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If all these things this fuitor kind can do,
Then he may win her, and her blessing too.
Hard terms indeed! while death's the first

demand;

But love is strong as death *, and will not stand
To carry on the fuit, and make it good,
Though at the dearest rate of wounds and

blood..

The burden's heavy, but the back is broad, The glorious lover is the mighty God t... Kind bowels yearning in th' eternal Son, He left his Father's court, his heavn'ly throne:: Afide he threw his most divine array, And wrapt his Godhead in a veil of clay. Angelic armies, who in glory crown'd, With joyful harps his awful throne furround, Down to the crystal frontier of the sky To fee the Saviour born, did eager fly; And ever fince behold with wonder fresh Their Sov'reign and our Saviour wrapt in flesh.. Who in his garb did mighty love display, Restoring what he never took away §, To God his glory, to the law its due, To heav'n its honour, to the earth its hue, To man a righteousness divine, complete, A royal robe to fuit the nuptial rite.. He in her favours, whom he lov'd fo well, At once did purchase heav'n, and vanquish hell.. Oh! unexampled love! so vast, so strong, - So great, so high, so deep, so broad, so long! Can finite thought this ocean huge explore, Unconscious of a bottom or a shore?

L

* Song viii. 6.. + Isa. ix. 6. ‡ Luke ii. 9-14
§ Pfalm Ixix. iv.

CS

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His love admits no parallel, for why,
At one great draught of love he drank hell dry.
No drop of wrathful gall he left behind;
No dreg to witness that he was unkind.
The fword of awful justice pierc'd his fide,
That mercy thence might gush upon the bride..
The meritorious labours of his life,

And glorious conquests of his dying strife;
Her debt of doing, suff'ring, both cancell'd,
And broke the bars his lawful captive held.
Down to the ground the hellish hoft he threw,
Then mounting high the trump of triumph
Attended with a bright feraphic band, [blew,
Sat down enthron'd fublime on God's right-hand;
Where glorious choirs their various harps,

employ,.

To found his praises with confed'rate joy.
There he, the bride's strong interceffor fits,
And thence the blessings of his blood transmits,,
Sprinkling all o'er the flaming throne of God,
Pleads for her pardon his atoning blood;
Sends down his holy co-eternal Dove,
To shew the wonders of incarnate love,
To woo and win the bride's reluctant heart,
And pierce it with his kindly killing dart;
By gospel light to manifeft that now
She has no further with the law to do;
That her new lord has loos'd the fed'ral tie,...
That once hard bound her or to do or die ;
That precepts, threats, no singlemite can crave.
Thus for her former spouse he digg'd a grave; .
The law fast to his cross did nail and pin,
Then bury'd the defunct his tomb within,
That he the lonely widow to himself might.

win..

K

!

B

SECT. III.

Man's LEGAL difpofition.

UT, after all, the bride's so malecontent, No argument, save power, is prevalent To bow her will, and gain her heart's consent. The glorious Prince's fuit she disapproves, The law, her old primordial husband, loves; Hopeful in its embraces life to have, Though dead and bury'd in her fuitor's grave; Unable to give life, as once before; Unfit to be a husband any more. Yet proudly she the new address disdains, And all the blest Redeemer's love and pains; Though now his head, that cruel thorns did,

wound,

1

Is with immortal glory circled round;
Archangels at his awful footstool bow,
And drawing love fits smiling on his brow.
Though down he sends in gospel-tidings good.
Epiftles of his love, fign'd with his blood ::
Yet lordly, the the royal fuit rejects,
Eternal life by legal works affects;
In vain the living feeks among the dead *,
Sues quick'ning comforts in a killing head.
Her dead and bury'd husband has her heart,
Which can nor death remove, nor life impart.
Thus all revolting Adam's. blinded race,
In their first spoufe their hope and comfort

place.

They natively expect, if guilt them press,
Salvation by a home-bred righteousness:

* Luke xxvi. 5

They look for favour in JEHOVAH'S eyes,
By careful doing all that in them lies.
'Tis still their primary attempt to draw
Their life and comfort from the vet'ran law;
They flee not to the hope the gofpel gives;
To trust a promise bare, their minds aggrieves,
Which judge the man that does, the man

that lives.

As native as they draw their vital breath,
Their fond recourse is to the legal path.
Why, fays old nature, in law-weded man,
Won't Heav'n be pleas'd, if I do all I can?
If I conform my walk to nature's light,
And strive, intent to practise what is right;
Thus won't I by the God of heav'n be bless'd,
And win his favour, if I do my best?

6

Good God! (he cries) when press'd with

debt and thrall,

Have patience with me, and I'll pay thee all*' Upon their all, their best, they're fondly mad, Though yet their all is naught, their best is bad. Proud man his can does mightily exalts, Yet are his brightest works but splendid faults. A finner may have shews of good, but ftill The best he can, ev'n at his best, is ill. Can heav'n or divine favour e'er be win By those that are a mass of hell and fin? The righteous law does num'rous woes de--

nounce

Against the wretched foul that fails but once :: What heaps of curses on their heads it rears, That have amass'd the guilt of num'rous years!

***Matth. xviii. 26.

SECT. IV.

Man's ftrict attachment to legal TERMS, or to the law as a condition of life.

S

AY,

on

what terms then Heav'n appeas'd

will be?

Why, sure perfection is the least degree.
Yea, more, full fatisfaction must be giv'n
For trespass done against the laws of Heav'n.
These are the terms: what mortal back so broad,
But must for ever fink beneath the load ?
A ransom must be found, or die they must,
Sure, even as justice infinite is juft.
But, fays the legal, proud, self-righteous heart,
Which cannot with her ancient confort part,
'What! won't the goodness of the God of

heav'n,

Admit of smalls, when greater can't be given ? 'He knows our fall diminsh'd all our funds, 'Wont he accept of pennies now for pounds? Sincere endeavours for perfection take, "Or terms more possible for mankind make?" Ah! poor divinity, and jargon loofe; Such hay and straw will never build the house. Mistake not here, proud mortal, don't mistake, God changes not, nor other terms will make. Will divine faithfulness itself deny, Which swore folemnly, Man shall do or die? Will God most true extend to us, forsooth, His goodness, to the damage of his truth? Will fpotless holiness be baffled thus? Or awful justice be unjust for us? Shall faithfulness be faithless for our fake, And he his threats, as we his precepts break?

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