But let us enter yet farther into this glorious chamber of Divine love, and more particularly view the admirable properties thereof; though, when all is done, it will be found a love passing knowledge ; our thoughts may admire, but can never measure it.
1. And first, you will find it an ancient love whose spring is in eternity itself Believer, God is thine ancient friend, who fore- saw and loved thee before thou wast, yea, before this world was in being ; the fruits and effects thereof thou gatherest in time, but the root that produces them was before all time, Prov. viii. 22, 23. " The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before " his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the begin- '' ning, or ever the earth was." Thus was the love of God con- triving, and providing the best of mercies in Christ for us ; while, as yet, there were no such creatures in the world, nor a world pre- pared to receive us.
2. The love of God to his people is a free, and altogether un- deserved love. It must needs be so, seeing it preceded our very being ; which had it not done, yet no motives had been found in us to allure it to us more than others, Deut. vii. 7. " The Lord did " not set his love upon you, nor chuse you, because ye were more " in number than any people (for ye were the fewest of all people) " but because the Lord loved you."" So that we cannot find one stone of our merit in the foundation of this love ; for those whom it embraces in its arms are immerentes, (^ male mei'entes^ ill-deserv^- ing, as well as undeserving. We were loved of God before we were lovely in ourselves ; it was freely pitched upon us, not pur- chased by us, Isa. xhii. 24.
3. The love of God to believers is a bountiful love, streaming
394? THE HIGHTEOUS MAn's REFUGE,
forth continually mercies both innumerable and invaluable to their souls and bodies, 2 Pet. i. 3. Christian, it would quickly weary thine arm, yea, let me say, the arm of an angel, but to write down the thousandth part of the mercies which have already flowed out of this precious fountain to thee ; though all thou hast received or shalt receive in this world, are but the beginnings of mercy, and , first-fruits of the love of God to thee : it is the love of God which daily loads thee with benefits, as the expression is, Psal. Ixviii. 19- And if thou art daily loaded with mercies, what an heap of mercies will the mercies of thy whole life be ?
4. The love of God to believers is a distinguishing love ; not the portion of all, no, nor yet of many besides thee, 1 Cor. i. 26. The generalit}^ of the world dwell in the room of common providence, not in the chamber of special love, into which God hath admitted thee : this consideration should make thee break out in admiration, as it is, John xix. 22. " Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy- self to me, and not to the world ?"
5. The love of God to believers is a love transcendent to all creature-love ; it moves in an higher sphere than the love of any creature doth, Rom. v. 6, 7, 8. We read of Jacob's love to Rachel, which is so celebrated in the sacred story for the fervour of it ; and yet all that it enabled him to suifer was but the summer's heat and the winter's cold ; a trifle to what the love of Christ engaged, and enabled him to suffer for thy sake. We read also of the love of David to Absalom, which made him wish. Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son ! This love was only manifested in a wish, which, haply might have been retracted too, had there been an exchange to be made indeed : but the life of Christ, worth millions of his life, was actually and willingly staked down for thy soul. We read of the love of one disciple manifested to another disciple in a cup of cold water ; but Christ hath manifest- ed his love to thee in pouring out his warmest heart-blood for thy redemption. O what a transcendent love is the Divine love !
6. To conclude, (though alas, little is said of the love of God) it is an everlasting and unchangeable love. Hills and mountains shall sooner start from their basis, than his loving-kindness depart from his people, Isa. liv. 10. Though he afflict us, still he loves us, Psal. Ixxxix. 32, 83. Nay, though we grieve him, yet still he loves us, Mark xvi. 7- Tell the disciples, and tell Peter. Peter had grieved Christ, denied Christ, yet will he not renounce nor cast off^ Peter.
Sect. II. Well then, if God hath opened to your souls such a chamber of love, where your souls may be ravished with daily de- lights, as well as secured from danger and ruin ; O that you would enter into it by faith, and dwell for ever in the love of God! I
THE RIGHTEOUS MAn's REFUGE. 39^
mean, clear up your interest in it, and then solace your souls in the delif>hts of it. Need I to use an argument, or spend one motive to press you to enter into such an heaven upon earth ? If the deadness of thy heart doth need it, take into consideration, reader, these few that follow.
Motive 1. Ponder with thyself how sad and miserable the case will be with thee in the days of calamity and distress, if the love of God shall be clouded to thy soul. In those days such as love thee, will either be absent from thee, or impotent to help thee ; all thy friends and familiars may be removed far off, and whither then wilt thou turn, should God be far off too ? This was that evil which Jeremiah so vehemently deprecated, chap. xvii. ver. 17. Be not a terror unto me, thou art my hope in the day of evil ; q. d. O Lord, my soul depends upon refreshment and comfort from thee, when all the springs of earthly comfort are dried up. Shouldst thou be a terror to me in the day of evil, it will be the most ter- rible disappointment that ever befel my soul ; if thou be kind, T care not who be cruel ; if I have the love of God, I value not the hatred of men ; but if God be a terror, who, or what can be a comforter ? The love of God is the alone refuge to which the gra- cious soul retreats, upon all creature disappointments and fail- ings. This, therefore, is the mai» thing to be feared against the evil day.