I shall handle this point in these considerations —
1. Since all men sinned in Adam, and are guilty of the curse and eternal death, God had done us no injury if he had left us to perish in this estate. That all the world are become guilty before God, both by reason of original and actual sin, is plain : Bom. iii. 19, 23, 'What thing soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.' They aro vttoSikoi t&> @ew, ' guilty before God ; ' that is, in a damnable estate, and obnoxious to the righteous judgment of God ; and ver. 23, ' All have sinned and come short of the glory of God ; ' that is, his glorious image. Thus all men being found sinners, are justly punishable by God, and therefore God had done us no wrong if he had left us as he found us; as the angels that sinned were not redeemed : Heb. ii. 16, 'For he took not on him the nature of angels,' ovk i7u\.afi/3dveTcu ; he laid not hold of the angels ; 2 Peter ii. 4, ' God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell.' He might have rejected the one as well as the other, and thrown off the whole race of mankind presently upon their disobedience, as he did the
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evil angels ; but the benefit that was denied to angels was given to man, for God would not wholly lose his creation of them.
2. This was the great love of God, that he provided a redeemer and saviour for us, that whosoever would believe on him should be ever- lastingly happy: John iii. 16, 'For God so loved the world, that he sent his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life;' 1 John iv. 9, 10, 'In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only- begotten into the world, that we might live through hirn. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.' Thus was God's unspeakable love ex- pressed to mankind, that he provided so costly a remedy for us as his eternal Son to assume our nature, and die for our sins, that he might offer pardon and life to us upon gracious and commodious terms ; namely, the thankful acceptance of this blessed saviour to the ends for which God sent him. His sparing us showeth that we are not secluded from all possibility and hopes of recovery ; that we are not in termino, put into our final estate presently upon our sin, as the fallen angels were ; this is some comfortable intimation and probable hope to us ; but his providing a remedy and ransom for us, the benefit of which shall redound to us as soon as we repent and believe the gospel, this is much more an eminent manifestation of his love. It greatly importeth our comfort and benefit to know God loveth us, and we are poring and prying here and there to find arguments and tokens of his love : oh, that I could know that God loveth me ! But we overlook the signal demonstration and manifestation of it, and so, as it were, seek the sun with a candle, while we look to particular tokens and signs, and do not take notice of this great evidence of God's love, that Jesus Christ was sent of God to accomplish man's salvation, to work it into our thoughts.
[1.] Consider who sendeth, or gave him. God sent him and gave him. The law which condemneth us is the law of God; the wrath and punishment which we fear is the wrath of God ; the glory and blessedness which we expect is the glory of God ; the presence into which we come when we make prayers for any mercy and grace to help us is the presence of God. Whose favour is it that we seek, but the favour of God ? Now God gave his Son, and sent his Son to recover us ; he laid this office and burden upon Christ.
[2.] The person who was sent, Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son : Horn. viii. 32, ' He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ? ' He would not trust an angel with this charge, but sent his Son to bring about the everlasting purpose of his grace concerning our recovery. God sent his people several messengers, but at last sent his Son. This should awaken us : ' Surely they will reverence my Son.'
[3.] The end why he sent him. First, with respect to Christ, to be ' a propitiation for our sins/ 1 John iv. 10 ; that God might show himself placable and propitious to mankind, his justice, holiness, and hatred of sin being sufficiently demonstrated in the sufferings of Christ, and so hath found out such a way for our good as is fully consistent with his own honour and glory. Secondly, with respect to us, to what we are to enjoy : 1 John iv. 9, ' That we might live through him.'