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"us," fays the apoftle," and gave himself for us ;" nay, "he loved us and washed us from our fins in "his own blood." What ftronger proof, what more affecting inftance could he poffibly have given of the greatnefs of his love? Had he ranfomed us by the blood of all the animal creation; had he even given the whole angelic hoft to die for us, fuppofing their death could have procured our life; it would have fallen infinitely short of the tender expreffion of his love, in his giving himself for us, and fhedding his own. most precious blood for our redemption. Never was there an expreffion of affection and regard equal to this. Let the Redeemed of the Lord fay fo, whom he hath faved from the hand of the enemy. And, now that he is paffed into the heavens, and far exalted above every name, he is as mindful of the interefts of his people, and as tenderly concerned for them, as when he was nailed to the crofs, and poured out his foul an offering for their fins. In all their afflictions he fympathifes with them." He guides them by his counfel; he comforts them by his Spirit; and, at laft, he will put them in poffeffion of heaven itself, when the review of his love will conftitute part of their happiness, and be the fubject of their fong to everlasting ages.

3. The Father's love to Chrift, is an incomparable love; a love, that infinitely tranfcends our highest conception; and fuch alfo is the love of Chrift to his people. There is a height, a depth, a breadth, and a length in it, that paffeth all understanding. There have been inftances of love among men, truly great and extraordinary. Some of the ancient Heathens laid down their lives for their friends and country. But, what were all thefe in comparison of the love of Chrift? Only as the faint glimmering of a taper, compared with the refplendent light of the fun. "Greater love hath no man," fays our Saviour him felf," than that a man lay down his life for his "friends

«friends (r).”—" But God commendeth his love to"wards us, in that while we were yet finners Christ "died for us." There must be fome real or imaginary perfection, fome fimilarity of difpofition, or fome favour conferred, to excite the love of man to man. In all these refpects, the love of Christ infinitely tranfcends the greatest example of human love. There was nothing in human nature worthy of his regard; there was no fimilarity of difpofition to excite his affection; and he could never have been benefited by the highest exertions of mankind. In purity, in the difinterefted nature of his interpofition, and in the compaffion of his nature, nothing in this world can be compared to the character of Jefus Chrift. Hence, the apostle Paul can find nothing in language to exprefs his feeling, and admiration of his love; and hence the redeemed of the Lord will never cease to celebrate His praife, who loved them, and washed them from their fins in his blood.

4. and lafly, The Father's love to Chrift, is conftant, invariable, and everlasting; and fuch alfo is the love of Chrift to his people. Their love to him, indeed, is often inconftant; alas, too often a fudden fit and fally of affection, which burns for a little, and then vanishes away. But his love is constant and invariable; the fame to-day, yesterday, and for ever. It is true, indeed, he may feem to forfaké them for a feafon, and to hide his face, as it were, for a moment; he may withhold the fenfible manifeftations of his love, and, because of their fins, chastise them with the rod of affliction: but ftill his love is fixed and unchangeable, the fame when he frowns, as when he fmiles. In what endearing language does he addrefs them by the prophet Ifaiah?

For a fmall moment," fays he, " have I forfaken "thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath have I hid my face from thee " for

(+) John xv. 13. '

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"for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will "I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord, thy RedeemFor the mountains fhall depart, and the hills "be removed; but my kindness fhall not depart from "thee, nor the covenant of my peace be removed, "faith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Hence, Jefus loves his people with an everlasting love; a love that has made the most ample provifion for their immortal fouls; and in the happy fruits of which, the redeemed of the Lord will rejoice and triumph for ever.

II. I now proceed to explain the duty in the text, or thew you what it is to continue in the love of Christ: "As the Father," fays he, "hath loved me, fo "have I loved you: Continue ye in my love."

