greatest anguish, commanding him to come down from the cross, and they would believe him. We may add to this the cup of wrath that was given him to drink; the foul-piercing curfe of the law that he was to bear, in order to redeem us from that; the difciples forfook him and fled; and that vindictive justice might get a full fatisfaction, the Father hid his face from him, yea, forfook him. The Saviour bore all the rest with filence, but this extorted fo bitter a cry from him, that both heaven and earth answered it; the inanimate rocks open their mouths; the graves difclofe the dead; the bowels of the earth were moved, and the fun was veiled in fackcloth: these things wrestled hard against eternal love. The infirmities of our flesh made him fear and fweat, and stand forely amazed. -The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, faid the dear Redeemer. But everlasting love waded through all these rapid floods of oppofition. Nor could the floods of temptation, of wrath, of perfecution, nor the cold floods of death in the leaft quench or impede his permanent, divine, and everlasting, affection to his own elect as it is written-Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it, for love is ftrong as death. Song viii. 6, 7. Surely love must pierce deep in the Saviour's breaft, or he never would have veiled his glory, faced the ftorm, and waded through the pains of hell, to get at the object loved, if love had not been well rooted. Is this the eternal love

of

of Chrift to us? So it feems. Who then shall Separate us from the love of Christ? fhall tribulation, or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril; or fword? Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. Rom. viii. 35, 37.

But let us confider the depth of this love in its administration: in bringing many of its objects up out of the various depths into which the devil and fin has funk them; fome of whom juftice has feemed to turn as it were to deftruction; but everlafting love has prohibited their entrance there, and led them back to God with the greatest placidity; as it is written-Thou turneft man to destruction, and fayeft, Return, ye children of men. Pfal. xc. 3. Some have been almoft deluged in guilt, horror, wrath, and anguish of foul; and, when their fouls have been overwhelmed within them, eternal love has appeared, and led them to the rock higher than they (Pfal. lxi. 2.), put a new fong in their mouths, and established their goings. Pfal. xl. 2. Others have been exercifed on their beds with pain, and the multitude of their bones with strong pain; infomuch that their life abhorred bread, and their fouls dainty meat; their flefh is confumed away, that it cannot be seen, and their bones that were not seen stick out. Then fays Love-Deli

ver them from going down to the pit; I have found a ranfom. Their flesh fhall be fresher than a child's; and they shall return to the days of their youth: they

fhall pray unto God, and he shall be favourable unto them; and they shall fee his face with joy. Job xxxiii. 19, &c.

Others have been poffeffed with legions of devils; fome funk into black despair; others have been bowed together by Satan; and fome have been both mad and dumb; fome in the fhadows of death; others in the horrible pit. But love has ftill dived beneath them, and brought them up as on eagles wings. This precious cord of everlasting love angled fweetly after poor Jonah, when fatherly displeasure had raised a storm, and caft him overboard, and at last brought him up from the bowels of hell. In fhort, there are no depths that the elect of God have fallen into, where love hath not waded after them, and brought them up, It brought Manaffeh up from the magic depths of Satan; and David from deep calling unto deep, the very echoes or refoundings of hell itself.

Other poor fouls have finned against light and love after they had tafted that the Lord was gracious. Some, under fuch circumftances, have cried out My hope is perished from the Lord; others, that there is no hope; fome, that I am caft ont of his fight; and others have curfed the day in which they were born, and the man that brought tidings of their birth. Some dejected fouls have declared they were as fure of hell as if they were in it; and others have wifhed they had been there, that they might know the worst. But not one of these

thefe that I allude to could with their dying breath: charge immutable love with the leaft failure. No; love has appeared to make their bed in their ficknefs. Pfal. xli. 3. And the everlasting arm has been underneath them. Deut. xxxiii. 27. Love has fweetly tekindled her expiring flame; and confcience has compelled them to fet to their feal that God is true to the irrevocable promife that he has given them.-The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will fave; be will rejoice over thee with joy; he will reft in his love; he will joy over thee with finging. Zeph. iii. 17.

The height of this love may be fubdivided into three heads: First, God's love to Chrift, and to the elect in him: This is plain, by his ordaining them to glory by him, Secondly, in God's exalting Chrift in human nature as our head. Thirdly, our exaltation with him and in him.

First, then, God's love to Chrift; as it is written -For thou lovedft me before the foundation of the world. John xvii. 24. And God loved us in Chrift; and by the bond of eternal love made us one with him; and the refult of this love was giving us eternal glory in Christ Jefus, and ordaining us to it by him; as it is faid-I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou haft fent me, and haft loved them as thou hast loved me. John xvii. 23. And the glory that God gave us in Chrift is transferred to us by him; as it is written-And the glory which

thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. John xvii. 22.

Secondly, The height of this love may be confidered, and clearly feen in the Father's exalting Chrift fo high in our nature, as the glorious reprefentative of all his feed, God raised up from the dead his fon Jefus Chrift, without fuffering him to Lee corruption; and then he glorified him-The God of our fathers batb glorified bis fon Jefus. Acts iii. 13. He not only raised him up, and glorified him, but he hath highly exalted him. Phil. ii. 9. Highly exalted him indeed! for he is afcended above all heavens; yea, far above all heavens; for be that defcended is the fame aljo that afcended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. Eph. iv. 13. God fet him far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Eph. i, 21.

Thus, my dear hearers, you fee God the Father's love to us in Chrift, in fetting him up to be our head from everlasting. 2dly, In preparing him a body in time to be taken into union with his Godhead. 3dly, In not fuffering that body to fee corruption, but raifing it from the dead.

giving him glory, or glorifying him.

4thly, In

5thly, In

raifing him up, and exalting him far above all heavens; and putting all things in fubjection under his feet.

But you will fay, Where are the elect all this