SERMON III.

GOD'S CHIEF MERCY.

ROM. viii. 32.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?

IT is certainly no small defect in our meditations on the work of redemption, and perhaps too common, to think we do justice to it, by considering it merely as a very great mercy. Every mercy, from the sove reign Law-giver of the world to such transgressors of his laws, even the least mercy, is a great mercy. To put this in the same rank with others, with any temporal mercy, with any other spiritual or other eternal mercies, to put it on a level with them in our meditations, our prayers, our praises, on pretence of honouring it is a real indignity to it. It is evident from scripture, we are always in the wrong to it, unless we consider it, not only as a very great mercy, but, as absolutely the greatest of all mercies; not only as a high manifestation of love, but as the highest ; not only as an excellent gift, but as the chief gift: and if this be God's chief gift, it follows plainly, That gratitude for it is our chief duty, ingratitude for it our chief sin; itself should be our chief joy and delight, the chief object of our thoughts and affections, our esteem and desire, that in all things it may have the pre-eminence, be chief in all, and all in all.

As the due contemplation of it is in a special manner our principal work at this occasion, so its transcen

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dency over all other mercies is one of the most suitable views we can have of it, and the text before us one of the fittest scriptures to give us that view of it.

The prospect the apostle takes of it in the context is very large and comprehensive; he looks back as far as the first blessed design and purpose of it before the foundation of the world, even from everlasting, and pursues the bright and joyful prospect in its consequences beyond the end of the world, even to everlasting; no wonder such a view of such an object makes him in a manner pause and stop, as overwhelmed with the greatness of the prospect, and as at a loss for words, verse 31. What shall we say to these things? He speaks inspired by the Spirit of God, but he is speaking of the love of God, and he is speaking in the language of men. The same apostle, when he is praying for the Ephesians (Eph. iii. 16, 19.) that they might be strengthened by the Spirit to know the love of Christ, after all the Spirit's strengthening of them, says, it passes knowledge: not that any thing can surpass the strength of the Spirit, which is infinite, but the capacity of the creature, which is necessarily finite; and what passes knowledge must needs surpass all expression. All great objects naturally cause difficulty of expression, and perplex the speaker. The apostle Peter in the mount of transfiguration was under such a blessed perplexity of joy and wonder at the view of Christ's glory, that he knew not what he said. This other apostle at the view of Christ's love and its fruits, has at least as much cause to be at a loss what to say to that love and those blessings contained in it; his expression is like that of the author of these blessings, at the view of the sufferings that purchased them, John xii. 27. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? No wonder then all the world be troubled what to say, when he who spoke as never man spoke, is so; and no wonder the greatest saints so oft express their gratitude for God's goodness, by acknowledging they cannot express it; What shall we render to the Lord? and what can David say more? We can render nothing, and we can say or think but very little; yet are we

not therefore to say or think nothing; our hearts and tongues would then be useless. We may turn the expression to, What shall we not say? or what shall we not think? There is no want of matter for language, but want of language enough for the matter. It is our duty to say all we can, to say our utmost. This is what the apostle does in our text, he spared not his own Son, &c. And then indeed might the apostle say as David did, What can Paul say more? He had before broke out in admiration at the number and greatness of God's blessings; but now, as it were recollecting himself, he shews that though believers receive all things from God, yet in some sense they have but one thing to wonder at, and that after receiving the gift of his Son, they need not doubt nor wonder at any thing else yea the wonder would be, if, after that, any thing else would be withheld.

In the words we have therefore; First, An account of God's chief gift: Secondly, The connexion between that gift and all others. First, an account of God's chief gift, "he spared not his own Son, &c."-The word sparing has such a double signification in the original, as well as in our language, that the meaning of the apostle's expression may be either, that God did not withhold so great sufferings from Christ, or so great a benefit from us but it is not very needful to make a distinction here, since his sufferings were for our benefit, and he was given to us when he was delivered up to justice. As to the meaning of his being delivered up for us all, what we are chiefly concerned to consider here is, that the free offer of that gift extends to all to whom it is revealed, and the saving virtue of it to all by whom that offer is embraced: and there is nothing more just than that they who reject it should get no saving benefit by it.

