Hear also what Jesus said to his OAvn iinmediate Disciples, who had certainly as good ground for boasting as any of us can
have*" Hear further what St. John says in a few verses
after our text, and which is applicable, not to one age or peo- ple, but to the saints of God in every age; " We love him, i'C- cmise he first lootdmK" But indeed it is the voice of Scrip- ture from one end to the other ^ that " God has mercy on whom he will have mercy '/' f»"d that " there is a remnant ac- cording to the election of grace"'." To be making this trutli a constant subject of our Ministrations, as some do, is highly injudicious; but, Mhen it comes fairly in our way, we must maintain it, ps necessary for the abasing of man's pride, and for the exalting of God's honour and glory.]
2. The impiety of it —
[God is a jealous God: his very "name is Jealous"," and
" his glory he will not give to another". Now the great end
for which he has redeemed man, was the advancement of his
own glory. St. Paid, in the space of a few verses, repeats this
almost to satiety, if we may so speak i" But to ascribe
the gift of a Saviour, or of salvation, either in whole or in part, to our love to him, is to rob him of his glory ; and to esta- blish a ground for glorying in ourselves, when he has declared, " that no flesh shall glory in his presence ''." Now, in re- ference to ourselves, we are backward to acknowledge that there is any great sin in this. Let us then transfer our thoughts to the fellen angels, and contemplate them as acting in this manner. They have sinned, as we have : and are incapable of restoring themselves to the Divine favour, as we are : Let us then suppose God to say, ' I will send my only-begotten Son into those regions of misery, to bear their punishment, and to expiate their guilt : and I will send my Holy Spirit into their hearts, to change their natures, to renew them after my image, and to fit them for my presence.' Suppose, when God, of his own Sovereign grace and mercy had done this, those wicked fiends should arrogate the glory to themselves, and say, ' God has saved us, because he foresaw what holy dis- positions we should exercise, and how richly we should merit his favour;' What should we think of them? Should we not say, that their guilt was augmented ten-fold ; and that the punishment they might expect would be proportionably severe ? Where then is the difference between them and us ? What have we, more than they, to merit the Divine favour 1
Or
*" John XV. 16. ' ver, \Q.
'' Jer. xxxi.3. Eph. ii. 8, 9. 2Tim. i. g. ' Rom. ix. 1 1, 15, 16.
■" Rom. xi. 5. " Exod. xxxiv. 14.
" Isai. xlii. 8.
P Eph.i. 5,6, 7,9, II, 12, H.& lii. 10, 11. '^ 1 Cor. i. 27— 29.