[3.] The testimony of his love to him as mediator ; for his unspeak- able rejoicing in him, as second person in the Trinity, we are not com- petent judges of. It is described : Prov. viii. 30, ' I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.' The mutual complacency which the divine persons take in one another is there set forth ; God delighted in Christ, and Christ in God. But in the second love as mediator, God expressed his love to him in two things : the gift of the Spirit, and the glory of his human nature.
(1.) The gift of the Spirit: John iii. 34, ' God giveth not the Spirit in measure to him, for the Father loveth the Son, and hath put all things into his hands.' This was the great expression of his love to Christ as mediator, not to make him a visible monarch of the world, but by the gift of his Spirit to be head of the church.
(2.) The other expression of his love to him as mediator was the gift of everlasting glory : John xvii. 24, ' Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me should be where I am, and behold my glory, for thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world.' God's love to Christ, as mediator, was manifested in exalting him to glory, and this everlasting. These are the great expresses of God's love to Christ, as God incarnate, or appearing in our nature.
Why is it put here ? —
[1.] To show the end for which Christ came ; to represent the ami- ableness of God — that he is love, 1 John iv. 8, and hath love for his children. Christ is the pattern of all, for he is first beloved, and the great instance and demonstration of God's love to the world.
[2 ] To intimate the redundancy of this love ; it ovcrfioweth to us, for Christ being beloved, we are beloved also : Eph. i. 6, ' He hath made us accepted in the beloved,' to the praise of his glorious grace. . It is an overflowing love ; he is loved, and all that have an interest in-« him are loved. There is a twofold love in God — the love of benevo- lence and complacency. The elect from all eternity are loved by God with a love of benevolence, whereby he willed good unto them, and decrees to bestow good upon them ; but the love of complacency and' delight is that love whereby God accepteth us, delighteth in us, when he hath made us lovely as his own childi-en, reconciled them by tha death of Christ, renewed them by the Spirit of Christ, and furnished them with all the graces which make us acceptable to him, and pre- cious in his sight.
[3.] To show the kind and manner of the expressing of liis love to VOL. I. 2 b
386 Christ's transfiguration. . [Ser, V.
his redeemed ones. Christ prayed : John xvii. 23, ' That the world may know that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me.' And ver. 26 : ' That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them,' that is, by the gift of the Spirit and everlasting glory. Though Christ was the beloved Son, yet his state was but mean and despi- cable in the world ; ' he was afflicted/ ' a man of sorrows,' pursued to the death, even a shameful, painful, accursed death ; yet all this while he was full of the Holy Ghost, of his graces, comforts, and afterwards received to glory ; and so will he love us. At this rate and tenor, his love bindeth him not to give us worldly greatness, but if we have the Spirit, and may be welcomed to heaven at the last, we have that which is the true discovery of God's love. So he manifested his love to the only-begotten Son, and therefore the adopted children should be con- tented with this love, if by the Spirit they may be enabled to con- tinue with patience in well-doing, till they receive eternal glory and happiness.
3. The next thing is iv w evSoKTjcra, ' in whom I am well pleased.' This is to be interpreted of Christ as mediator, or God incarnate ; for this was twice spoken — at Christ's baptism, Mat. iii. 17, and now at his transfiguration. Both imply his mediatorship ; for his baptism had the notion of a dedication ; he did then present himself to God as a mediator for us, to be the servant of his decree, as we in baptism dedicate ourselves to fulfil the precepts which belong to us, and as we are concerned to promote his glory in the world. Christ presented him- self as a mediator, that is, as a prophet to acquaint us with the way of salvation, as a priest to pay a perfect ransom for us, as a king to give us all things, and defend and maintain all those who submit to his government till their glory be perfected, and they attain unto their final estate of bliss and happiness. Now, then, God from heaven declared himself well pleased ; and now, again, when Christ had made some progress in the work, confirmeth it for the assurance of the world.