Secondly, The connexion between this gift and all others. Where we may consider separately, 1st, The vast extent of the privileges of believers; 2dly, The manner they receive them; 3dly, The ground of the connexion between the chief gift and all others.

(1.) The vast extent of the privileges of believers,

all things. We have the like expression in several other scriptures, Rev. xxi. 7. 1 Cor. iii. 22. Every thing that contributes to our good, we may in some sense call ours: and this the apostle tells us, (a little before the text, v. 28.) is what the believer may say of all things. On this account necessary afflictions and fatherly chastisements are none of the least privileges, and accordingly are contained in the covenant as promises, though we are very ready, absurdly enough, to understand them for threatenings.

Some of these pretended wise men among the Heathens, whom the apostle elsewhere speaks of, (Rom. i. 22. 1 Cor. i. 20.) and who opposed Christianity, Acts xvii. 18. taught that it was impossible their virtucus man should be a poor man, because, placing vir tue in renouncing all desires, he who desired nothing, would want nothing: But this was the language of pride, and the most wilful delusion.

(2.) The words of the text teach us the manner how all things are given to believers, viz. Freely. God gives all things with Christ, and therefore gives all things freely. We are told, Psalm lxviii. 18. how Christ received gifts, but it is not said he received them freely. Never gifts were purchased at a dearer rate, or more freely given to others. Believers are bought with a price: but both price and purchase are freely given to them. The meaning is not merely that they give no equivalent, meritorious of the benefits they receive. Adam could not have done that, though he had continued in obedience. The obedient angels did it not, but they gave perfect obedience. What they gave, we are taught the believer receives, perfect obedience, Rom. v. 17, 19. the gift of righteousHe is indispensibly obliged to personal sincere obedience, but it is not merely a duty; it is a gift, the gift of the Spirit. No gift can be more freely offered than when it is offered to as many as will receive it.This is the case here, John i. 12. Faith is called a receiving Christ, it receives his righteousness and strength or Spirit, Isa. xlv. 22. yet this receiving itself, this faith, is expressly called the gift of God. So

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that these three gifts, the gift of righteousness, of the Spirit, and of faith, prove abundantly, that all things are given freely.

(3.) We are to consider, in the next place, the ground of the connexion between that great gift of the Son of God, and all others. The connexion is supposed to be so evident, that (as is usual in the like cases) the apostle chuses rather to express it by a question, than a positive assertion. There seems to be a twofold connexion in this case taught in the Scripture, the one relating to God's justice and faithfulness, the other to his goodness; Thus as to the first, we are told that God is just to justify the sinner who believes in Christ, Rom. iii. 26. The promise of all things is made to faith. There is an intrinsic value in the pearl of price, or the object of faith, to purchase all things. But it is plain, the apostle is not speaking of the connexion between our believing in Christ, and our receiving all things, but between God's giving so great a gift, and his giving all others: so that the connexion here meant relates to goodness, and is the connexion between a great favour or act of goodness, and a mess, which, though it lays no obligation on the giver, glyes reasonable ground of hope to the receiver. Thus it a man expose his life for us, we may be sure of any less favour which we need, and which he can spare. There is a great and obvious difference between the bounty of God and that of man: if a man give all things, he will have nothing himself; but God, who gives all things, can receive nothing, and can lose nothing. So that after he hath give the greatest favour, we may expect any other that we need, or that he can spare, and he can spare all chat we need. After giv ing up his Son to justice, he may justly give as all things. And the apostle's meaning is, that after that gift, the believer who has an interest in it, may freely indulge the greatest and largest hopes, and may expect every other gift from God, till he happen to think of a greater gift than his Son.

The connexion therefore between this favour and all others is founded its transcendency above all