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The gospel only can make sin odious, and holiness delightful

It effects this by revealing to us the love of Christ— Hence our Lord reminds us of his love in order to confirm our love to him

I. The nature and extent of Christ's love to us

The comparison in the text denotes not equality but resemblance

The love of Christ to us, like that of his Father to him, is

1. Without beginning

There never was a period when the Father first began to love his Son

[He loved him before his entrance on his ministry, before his existence in the world,d before Isaiah's time,e from all eternity-]

There never was a period when Christ first began to love us

[His love is first manifested when we believe in himBut our faith in him is the effect, not the cause, of his love

to us-

This is affirmed by the prophets, and by Christ himself1-] 2. Without measure

The Father's love to Christ was unbounded

[He is one with Christ in nature, and therefore in affection'

He has shewn the greatness of his love to him, in the gifts bestowed upon him, and in his constant co-operation with him1-]

usTM

Christ's love to us is also unbounded

[It produces most astonishing acts of kindness towards

Human affections fall far short of it"—

It "passes all knowledge," whether of men or angels-]

2 Cor. v. 14. d John i. 18.

b Matt. v. 48.

e Matt. iii. 17.
e Isai. xlii. 1.

In this sense many commentators explain Prov. viii. 22, 23, 30: and if that interpretation be admitted, the eternity of Christ's love may be confirmed by ver. 31. But, however this passage be interpreted, the fact itself stands on the most unquestionable authority. John xvii. 24.

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3. Without variation

The Father's love to Christ was unchangeable

[His love seems to have been withdrawn for a seasonoHe seemed not to answer his prayers—

But he heard him always, and loved him always

The apparent suspensions of his love were the necessary means of accomplishing the purposes of his love even towards Christ himself—]

Christ's love to us also is unchangeable

[There are seasons when he seems to withdraw his loveBut his chastisements are tokens of his loves—

He hates sin indeed, and will correct his people till they put it away

But he will not withdraw his love from them—

Wherever he fixes his love, he rests unalterably in it"-] 4. Without end

The Father's love to Christ shall endure for ever[He has given him a pledge of this in his exaltation to heaven-]

Christ's love to us shall also be everlasting

[He knows no change of mind with respect to what he has bestowed

Whomsoever he loves he continues to love—

This truth is a just ground of joy and confidence2-]

What returns can we ever make to Christ for such amazing love?

II. The duty resulting from it

This part of the text requires application rather than discussion

It sets before us, not merely our privilege (which is, to continue in a sense of Christ's love to us) but our duty 1. To love Christ

[This would have been our duty, though he had not so loved us

But the obligation to it is greatly increased by his loveLet him then be exceeding precious to us

Let us despise every thing in comparison of him3] 2. To continue in love to him

[We are too apt to decline in our love—

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But declensions, however secret, are very offensiveThey will, if continued in, disqualify us for heavendThey will reduce us to a worse situation than evereLet us therefore cleave to the Lord with full heart-]

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3. To abound in all acts and offices of love to him [In secret, let us contemplate, admire, and adore his excellencies

In public, let us confess, honour, and obey him-]

It commends to us that duty as resulting from the declaration that precedes it

[The love of Christ towards us is the strongest of all motives to the love of him

Was Christ's love to us so unmerited, unbounded, invariable, and lasting? and shall ours to him be weak and transient?

Let it operate then suitably on all our hearts

Let us not rest satisfied with what we have attained"— Let us meditate on his love as the means of increasing ours!]

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LV. THE FOLLY OF DEPARTING FROM THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL.

Gal. iii. 1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you," that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

THE method of a sinner's justification is plainly revealed in the gospel

Nor is any doctrine more worthy of attention

An error with respect to many other points may consist with our salvation

But to err in this, is to destroy all hope of accept

ance

Hence St. Paul devotes even an angel from heaven to a curse, if it could be supposed that one should be found who would introduce a gospel different from that which he himself had preached

1

Unhappily, however, the Galatians had been misledThe apostle writes this epistle in order to reclaim them

He tells them that he had reproved even Peter himself, and that too before the whole church at Antioch, for dissembling the truth

He then proceeds to reprove their declension also— We shall consider

I. Wherein their disobedience to the truth consisted The Galatians had formerly "received the truth in the love of it"

[They had entertained the highest respect for him who first evangelized themb

They had been knit to him with the most cordial affection

They had found much blessedness by means of the gospel

They had received miraculous powers in confirmation of the worde

They had been enabled to adorn their profession by a suitable life and conversation

They had even endured many sufferings for their attachment to the truth-]

But they had lately imbibed the doctrines of some Judaizing teachers

[Many of the Jewish converts were still zealous for the law of Moses

Hence they laboured to make proselytes wherever they

came

Many of the Galatian churches were induced to embrace their doctrines

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Hence, though Gentiles originally, they put themselves under the yoke of the Jewish lawb-]

Thus they, in fact, "disobeyed and renounced the truth" itself

[They had been taught to expect justification by faith in Christi

But now they superadded an obedience to the law as a joint ground of hope

By this they declared that faith in Christ was insufficient for their justification

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They did not indeed intend by this to reject Christ entirely

But the apostle tells them repeatedly that God considered their conduct as equivalent to an utter rejection of the gospelk

Hence he warns them that they were turned altogether to "another gospel”—]

• Their defection therefore involved them in the deepest guilt; as will appear more fully, if we consider

II. The particular aggravation with which it was attended St. Paul himself had preached among them in a most lively and affecting manner

cified

[Wherever he went, his constant subject was Christ cru

He fully opened to his hearers the nature and ends of Christ's death

He always declared the efficacy of it as an atonement for

sin

He earnestly exhorted all to trust in it for their acceptance with God

He had dwelt so much, and in so affecting a manner, on this subject, that the crucifixion of Christ might be said to have been depicted, or even exhibited before their eyes-]

This was a great aggravation of their guilt in departing from the faith

[Had they heard less of Christ, they had been less culpable

Had they heard of him in a less affecting manner, they had not been without a plea

Had they seen no particular effects flowing from the apostle's preaching, they might have had some excuse—

Had the subserviency of the law to the gospel never been opened to them, their defection from the truth might have been accounted for

But to renounce the truth, after it had been set forth with such energy, and attended with such effects, was extreme folly and wickedness

Their conduct was no less than a crucifying of Christ afresh"

What animadversion their disobedience merited we may see in

III. The reproof which the apostle gave them on account of it

k Gal. ii. 21. and v. 2-4
1 Cor. ii. 2.

I Gal. i. 6.

a Heb. vi. 6.

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