3. What wonders of love are contained in it —
[To what, but love, can we trace this merciful inter- position of the Deity in our behalf? was there any thing in us to merit it at God's hands? We, alas! were in the very state of the fallen angels, " ungodly," " sinners," " enemies," filled with all evil, and destitute even of a good desire. But, if God could find no inducement from any thing that was in us to exercise this mercy towards us, was there none
to
to be found within his own bosom? No, not any. He would have been equally happy and equally glorious, if neither men nor angels had ever existed : and, if neither his happiness nor his glory have been at all aftected by the ruin of the one, neither would it have been by the ruin of the other, if we, like them, had been left to perish to all eternity. To his sovereign love and "race alone can we trace this stupendous act of mercy : and to that it is uniformly traced in the holy Scriptures : " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son":" " Herein is love; not that we loved God; but that he loved us^ and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins**:" " God commendeih his love towards us, in that, when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ^" To all eternity will this be the one subject of wonder, and adoration, and thanksgiving to all the hosts of the redeemed ; " To Him that loved vs, and -washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory and domi- nion for ever and ever''."]
Our meditations on this subject will be the best preparation for considering,
II. The extent in which we should exercise love to our brethren —
To imitate our blessed Lord and Saviour, as far as possible, is our bounden duty : and especially are we commanded to do so in the exercise of love. Again and again does he require us to ** love each other as he loved us":" and the duty is enforced from the very same consideration as is proposed to us in the text^
Consider then our duty,
1. Towards *' our brethren" of mankind at large — [There is not a human being towards whom we do not owe a debt of love : and were it in our power, there is not a pain which we should not alleviate, nor a want which we should not supply. This is particularly noticed in the words following our text: "Whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
But if this be our duty towards them in reference to their temporal wants, how much more is it in reference to the con- ceins of their souls I How should we weep over the unhappy state of the Heathen world, immersed as they are in dark- ness,
• John i. 16. " 1 John iv. 9, 10. * Rom. v. 8.
"Rev. i. 5, 6. . • John-.iii. 34. &:xv. 12. /iJohniv. U.
1187.] Christ's love a pattern for us. 257
ness, and subjected to the entire dominion of the god of this world ! What efforts should we not make for the enlighten- ing of their minds, and for the discovering to them that love, that stupendous love, ^wherewith our God has loved both us and them! Say, Brethren, do ye not blush when you look back upon your conduct in this respect, and see what con- tracted views you have had of your duty towards them, and how little you have endeavoured to discharge your duty, even as far as it has been seen and acknowledged by you? Con- sider more especially your duty towards your Jewish Brethren, from whom you have received all the light which you your- selves enjoy: should it be no grief to you to see that highly- favoured people so blinded by prejudice, that, with the Scrip- tures in their hands, they contemn, and even execrate, that very Saviour who has shewn such love to them? Why do we not feel for them? why do we not exert ourselves in their behalf? why do we not endeavour to repay to them the debt of love v/liich we have received from their forefathers ? The Apostles, and multitudes of their descendants in the Ministry, laid down their lives for us, accounting themselves richly re- compensed if they might but lead us to the knowledge of the true God, and of Jesus Christ whom he has sent. O that there were in us a corresponding sense of our duty, and that we could, with one heart and one mind, rise to the perform- ance of it!]