Beloved, let us not lose the comfort of the constancy and immuta- bility of Christ's love. Let us conceive that all the sweet links of salvation are held on God's part strong, not on ours ; the firmness is on God's part, not on ours. Election is firm on God's part,_ not on ours. We choose indeed as he chooseth us, but the firmness is of his choosing ; so he calleth us, we answer, but the firmness is of his action. He justifieth ; we are made righteous, but the firmness is of his imputation. Will he forgive sins to-day, and bring us into court and damn us to-morrow ? No. The firmness is of his action. We are ready to r.un into new debts every day, but whom he justifieth he will glorify. The whole chain so holdeth, that all the creatures in heaven and earth cannot break a link of it. Whom he calleth he will justify and glorify. Therefore never doubt of continuance, for it holds firm on God's part, not thine. God embraceth us in the arms of his everlasting love, not that we embraced him first. When the child falleth not, it is from the mother's holding the child, and not from the child's holding the mother. So it is God's holding of us, knowing of us, embracing of us, and justifying of us that maketh the state firm, and not ours ; for ours is but a reflection and result of his, which is unvariable. The sight of the sun varieth, but the sun in the firmament keepeth always his constant course. So God's love is as the sun, invari- able, and for ever the same. I only touch it, as the foundation of wonderful comfort, which they undermine that hold the contrary.
The next point is, that Christ chose Mary to go tell his brethren, and under the sweet title of * brethren,' to deliver this sweet message, '^ I am going to my Father, and your Father ; to my God, and your God.' He telleth them the sweetest words in the worst times.
This point difi"ereth from the former thus. The former was, that Christ's love is constant, and always the same. But now Christ most sheweth his love when we are most cast down : in the worst times, if our casting down be with repentance. He never said 'brethren' before, but reserved the term of ' brethren' for the worst time of all. The sweetest discoveries of Christ are in the worst times of all to his children. Mothers will bring out any thing to their children, that is sweet and comfortable to them, in their sickness. Though they frowned on them before, yet the exigency of the child requires it. When there is need, any thing cometh out that may please the child. The poor disciples were not only in affliction, being the Bcorn of the world, the shepherd being smitten and the sheep scattered, but
440 A UEAVENLY CONFERENCE.
their inward grief was greater. They were inwardly confounded and ashamed to see Christ come to such an end. They were full of unbelief. Though Christ had told them he would rise again, they could not believe ; and so what with fear, and what with doubt, and what with grief for their using of Christ so unkindly and leaving him, certainly they were in a perplexed and disconsolate condition ; yet now, * Go and tell my brethren.' We see, then, that after relapses, when we be in state of grace, to deal unkindly with Christ, must needs be matter of grief and shame ; yet if we be humbled for it and cast down, even then Christ hath a sweet message for us by his Holy Spirit : ' Go, tell my brethren.' In the Canticles, the church, the spouse of Christ, had dealt unkindly with Christ, by losing him and forsaking him, chap. iii. 5. In the third chapter, she had lost him, and sought him on her bed, but found him not. She rose, and went to the watchmen, and then went through the city, but found him not. At length she found him whom her soul loved. Then Christ speaks most sweetly and comfortably to her in the beginning of the fourth chapter, but especially in the sixth chapter, after she had dealt most unkindly with Christ. He standeth at the door knocking and waiting, till his locks dropped with rain, in resem- blance of a lover that standeth at the door, and is not suffered to come in. Afterwards he leave th her for this unkindness, yet not so, but that there was some sweet relish left upon the door. God always leaveth something in his children to long after him ; and at length, after much longing, Christ manifesteth himself sweetly to her, chap. vi. 4, and breaketh out, ' Thou art beautiful, 0 my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners ; turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me ; thy hair is as a flock of goats,' &c., and so goeth on, ' My love, my dove, my undefiled one.' He could not satisfy himself in the commenda- tions of his church, being, as it were, overcome with love. And this sheweth, that after we have dealt unkindly with Christ, and our consciences are ashamed and abashed with it, as it is fit they should, yet if we will wait a while, and be content, nor be desperate, nor yield to temptation, if we stay but a while, Christ will manifest himself to us, and shew that he valueth and prizeth the hidden graces we cannot see. He can see gold in ore. He can see hidden love, and hidden faith and grace, that we cannot see in temptations ; and he will manifest all at length, and shew his love when we stand most in need of it. We see it in David, who was deeply humbled for his folly with Bathsheba, for there was not one, but many sins, as murder and adultery, &c. ; yet being now humbled, God sent him and Bathsheba wise Solomon, to succeed him in his kingdom. He forgetteth all ; and so you see our Saviour Christ forgetteth all their unkindness. He biddeth her not ' Go, tell my renegade disciples, that owned not me ; they care not for me : I care not for them ; I am above death and all, and now will use them as they did me.' Oh no. But ' Go, tell my brethren,' without men- tioning any thing that they have done unkindly.