1. It is to continue in the lively and vigorous exercise of love to Chrift. It is indeed true, that the habit and principle of love, when formed in the foul, can never be wholly eradicated; for it is a divine feed, which the Almighty hand of the Spirit has planted, and therefore it will never die away or be rooted up: "Whofoever is born of God," fays the apostle John, "doth not commit fin; for his feed remaineth in "him (m)." But, at the fame time, let every fincere lover of Chrift remember, that though this divine principle can never be wholly extinguifhed, it may yet languish and decay. The Chriftian, like the church of Ephefus, may fall from his first love; and therefore, we fhould take particular care to cherish and maintain this heavenly feed, this divine fpark of love kindled in the foul. In a word, we fhould guard against whatever may have a tendency to cool, or abate our love to Chrift; and endeavour, by frequent meditation and prayer, to preferve alive the vigorous exercise of it in our fouls.

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(*) I John iii. 9.

2. To

2. To continue in the love of Chrift, is cheerfully to embrace, and diligently improve, all opportunities of testifying our love to Him. For this is the way to maintain our interest in his love, and establish our own hearts in love to him. We fhould teftify our love to Chrift,

(1.) By fhewing forth the honour of his name, and celebrating his praife; "I will blefs the Lord, "at all times," fays the Pfalmift; "his praise fhall "be continually in my mouth." And, in the Song of Solomon, you may obferve how much the Church is engaged in this delightful exercife. She has her be loved ever in her mouth, and is ftill celebrating his praife. In the 5th chapter, for example, where, after many affectionate defcriptions of his character, finding his praises to exceed her powers of utterance, the exclaims with admiration," Yea, He is alto"gether lovely! This is my beloved; this is my friend, O daughters of Jerufalem !"

(2.) We should endeavour, as far as our power and influence can reach, to promote the intereft of his kingdom in the world. For though he himself has afcended into heaven, he has ftill a caufe and interest on earth, which he has very much at heart. He wants to have finners faved, his church enlarged and purified, and truth, charity, and holiness propagated among men. We fhould therefore teftify our love to Christ, by a zealous concern to advance this his intereft and kingdom. In a word, we fhould reckon his caufe our own, and be diligent in ufing all proper means to gain fubjects to his kingdom, and converts to his gofpel.

(3.) We thould teftify our love to Chrift, by expref fing a juft indignation, and difcovering our concern and forrow for the injuries that are done to his honour: "I beheld my tranfgreffion," fays the Pfalmift, "and was grieved. Rivers of water ran down mine "eyes, because the wicked keep not thy law." It

fhould

fhould grieve us, and awaken in our breafts a juft indignation, to fee our bleffed Saviour defpifed and difhonoured by finners; his precious blood and righteoufnefs undervalued; and himfelf crucified, as it were, afresh, by the profane and fcandalous lives of those who profefs to be his difciples: " Many walk," fays the apostle," of whom I have told your often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are the "enemies of the crofs of Christ (a)."

(4.) By fhewing kindness to his friends and difciples for his fake. He himfelf is now, indeed, above the reach of our fervices. Our goodness cannot extend to him in his ; refent exalted state; but he has friends 1 and relations in our world, who are capable of receiving benefit from our friendfnip and beneficence. We fhould, therefore, manifeft our love to Chrift, by fhewing kindness to them, for his fake; and this, indeed, is one of the most fenfible and endearing expreffions of our love to him; a facrifice, with which he has declared himself well-pleafed. Nay, he exprefsly tells us, that what we do to them, for his fake, though even the meaneft office of kindness, the giving them but a cup of cold water in distress, he will account as done to himself: "In as much," fays he," as ye have done it unto one of the leaft of these 66 my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

I fhall only add, that we fhould teftify our love to Christ, by a tender and circumfpect, a cheerful and univerfal, obedience. And this, indeed, is the best, and moft fubftantial evidence of love to him. Accordingly, we find, that he mentions it again and again, as the distinguishing teft of our love, and the principal way in which he expects we are to exprefs it: “If 66 ye love me," fays he, "keep my commandments; 66 ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you." And thus we fhould labour, in a fpecial manner, to fecure our intereft in his love, and mainX 2

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(a) Phil. iii. 18.

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