and blefsednefs from him. Such was Jehovah's grace, that he was not content merely to love his people in Christ with an everlasting love, as he did elect angels; but he would have it appear in so strong a light, and set it before them in such meridian lustre, and make it known in such a variety of ways, by giving such wonderful instances and evidences of it, as would give them to see what high favourites they were with him, and how intensely his love was set on them; that it was immutable and incomprehensible, notwithstanding all the variety of changes, which they experienced in themselves and their conditions. By the acts and transactions of the sacred Three in an everlasting covenant on the behalf of the elect, as viewed and considered in their lost and sinful conditions, a discovery was to be made of God's free mercy towards them. Hereby they were to see for themselves, how worthy Jehovah was of that high and magnificent title given by the apostle Peter, "THE GOD OF ALL GRACE;" and in the open discoveries of this glorious grace to be led to cry, "O the "depth of the riches both of the wis

dom and knowledge of God, how un"searchable are his judgments, and his "ways past finding out"!"

g 1 Pet. v. 10.

h Rom. xi. 33.

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God's love to the persons of his people in Christ is so infinitely great, that it can never increase. It was from eternity what it is now; and it will be the same to eternity. Such was the interest, which the objects of God's love had in him, that they have been dignified by Christ himself with the title of "God's "own elect:" and they are called "The "Lord's portion."-"His peculiar trea"sure."" His delight, his crown, and 'joy m' "His jewels"."-" His_be"loved." He fore-knew them from everlasting, as the objects of his invariable love. He beheld them in Christ above and beyond the consideration of the fall. They were ever precious and lovely in his sight. He viewed them as all-glorious, as the bride and spouse of Christ, who had, under the view and presentation which the Father made of them to him, "betrothed them unto "himself in righteousnefs, and in judg"ment, and in loving kindness, and in "faithfulnefs "." The persons of the elect, as thus viewed by Jehovah the Father in Christ, were the invariable objects of his ineffable complacency. How to vent his love towards them in

i Luke xviii. 7.
1 Psalm cxxxiv. 4.
n Mal. iii. 17.

* Deut. xxxiii. 9. m Isaiah lxii. 3, 4. • Rom. i. 17.

P Hosea ii. 19.

acts of everlasting kindnefs, and shew them that they were under his foreviews of their fallen, sinful, and guilty cases and circumstances, remembered by him with everlasting mercy, was a subject which engaged his infinite mind before all time. God knew his own love to them-his own complacency and delight in them—his own joy in the outgoings of his love, and in communicating the blessings of it to them.-He viewed them in his own eternal designs towards them, as those who were to be the continued objects of Christ's unceasing delight, and social partners, and partakers with him in all his communicable titles, excellencies, glory, and blefsednefs. He viewed them in their creation-state, and beheld their condidition in Adam, their nature-head, to be mutable and liable to change. He viewed their fall in Adam with all the tremendous consequences thereof. In the intuitive knowledge of it he provided for the eternal redemption and recovery of them from that state of guilt and misery, by an everlasting covenant "ordered in "all things and sure." God's elect, as his elect, needed no redemption; but God's elect, considered as fallen, did. It was under the consideration of their fall and sinful state in Adam, that they needed salvation. Under these views of their

fallen state, the Eternal Three were pleased to give evidence of the immutability of their love to them by that coun cil and covenant, which obtained between them before the world was, and by which the Essential Three exprefsed their love to their beloved ones in their fallen state and sinful circumstances; exercising the same in acts of everlasting mercy. God's everlasting love is the origin, fountain, and spring, from whence every spiritual and eternal blefsing flows. This love is one and the same in each of the divine persons. To manifest their distinct personality agreeably to their personal interest in the elect, it pleased them to discover it in a peculiar way, according to the distinct acts of their will, in the eternal purposes of grace, love, and mercy. Jesus, the God-man, is the medium whereby the love of the Holy Trinity flows forth most freely, gloriously, and manifestatively towards the elect. In him the Holy Three shine forth in all the lustre of their majesty, personality, and perfections; and in the highest exprefsions and brightest displays of their incomprehensible love to Christ, God-man, and the elect in him. Christ wore the crown of his efsential personality, as coequal and co-eternal in the Godhead with the Father and the Holy Ghost;

and the crown of efsential divinity, by a necefsity of nature; he being self-existent. He wore the crown of his personal glory, as God-man elect, with his Father before the world was. He also wore the crown and glory, dignity and honour of being the eternal head of his body the church; the head of the whole election of grace from everlasting. He also, in consequence of his covenant-stipulations with his divine Father on the behalf of his church, wore the crown of his mediatory office; and he will to eternity wear the incommunicable crown and glory of being the Saviour of his people, and of saving them in himself with an everlasting salvation. Our Lord, as Mediator, is God's ordinance of salvation; the channel, through which the love of the eternal Three flows forth freely with all its energy and efficacy on us. All the grace, love, mercy, will, thoughts, counsel, covenant, purposes, and decrees of God are fully realized in the person, work, and mediation of our glorious Immanuel. The Father manifested the continuation of his everlasting love to his elect, when he viewed them under the consideration of the fall, and "laid help upon one who was mighty to save them," all-sufficient to cope with the holiness and vast rePsalm lxxxi. 19.

9 John xvii. 5..