each PERSON diftindly. 2 t7 I. Whole love it is ? It is the love of him who is in himfelf alfuffici- en, infinitely fatiated with himfelf and his own glorious excellencies and perfections. Who hath no need to go forth with his love unto others, or to feek an objeft of it without himfelf. There might he red with de. light and complacency to eternity. He is fufficient unto his own love. He had his Son alto, his eternal (a) wifdom to rejoyce and delight him- felf in from all eternity, Prov. viii. 30. This might take up and fatiate the whole delight of the Father : but he will love his faints alfo. And it is fuck a love, as wherein he feeks not his own fatisfadiononly, but our good therein alfo. The love of a God, the love of a Father, whofe pro- per outgoings are kindnefs and bounty. (2.) What kind of love it is ? And it is, r.) Eternal. It was fixed on us before thb (b) foundationof the world, before we were, or had done the leafI goods then were his thoughts upon us, then was his delight in us. Then did the Son rejoyce in the thoughts of fulfilling his Father's delight in hint, Prov. viii. 3o. Yea the delight of the Father in the Son there mentioned, is not fo much his abfolute delight in him, as the exprefs image of his perfon, and the bright- nefs of his glory, wherein he might behold all his own excellencies and perfellions s but with refpeâ, unto his love, and his delight in the Sons of men. So the order of the words require us to underftand it, I was daily his delight, andmy delights werewith the Sons ofmen that is, in the thoughts ofkindnefs and redemption for them s and in that refpe& alío, was he his Father's delight. It was from eternity that he, laid in his own bofom a defign to make of our happinef . The very thoughts of this, is enough to make all that is within us like the babe in the womb of Eliza- beth, to leap for joy. A fenfe of it cannot but proftrate our fouls to the loweft abafement of an humble, holy, reverence, and make us rejoyce be- fore him with trembling. 2.) Free. He (e) loves, us becaufe, hewill; there was, there is nothing in us, for which we fhould be beloved. Did we deferve his love, it muff go lefs in its valuation. Things of due debt are feldom the matter of thankfulnefs s but that which iseternally antecedent to our being, muff needs i be abfolutely free in its refpefs to our well being. This gives t life and being, is the reafon of it, and fets a price upon it, Rom. ix. 12. Epbef. i. 3, 4. Titus iii. 5. Jam. i. 28. 3.) (d) Unchangeable. 'Though we change every day, yet his love changeth not. Could any kind of provocation turn it away, it had long fine eeafed.- Its unchangeablenefs is that which carrieth out the Father, unto that infinitenefs of patience and forbearance (without which we die, we perifh, 2 Pet. iii. 9.) which he exercifeth towards us. And it is, 4.) (e) Diftinguifhing. He bath not thus loved all the world Jacob bave I loved, but I bated Efau. Why fhould he fix his love on us, and pafs by millions from whomwe differ not by (f) natures that he fhould make us fharers in that, and all the fruits ofit which molt of the great, and (g) wifemen ofthe world are excluded from. I name but theheads of things. Let them enlarge, whofe hearts aretouched. (a) O11 opts 011 a77,1s optime in Dei Chow quadrat, patris delinian. Maier is Ire. (6) Rom ix. u. ,2' Mtn xv. 08. s Tim. i. 9. 2 Tim. it. tp. Rrov. viii. 3a. lerem. xxxi. 3. (e) Mat. si. so, 26. Hoc Canto & tam ineffabili bono, nemo invenius eft dignus; f rdet natura fine gratis. Prof. de iii. Arb. ad Ruff. (d) Mal. iii. 6. Jam. s 17. Hof. xi. p. (e) Rom.. ix. ;a. Omnia diligit Dens, qua fecit & inter ea magos diligit creatural rationales, & de illis cas amplius qua font membra unigeniti fui. Et multo magus ipfum uaigenitum, Asp (f) Epbef: ii. 3. (g) Mat, xi. 26, 27. a Cor. i. 20. Iii Let
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