2. His love to Christ, which is the ground of his love to us. It is the wisdom of God that the reasons why man sliould be loved should be out of man himself, in and among the persons of the godhead. The Son loveth us, because the Father requireth it ; and the Father loveth us, because the Son merited it ; and the Holy Ghost, that proceedeth from the Father and the Son, loveth us, because of the Father's pur- pose and the Son's purchase. And then the Holy Ghost's work is a new ground of love. As long as the Son is faithful to the Father, and God regardeth the obedience of Christ and the work of the Spirit, we are sure to be loved. But will not such an absolute certainty make way for looseness ? It is possible it may with a carnal heart, for the very gospel is to some the savour of death unto death, but to the elect it cannot be. The great gift of God's eternal love is holiness : Eph. i. 4, ' According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.' And so for Christ's love : Eph. v. 25, 26, ' Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word.' And the Holy Ghost worketh us to this very thing: 2 Thes. ii. 13, 'Through sanctification of the Spirit.' If we turn a wheel round, the wheel of necessity must run round. If God loveth us eternally, we must be holy. There is not only a necessity of precept, but of consequence ; he hath not only com- manded it, but it must be so.
Use 2. It commendeth God's love, that you may admire it. Eemem- ber it is eternal, of an old standing ; and all that is done to us in time are but the issues and fruits of eternal love.
1. It is eternal, as ancient as God himself There was no time when God did not think of us and love us. We are wont to prize an ancient friend : the oldest friend that we have is God ; he loved us, not only before we were lovely, but before we were at all ; he thought of us before we could have a thought of him. In our infancy we could not so much as know that he loved us ; and when we came to years of dis- cretion, we knew how to offend him before we knew how to love him and serve him. Many times God is, not in all our thoughts, when he is thinking how to bless us and do us good. Let us measure the short scantling of our lives with eternity, wherein God showeth love to us. We began but as yesterday, and are sinners from the womb ; the more liberal we find God to be, the more obstinate are we, yet he repenteth not of his ancient love. Certainly if God should stay till he found cause of love in us, we should never be loved.
2. Look to the effects of his love in time. We receive new effects of his love every day, but all cometh out of his ancient and eternal love in Christ ; though the effects be new, the love is ancient. It is good sometimes to trace God in the paths of his love, by what strange
VeR. 24.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 1 1 1
providences our parents came together, that we might have a being, how wonderfully were we preserved, that we might not be cut off in our natural estate ! How were we converted many times, when we did think of no such matter ! Everlasting love sets itself awork : Jer. xxxi. 3, ' I have loved thee with an everlasting love ; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.' What could move God when Paul was in the heat of his persecution ? How wonderfully did God take us in our month, send afHictions to stop the course .and career of sin ! 1 Cor. xi. 32, ' For when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.' How many disappointments did we meet with in- a carnal course ! As David said to Abigail, 1 Sam. xxv. 32, 33, ' Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me. And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.' Oh ! how sweet is it to see eternal love in all that befall eth us ! It will be our speculation in heaven ; we shall know as we are known, and be able to interpret all the windings and circuits of providence.
Use 3. It shameth us that we adjourn and ])ut off our love to God till old age. When we have spent our strength in the world, and wasted ourselves in Satan's work, we dream of a devout retirement. Oh ! consider, God's love to us is as ancient as his being ; and are not we ashamed that we should put off God till the latter and more de- crepid part of our lives ? It is a commendation to be an old disciple, and God loveth an early love : Jer. ii. 2, ' Thus saith the Lord, I re- member thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals ;' before our affections are prostituted to other objects. Under the law, the first-fruits were the Lord's ; he should have the first. God's children are wont to return love for love, and like love ; therefore let it be as ancient as you can. Do not say, Art thou come to torment me before my time ? and dream of a more convenient season.