Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and - That by two immutable things, in which it was impos- sible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midian- ite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath JOHN xx. 17. Go unto my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God, Page 419 SERMON XXII. The same Subject continued. From the same Text, Page 435 SERMON XXIII. Christs Unchangeableness. Heb. xiii. 7. 8. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, SERMON 1. ON THE LOVE OF GOD TO MAN. 1 JOHN iv. 8. God is love. W: HEN we contemplate with admiration the magnificence, variety, and order of the works of God, in heaven and in earth; and when, through them, we endeavour to comprehend their Almighty Maker, we perceive our ignorance of his character, and readily confess our insufficiency to describe his excellence. At the same time, we feel our minds solemnized with these splendid displays of his wisdom, greatness, power, and presence; we rise to the persuasion, that he dwells in light inaccessible and full of glory; and are constrained to exclaim, What is God? who A who can know the Lord ? who can find out the Almighty to perfection? But though no mortal powers, nor angelic intelligence, can grasp the full knowledge of the incomprehensible Jehovah ; yet the Christian knows so much of this God, as may well silence his fears, support his hopes, and solace his soul. He knows, that God is love; and knowing this, he is instructed in the substance of all that is revealed concerning his nature, character, and conduct. For says our text, and let your heart rejoice in the declaration, “God is love." Love supposes some object of particular delight, and generally discovers itself by various tokens of regard and complacency. But what, besides himself, can be an object of complacency to the supreme and independent God? What can attract the love of an infinite Being, who is perfectly blessed in himself from everlasting to everlasting ? Can man possibly be an object of delight to the Almighty ?-man, a frail, dependent, changing creature ; nay, a sinful, guilty, rebellious creature? Will God look on him with complacency? will he love him ? will infinite purity love that which is so polluted? |