are created anew in Christ, and made partakers of the divine nature, being translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son; and proceed

Secondly to consider the divine compassion, benignity, mercy, and love of God towards his elect and chosen ones, through every state through which they pass under some of which considerations, their blessed state which they are brought into at regeneration will naturally come under our view and notice.

Here we may with wonder and astonishment break forth with devout rapture, saying, "What is man that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"

God from everlasting set his heart, 'fixed his love, and employed his thoughts, upon the elect sons of men, whom he chose in Christ his Son; and upon whom he decreed to manifest his mercy, in such a way and manner as should serve to increase his manifestative praise and glory in time, yea, throughout eternity. The elect of mankind were the objects of

Jehovah's complacency and delight from before all worlds. God's love towards them proceeded from his own pure sovereign good-will and pleasure. They 'were not deserving of it, they could not merit it. It being an eternal truth what Augustine, (as quoted by holy Mr. Toplady, as one who felt the power of it on his own soul) says, 'There is no more merit in the highest arch-angel in 'heaven, than there is in the damned in 'hell.'

There can be nothing in the creature, ́even in its pure creation state, in all its created purity and excellency which can engage or attract the heart of God, or deserve any thing at his hands. "For of him, and through him, and to him are all things." "Who hath first given unto him? and it shall be recompensed unto 'him again."

I believe and thus conceive of it, that the angels and their obedience come to be acceptable, as Jehovah views them in Christ their head, who is to them the centre of union and communion. They are stvled in the scripture, "elect angels,"

and Christ is said to be "the head of all

principalities and powers, " and by this headship of Christ, they are confirmed and kept immutably holy by their beholding him, in whom they see God and live for ever. Hence we say, angels at and by creation were not immutable in purity, holiness and righteousness, which appears from the fall of some angelic beings into sin. And what befel some might have befallen all. For they were all alike in nature, purity, and perfection. The preservation therefore of the elect angels was the fruit of grace, of what we style super-creation grace; it was Christ as their head under-propped them. At creation, being created with the heavens and in them on the first day of the beginning of the creation of God, so that they shone forth as morning stars and beheld with surprising joy the Lord of hosts bringing out of a rude indigested chaos, this visible world and all in it, yet they had not then that sight of God by vision which they now have. If the angels of God at creation had beheld God, and had that intuitive knowledge of him by clear and

open vision, which the elect angels now have, it would have been impossible for them to have sinned to eternity. It is in Christ God-man in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead, that the blessed elect, intellectual spirits, behold God and have divine communion with him. If so, then no creature hath whereof he may glory in Jehovah's presence. All is of grace, both the election of Angels, and men. The preservation of the one from falling into sin, and redeeming the other from the guilt and curse of it, is all of grace. I conclude this with the following words of scripture," behold, he putteth no trust in his saints, yea the heavens are not clean in his sight." God's elect of mankind, though chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, yet they, as fallen in Adam, are the objects of mercy. It is true, as one rightly states it, the object of God's love is the creature simply considered; the object of mercy is the creature fallen into sin and misery. Mercy respecteth misery, and hath properly misery for its object. The elect as sinners by conception, nature and birth,

have been remembered by God in their low estate, He sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and laid their sins on Christ and solemnly condemned him to die the death, sustain the wrath, and feel the curse due to their original and actual transgressions. By which his bounty, mercy and love towards them has been most gloriously manifested and displayed. So that we may here survey God's love to his elect in every state through which they pass. He loved their persons in Christ from eternity. He brought them into a time-state by creation, pure and holy, though they fell from that by the default of the first man; yet he promised to send a Saviour, a great one, to deliver them. And when all mankind were deeply sunk into a state of sin, guilt and misery, "when we were yet without · strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." We, though conceived in sin, and born into this world "by nature the children of wrath, " yet God prevents the elect with his mercy. Neither their original, nor actual transgressions, however heinous, hinder the flowings forth of his