"who is rich in mercy, for his great love "wherewith he loved us, even when we were "dead in fins, hath quickened us together with "Chrift, (by grace ye are faved.)" The fame thing indeed is clearly intimated in the words of our text, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood. It is on this account in particular that falvation, according to the gospel, is faid to be free, and of grace, that is to fay, an act of unmerited and voluntary kindness, which the finner had no title to demand: Rom. iii. 23. 24. 25. "For all have "finned, and come fhort of the glory of God; "being juftified freely by his grace, thro' the re

demption that is in Jefus Chrift: whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation through "faith in his blood, to declare his righteouf"nefs for the remiffion of fins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

Believe it, Chriftians, this is the proper exercife of mercy; and here the divine mercy fhines and reigns. Without this, it is not obfcured only, but annihilated or deftroyed. But, oh! what a view does this give us of the love of Chrift! What an impreffion will his love make on all thofe who are truly convinced of their guilt and wretchednefs! This is the very hinge upon which the whole doctrine of falvation turns. I hope you are not difpofed to make any oppofition to it. But, alas! it is not fufficient to have learned it as a science, to have been taught it as making a part of the Chriftian faith; it is another matter to have a real and perfonal conviction of it upon the heart. Why is the love

of

of Chrift fo cold a fubject to the generality of the world, but because they have no fenfe of their guilt and mifery? I am even afraid, that many of the zealous advocates for this truthhave but little experience of its power, and live but little under the influence of it in their practice. Where indeed is the perfon to be found, who does full juftice to the Saviour, and confi. ders his love as wholly unmerited and free ?· The most evangelical expreffions do often confift with the moft legal and felf-righteous affections. Let me try, however; before I leave this particular, if I can make you understand it, even though you should not feel it. Suppofe any of you were upon the most deliberate and compofed reflection, upon the most particular and clofe examination, fenfible that you juftly deferved to be banished from the divine prefence, and caft into everlafting fire; and that your' bleffed Saviour, when there was no other way to prevent it, did fave you by the facrifice of himself; tell me, what would you not owe to him? what words would you find to express your love to him, or your fenfe of his love to you? There have been fome convinced finners fo rivetted, if I may fpeak fo, to this circumftance, that they could find little other way of meafuring the love of Chrift, but by looking into themselves; and to whom indeed it has been enough to illuftrate the greatness of his mercy. that they were not confumed. To this add,

3. The love of Chrift is unfolicited love. It took its rife, not from those who stood in need of it, but from him who bestowed it. It was

not

not the effect of our earnest importunity, but of his own infinite mercy. This is a circumstance which we ought by no means to omit, as we find it particularly taken notice of in scripture: 1 John iv. 10. "Herein is love, not that we loved? "God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son "to be the propitiation for our fins ;” and in the fame chapter, verfe 19. "We love him, be-"caufe he firft loved us." It is natural to ex

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pect, that thofe who are in mifery should im-plore the affiftance of those who are able to relieve them, or that thofe who have been in the offence fhould humble themfelves before thofe who have it in their power to punifh, or to for-give them. But it was quite otherwife here.. The love of Chrift difcovered i:felf, when we were in open rebellion against him; or, in the words of the apostle Paul, Rom. v. 1o. "While "we were enemies, we were reconciled to God: "by the death of his Son."

This affords us at once an illuftration of the love of Christ, and a moving picture of our own deplorable and guilty ftate. There is fome-thing infinitely more noble and generous in ex-tending mercy to the miferable without waiting for their requeft, than when it is hardly procured, or as it were extorted, by importunity and folicitation. And does it not prefent us with a melancholy profpect of our natural ftate, that we are not only unworthy to receive, but unwilling to ask for mercy? I defire, my brethren, that you may not confider this as only relating to mankind in general, and the. voluntary purpose.

pofe of grace and mercy from above in their fa vour, but as what makes a part of the experience of every particular convert. As the offer of mercy is made to him freely, fo he will and must be fenfible how cold and unthankful a reception he hath often given to the propofal. He will be fenfible what refiftance he hath often made to the defign of the gofpel; what exception he hath taken at the terms of it; and with how much difficulty he was at laft induced to comply with it. I am perfuaded there are few circumftances in the love of Christ that are more affecting to a believer, than to remember his own obftinacy, when a finner, and his backwardnefs to accept of the invitations of the Saviour. After he hath refted his hope on the divine mercy, after he hath been made willing in a day of divine power, and hath obtained fome comfortable evidence of the divine favour, how does he tremble at the thoughts of his former refiftance! how does he wonder at the patience of God, and adore that victorious love, which ftormed his heart, as well as paid the price of his redemption !

We find this particularly the cafe with those who having been for a feafon remarkably proffigate, are faved as brands from the burning. They cannot help recollecting their former condition, their profane madness; and wondering, with a mixture of gratitude and fear, that they were not cut off in their wickedness, and made monuments of divine vengeance. Far from defiring a fhare in the love of Chrift, they were: perhaps doing their utmost in contempt of his name,

name, and in oppofition to his intereft. Yet, Rom. x. 20. 66 was he found of them that

fought him not, and made manifeft to them "that afked not after him:" they were powerfully though fweetly constrained to return to God through him.

4. The love of Chrift is a distinguishing love, which muft neceffarily and greatly inhance the obligation of thofe who are the objects of it. When one perfon is paffed by, and another is chofen, either to be delivered from impending danger, or to be made partaker of extraordina ry bleffings, the lofs or fuffering of the one, feems to fet off the fuperior happiness of, or the favour bestowed upon the other. To apply this to the fubject we are now upon, there is a double diftinction pointed out in fcripture; one of our nature, in oppofition to the fallen angels; and the other, of particular perfons, as the veffels of mercy.

(1.) There is an evident distinction between our nature and that of the fallen angels: Heb. ii. 16. "For verily he took not on him the na"ture of angels; he took on him the feed of "Abraham." 2 Pet. ii. 4. "God fpared not "the angels that finned, but caft them down 66 to hell, and delivered them into chains of "darknefs, to be referved unto judgement." I am fenfible, that upon this fubject we may be fometimes in danger of fpeaking with impropriety, especially if we pretend to affign the reafons of God's procedure any further than he hath been pleased himself explicitly to reveal

them.