1 Tim. iii. 16.

Ephef. iii. 14, &c.

nothing can be true, that lies beyond the limits of our comprehenfion, if it do not take the road of enthusiasm, will naturally lead us, either to disbelieve the divine revelation, or, which is much the fame, to explain it into nothing.

Great is the mystery of Godliness! Far too great for the grafp of our knowledge; we can afpire towards it only with our heart and affections.

This acquaintance with fo divine a Mystery we shall do well, however unworthy, to defire, and cultivate.

For this caufe, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be ftrengthened with might by his Spirit, in the inner man, that Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, with all faints, and know

the

the love of Chrift, which passeth knowledge; which they only know, who themselves are rooted and grounded in love.

The amazing, unfearchable, riches of love, in the breaft of the Almighty Father, which moved him to give his only begotten, in whom he was always well pleased, for wretched men, who had offended him; that unparalleled and astonishing affection, which induced the glorious Son of God to become a man and a facrifice, to bear himself the punishment of our fins, and by his Holy Spirit to help our infirmities, is never perhaps to be underftood fully, I do not fay by man, but by any created Being. The holy Trinity alone knows what it is to love in fuch a manner as this. For God, fays the Scripture, is 1 John iv. Love. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth

in God, and God in him.

The nearest and beft Idea of this

16.

Jove

love of God to men, is that which is in his breast, who knows what it is, to love God. The learned and ingenious, the men of brightest parts or deepest erudition, these are not the persons who have the best comprehenfion of the Divine Nature; but the humble, the de vout, the felf denying, who are the most dead to their own defires, and the most inflamed with love to God and man.

For these two are always to go together. They always in reality do fo: and where they are not both, there is neither. The beloved difciple, ftrongly touched with this divine fentiment, hath ■ John iv. told us, that If a man fay, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.

20.

Alas! we forget, furely, when we entertain fuch warm, and various, and never dying animofities, against our fellow creatures, and fellow Chriftians, we forget, that the love of God was a love to finners. That

That He fhould love his own, and

only begotten Son, who was the bright- Hebr. i. 3. nefs of his glory, and the express image of his perfon; that he fhould behold with fome complacence and fatisfaction those high orders of intellectual Beings, who ferve around his throne, and never tranfgreffed at any time his commandment, is, as we should think, natural: it would be no wonder to us. But we know little of that love.

God commend- Rom. v.8.

eth his love to us in that, while we were yet finners, Chrift died for us.

The love of God to man, was love to an enemy; an obliged, dependant, beloved, infenfible, and ungrateful enemy. Oh! if we have any fenfe of God's love, we fhall never hereafter talk of our enemies. We can have no enemies, none that we fhall ever confent to treat as fuch, if we have the least glimpse of what is meant by God's love to us, or any spark of love to him.

It

t John v.

3.

Matt. vii.

22, 23.

It is only to be added, for the conclufion of all, that as love to God implies love to men, fo also it involves in it, or it is fure to bring along with it, obedience to his commandments. The fame divine Apostle, who knew fo well, teaches us, that this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.

Whatever our imaginations may be, whatever our fentiments, or fenfations; there is no fecurity or comfort for us, if we continue under the dominion of fin. Because God loved us while we were yet enemies, fhall we ftill offend him, and yet pretend to love him?

Many will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils? and in thy name have done many wonderful works? And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.