleas of Juftice are fatisfied in Punishing, "and the Pleas of Mercy received in Pardoning. The Rights "of both are preserved, and the Demands of both amicably "accorded in Punishment and Pardon, by transfering the "Punishment of our Crimes upon a Suerty; exacting a Re ¢ compence from his Blood by Juftice, and confering Life "and Salvation upon us by Mercy, without the Expence of one Drop of our own. Thus is Juftice fatisfied in its Se "verities, and Mercy in its Indulgencies. Thus is GoD " righteous without being cruel, and merciful without being unjust." CHARNOCK, |