תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

48 Para

SERMON IV.

THE LOVE OF GOD IN REDEMPTION.

JOHN, iii. 16.

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

THE great fundamental truths of the Gospel are few and simple, easily understood and readily remembered. At the same time, because they are fundamental, because they lie at the very foundation of our faith and practice, they cannot be too clearly explained, or too fréquently inculcated. Those who know their value, will never be weary of hearing them stated; for " they love the joyful sound:" while such as are satiated or disgusted with the repetition of them, plainly show that they have never as yet heard or understood them to any real purpose. I shall therefore deem no apology necessary for leading you to a consideration of those plain, but momentous truths, which the words of

66

Christ Himself in the text suggest to us. For God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." And may the Spirit of Christ be so present with us in discoursing on these words, that the Truths suggested by them may come home to all our hearts with a savour, an energy, and an unction which we have never felt before!

The First great Truth, of which the text reminds us, is this, that the Love of God is the prime, moving cause of our Salvation. As it is true of every individual among us, that if we now love God, "it is because He first loved us:" that if we are now walking in newness of life, it is because "God, who is rich in mercy, of his great love wherewith He loved us, hath quickened us together with Christ:" so it is equally true of the whole scheme of Redemption in general, that it is altogether the effect and the result of the Love of God. It was because God loved the world, that He provided a ransom, a salvation for it. And of what nature was this Love? It was not a Love of approbation, and complacency. God could not approve the world, and regard it with pleasure and affection. For it was an evil world, a world lying in wickedness, a guilty, a rebellious, an apostate world. There was

nothing in the state of the world, which could recommend it to the favour of God, or make it an object, which He could regard with satisfaction and delight. Neither was there any thing in it, which could prospectively attract his love. It could make Him no suitable return. "Our goodness reacheth not unto God." Infinitely blessed and glorious in Himself, He stood in need of nothing in this world, which might add to His essential happiness and glory. Had the world perished for ever, His blessedness would not have been lessened. Instead of devising a way of saving this world, He might, with one almighty word, have created a thousand worlds superior to it in every respect, surpassing it in beauty and excellence, and free from every taint and possibility of evil.-Of what kind then was His Love? It was a Love of pity and compassion. God pitied the world: and pity is akin to love. He saw its beauty marred; its glory extinguished; its happiness destroyed. He saw the creatures, whom He had made, sunk and debased in sin: his own blessed image effaced from their soul; heaven shut for ever against them; hell opened to receive them; misery and ruin their portion for ever. He saw all

these things, and He was moved with compassion for them. He saw their lost and desperate condition, and pitied it; and in

pity planned and provided a way of deliverance for them. "He saw that there was no man; and wondered that there was no intercessor: He looked and there was none to help, and He wondered that there was none to uphold therefore his own arm brought Salvation." And what was the Salvation which His love prompted Him to bring? "He gave his only-begotten Son."

This is the Second Truth suggested in the Text.The Scriptures, in speaking of the Love of God in our Redemption, never attempt to explain or describe its dimensions. They always represent it as a Love which "passeth knowledge:" a Love, the breadth, and depth, and length, and heighth of which are to us at present utterly incomprehensible. -"Behold! (says St. John) what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us!" What manner! but there he stops, nor pretends to delineate and define it. So in the text Christ Himself only says, "God so loved the world." But how greatly, how wonderfully, how intensely, in what measure, and to how great a degree he attempts not to explain. It is not indeed by words that an adequate idea of Love can at any time be conveyed. Language must always prove a very insufficient mode of giving to any one a correct idea of the degree in which another loves him. It is by actions, that not only the

sincerity, but also the measure of affection is shown. If a person makes great sacrifices for us, puts himself to great inconveniences on our account, encounters troubles and dangers for our sake, we are led to believe that he loves us greatly. We estimate the extent of his love to us by the extent of his services for us. And in this way the Scriptures endeavour to give us some just conception of the Love of God in our redemption. They direct us to consider what He has done to save the world, that so we may the better apprehend the degree of love which He bears to it. His Love has been shown in his actions. It has been evidenced to us, not by words only, but by deeds. Thus St. John tells us, "In this was manifested the Love of God towards us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world." And thus Christ says in the text, "God so loved the world, that He gave his onlybegotten Son."-This Gift of His Son, His only-begotten Son, was the manifestation and the measure of His Love to man. And how great, how vast, must that Love be, which led to such a manifestation of itself! How deep, how tender, how intense must be the Love of God to men, when for their sakes he withheld not his Son, his only Son, but freely gave Him up for them all! It will help us however in our meditations on

« הקודםהמשך »