elect by the Spirit. All the wisdom and learning of the world could never have discovered, much less have fathomed it. It lay concealed in the eternal mind, and would have lain there undiscovered to all eternity, if God had not discovered it by the light of his Spirit. Who among all the race of Adam could have imagined an eternal affection in a just God toward self-condemned rebels, upon the grounds of truth and justice, if God had not revealed it by his Spirit? "As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God," 1 Cor. ii. 9-11.— But,

I next proceed to shew that the depth of divine love was wonderfully displayed in the singular sufferings of Christ Jesus. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life. for his friends," John xv. 13. This depth will appear still more conspicuous, if we consider the many enemies with whom the love of Christ had to combat. First, our sins lay as a dreadful burden on him; for the Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all, Isaiah liii. 6. And the Saviour bore our sins in his own body on the tree, 1 Pet.

ii. 24. Secondy, the infernal malice and fury of devils, "The prince of this world cometh, and

hath nothing in me."

listed under his banner;

Yea, even the wicked en

"This is

"This is your hour, and

the powers of darkness,” Luke xxii. 53. Thirdly, the cruel insults of the Jewish rabble, who derided him in blindfolding him, smiting him on the face, crowning him with thorns, bowing the knee before him, putting a reed as a mock sceptre into his hand, arraying him in a gorgeous robe, sending him to Herod; and afterward, when under the greatest anguish, commanding him to come down from the cross, and they would believe him. We may add to this the cup of wrath that was given him to drink; the soul-piercing curse of the law that he was to bear, in order to redeem us from that; the disciples forsook him and fled; and that vindictive justice might get a full satisfaction, the Father hid his face from him, yea, forsook him. The Saviour bore all the rest with silence, but this extorted so bitter a cry from him, that both heaven and earth answered it; the inanimate rocks open their mouths; the graves disclose the dead; the bowels of the earth were moved, and the sun was veiled in sackcloth: these things wrestled hard against eternal love. The infirmities of our flesh made him fear and sweat, and stand sorely amazed. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” said the dear Redeemer. But everlasting love waded through all these rapid floods of opposition. Nor could the floods of temptation, of wrath, of per

secution, nor the cold floods of death in the least quench or impede his permanent, divine, and everlasting affection to his own elect: as it is written, "For love is strong as death; many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it," Song viii. 6, 7. Surely love must pierce deep in the Saviour's breast, or he never would have veiled his glory, faced the storm, and waded through the pains of hell, to get at the object loved, if love had not been well rooted. Is this the eternal love of Christ to us? So it seems. "Who [then] shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecu, tion, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us," Rom. viii. 35, 37.

But let us consider the depth of this love in its administration: in bringing many of its objects up out of the various depths into which the devil and sin has sunk them; some of whom justice has seemed to turn as it were to destruction; but everlasting love has prohibited their entrance there, and led them back to God with the greatest placidity; as it is written, "Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, Return, ye children of men." Some have been almost deluged in guilt, horror, wrath, and anguish of soul; and, when their souls have been overwhelmed within them, eternal love has appeared, and led them to the rock higher than they, Psalm lxi. 2, put a new

song in their mouths, and established their goings, Psalm xl. 2. Others have been exercised on their beds with pain, and the multitude of their bones with strong pain; insomuch that their life abhorred bread, and their souls dainty meat; their flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen, and their bones that were not seen stick out. Then says Love, Deliver them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom. Their flesh shall be fresher than a child's; and they shall return to the days of their youth: they shall pray unto God, and he shall be favourable unto them; and they shall see his face with joy, Job xxxiii. 19-26.

Others have been possessed with legions of devils; some sunk into black despair; others have been bowed together by Satan; and some have been both mad and dumb; some in the shadows of death; others in the horrible pit. But love has still dived beneath them, and brought them up as on eagles' wings. This precious cord of everlasting love angled sweetly after poor Jonah, when fatherly displeasure had raised a storm, and cast him overboard, and at last brought him up from the bowels of hell. In short, there are no depths that the elect of God have fallen into, where love hath not waded after them, and brought them up. It brought Manasseh up from the magic depths of Satan; and David from deep calling unto deep, the very echoes or resounding of hell itself.

Other poor souls have sinned against light and love after they had tasted that the Lord was gra

cious. Some, under such circumstances, have cried out, My hope is perished from the Lord; others, that there is no hope; some, that I am cast out of his sight; and others have cursed the day in which they were born, and the man that brought tidings of their birth. Some dejected souls have declared they were as sure of hell as if they were in it; and others have wished they had been there, that they might know the worst. But not one of these that I allude to could with their dying breath charge immutable love with the least failure. No; love has appeared to make their bed in their sickness, Psalm xli. 3. And the everlasting arm has been underneath them, Deut. xxxiii. 27. Love has sweetly rekindled her expiring flame; and conscience has compelled them to set to their seal that God is true to the irrevocable promise that he has given them. "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing," Zeph. iii. 17.

The height of this love may be subdivided into three heads: First, God's love to Christ, and to the elect in him: this is plain, by his ordaining them to glory by him. Secondly, in God's exalting Christ in human nature as our head. Thirdly, our exaltation with him and in him.

First, then, God's love to Christ; as it is written, "For thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world," John xvii. 24. And God loved us