God. He that hath not the Son, the fame hath not the Father, 1 John ii. 23. And not to have God, as a Father, is not to have him at all; and he is known as a Father only, as he is love, and full of pardoning mercy in Chrift. How this is to be had the Holy Ghoft tells us, 1 John v. 20. The Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true; by him alone we have our understanding, to know him that is true. Now these properties of God, Christ revealeth in his doctrine, in the Revelation he makes of God and his will, as the great prophet of the church, John xvii. 6. And on this account the knowlege of them is exposed to all, with an evidence unfpeakably furmounting that which is given by the creation, to his eternal power and Godhead. But the life of this knowlege lyes in an acquaintance with his perfon, wherein the exprefs image and beams of this glory of his Father do fhine forth, Heb. i. 3. of which before. 2. There are other properties of God which though alfo otherwife difcovered, yet are fo clearly, eminently and favingly only in Jefus Chrift. As, 1. His vindictive juftice in punishing fin. 2. His patience, forbearance and long-fuffering towards finners. 3. His wisdom, in managing things for his own glory. 4. His all-fufficiency in himself and unto others. All these though they may receive fome lower and inferior manifeftations out of Chrift, yet they clearly shine only in him, fo as that it may be our wifdom, to be acquainted with them. 1. His vindictive justice. God God hath indeed many ways manifested his indignation and anger against fin; fo that men cannot but know that it is the judgment of God, that they which commit fuch things are worthy of death, Rom. i. 32. He hath in the law threatened to kindle a fire in his anger, that fhall burn to the very heart of hell. And even in many providential dispensations, his wrath is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness of men, Rom. i. 18. So that men must fay, that he is a God of judgment. And he that fhall but confider that the angels for fin were cast from heaven, fhut up under chains of everlasting darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. The rumour whereof feems to have been spread among the Gentiles, whence the Poet makes his Jupiter threaten the inferior rebellious deities with that punishment. And how Sodom and Gomorrah were condemned with an overthrow, and burned into afhes, that they might be examples unto thofe that should after live ungodly, 2 Pet. ii. 6. cannot but difcover much of God's vindictive justice, and his anger against fin; but far more clear doth this fhine into us in the Lord Chrift. 1. In him God hath manifefted the naturalness of this righteoufnefs unto him, in that it was impoffible that it fhould be diverted from finners, without the interpofing of a propitiation. Those who lay the neceffity of fatisfaction meerly upon the account of a free act and determination of the will of God, leave, to my apprehenfion, no just and indifpenfible foundation for the death of Christ, but lay it upon a fuppofition of that which might have been otherwife. But plainly, God in that he Spared not his only Son, but made his foul an offering for fin, and would admit of no atonement but in his blood, hath abundantly manifested that it is of neceffity to him, (his holiness and righteousness requiring it,) to render indignation, wrath, tribulation and anguifh unto fin. And the knowlege of this naturalness of vindictive juftice, with the neceffity of its execution on fuppofition of fin, is the only true and useful knowlege of it. To look upon it, as that which God' may exercise or forbear, make his juftice not a property of his nature, but a free act of his will: and a will to punish, where one may do otherwise without injustice, is rather ill-will, than juftice. 2. In the penalty inflicted on Chrift for fin, this juftice is far more gloriously manifefted than otherwife. To fee indeed a world made good and beautiful, wrapt up in wrath and curfes, cloathed with thorns and briars, to fee the whole beautiful creation, made subject to vanity, given up to the bondage of corruption, to hear it grone in pain under that burden; to confider legions of angels most glorious and immortal creatures, caft down into hell, bound with chains of darkness, and reserved for a more dreadful judgment, for one fin: to view the ocean of the blood of fouls fpilt to eternity on this account, will give some inlight into this thing. But what is all this to that view of it which may be had by a spiritual eye in the Lord Chrift? all thefe things are worms, and of no value in comparison of him. To fee him, who is the wisdom of God, and the power of God, always beloved of the Father, to see him, I say, fear, and tremble, and bow, and sweat, and pray, and die; to see him lifted up upon the cross, the earth trembling under him, as if unable to bear his weight, and the heavens darkened over him, as if fhut against his cry, and him felf felf hanging between both, as if refused by both, and all this because our fins did meet upon him; this of all things doth most abundantly manifeft the feverity of God's vindictive justice. Here, or no where, is it to be learned. 2. His patience, forbearance, and long-suffering towards finners: there are many glimpfes of the patience of God, fhining out in the works of his providence; but all exceedingly beneath that dif covery of it, which we have in Chrift; especially in these three things. 1. The manner of its discovery; this indeed is evident to all that God doth not ordinarily, immediately punish men upon their offences; it may be learned from his conftant way in governing the world; notwithstanding all provocations; yet he doth good to men, caufing his fun to fhine upon them, fending them rain and fruitful feafons, filling their hearts with food and gladnefs. Whence it was eafy for them to conclude, that there was in him abundance of goodness and forbearance, but all this is yet in much darkness, being the exurgency of mens reasonings from their observations; yea, the management of it hath been fuch, as that it hath proved a fnare almost univerfally unto them towards whom it hath been exercifed, Eccl. viii. 11. as well as a temptation to them who have looked on, Job xxi. 7. Pfal. lxxiii. 2, 3, 4. &c. Jer. xii. 1. Hab. i. 13. The difcovery of it in Chrift, is utterly of another nature. In him the very nature of God is difcovered to be love and kindness, and that he will exercise the fame to finners, he hath promised, fworn, and folemnly engaged himself by covenant. And that we may not hesitate about the aim which he hath herein, there is a stable bottom and foun dation of acting fuitably to thofe gracious properties of his nature, held forth, viz. The reconciliation and atonement that is made in the blood of Christ. Whatever discovery were made of the patience and lenity of God unto us, yet if it were not withal revealed, that the other properties of God, as his juftice and revenge for fin, had their actings also affigned to them to the full, there could be little confolation gathered from the former. And therefore though God may teach men his goodness and forbearance, by fending them rain and fruitful feafons, yet withal, at the fame time, upon all occafions, revealing his wrath from heaven against the ungodliness of men, Rom. i. 18. It is impoffible that they fhould do any thing, but miferably fluctuate and tremble at the event of thefe difpenfations: and yet this is the best that men can have out of Chrift, the utmost they can attain unto; with the present poffeffion of good things adminiftred in this patience, men might and did for a feafon take up their thoughts, and fatiate themselves; but yet they were not in the leaft delivered from the bondage they were in by reafon of death, and the darkness attending it. The law reveals no patience or forbearance in God; it fpeaks, as to the iffue of transgreffions, nothing but fword and fire, had not God interpofed by an act of fovereignty. But now, as was faid, with that revelation of forbearance which we have in Christ, there is alfo a difcovery of the fatisfaction of his juftice and wrath againft fin, fo that we need not fear any actings from them, to interfere with the works of his patience, which are fo fweet unto us. Hence God is faid to be in Christ reconciling the world to himself, 2 Cor. v. 19. Mani fefting himself in him, as one that hath now no mor M t |