He has only one day, which has neither beginning, succession, nor termination. During this day his love to his people continues. Consequences which are to In produ

endure for ever, are to proceed from it.

cing these, it operates as a cause, and if these are to endure for ever, so must the cause which produces them. The eternal connection between these is affirmed by the Evangelist. John iii. 16. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish; but have everlasting life." It was God's purpose to confer upon his chosen people eternal life, as the fruit of his love; but this purpose must stand, because God is of one mind, and performs all his pleasure. To assure his people of the eternity of his love, God has inserted many encouraging promises in his word. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Isaiah xlix. 14, 15. Their inheritance and salvation are promised to continue for ever. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." 1 Peter i. 3, 4. "Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salva, tion." Isaiah xlv. 17.

7. THIS love is unchangeable. This might have been mentioned before the eternal duration of it, as that may be considered as the necessary result of the immutability of it. The nature and perfections of God

..

are immutable. This renders his counsels unalterable. "God is love." It is impossible he should cease to be So. On this account God says to his people, "I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Mal. iii. 6.

AMONG men, nothing is more precarious and variable than attachment. It frequently proceeds from no fixed determination in the subject, or from something merely imaginary, in the object. Besides, a thousand things may occur, tending to unhinge the mind, and alienate its affection. It is otherwise with God. Although he can find no reason in the object influencing his love, yet there is sufficient reason in his own mind why he should continue it. As his mind, on account of the infinite perfection of his nature, is infinitely removed from all possibility of change, so his love must continue unalterable.

..

GOD's fixing his love upon his people belongs to his counsels. These are the native result of his moral perfections, and must be as immutable as these perfections. As these counsels comprehend the salvation of sinners, in prosecution of the designs of divine love, they are denominated, "The good pleasure of God's will." Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." Eph. i. 5. This is the "good pleasure of his will which he hath purposed in himself; and according to which he worketh all things." ver. 9, 11. It is the determination of his will, not of the will of the creature: and it is good, not merely because productive of the happiest effects to sinners, but because it is perfectly agreeable to the divine perfections, and is the native expression of them. If then God is of one mind, if his counsel shall stand, and he will per

form all his pleasure, no doubt can remain about the unchangeable nature of his love.

THE faithfulness of God affords us the most unquestionable evidence of the immutability of this love. This is his strict adherence to his own word, which he hath spoken to his people, especially in his promises. The Scriptures abound with express declarations of the immutability of his love; and having pledged his word, he is not man that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should repent. His promises correspond to his counsels, and announce them to his people; nor does he promise any thing but what he has decreed to give. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." The sins and numerous provocations of his people have no effect on his love. All their iniquities were full in his view when he placed his love upon them; and as they did not prevent him from doing this, they can have no influence in producing any change in it. "He will visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with stripes. Nevertheless his loving-kindness will he not utterly take from them, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail." His promise is confirmed by his oath, "That in blessing, he will bless them." This is done to show the immutability of his counsel, his faithfulness to his word, and to afford strong consolation to the heirs of promise.

THOUGH this love in the heart of God is infinitely removed from all change, it varies much in the manifestations of it to his people. In this he acts sovereignly and wisely, according to their present condition and circumstances. At one time they feel its excellence more sensibly, and enjoy its fruits more extensively,

than at another. The changes which take place in the believer's exercise and enjoyments, while he remains in the world, infer no change in the mind of God. The period, however, is fast approaching, when these changes shall no more exist; when the believer himself shall be made perfect in love; when he shall see God as he is, and shall know even as also he is known; and when the Lord shall be his everlasting light, and his God his glory.

8. THE divine love is superabounding. By this is intended, not only its greatness, fulness and extent, but its relation to the condition of the object, as most unworthy, unpleasant, and forbidding. It has already been observed, that sinners become not objects of the love of God, on account of any foreseen beauty or ex cellence in them, as, by nature, they are entirely destitute of any such qualities. The character of the sinner is made up of every thing that is hateful in a moral sense. Not only is the image of God defaced, and every holy principle of action extinguished; but a powerful and implacable enmity against him prevails in the heart. This is habitual rebellion in the soul, and proves the fertile source of all our disobedience to his law. An extensive charge of guilt lies against the sinner, by which he is expelled from the family of God, and is in truth a child of wrath and heir of hell. Some sinners

persevere long in the practice of sin, and give loose reins to their lusts; resisting and silencing all the admonitions of conscience, and treating, with contempt, every warning from God; and sell themselves to work wickedness. But neither the natural sinful condition of the sinner, nor the utmost extent of practical wickedness to which he may proceed, can surpass the abounding of this love. It overlooks every consideration of this

(

kind, and pursues its object in the most effectual manner. The prophet gives a moving description f the natural condition of the sinner, while he introduces God embracing him in the arms of his love. Ezek. xvi. 1-8. " -Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood-behold thy time was the time of love," &c. But neither does the greatest accumulation of actual sin prevent the egress of this love in order to remove it: so that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound: and though sin hath reigned unto death, grace reigns, in its destruction, unto eternal life. Rom. v. 20, 21. Paul himself was a striking instance of the superabounding of this love. "I was," says he,

66

a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy." Manasseh was another remarkable instance of this kind; for after all the length to which he had proceeded in wickedness, of every sort, he be came acquainted with the love of God.

We often meet with many things in men which disgust us, and either prevent our attachment, or alienate it. Nor is it in our power to overcome these considerations, so as to love a hateful and disgusting object. Though every thing about the sinner is loathsome to God, and his whole practice offensive, his love remains unaffect ed. In the first view which we are to take of this love, it is not an approbation of any thing in the sinner, nor attachment to it, it is only a design to produce in the sinner something that is beautiful and amiable, of which God will approve, and in which he will delight. When he has performed this work in his own people, he often meets with high provocations from them, by their abuse of his goodness and violation of his law; but instead of