Do but consider what a loving God we have, who would not be so far in love with his only Son as to keep him to himself, when we had need of him : a God that accounts himself most glorious in those attributes that ai'e most for our comfort. He accounts not himself so glorious for his wisdom, for his power, or for his justice, as for his mercy and grace, for
* That is, not fi^^ayyiXia, but <plXavdou~ia. — G.
ABOVE THE LAW. 243
his philanthropia, his love of man. Shall not we therefore even be inflamed with a desire of gratifying him, who hath joined his glory with our salva- tion ? that accounts himself glorious in his mei'cy above all other attributes ? Shall the angels, that have not that benefit by Christ as we have, shall they in our behalf, out of love to us and zeal to God's glory, sing from heaven, ' Glory to God on high ' ? and shall we be so dead and frozen-hearted that reap the crop, as not to acknowledge this glory of God, breaking out in tho gospel, the glory of his mercj' and rich grace ? The apostle is so full when he falls upon this theme, that he cannot speak without words of amplifica- tion and enlargement; one while he calls it ' rich grace,' Eph. i. 7, another while he stands in admiration, ' Oh the depth of the love of God,' Horn, xi. 33. What deserves admiration but glorious things ? The best testi- mony that can be given of glorious things is when we admire them. Now if we would admii-e, is there anything so admirable that we can say, Oh the height, and depth, as we may of the love of God in Christ ? There are all the dimensions of unparalleled glory, height, and breadth, and depth. Therefore, I beseech you, let us often even stand in admiration of the love of God to us in Christ. ' So God loved the world,' John iii. 16. The Scripture leads to this admiration by phrases that cannot have a podesis,''^ a redition* back again. 'So.' How? We cannot tell how. 'So' as is be^'ond all expression. The Scriptm'e itself is at a stand for words. Oh base natm-e, that we are dazzled with anything but that we should most admire. How few of us spend our thoughts this way, to consider God's wonderful and admirable mercy and grace in Christ, when yet there is no object in the world so sweet and comfortable as this is, that the very angels pry into ! They desire to pry into the mystery of our salvation by Christ. They are students therein. The cherubins, they were set upon the mercy seat, having a counterview, one upon another, implying a kind of admiration. They pry into the secrets of God's love in governing his people, and bring- ing them to heaven. Shall they do it, and shall not we study and admire these things, that God may have the glory ? God made all for his glory, beloved ; and ' the wicked for the day of wrath,' as Solomon saith, Prov. xvi. 4. And hath he not new made all for his glory ? Is not the new creature more for his glory than the old creature ? Therefore if we will make it good that we are new creatures, let us seek to glorify God every way, not in word alone, but in heart admiring him, and in life conversing with him.
And that we may glorify God in deed, let us glory in God's love; for we must glory in this glory. Nature, beloved, is glorious of itself, and vain-glorious. But would you glory without vanity ? Go out of your- selves and see what j'ou are in Christ, in the grace and mercy and free love of God, culling us out from the rest of mankind ; and there you may glory safely over sin, and death, and hell. For being justified freely from our sins, you can think of death, of the damnation of others, of hell, with- out fear. * God forbid,' saith St Paul, ' that I should glory in anything, but in the cross of Christ,' Gal. vi. 14 ;. that is, in the mercy of God appointing such a means for satisftiction. ' Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man glory in his strength,' &c., Jer. ix. 28. There is a danger in such glorying. It is subject to a curse. But if a man will glory, let him 'glory in the Lord.'
Use 2. Again, if God account his mercy and love in Christ, especially his glory, shall we think that God will admit of any partner with Christ in the * Qu. ' apodosis ' and ' reddition ' ? — Ed.
2 14 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
matter of salvation 1 If, as tbc psalmist saitli, ' he made us. and not we ourselves,' Ps. c. 8, shall wo think that we have a hand in making our- selves again ? Will God suffer his glory to be touched upon by interces- sions of saints' merits, and satisfaction, and free will ? Grace is not glorious if we add the least thing of our own to it. Cannot we make a hair of our head, or the grass that we trample upon, but there must be a glory and power of God in it ? And can we bring ourselves to heaven ? There- fore away with that ' Hail, Mary, full of grace ! ' * Hail, Maiy, freely beloved ! ' is the right interpretation ; and they that attribute matter of power and grace and favour to her, as in that ' Oh beseech thy Son,' &c., they take away that wherein God and Christ will be glorifuid, and attribute it to his mother and other creatures (e). I do but touch this, to bring us into loathing and abomination of that religion that sets somewhat of the creature against that wherein God will be glorified above all.