1. What our situation was that rendered such an effort necessary —
[We were fallen, after the example of " the angels that kept not their first estate ;" and with them we must have taken our portion to all eternity. To deliver ourselves was abso- lutely impossible : nor could the whole creation afford us any effectual aid. The judgments denounced against sin must be executed, either on the sinner himself, or on one capable of standing in his place, and of satisfying all the demands of law and justice. But where could such an one be found? The first archangel was unequal to the task. None but God him- self could interpose with effect, even that God, whose law we had violated, and whose majesty we had offended. Such was our helpless and hopeless state, when Almighty God deter- mined to rescue us from our misery, by sending his only dear Son into the world to offer up himself a sacrifice for sin, and, by dying in our stead, to redeem us from all the penal conse- quences of our transgression.]
2. What by that effort is accomplished for us —
[Our guilt is expiated And God is reconciled
unto his offending creatures We may now go to him
in the name of his dear Son. We may plead the merit of his obedience unto death. The vilest sinner in the universe has no occasion to despair. All that is necessary for his acceptance with God has been done ; and he needs only to " lay hold on the hope set before him," and to embrace the salvation that is freely offered him. If only we believe in Jesus, justice itself is become our friend and our advocate : because its utmost demands having been satisfied in Christ's obedience unto death, it claims, on behalf of all who believe in Jesus, the transfer of those rights to which, through the intervention of our Surety, we are entitled ]
3. What wonders of love are contained in it —
[To what, but love, can we trace this merciful interpo- sition 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 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 affected 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 grace
2448.1 Christ's love a pattern for us. 447
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 Sona:" " Herein is love; not that we loved God ; but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sinsb:" " God commendeth his love towards us, in that, when we were yet sinners, Christ died for usc." 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 us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and everd."]
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 use:" and the duty is enforced from the very same consideration as is proposed to us in the textf.