770.] wisdom's address to men. 81
Deity. Wisdom intimated, that she had a plan to propose ; a plan, whereby Mercy might have free scope for exercise, not only without invading or injuring the rights of any other at- tribute, but to the great advantage of them all, insomuch that all should be honoured to an infinitely greater extent than they ever could have been, if their demands had been safUned through the destruction of the whole human race. It proposed, that the Son of God himself should take upon him the sins of the whole world, and suffer, as man's substitute, all that Truth and Holiness had denounced against him, and all that the most rigorous justice could require. Such a sacrifice made to law and justice, to truth and holiness, would put on all of them an honour, which they could never by any other means ob- tain
Her proposal, made with infinite delight to herself, was heard tvifh infinite delight hy Almighty God. Whilst she was thus, by anticipation, " rejoicing in the habitable part of the earth, and her delights were with the sons of men, she was daily God's delight, and rejoiced always before him." We may be assisted in our meditations on this subject, by considering a philosopher occupied with the deepest investigations, and crowned with unexpected success : what joyous exultation fills his breast! how is he ready to proclaim to all the world, " I have found it ! I have found it !" Or perhaps we shall approximate nearer to the point, if we conceive of a physician, on whose skill the life of thousands is depending, discovering an antidote that will arrest the progress of the plague, and a remedy that will restore to health all those who are already infected with it: what pure and holy joy will animate his soul ! But the Scripture itself furnishes us with various illustrations of this important idea : the woman finding the piece of money which she had lost, and the shepherd his sheep that had strayed from the fold, are each represented as calling for the sympathetic joys of their friends and neighbours : and, as these are intended to elucidate the joy which our Redeemer feels in the successful execution of his office, they may well serve to illustrate the ineffable delight which the proposals of Wisdom are represented as exciting in her own bosom, and in the bosom of the Deity.
But we have said that Wisdom may also be interpreted as signifying,]
2. Wisdom incarnate —
[Most Commentators think that the expressions in our text refer to Christ, who is called " the Wisdom of God"^;" and who, as the Logos or Word, declares to men the hidden counsels of the Father.
Of him it is distinctly said, that He " was with God, and
<i 1 Cor. i. 24.