good in us, if it had not been given us of Godk; and it is evi- dent that the grace he has given us, can never be the ground and reason of his bestowing that grace upon us. He has " chosen us that we might be holy ; " but not because we were so, or because he foresaw we should become so1. No reason can be assigned for his choosing us rather than others, except that assigned by our Lord himself, " Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight™." Nor has he kept us on account of our own stability (for we are all bent to backslide from him11), but on account of the covenant he has made with us in Christ0, wherein he has engaged to preserve us unto his heavenly kingdom. In the whole of Ins conduct towards us he has acted according to " his eternal purpose and grace p."]
That we may not abuse so great a privilege, let us
consider,
III. The improvement to be made of it —
We should attentively consider the character of God, who is,
1. Sovereign in the exercise of his mercy —
[His grace is his own, and he may dispose of it as he will9. If he had consigned us all over to perdition as he did the fallen angels, he had been just. We therefore can have no claim upon him for any share in his mercy. Whether he make us vessels of honour or of dishonour, we have no more ground of pride or murmuring, than the clay has, which is fashioned according to the potter's will1. Whether we will receive it or not, he is a Sovereign, that dispenses mercy according to his own will s ; and, if there be any difference between one and another, that difference results, not from any power or good- ness in us, but from God's free and sovereign grace*.]
2. Faithful in the observance of his promises —
[They who have really an interest in the promises, are universally distinguished by this mark, " They love God, and keep his commandments." To these God will most assuredly approve himself " faithful." His " covenant" is ordered in all things, and he will inviolably " keep" it. What Joshua said to the whole Jewish nation, may be yet more extensively ap- plied to all true believers, " No promise ever has failed them, or ever shall u."]
3. Terrible in the execution of his threatenings —
k 1 Cor. iv. 7. • Eph. i.4. John xv. 16. m Matt. xi. 26. n Hos. xi. 7. ° Ps. lxxxix. 29 — 35.
PRom.xi.5. 2 Tim. i. 9. i Matt. xx. 15. r Rom. ix. 18 — 21. s Eph. i. 11. * Rom. ix. 16, 18. u Josh, xxiii. 14.
197.] OF G0D's DEALINGS WITH HIS PEOPLE. 299
[Those who do not love him, and keep his commandments, he considers as " hating him; " and he will surely " repay them to their face." Their proud rebellious conduct shall be recom- pensed on their own heads x. And, though now they seem as if they defied his majesty, they shall find to their cost that his patience has an end, and that, however merciful he is, he will by no means clear the guilty y.]
Having fully considered this character of God, we should have a deep and an abiding persuasion of it wrought in our hearts.
We should know it,
1 . For the quickening of our diligence —
[Nothing will ever more strongly operate on our minds than the consideration of our obligations to God as the sove- reign author of all our good desires, and the faithful preserver of them in our souls. This is the very improvement which Moses himself makes of the truths contained in the text2: and an inspired Apostle declares, that the dedication of ourselves to God is the very end, for which God himself has distinguished us by his sovereign grace a. Let us then be ever saying, " What shall I render unto the Lord?" and let us devote ourselves to him in body, soul, and spirit.]