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ful affection of love in his writings. In the beginning of this chapter, he gives an account of the general subject and defign of the book of Revelation, the manner in which the discoveries contained in it were made to him, and his fidelity in teftifying them to others. Then follows the apoftolic falutation to the feven churches in Afia, which is a folemn benediction, in name of all the perfons of the adorable Trinity: "Grace be to you, and peace, from "him which is, and which was, and which is to come;" (that is, from God the Father, the ancient of days, immutable and eternal); " and from the feven fpirits which "are before his throne;" (not to detain you with a critical account of this phrase, it means the Holy Ghost, single in his perfon, but multiplied in his gifts; the variety, fullness, and perfection of which, are denoted by this form of expreffion); "and from Jesus Christ, who is the "faithful witness, and the firft-begotten from the dead, " and the Prince of the kings of the earth." To him, you fee, he gives three illuftrious characters.

1. The faithful witness, who came from above, and revealed the whole will of God for our falvation; who being the eternal truth, might be absolutely depended on in the account he was by the apoftle to communicate, of the great events of Providence towards his church and people. 2. The first begotten from the dead, declared to be the Son of God with power, by his glorious refurrection and triumph over the king of terrors. And, 3. The Prince of the kings of the earth; that is, the Lord of nature, to whom every prince and potentate must be fubject, and to the ends of whofe Providence, and the increase of whofe kingdom, all their schemes of policy and conqueft fhall at last be fubfervient. He then, with great propriety, having mentioned the name, and given a fhort view of the character of his bleffed Lord, lays hold of the opportunity to exprefs his own and every other finner's obligation to him in this fublime afcription, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

To enter upon the confideration of the love of Chrift in its full extent, in its fource, its expreffions, and its effects, even thofe that are fuggefted in the text, would

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far exceed the bounds of a single discourse. pofe, therefore, at this time, in order to prepare your minds and my own, for the folemn action before us, is only to collect into one view fome of the great and gene-. ral characters of the love of Chrift, which are most proper to excite our gratitude and praise; and then to make fome practical improvement of it for your inftruction and direction.

I. First, then, let us endeavor to point out fome of the great and general characters of the love of Chrift. In this I fhall take care to confine myself to fuch views as are given of it in the holy fcriptures. And every character given of it there, we are both entitled and obliged to attend to, and improve.

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1. First of all, then, you may observe, that it is an everlasting love. It took its rife in the eternal counfels of Heaven. This is a character given of the love of God to his people, Jer. xxxi. 3. "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness "have I drawn thee." This expreffion is often used with a double view, to fhew, on the one hand, its early, its original fource, and on the other, its perpetual ftability, and endless duration. Pfal. ciii. 17. "But the mercy of "the Lord is from everlasting to everlafting upon them "that fear him; and his righteoufnefs unto children's "children." Ifa. liv. 7, 8. " For a small moment have "I forfaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather "thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlafting kindnefs will I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord thy Redeemer." Having cited thefe paffages of the Old Teftament, I muft justify the application of them, by obferving that all the covenant-mercies of God to man, in our prefent fallen ftate, are to be referred to the love of Christ, as their price, their fource, and their fum. This is plain from innumerable paffages of scripture: Eph. i. 4, 5. " According as "he hath chofen us in him, before the foundation of the "world, that we fhould be holy, and without blame before "him in love: having predeftinated us unto the adoption

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"of children by Jefus Chrift to himself, according to the "good pleasure of his will." Eph. iii. 11. " According "to the eternal purpose which he purpofed in Chrift Jefus "our Lord." For this reafon it is, amongst others, that Chrift is called, Rev. xiii. 8. "the Lamb flain from the "foundation of the world."

I confefs, my brethren, we are but ill able to understand, or at least to measure, the import of this truth, that the love of Christ to finners, or of God in him, was from eternity. All our conceptions are foon loft, and swallowed. up, in what is infinite and boundlefs. But furely it af fords matter for the deepest and humbleft adoration, as well as for the higheft gratitude and joy. Does it not afford matter for adoring wonder, that the plan for redeeming loft finners, and refloring them to the obedience and enjoyment of God, was the object of the divine purpose from eternity? It appears to be a very confpicuous part, or rather perhaps we are warranted to fay, from the fcripture revelation, that it is the chief part of our Creator's will, to which every other part of his providence is fubordinate and fubfervient. Accordingly, in the very paffage where my text lies, the Redeemer fays, ver. 8. “I

am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, "faith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is "to come, the Almighty." Does not this lead us to contemplate the glory of an infinite God, as it fhines in this everlafting love? Does it not alfo afford matter of gratitude to the believing foul, while he confiders every vessel of mercy as concerned in this eternal purpose ?

