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'SHIT

PRACTICAL

USES

fsER31.

xxxvr.

Eph.

iii.

18, 19.

For,

"

when

we

were enemies,

lie

died

to

reconcile

us

to

God,"

Rom.

v. 10.

The

great

and

blessed

God had

no

richer

gift

than

his Son,

and

he

be-

stowed

his Son

upon

us.

Christ Jesils

himself made

his

flesh

and

soul an offering for

our

sins.

It

was

a spring

of

divine love

that

arose from the besom

of God,

and

runs through

all this

sacred

transaction

in

many blessed

streams

:

It

runs through

all

the length

of

time into á

long eternity. How

should this melt and soften our

hearts, into

returns of

love

to

the'

great

God,

and

to his

Son

Jesus

Christ.

"

We

love him,

saith the

beloved

apostle,

because

he

first loved us."

1

John

iv.

19.

Reflection.

" And what

shall

I

do to

raise

my

love

to

God

my

Father, and

my

blessed

Redeemer

?

When

I

was

a stranger and

an enemy,

God

reconciled

me

to

himself,- by

sending

his Son

to die for

me.

How

hard

is

this

wretched

heart of

mine,

that

it

feels no

more pow-

erful

impressions from this amazing

love

and compassion

of

God

to a

rebel

creature

!

What

sorrows,

What

indigni-

ties,

what

bitter

scoffs,

what loads

of reproach,

what in-

ward and unknown agonies

of

soul,

what

a

shameful,

and painful, and cursed death,

did

the blessed

Son

of

God

endure

for

my

sake

?

And can

I forbear

to love

him

?

Alas

!

how cold

are

my

affections! How feeble

and languid

is

my zeal

!

What

poor sorry

returns

do

I

make

for

these infinite condescensions

of

divine

love

!

Warm

my

heart, O Jesus,

with this love,

and

inflame

all

mj

affections. O may all the powers

of

my

soul ex-

ert

their utmost

diligence in the service

of

the

Son

of

God,

that

has

redeemed

me

!

His

love was

stronger than

death

;

and.shall

it

not

constrain

me

to love him

!

Did

he

lay

down

his

life

for

thy

sake,

and

shall I

not

lay

out

and employ

my life with

all

my

talents

and

capacities

to

his

honour?

Blessed

'Jesus, I

grieve,

I

mourn,

I am

confounded

that

I

feel

no,

more

of

the

constraining

influ-

ences

of

thy

dying

love, to

make all

muy

duty and

obedi-

ence

easy

and delightful."

VII.

This doctrine

carües

in

it

a

strong persuasive

to

that

love and pity which

we

should

shew on all

occasions

to

our

fellow-

creatures. When the apostle

John

had

magnified

the love

of

God,

in

that

he

had sent

his Son

to

be

a

propitiation

for

our

sins

:

He

makes

this infer

-

ence,

Beloved,

God

eo

loved us,

we

ought

also

to

love.

5