Justice and mercy!
(Samuel
Davies,
"The Preaching of Christ Crucified, the Means of Salvation")
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"Mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other!" Psalm
85:10
The salvation of sinners by
the substitutionary death of Christ, gives the brightest
display of
the perfections of God; and particularly of those which belong to
Him
as the Supreme Ruler of the moral world.
Justice and mercy, duly
tempered,
and exercised with wisdom-is a summary of those virtues
which
belong
to a good ruler. Now these are most illustriously displayed in a
happy
union, in Christ crucified.
Justice shines brighter in the cross-than if every sin had
been
punished upon offenders, without any mercy!
Mercy shines brighter
in the cross-than if every sin
had been pardoned, and every sinner made happy, without any
execution
of justice.
Mercy appears in turning the divine heart with such a
strong
propensity upon the salvation of sinners!
Justice appears in that when the heart of God was so much
set
upon it, yet He would not save them without a complete
satisfaction to
His justice.
Mercy appears in providing such a Savior!
Justice appears in inflicting the punishment due to sin
upon
Him, without abatement; though He loved Him more than the whole
universe of creatures!
Mercy appears in transferring the guilt from the sinner
upon
the Surety, and accepting a vicarious satisfaction!
Justice appears in exacting the satisfaction, and not
passing
by sin, when it was imputed to the darling Son of God.
Mercy
appears in pardoning
and saving guilty sinners!
Justice appears in punishing their sin!
Mercy appears in justifying them-though destitute of all personal
merit and righteousness!
Justice appears in
justifying them-only and entirely on account of the merit and
righteousness of Christ!
Mercy appears in providing a Savior of such infinite
dignity!
Justice appears in refusing satisfaction from an inferior
person!
Mercy appears in forgiving sin!
Justice appears in not forgiving so much as one
sin-without a
sufficient atonement!
Mercy, rich, free mercy-towards the sinner!
Justice, strict, inexorable justice-towards the Surety!
In short-mercy and justice, as it were, walk hand in hand through
every step of this amazing scheme of salvation by the
substitutionary atonement of Christ!
God pardons and saves the sinner-and yet condemns and
punishes his
sin!
Though innumerable multitudes of rebels are pardoned-yet not
one
of them is pardoned until their rebellion is punished according to
its
demerit in the person of the Surety!
The precept of the divine law, which they had broken-was
perfectly obeyed.
The penalty which they had incurred-was fully endured
and
paid, indeed not by themselves-but by their divine substitute.
Hence the divine law is magnified, and made honorable, and the
rights
of government are preserved sacred and inviolable-and yet the
sinful
rebels are set free, and advanced to the highest honors and
blessedness!
God brings the greatest good-out of the greatest evil!
God pardons and saves the sinner-and yet condemns and punishes
his
sin!
God gives the brightest display of His justice-in the freest
exercise
of His mercy!
God gives the richest discovery of His mercy-in the most rigorous
execution of His justice!
God magnifies His Law-in justifying those who had broken it!
God reveals the utmost hatred against sin-in showing the highest
love
to the sinner!
What an astonishing God-like scheme is this!
What a stupendous display
of the infinite wisdom of God!