by God's giving up men to their own hearts lusts, and by suffering them to walk in their own sinful ways, Psal. lxxxi. 12. Acts xiv. 16. I proceed to consider,

IV. The nature and properties of the will of God. 1. It is natural and essential to him; it is incommunicable to a creature ; it was even incommunicable to the human nature of Christ, though taken into union with the person of the Son of God; yet his divine will, and his human will, are distinct from each other, though the one is subject to the other, John vi. 38. Luke xxii. 42. 11. The will of God is eternal, for if God is eternal, then his will must be so; if any new will arises in God in time, which was not in eternity, there would be a change in him; whereas he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: Acts xv. 18. This may be illustrated by the decree of election; Eph. i. 4. III. The will of God is immutable: Heb. vi. 17. If God changes his will, it must be either for the better or the worse; and either way it would betray imperfection in him, and want of wisdom. IV. The will of God is always efficacious; there are no wishes, would-bees, or feeble velleities in God; Austin calls it, his most omnipotent will. When a man's will is ineffectual, and he cannot accomplish it, it gives him uneasiness, but this can never be said of the blessed God. v. The will of God has no cause out of himself, for then there would be something prior to him, and greater and more excellent than he; as every cause is before its effect, and more excellent than that; and his will would be dependent on another, and so he not be the independent Being he is: nor can there be any impulsive or moving cause of his will; be. cause there is in him no passive power to work upon; he is a pure, active Spirit. VI. The will of God, for the same reason,

is not conditional; if, for instance, God willed to save all men conditionally; that is, on condition of faith and repentance; and to damn them if these conditions are wanting; who does not see that this conditional will, to save and to destroy, is equally the same? destruction is equally willed as salvation; and where is the general love of God to men, so much talked

of? there is none at all to any. VII. The will of God is most free and sovereign; as appears-1. From the making of the world, and all things in it. Rev. iv. 11.-2. The sovereignty of the will of God appears in providence, and in the various events of it; as in the births and deaths of men. Riches and poverty are both at the disposal of God; God puts down one, and sets up another, as he pleases, Dan. iv. 35.-3. The will of God appears to be sovereign in things sacred, spiritual, and religious, both with respect to angels and men; that some of the angels should be elect, whilst a large number of them were suffered to rebel against God. What other reason can be given but the sovereign will of God? Among men, he has mercy on some, and hardens others; just as he, in his sovereignty, wills and pleases. But though the will of God is sovereign, it always acts wisely and is therefore called coun. sel, and the counsel of his will, Isai. xxv. 1. Eph. i. 11.

OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

NEXT to the attributes which belong to God, as an intelligent Spirit, may be considered, those which may be called Affections; there being some things said and done by him, which are similar to affections in intelligent beings, as love, pity, hatred, anger, &c. Love enters so much into the nature of God, that it is said, God is love, 1 John iv. 8. Plato expressly calls him Love; and Hesiod speaks of love as the fairest and most beautiful among the immortal gods. In treating of this divine attribute, I shall,

I. Consider the objects of it. 1. The principal object of the love of God is himself. The three divine persons in the Godhead mutually love each other; the Father loves the Son and the Spirit, the Son loves the Father and the Spirit, and the Spirit loves the Father and the Son. The Father loves the Son, John iii. 35. and v. 20. Matt. iii. 17. and xvii. 5. the Father loves the Spirit, Job xxxiii. 4. the Son loves the Father, Psal. xl, 8. the Son also loves the Spirit, Gal. iv. 6. and the Spirit loves the Father and the Son, 1 Cor. ii. 10-12.

John xvi. 14. II. All that God has made is the object of his love; all the works of creation, were good, very good, Gen. i. 31. he is said to rejoice in his works, Psal. civ. 31. I go on,

II. To give some instances of the love of God, particularly to chosen men in Christ, and who share in the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The love of the Father has appeared in thinking of them, and forming the scheme of their peace and reconciliation in Christ, from eternity, 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. The love of the Son of God appears in espousing the persons of the elect, Prov. viii. 31. Hos. ii. 19. and shedding his blood for the cleansing of their souls, and the remission of their sins, Eph. v. 2. 25. The love of the Spirit, of which mention is made in Rom. xv. 30. appears in his coming into their hearts.

