must be the meat and drink of thy minifterial appetite, or thirft for fouls.

"Mine elect in this world are compared to fish in the great fea; Ezek. xlvii. 9-11. And I told thee, Simon, I had made thee a fifher of men; Mark 1. 17. Suck therefore of the abundance of the feas, Peter, for that is the food of the minister; Deut. xxxiii. 19. For the abundance of the feas fhall be converted unto me; the forces of the Gentiles fball come unto me; Ifa. lx. 5. Mine elect are a treasure hid in the fand; Deut. xxxiii. 19.— Though Ifrael be as the fand on the fea-fhore, yet a remnant shall return; Isa. x. 22. Arife, Peter, kill and eat; fuck of the abundance of the feas, and of the treafures bid in the fand; Deut. xxxiii. 19. Thou shalt alfo fuck the milk of the Gentiles; ifa. Ix. 16. And in their glory fhall you boaft yourselves; Ifa. lxi. 6."

Arife, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter faid—Not fc, Lord, for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. Oh wretched conftruction! too carnally understood.-And the voice spake unto him the fecond time, What God bath cleanfed (mark that, it is spoken in the past tenfe), what God hath cleanfed, that call not thou common. Peter's laft comment on the vision proves what I have afferted, when he fays— But God bath fhewed me that I should not call any man (mark here, these beafts and creeping things are called men) common or unclean. Acts x. 28.

Let it be observed that, when this fheet was let down, all these beafts were in it. It was let down

from

from heaven, and the beafts were in it, to fhew their election and eternal union with Chrift in the bond of everlafting love; reprefented to Peter by the sheet. And afterwards thefe beafts were drawn up again in the fheet, to fhew their fafe arrival in glory, in the fame fheet or bond of eternal love.

And, though they are compared to beafts, yet they were all in the fheet, and faid to be cleansed, though they were not called by grace; for they were not dead to the law, nor were they alive by faith; no, they were to hear the word from Peter by which they might live. And the fheet was let down thrice; to fhew, first, their eternal union with Chrift in the bond of everlasting love; and therefore they are faid to be preferved in Jefus Chrift, and called; Jude 1. Secondly, this fheet is let down at converfion, as appears by the Holy Ghoft falling on them when Peter fpake to them. And, thirdly, it fhall be let down again at the general refurrection for their bodies; for their bodies, as well as their fouls, were reprefented by fourfooted beafts, if not more fo; and, though they fnuffed up the wind at their pleasure, like a wild afs in the wilderness (Jer. ii. 24), yet they were let down from heaven in this fheet, and cleanfed in Chrift, who is their fanctification, and who fanctifieth them-For be that fanctifieth, and they that are fanctified are both of one. Heb. ii. 11.

Some of thefe four-footed beafts were knocking at Peter's door at the fame time that the veffel

was

was drawn up to heaven again-Now, while Peter doubted in himself what this vifion fhould mean, behold the men which were fent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon, and stopped before the gate, and called, and asked whether Simon, which was firnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vifion the Spirit faid unto him, Behold three men feek thee; arife therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have fent them. Acts

xi. 12-20.

Thus this love extended itfelf in its adminiftrations far and wide, until it gathered fome from the east, fome from the weft, fome from the north, and fome from the fouth; and will bring them at laft to fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. Matt. viii. 11. God God gave the word, and great were the company that published it. Even when the devil raifed a perfecution against the apostles of God, this was made an inftrument, in his wifdom, for promulging his divine law; as it is faid-They went every where preaching the gospel. Legions of poor fouls got hold of these fweet cords of the everlasting love of the Trinity. And fome ran one way with it, fome another, until they fulfilled this prediction-Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them ftretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; fpare not, lengthen thy cords, and ftrengthen thy Stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy feed shall inherit the Gentiles,

and .

and make the defolate cities to be inhabited. Ifa.

liv. 2, 3.

And this eternal love in its breadth fhall never leave the earth, till the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift. Rev. xi. 15. And then the earth fhall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea. Hab. i. 14.

I now come to the fourth head propofed, viz. the depth which is mentioned in my text.

The profound depth of the love of Christ may be fubdivided into three heads. It was deep in the eternal counsel of God; it was a myfterious depth in the agonizing sufferings of Chrift; and deep in the manifeftation of it to poor mortals who were deeply fallen.

First, it is deep as confidered in the eternal counsel of God; deep, because it lay hid from everlasting, until it was made known to God's elect by the Spirit. All the wifdom and learning of the world could never have discovered, much lefs have fathomed it. It lay concealed in the eternal mind, and would have lain there undif covered to all eternity, if God had not discovered it by the light of his Spirit. Who among all the race of Adam could have imagined an eternal affection in a juft God toward felf-condemned rebels, upon the grounds of truth and justice, if God had not revealed it by his Spirit ?-As it is written, Eye

bath

hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit fearcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, fave the spirit of man which is in him? even fo the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 1 Cor. ii. 9-11. -But,

I next proceed to fhew that the depth of divine love was wonderfully displayed in the fingular fufferings of Chrift Jefus.-Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John xv. 13. This depth will appear ftill more confpicuous, if we confider the many enemies with whom the love of Chrift had to combat. First, our fins lay as a dreadful burden on him; for the Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Ifa. liii. 6. And the Saviour bore our fins in his own body on the tree. Pet. ii. 24. Secondly, the infernal malice and fury of devils-The prince of this world cometh, but he hath nothing in me. Yea, even the wicked enlifted under his banner-This is your hour, and the powers of darkness. Luke xxii. 53. Thirdly, the cruel infults of the Jewish rabble, who derided him in blindfolding him-fmiting him on the face-crowning him with thorns-bowing the knee before him-putting a reed as a mock fceptre into his hand-arraying him in a gorgeous robe-fending him to Herod—and afterward, when under the

greatest