toucheth us, toucheth the apple of his eye." In every possible state he sympathizes with us, as a head with the members ; and never fails to succour us with " grace sufficient for us."]
3. How abundant !
[If we regarded only the temporal blessings we receive at his hands, we must confess his love to us to be very abundant. But who can contemplate his unwearied intercessions at the right hand of his Father, or the incessant communications of his Spirit to their souls, and not stand amazed at the exceeding riches of his grace and love? And besides all this, he is " preparing mansions for us in his Father's house," and train- ing us up daily, that we may be counted worthy to inhabit them for ever and ever. Well is his love represented as " passing knowledge0 ! "]
4. How costly !
[Free as his love was to us, it was not exercised by him but at an expense that exceeds all calculation. Before it could operate for our advantage, he must leave his heavenly glory, assume our fallen nature, endure the scoffs and insults of his own creatures, and " pour out his soul unto death" as a sacri- fice for sin. And would he pay this amazing price, in order to redeem our souls from death and hell ? Yes, he undertook and executed the mighty work ; and never drew back till he could say, " It is finished."]
From contemplating this stupendous mystery, let us proceed to inquire,
II. In what respects his love to us is a pattern for our love to each other — The love which the saints should bear to each other is of a sublime nature, very different from that which they owe to the world around themd. To re- semble that of Christ to us, it should be,
1. Disinterested —
[Our love to the saints should not be confined to those of the same Church or party, nor should it have respect to any pleasure or advantage that we expect to derive from them ; for this is only a refined species of self-lovee: it should respect them only as children of our heavenly Father, as members of Christ our living Head, and as joint-heirs of the same eternal
c Eph. iii. 19.
d The two are carefully distinguished from each other. Gal. vi. 10. 1 Pet. ii. 17.
e Matt. v. 46, 47.