III. The properties of the love of God towards men, will lead more into the nature of it. 1. There is no cause of it out of God; all men by nature are corrupt and abominable; rather to be loathed than loved, Rom. iii. 9. when they love him, it is because he first loved them, 1 John iv. 10, 19. as God loved the people of Israel because he loved them, or would love them, and for no other reason, Deut. vii. 7, 8. 11. The love of God is eternal, John xvii. 23, 24. III. The love of God is immutable; it is like himself, the same to-day, yesterday, and for ever. It admits of no distinctions, by which it appears to alter and vary. It neither increases nor decreases. There never were any stops, lets, or impediments to this love.IV. The love or God endures for ever: it is the bond of union between God and Christ, and the elect; and it can never be dissolved; nothing can separate it, nor separate from it, Rom. viii. 35-39.

OF THE GRACE OF GOD.

THIS attribute may be considered, both as it is in God himself, and as displayed in acts towards his creatures; as in himself, it is himself, it is his nature and essence; he is Grace itself, most amiable and lovely; hence so often called gracious in scripture. As displayed in acts of goodness towards

The

his creatures, especially men; it is no other than his free favour and good will. There are many things called grace, and the grace of God, because they flow from his grace, and the effects of it; as the gospel, 2 Cor. vi. 1. gifts for preaching, Rom xii. 6. the blessings of grace, 2 Tim. i. 9. the several graces of the spirit, 2 Cor. ix. 8. but then these are to be distinguished from grace in God; as the giver and the gift, the Fountain and the streams, the Cause and the effect. grace of God arises from the goodness of his nature, Exod. xxxiii. 19. It is independent of all worth in creatures, and is always opposed to it in scripture, Rom. xi. 6. The grace of God appears in the election of men to everlasting life, Rom. xi. 5. 6. In the covenant he has made with his elect in Christ, in the adoption of his chosen ones, Eph. i. 5. 6. in the redemption by Jesus Christ; in the justification of men before God, and acceptance with him; and in the pardon of sin, vouchsafed to the worst and chief of sinners, 1 Tim. i. 13. The grace of God is abundantly evident in regeneration, vocation, and sanctification. The most proper epithet of this grace is, that it is efficacious; it never fails of its effects: but issues in everlasting salvation. The introduction of all the Lord's people into the enjoyment of it, will be attended with shouts and acclamations, crying grace, grace, unto it! Zech. iv. 7.

OF THE MERCY OF GOD.

THE mercy of God differs, in some respects, both from the love and grace of God; from the love of God in its objects, and order of operation: mercy supposes its objects miserable, and so fallen: love seems to work by mercy, and mercy from it. God who is rich in mercy, for the great love, &c. Eph. ii. 4, 5. All mercy is grace, yet all grace is not mercy: grace and favour are shewn to the elect angels, but not mercy; since they never were miserable. We consider,

I. The properties of it. Mercy is natural and essential to God, Exod. xxiv. 6. just as omnipotence is essential to God,

bu: is not necessarily put forth to do every thing it could; but is directed and guided by the will of God; who does whatsoever he pleases. Mercy being essential to God, or his nature and essence, nothing out of himself can be the cause of it; for then there would be a cause prior to him, the Cause of himself, the merits of the creature, are not the cause of mercy; Tit. iii. 5. nor are those to whom mercy is shewn, more deserving than those to whom it is not ; and oftentimes less deserving, or more vile and sinful; Rom. iii. 9. Nor are even the merits of Christ, or his obedience, sufferings, and death, the cause of mercy in God; for they are the fruits and effects of it, and flow from it; it is through the tender mercy of cur God, that the day-spring from on high hath visited us, Luke i. 78. The mercy of God is infinite: as his nature is infinite, and this appears both by bestowing an infinite good on men, which is Christ, and by his delivering them from an it finite evil, sin It is eternal; the eternity of mercy is expressed in the same language as the eternity of God himself. It is immutable, Mal. iii. 6.; it is common to all the three divine persons, Father Son, and Spirit; and is displayed only in and through Christ. In a word it is represented as great, large, and ample, and very abundant; we read of a multitude of tender mercies; and God is said to be rich and plenteous in i; Psal. ciii. 11. and li. 1.

all, and his tender mercies are As to the special mercy of but elect men, who are These are described

II. The objects of mercy may be next cbserved: and that this may appear in a plain and clear light, it will be proper to remark, that the mercy of God is general and special: with respect to the general mercy of God, all creatures are the objects of it; the Lord is good to over all his works, Psal. cxiv. 9. God, none are the objects of that called vessels of mercy, Rom. ix. 23. sometimes by them that call upon the Lord, to whom he is plenteous in mercy, Psal. lxxxvi. 5 by " them that love him, and keep his cominandments; to whom he shews his mercy," Exod. xx. 6. Nehem. i. 5. Dan. ix. 4. and by them that lear