Ver.23. the 17th Chapter of St. J O H N. 339 SERMON XL. JOHN XVII,23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfetl ire one, and that the World ma; know that thou' haft lent me, and hart loved them, as thou hall loved me. ICome now to the Second Obfervation, That God loveth the Saints, as he loved Cúrifl. The Expreffton is ftupendous; therefore divers Interpreters have fought to mitigate it, and to bring it down to a eommodous Interpretation'. Firfi ; Ba,$is, As, is a Note of Caufality, as well as Similitude. He loveth us, becaufe he loved Chrift. Therefore it is Paid, Ephef. r. 6. He, bath made us accepted in the Beloved. The Ele& are made lovely, and fit to be accepted by God only by Je- fus Chrift ;, accepted both in our State and Actions, as we are reconciled to him; and all that we do, is taken in good part for Chriffs fake, who was fent and intrùfted by the Father to procure this favour for us, and did all which was neceffary to obtain it, The Ground of all that Love God beareth to us, is for Chriffs fake. There is indeed an Antecedent Love (hewed in giving us to Chrift, and Chrift to us. John 3. 16. For God fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not erifh, `tut have everlafling Life. The firft Caufe of Chrift's Love to us, was`. Obedietf to the Father ; the Son loved us, becaufe the Father required it : Tho af- terwards God loved us, becaufe Chrift merited it: All Confequent Benefits are procu- red by the Merit of Chrift. The Father, that is firft in order of Perfons, is firft in order of working, and can have no higher Caufe, than his own Will and Purpofe. And befrdes,there is an Obligation eftablithed to every Perron ; abfolute eleûive LOve, is the Father's Property and Perfonal Operation; but then his Eternal Purpofe is brought.to pats in and through Jefus Chrift : In the carriage of our Salvation, Chrift interpofeth : So we are chafen in him as Head of the Eleet, Ephef. 1.4. pardoned, ju- ftified, fan&ified, glorified in and through him : all there Benefits and Fruits of God's, Love, are procured by Chrift's Merit; not only as it is the more for the Freedom of . Grace, that the Reafons why Man fhould be loved, should be without himfelf, and fo the Obligation isinerealed5 and not meetly,. neither for the greater fulnefs of our Cgmforrr if God (hould love us in our Pelves, it would be a very imperfe& Love, our Gra ing fo weak, and our Services fo ftained. But whence fhould we have this Grace firft, which is the'Obje& of his Love ? He could never find in us any caufe why he fhould love us ; God could nOt love us with honour to himfelf, if his Wifdom had not found out this way of loving us in Chrift. There was a double Pre- judice againft us; our Nature was loathed by God's Holinefs, and then God's juftice had a quarrel againft us. r. For God's Holinefs ; What Communion could there be between tight and Dark- nefs? God is Holy by Nature, and we are Sinners by Nature. Nature being corrupted, God cannot love it, unlefs he fee it in fuel, a Perlon as Chrift is. Plal. g. 4, y. For thou art not a God that haft pleafure in Wichednefs, neither fliall Evil dwell with thee. The Fools fhall not Hand in thy fight, thou hateft all workers of Iniquity; not only the Work, but the Perron. Therefore we are hidden in him, found in him ; as when a Man (oaths a Pill, we lap it up in fomething whirl, he affe&s. God abhorred the fight of Man till found in Chrift. VvV9 Gods
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