I am fenfible my brethren, there may be an abuse and perverfion of the doctrine of election, if we think of it as independent of its fruits, and apply it fo as to produce either fecurity or defpair. But I defpife the wildom of thofe perfons who would conceal this truth as dangerous, which it hath pleafed God diftinctly to reveal. It is the root which produceth the plant; but it is the plant which difcovers the root. It is the fountain which produceth the ftreams; but the ftreams lead us to the fountain. Muft not the finner who by faith has laid hold on a crucified Saviour, and given credit to the word of God in a preach

ed gospel, confider, with admiration, his name written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world? What delight will it give him! What honor does it reflect upon him, at the fame time that it deftroys the very foundation of arrogance and pride? This is the first, and yet it is but one of many parts of the doctrine of falvation, which at once exalts and abases us; raifes our hopes, and forbids us to glory; clothes us with infinite honor, and yet discovers us to be lefs than nothing: fo that we may fay with the apostle Paul, after a view of the fame fubject, Rom. xi. 33. "O the depth of the riches "both of the wildom and knowledge of God! how un"fearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding "out!" This leads me to observe,

2. That the love of Chrift is free and unmerited love. This is a circumftance that is fcarcely ever feparated from the account given of the love of Chrift in fcripture. It may be founded even on the infinite difproportion between uncreated excellence and created weakness: Pfal. viii. 4." What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and "the fon of man, that thou vifiteft him?" Pfal. cxliv. 3. "Lord, what is man, that thou takeft knowledge of him? "or the fon of man, that thou makest account of him?" Nay, as if this were a truth of the utmost moment, we have it repeated a third time in almoft the fame words; Job vii. 17. "What is man that thou shouldft magnify him? "and that thou fhouldft fet thine heart upon him?" But this is not all, nor indeed the main thing to be attended to; for the love of Chrift hath for its object thofe who were in actual rebellion against God, tranfgreffors of his holy law, and liable to the stroke of his juftice. It was not only to exalt those who were low, or to fupply those who were needy, that Chrift came, but to deliver those who were appointed to death: John iii. 16. "God fo loved the “world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso

ever believeth on him, fhould not perish, but have ever"lafting life." Rom. v. 8. "But God commendeth his "love towards us, in that while we were yet finners, Chrift "died for us." Eph. ii. 4, 5. "But God who is rich in "mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even

"when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together "with Chrift, (by grace ye are faved.)" The fame thing indeed is clearly intimated in the words of our text, Unto bim that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. It is on this account, in particular, that falvation, according to the gofpel, is faid to be free, and of grace, that is to fay, an act of unmerited and voluntary kindness, which the finner had no title to demand: Rom. iii. 23, 24, 25. "For all have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God; being juftified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift: whom "God hath fet forth to be a propitiation through faith in "his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remiffion "of fins that are paft, through the forbearance of God."

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Believe it, Chriftians, this is the proper exercise of mercy; and here the divine mercy fhines and reigns. Without this, it is not obfcured only, but annihilated or deftroyed. But, oh! what a view does this give us of the love of Chrift! What an impreffion will his love make on all those who are truly convinced of their guilt and wretchednefs! This is the very hinge upon which the whole doctrine of falvation turns. I hope you are not difpofed to make any oppofition to it. But alas! it is not fufficient to have learned it as a fcience, to have been taught it as making a part of the Christian faith; it is another matter to have a real and perfonal conviction of it upon the heart. Why is the love of Chrift fo cold a fubject to the generality of the world, but because they have no fenfe of their guilt and mifery? I am even afraid, that many of the zealous advocates for this truth have but little experience of its power, and live but little under the influence of it in their practice. Where, indeed, is the person to be found, who does full juftice to the Saviour, and confiders his love as wholly unmerited and free? The most evangelical expreffions do often confift with the most legal and felf-righteous affections. Let me try, however, before I leave this particular, if I can make you understand it, even though you fhould not feel it. Suppofe any of you were upon the most deliberate and compofed reflection, upon the most particular and clofe examination, fenfible

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