mercy fhewn. Hence the election bath obtained it, and the reft were blinded.But from this mercy, and love of GOD towards his chofen, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in CHRIST JESUS Our Lord, it appears in the ift Place, that God is love.He from eternity (for known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world+)-faw them lying in their blood, full of fin and enmity against him, rebellious creatures; nevertheless he purposed within himself to forgive them all trefpaffes, and fave them from all their fin and wretchednefs; and even (O aftonishing grace, and love that paffeth knowledge!) to make them heirs and inheritors of his heavenly kingdom, and glory. And all this was done in CHRIST; in him he purposed it, and in him he hath done it: As it is written, who bath faved us, and called us with a holy calling; not according to our works, but according to bis own purpose and grace which was given us in Chrift Jefus, before the world began. Nor was this purpose and will of God, ungrateful to the Son of his Love JESUS CHRIST, or without his perfect concurrence and delight in it, but far otherwife; his heart was from everlasting set upon it, and he rejoiced in it: Wherefore he faith, I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the babitable parts of his earth, and my delights † Acts xv. 18. 2 Tim. i. 9. delights were with the fons of men: And again, when he cometh into the world, he faith; Sacrifice and offering, and burnt offering for fin, which are offered by the law, thou wouldst not, neither hadft pleasure therein: Then faid I, lo I come to do thy will: yea, I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart*. -But had not these objects of GOD'S love and pity, done fomewhat to deserve it more than others? By no means; it was mere fovereign grace, and mercy towards them. GOD loved them, because he would love them; and gave his Son JESUS CHRIST to be their Surety, and Kinfman Redeemer, because of his own good pleasure he had loved, and chofen them in him: For they, by nature, were finners, hell-deferving creatures, and children of wrath, even as others t. Moreover, as they had done nothing to deferve this diftinguishing love and favour towards them, any more than thofe that are left to perifh in their iniquity; fo neither did they first feek unto GoD for it, nor fue for mercy at his hands: Yea, they did not fo much as defire this grace, nor ask after it, before God had purpofed, and alfo revealed it to them. See an instance of this in our first parents: Inftead of feeking to GOD for mercy and pardon, after they had rebelled against him, they fled from his preA a 2 fence, • Pfal. xl. 6, 7, 8, + Eph. ii. 3. mercy fhewn. Her and the reft wer and love of C to the eterna' JESUS Our (for k ning ful ver unto hide themfelves ered their tranfhim, inftead of acknowledging their fin, their tranfgreffion, or at seves from the guilt of it. Nesparpole of love towards them, and their pofterity, was not shaken, y it; he did not treat them as incor and as obftinate rebels, and caft them hell, which in justice he might have But he remembered his everlafting covenant CHRIST, in whom he had chofen them before worlds, according to the good pleasure of his will: Therefore, as foon as man's fin and rebellion was discovered, he gave them a promise of Christ, to refcue and deliver them from fin and Satan for to the ferpent he faid, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feea and her feed; it shall bruife thy head, and thou shalt bruife bis beel. He alfo inftituted typical figns, and memorials of our once crucified, and now glorified JESUS, until the time of his actual appearing, and fuffering in the flesh for us: Who verily, in purpoíe and decree, was ordained before the foundation of the world, and was flain in types and figures from the time that fin entered into the world; * Gen. iii. 15. but but when the fullness of time for his personal appearing came, he was made flesh, and fuffered in his own perfon for our fins, according to the Scriptures; and then the fhadows of it that went before were abolished.-Therefore, 2. This divine love was made manifeft to the aftonishment even of the Angels of GOD, when the WORD that was with GOD, and was GOD, was made flesh, and came down from heaven to fulfil all righteoufnefs, and fuffer for the fins of men: In this, faith the Apostle, was manifested the love of God towards us, in that, whilst we were yet finners, Chrift died for us: And again, another Apostle faith; berein is love, not that we loved God, but that be loved us, and fent bis Son to be the propitiation for our fins. By the incarnation and death of CHRIST, GOD'S eternal purpose of love to man was gloriously demonftrated, and made manifeft. This work of redeeming Love was far greater, more wonderful, and glorious, than to create a thoufand worlds: For in this work of love God the Word, by whom and for whom all things were created, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, was made man: The LORD of heaven and earth was made under the law, A a 3 law, and took upon him the form of a fervant yea, he was made in the likeness of finful fleb +; as if he himself had been not only a creature, but a finful creature. Thus CHRIST was fent of GOD, and came down from heaven, to bear the fins of men, even of his enemies, guilty and rebellious creatures; yea he even fuffered an accurfed death for us, the just for the unjuft. For Gop fent his SON into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world thro' him might be faved; therefore he perfonated, reprefented, and stood in the place of the guilty: And hence it pleased the Lord to bruife bim, because be bad laid on him the iniquities of us all. It is this that commends the love of God towards man, and fets it forth in the most confpicuous, and glorious light, in that he gave his dear and only begotten Son, to die for us, whilft we were yet enemies and finners ||. By this we fee that GOD, in his love to man, diftinguifhed and feparated betwixt their perfons and their fins; for, whilst he loved their perfons, fo as to fave them from the most deserved wrath and damnation; he, at the fame time, fhewed infinite hatred, and abhorrence of their fins. And therefore CHRIST, their able Bondsman and glorious Mediator, was made a curfe, and laid down his life for them: Hence CHRIST, in their ftead, was arrefted as the Debtor, and + Rom. viii. 3. + Ifa. liii. 10. || Rom. v. 6, 8. |