junction of divine attributes in Christ ; but to exemplify the same by an harmonious conjunction of grace and holy virtues in you. Let mercy and truth meet together as divine attributes in Christ, be examplified by mercy and truth meeting together as divine virtues in you : let righteousness and peace kissing each other in him, be examplified by righteousness and peace kissing each other in you. Let the meeting of mercy and truth engage you to be merciful and true : Merciful because your heavenly Father is merciful; and true, because he desires truth in the inward parts. Let the embraces of righteousness and peace engage you to be righteous and peaceable, that is, to be ftudents of purity and peace; For the wisdom that is from above, is first pure then peaceable, James iii. 17. It is declare in the verse following our text, that is the design of these perfections of God, looking down harmoniously from heaven, to make suitable graces spring up from the earth : Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. — When the sun of Righteousness, in whom all the excellencies of God do shine, looks down ; then as the natural sun shedding its influence, makes truth to spring up from the earth : so the sun of Righteousness looking down, and shedding abroad his influences, makes Truth and all the rest of the fruits of the Spirit to spring out of the earth, out of the heart, the soil where they are sown in regeneration. O ! does mercy lock down from heaven to you, in friendship with Truth ? shall not this Mercy make you merciful to the bodies and souls of others, by doing them all the temporal and spiritual good that you can ? And shall God manifest his Truth in conjunction with Mercy towards you? and will you not be a friend to truth, even to all the precious Truths of his gospel ? Shall not 'Truth, in opposition to hypocrisy be your study, and Truth in opposition to error, be your concern ? and this Truth in conjunction with Mercy; for, when Truth is in any hazard, should not Mercy to your own soul, and the souls of others make you zealous for it? And Mercy to your children and generation that is to come after you on whom we' show no Mercy, if Truth be not transferred purely to them as it was by our forefathers to us to expend
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