The Harmony of the Divine Attributes difplayed, in the Redemption and Salvation of Sinners, by Jefus Chrift, 121 PSALM 1XXXV. 10. Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace bave kiffed each other. After the introduction and explanation of the words, four general heads of method are prosecuted, viz. 1. Who are members of the meeting; or, what are thefe attributes of God which do harmoniously confpire together, propofing their various claims, 2. When and where these parties did meet together, 128 133 3. How, and after what manner, they meet together and kifs each other, 4. Why, or for what reafons, they have met together, and embraced cach other, 5. The application of the fubject, in fundry inferences, 142 148 160 SERMON XXI, XXII. Carnal Confultation unfolded; or, the great Evil of being actuated,.by Carnal Principles, in the Matters of God, evinced, 180 GAL. i. 16. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. The connection being traced, the fcope of the apoftle confulted, his principal intention viewed, the words themselves confidered, several propofitions natively deduced from them, a comprehenfive one laid down for profecution, the following general heads are illustrated, viz. 1. What is to be understood by flesh and blood, and conferring therewith, 2. The truth of the doctrine confirmed by fcriptural examples, 183 186 3. The reafons affigned why we ought not to confult with flesh and blood, 4. The application of the fubject, in fundry ufes, 188 190 SERMON XXIII,-XXVII. The fcope of the apoftle being obferved, the words analized and 2. The believer's mortification, or death to the law, opened up, 256 3. The believer's vivification, or living to God, enquired into, 4. The neceffity of this death, in order to this life; or, the influence that our being dead to the law, hath upon our living to God, The scope of the prophet being noticed, and the words viewed in their 1. Who this wonderful Perfon is, that engaged his heart to approach 2. The nature of the work he engaged himself in, confidered, The words being viewed in their connexion, analized, explained, 1. The oneness betwixt the Father and the Son, opened up, 2. Some remarks offered concerning a faving fight of Christ, PREVENTING LOVE: or, GOD's Love to us the Caufe of our Love to him. I JOHN iv. 19. We love bim, because be firft loved us. THE great defign of the gofpel, gofpel ordinances, and facraments, is to commend the love of God in Chrift. The facrament of the fupper is a love-feaft; and they that have their fenfes fpiritually exercised therein, will find readily all their fenfes filled with love. What do they hear, but love! What do they see, but love! What do they tafte, but love! What do they feel, but love! What do they smell, but love!— It is a sweet account we have of God, ver. 16. "Hereby "perceive we the love of God, because he laid down "his life for us." O happy they that have fo learned the gospel catechifm, from their experience, as to be able to answer to that question, What is God? and to fay, "God is love!" He is effential, boundless, bottomlefs, infinite love. It is true, if we look to him in the glass of the law, we will fee him to be all wrath; a confuming fire out of Chrift; but look to him in the glafs of the gofpel, and you will fee him all love; a * This Sermon was preached after the administration of the Sacrament of the LORD's Supper at Portmoak, June 3d, 1723. a God in Christ reconciling the world to himfelf: and the fight thereof produces love: for, "We love him, "because he first loved us." The text gives us a fhort account of the whole bufinefs betwixt God and a believer: they love one ano. ther. Here is love defcending, God in Chrift loving his faints; and here is love ascending, the faints in Christ loving God; and the former begetting the latter. When love hath defcended from heaven to earth, it hath finished the half of its courfe; but when it afcends from earth to heaven again, then the circle is completed, Here is, 1. A defcription of God's love; he loved us first. 2. A defcription of our love to God; we love him for this caufe. And, 46 1. We have God's love defcribed; "He FIRST loved 22 us. If we were to make a critical divifion, we might notice how it is defcribed. 1. In the act, loved. O wonder that ever the heart of God fhould have acted that way towards any finner of Adam's race, 2. The fubje&t loving; "He loved :" O! a glorious He, the infinitely holy and juft God, 3. The object loved; "He loved Us;" poor wretched apoftate Us. 4. The quality of this love; He loved us, and firft loved us: intimating, both that it is an ancient love, for it is in the preterite time, He loved; yea, loved from eternity; and also that it is antecedent love; "He FIRST "loved us," before we had a being, before we were capable to love him; yea, while we were yet ene mies. 2. We have the faints love defcribed; "We love "him, becaufe he loved us;" which is alfo defcribed in thefe four: 1. The act, Love; and indeed this love of ours is but a drop of the ocean of his love. 2. The fubject loving, We; we believers, we that got a talle of his love. 3. The object beloved, Him; we love Him, who deferves our love above all things in heaven and earth. 4. The rife and fource of this love of ours, We love him, because he FIRST loved us;" his love is the incentive and productive caufe of our love. But I refer the further explication of the text to the profecution |