gotten Son. But since the manifestation of all love concenters in the Son, and all the love of the Father rests upon men through the Son, the Son himself declares concerning this thing, that the same love, wherewith the Father loved him, is in them who believe, because he is in them.' (John xvii. 26.) If therefore the love with which the Father loves the Son, is infinite and measureless; the love also with which the Father loves us in Christ, is an immense and infinite love: otherwise, how could any man be so rash as but dare to think, that God so loves us, if we are in his Son, as he loves his own only begotten Son? Oh that through our whole life, we might fix the eye of our faith on this love, which from eternity beheld us, not only in our fall, and in that misery into which we were plunged by the fall, but which also set up an ineffable salvation, that should accrue to us in Christ Jesus, who would translate us from death to life, from darkness, wrath, the curse, and eternal destruction, into eternal light, eternal favor, eternal benediction, and into eternal safety, joy, and glory. Yea, God knew us, according to his omniscience from all eternity, with this same love, as his blessed ones delivered from all sin, and from all the evils arising to us from sin, altogether immaculate and blameless, cloathed with the glory and majesty of his Son, bearing his resemblance, and exulting and rejoicing before his face for ever. This is that love, which clothed the Son with humble humanity, and which so highly exalted humanity in the Son, that he promised to place it on the right hand of the majesty on high; To him that overcometh, (through Christ who strengthens him) will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.' (Rev. iii. 21.) What more could be possibly desired, O my soul, which thou mayest not find in this love? That the Son of God should be thy Creator, should be thy life, thy light, which illuminates thee; that commands his word to be revealed to thee by the prophets and apostles, as a testimony of himself, the true light; that the angels themselves should bring thee glad Tidings, and rejoice to minister unto thee; that thou shouldst become a true believer, obtain pardon for thy sins, and be again born of God, and from the fulness of his grace and truth, such in all divine riches: that he hath brought forth to thee the knowledge of God from the bosom of his heavenly Father, from the inmost and most secret divinity; that he hath, as the true Immanuel, led thee into communion with God; that thou being baptized in the name of the holy trinity, admitted into an eternal covenant with God, shouldst be anointed with the Holy Spirit, and illuminated with his gifts, be sanctified, and by him preserved in the true faith, and be powerfully strengthened in all conflicts against sin, the world, death, the devil, and hell; that nothing should ever be able to withdraw and separate thee from the love of him; nay, 'That thou art come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly, and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.' (Heb. xii. 22-24.) That thou mayest obtain all these felicities, here indeed by faith, and a comfortable fore-taste; hereafter, by a most perfect intuition, and everlasting glory: and when Christ thy life shall be made manifest, thou also mayest be manifested with him in glory. I say, all these things, and whatsoever else can be entitled to the name of salvation and blessedness, thou entirely owest to this infinite love, which manifested itself to the world in this, that the Son of God himself became the Saviour of men, in such a manner, that he was made man; and his most exalted Majesty dwelt in flesh, as in his temple, among mortals of which St. John says, He dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 5. Meditation:-On the Divine order, in which we are made partakers of the benefits accruing to us by CHRIST JESUS. If thou desirest, O soul, to partake of so great and inestimable benefits in Christ, thou must observe, that the Holy Spirit himself hath shewn thee the order by which alone, and by no other means, thou mayest attain them. For the scriptures testify, that no man can be a partaker of them, who despises the divine order, but will remain deprived of them through his own default. For this cause it is said, 'the darkness comprehended it not; (viz. the light,) and the world knew Him not; and his own received Him not.' But could they indeed be so infatuated, as not to desire to be delivered out of all their misery, and to be removed into a state of eternal joy and glory? They wished to be altogether exempt from the punish ment of sin; but they desperately loved their sins at the same time; and whosoever endeavoured to reclaim them from their long-continued habit of sinning, was reckoned by them among their enemies. Now the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil; but they loved these works of the devil, and would not suffer that they should be destroyed in them. Hence it is, that Christ says, this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,' (John iii. 19.) They mightily desired to be partakers of eternal joy, from the carnal notion they had of it, if it could be attained without repentance and conversion ; which being contrary to the divine order, they could no more be partakers of Christ, than a man can be enlightened who chooses to hide himself in a dark cell, whilst the sun diffuses its sweet and pleasant light throughout the world. Therefore the Holy Spirit hath appointed three important means in the order, by which thou mayest come to the knowledge of every good thing that is in Christ Jesus; viz. 1. That you receive Christ. 2. That you believe in his name. 3. That you be born again of God. That you may receive Christ, it is requisite that you acknowledge the miserable state into which you were sunk by the fall. Sin is the root of all evil; from this comes the divine wrath and punishment, the various miseries and calamities of soul and body, death temporal and eternal. All those evils are to be found out and known in their root, that is, in sin: for otherwise, thou wouldest desire to be delivered from the shameful and horrible fruits of sin, viz.—its punishment; but not from sin itself. But such is the goodness and faithfulness of God, that He sufficiently lays before us in his word this great and deplorable misery of mankind. Besides, every man has in himself two strong witnesses, viz. his own conscience, and daily experience, which bear witness far beyond all contradiction, concerning both the internal and external misery of mankind. Therefore if you must necessarily believe these two witnesses, that those things are altogether true, which the records of Holy Writ pronounce concerning our present misery, then you ought also to credit their testimony concerning the future punishment of sinners. Whosoever is so far convinced of his own misery, will find something within him which makes him wish to be delivered from that evil, how much soever his natural inclination to vice, may continually urge him to obey sin farther, and live for ever in the lusts thereof. Then comes preventing grace, offered by God to men in Christ, knocking at the door of the heart, and much desiring to be admitted. If therefore you do not refractorily bar its entrance, but rather endeavour to make a deeper search into the miserable state wherein you are plunged, and slacken not in the works of repentance; there will now begin a sharp and severe conflict, Christ and Belial contending with one another, which shall have the dominion over you. But if you resolve to go on with the combat, and will not treacherously desert Christ, calling you out of darkness into his marvellous light, and when you plainly find no help in yourself, will receive Christ, as He who can alone rescue and deliver you from your misery in this fight, which sometimes is very sharp, and painful to unruly flesh at length faith will spring up, which is |