inclined to on its own account, and what he delights in simply and ultimately. For though God is sometimes in scrip❤ ture spoken of as taking pleasure in punishing men's sins, Deut. xxviii. 63. "The Lord will rejoice over you, to destroy you." Ezek. v. 13. “Then shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted." Yet God is often spoken of as exercising goodness and shewing mercy, with delight, in a manner quite different, and opposite to that of his executing wrath. For the latter is spoken of as what God proceeds to with backwardness and reluctance; the misery of the creature being not agreeable to him on its own account. Neh. ix. 17. "That thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness." Psal. ciii. 8. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." Psal. cxlv. 8. "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy." We have again almost the same words, Jonah iv. 2. Mic. vii. 10. "Who is a God like thee, that pardoneth iniquity, kc. He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy." Ezek. xviii. 32. "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Lam. iii. 33. "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." Ezek. xxxiii. 11. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel." 2 Pet. iii. 9. "Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

2. The work of redemption wrought out by Jesus Christ, is spoken of in such a manner as being from the grace and love of God to men, that does not well consist with his seeking a communication of good to them, only subordinately, i. e. not at all from any inclination to their good directly, or delight in giving happiness to them, simply and ultimately considered; but only indirectly, and wholly from a regard to something entirely diverse, which it is a means of. Such expressions as that in John iii. 16, carry another idea.

"God so

loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who soever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlast"In this was manifested ing life." And 1 John iv. 9, 10. the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins." So Eph. ii. 4. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, & c." But if indeed this was only from love to something else, and a regard to a further end, entirely diverse from our good; then all the love is truly terminated in that, its ultimate object! And God's love consists in regard towards that; and therein is God's love, and therein is his love manifested, strictly and properly speaking, and not in that he loved us, or exercised such high regard towards us. For if our good be not at all regarded ultimately, but only subordinately, then our good or interest is in itself considered, nothing in God's regard or love: Cod's respect is all termi nated upon, and swallowed up in something diverse, which is the end, and not in the means.

So the scripture every where represei its concerning Christ, as though the great things that he did and suffered, were in the most direct and proper sense, from exceeding love to us; and not as one may shew kindness to a pers on, to whose interest, simply and in itself considered, he is intirely indifferent, only as it may be a means of promoting the interest of another (that is indeed directly regarded) which i's connected with it. Thus the Apostle Paul represents the nïatter, Gal. ii. 20. Who loved me, and gave himself for me.'' Eph. v. 25. "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it." And Christ himsel John xvii. 19. "For their sakes I sanctify myself." Ant the scripture represents Christ as resting in the salvation and glory of his people, when obtained, as in what he ultimately sought, as having therein reached the goal at the end of h. race; obtained the prize he aimed at; enjoying the trávail of his soul, in which he is satisfied, as the recompense of his la bors and extreme agonies. Isa. liii. 10, 11. "When thou

shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." He sees the travail of his soul, in seeing his seed, the children brought forth in the issue of his travail. This implies that Christ has his delight, most truly and properly, in obtaining the salvation of his church, not merely as a means conducing to the thing which terminates his delight and joy; but as what he rejoices and is satisfied in, most directly and properly; as do those scriptures, which represent him as rejoicing in his obtaining this fruit of his labor and purchase, as the bridegroom, when he obtains his bride. Isa. Ixii, 5. "As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." And how emphatical and strong to the purpose, are the expressions in Zeph. iii. 17. "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 rejoice over thee with singing." The same thing may be argued from Prov. viii. 30, 31. "Then was I by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men." And from those places that speak of the saints as God's portion, his jewels and peculiar treasure. These things are abundantly confirmed by what is related, John xii. 2332. But the particular consideration of what may be observed to the present pur pose, in that passage of scripture, may be referred to the next section.

3. The communications of divine goodness, particularly forgiveness of sin, and salvation, are spoken of from time to time, as being for God's goodness sake, and for his mercy's sake, just in the same manner as they are spoken of, as being for God's name's sake, in places observed before. Psal. xxv. 7. "Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions According to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord." In the 11th verse the Psalmist says,

"For thy name's sake, O Lord pardon mine iniquity." Neb. ix. 31. "Nevertheless for thy great mercy's sake, thou hast not utterly consumed them, nor forsaken them; for thou art a gracious and a merciful God." Psal. vi. 4. "Return O Lord, deliver my soul: O save me for thy mercy's sake." Psal. xxxi. 16. "Make thy face to shine upon thy servant : Save me for thy mercy's sake." Psal. xliv. 26. "Arise for our help; redeem us for thy mercy's sake." And here it may be observed, after what a remarkable manner God speaks of his love to the children of Israel in the wilderness, as though his love were for love's sake, and his goodness were its own end and motive. Deut. vii. 7, 8. "The Lord did not set his

⚫ love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you."

4. That the government of the world in all parts of it, is for the good of such as are to be the eternal subjects of God's goodness, is implied in what the scripture teaches us of Christ's being set at God's right hand, made king of angels and men; set at the head of the universe, having all power given him in heaven and earth to that end that he may promote their happiness; being made head over all things to the church, and having the government of the whole creation for their good.* Christ mentions it (Mark xxviii. 29) as the reason why the Son of Man is made Lord of the sabbath, that "the sabbath was made for man.” And if so, we may in like manner argue, that all things were made for man, that the Son of Man is made Lord of all things.

5. That God uses the whole creation, in his whole gov ernment of it, for the good of his people, is most elegantly represented in Deut. xxxiii. 26. "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rideth on the Heavens in thine help, and in his excellercy on the sky." The whole universe is a machine, which God hath made for his own use, to be his chariot for him to ride in; as is represented in Ezekiel's vis

* Eph. i. 20,...23. John xvii. 2. Matth. xi. 27, and xxviii. 18,'19. John iii. 35.

ion. In this chariot, God's seat or throne, is heaven, where he sits, who uses, and governs, and rides in this chariot, Ezek. i. 22, 26, 27, 28. The inferior part of the creation, this visible universe, subject to such continual changes and revolutions, are the wheels of the chariot, under the place of the seat of him who rides in this chariot. God's providence in the constant revolutions, and alterations, and successive events, is represented by the motion of the wheels of the chariot, by the spirit of him who sits in his throne on the heavens, or. above the firmament. Moses tells us for whose sake it is that God moves the wheels of this chariot, or rides in it sitting in his heavenly seat; and to what end he is making his progress, or goes his appointed journey in it, viz. the salvation of his people.

6. God's judgments on the wicked in this world, and also their eternal damnation in the world to come, are spoken of as being for the happiness of God's people. So are his judgments on them in this world. Isaiah xliii. 3, 4. "For I am

Rom. ix. 22, 23.

the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee, Since thou hast been precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee; therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life." So the works of God's vindictive justice and wrath, are spoken of as works of mercy to his people, Psalm cxxxvi. 10, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20. And so is their eternal damnation in another world. "What if God, willing to shew his wrath and make his power known, endured with much longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory." Here it is evident the last verse comes in, in connexion with the foregoing, as giving another reason of the destruction of the wicked, viz. the shewing the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy; in higher degrees of their glory and happiness, in an advancement of their relish of their own enjoyments and greater sense of their value, and of God's free grace in the bestowment.