1. Disinterested —
[It is not possible for us to add any thing to him : we cannot make him more happy or more glorious by any thing that we can do : " our goodness extendeth not to him ;" " nor can we by any means profit him :" yet did he in this astonish- ing manner display his love to us. Thus in the exercise of our love we should not consider whether the objects of it will ever be able to make us any suitable return : we should shew love in every possible way, without so much as desiring any return from man, or even desiring that our exercise of it should be known ; yea, even though we knew that it would only be requited with evil. We should love our very enemies ; and, " instead of being overcome of evil, should strive incessantly to overcome their evil with good."]
2. Generous —
[What unsearchable riches has he purchased even for his bitterest enemies? He would not that any one of them should fall short of the glory of heaven. True it is, that we cannot thus enrich the objects of our love : yet we should do all we can towards it, by providing for them not only the things needful for the body, but, above all, the things that may promote the welfare of the soul. Here the poor may be on a par with those who are able to give out of their abundance : for if they are constrained to say, " Silver and gold have I