thing either at the hand of God or man. It me. rits nothing at the hand of God, because the law allows a facrifice for the fin of ignorance, which prefuppofes that ignorance is fin inftead of merit. Numb. xv. 25.

Pray what did the harlot Rahab do to merit this love of God? Why,' fays the workmonger, fhe received the fpies with peace.' Yea, but she was a daughter of peace before fhe received them; as it is written-And into whatsoever boufe you enter, fay, Peace be to this boufe; and, if the fon of peace be there (mark that), if the son of peace be there, your peace fhall come upon it. But fuppofe there be not a perfon ordained for peace in that house! Why then peace has nothing to do there; for, if the fon of peace be not there, it fhall return to you again (Luke x. 5, 6.), and you shall carry it to its right owner. Thus, then, her receiving the fpies was only the bleffed effect of an eternal cause, which is the eternal council of the Trinity ordaining peace for us in Chrift; for thus faith the Holy Ghost to the prophet-Chrift fhall be a prieft upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both (Zech. vi. 13.); that is, between the Father and the Son; and thus Chrift is our peace. And that Rahab had no merit to boast of but her receiving the fpies, is plain; for her very name Rahab is one given by Ifaiah to the devil, and to Egypt; and applicable enough, for it fignifies furious pride. This woman was an heathen by na

tion, a harlot by trade, and a devil by name; and yet she tumbled into the bofom of everlasting love. Thus the love of God appears to be fovereign, difcriminating, and free, in its fountain Jehovah; and it is likewife fovereign, difcriminating, and free, in its administrations under the difpenfation of the Holy Ghoft. But I pafs on to my fecond general head, which is to treat of the length of this love.

On this fubject I must be permitted to make an extended, or even improper, ufe of words.

The dimenfions of this love that I am to treat of are fourfold:-It is height in a superlative, and depth in an infinite degree; its two axes or poles may be compared to two eternities; and thus we must measure, if I may be allowed the expreffion, the length. Immenfity feems to be its circumference; but our business is with the diameter, which the apostle calls the breadth.

However, Paul allows that it paffeth knowledge; and indeed it is better felt and enjoyed than described; for this pleafing theme has employed, more or less, the tongues and pens of all God's eminent fervants for many ages paft, and I hope our tongues will never be filent on the fubject.

You know, my dear friends, that I am called an enterprizing man; I will therefore venture to fay what I find warranted by the word of God, notwithstanding our utter inabilities to find it out

to perfection; only let me obferve the golden rule,

and I will proceed.

that Gd is love.

First, then, let it be noticed This love fhines from pole to

pole, and is from fays the Pfalmift, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. Pfal. xc. 2. We will begin with that everiafting which is behind us, and which has the word from added to it; from everlasting; and fo travel on till we come to the other eternal pole, which has the prepofition to prefixed. Do not be startled at my adventurous flight, for we are moft furely concerned in these two eternities. Let us begin where the fcriptures declare God has begun. His glorious footsteps of mercy and love towards his elect are dated from everlafting; as it is written-But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlafting upon them that fear him. Pfal. ciii. 17. And the Redeemer's going forth in covenant undertakings for the elect bear the fame date-whofe goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah v. 2.

everlasting to everlasting; as

But to proceed: The firft ftep that the Father took, in the path of love to his elect, was in treating with Chrift in their behalf, and appointing him to be their head, their husband, their furety, their mediator, their father, and their brother. But when was this living head, furety, hufband, mediator, father, and brother, elected, ordained, and appointed? Why, it is dated from everlafting; as the Saviour declares-The Lord poffeffed me

in the beginning of his way-Mark, here are his goings forth from everlafting, called the beginning of his way-before his works of old. I was fet up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water: before the mountains were fettled, before the hills was I brought forth. Prov. viii. 22 -25. Thus it appears that Chrift was elected, appointed, pre-ordained, and fet up from everlafting to be future man and mediator; and was delivered to death for his elect by the determinate council and foreknowledge of God. Thus God the Father makes known his electing and everlafting love to his chofen people, in appointingand giving Chrift to them before the world was.

When he fet up Chrift for our living head he gave us eternal life in him; as it is written-In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promifed before the world began. Titus i. 1. Chrift is the quickening Spirit, that quickens all his redeemed; for he is our life, who has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. In another paffage he himself faith-Because I live ye fball live alfo. And it must be fo; For, as in Adam all (his natural feed) die, even fo in Chrift shall all (his fpiritual feed) be made alive. But I proceed.

When Christ was fet up he was appointed to be the husband of God's chofen daughter. And as man and wife they were viewed one in union from

B 3

xxii. 2.

from everlafting; for the covenant of grace is a covenant of eternal wedlock; as it is written-A certain king made a marriage for bis fon. Matth. And thus likewife runs the tenor of the covenant of wedlock, as God the Father fpeaks to his elect-Thou shalt no more be termed Forfaken; neither fhall thy land any more be termed Defolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bab, and thy land Beulah; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land fhall be married, For as a young man marrieth a virgin, fo fhall by fons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, fo fhall thy God rejoice over thee. Ifa. lxii. 4, 5. Thus the elect were chofen as the king's daughter-in-law from eternity. Pfal. cxxxii. 13. They are efpoufed in time (2 Cor. xi. 2.); and the marriage fhall be confummated in blifs, when the mystery of God is finished; as it is written-Let us be glad and rejoice, and give bonour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife bath made berfelf ready. Rev. xix. 7. And then the fhall be clad in gold of Ophir, and be brought with joy and rejoicing to enter into the king's palace. Pfal.

xlv. 15.

This mystery was exhibited by Eve's existing in Adam before fhe was extracted from him; fo our life was hid with Chrift in God. And when Eve was taken out of Adam, fhe was a help-meet formed for him; fo the elect are created anew in Christ Jefus. When Eve was formed God brought her to Adam; fo no man can come to Chrift ex

cept