By Dr. JOHN LOVE, D.D.—1785.
The true people of God love those things in Jesus Christ, which are most offensive to the natural corruption of the human heart; such as His sovereignty and justice. To hypocritical professors, the sovereignty and justice of God, in permitting his creatures to fall into sin, appear hateful; because any love which they may have to Christ is wholly of an interested kind. They do not love Him for what He is in Himself; and so, when His interest or theirs comes into collision, they cannot endure that their own interest should give way to His. They think it unreasonable and cruel, that creatures be permitted to fall, and be punished for ever; and that His glory should be displayed in their punishment. But those who have truly seen the glory of Christ, have a desire for the manifestation of it, even although it should be at the cost of the creature’s happiness; and in some cases the true people of God will feel this so strongly, as that they will desire that His glory should be manifested, even although they themselves should be eternally shut out from Him. They may be so transported, as to lose sight of their own interest for the sake of His glory. There are different expressions in the word of God, uttered by saints to this purpose; such as the words of Moses, in Ex. XXXII 31-33; and those of the apostle Paul, in Rom. IX, 3.
When the sovereignty and justice of God are contemplated by those who are under the lively exercise of Grace, these attributes will not be disputed not contended against, but they will be completely acquiesced in; and sometimes this love to His sovereignty and justice appears, even in opposition to the strongest returned affection towards friends and relations in this world.
This appears still more wonderful, when we consider it in connection with love to our fellow-men; for the love of true Christians to God does not render them indifferent to that love which is due to others—such a kind of love would be diabolical in its nature. It is to be feared that this is the sum of the religion of many professors, and that their sentiments are like those of Cain, Gen. IV, 9, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” But the love of which we now speak is widely different from this. Whenever it is found, the person has a spiritual regard to all men; but then he sees that, however valuable the interests of men may be, the interests of the glory of God are far superior, and that it is consistent with the purest love to men, for a Christian to acquiesce in the justice of God as manifesting itself in the eternal perdition of the finally impenitent. There is an example given us of this in these words of Jesus Christ, “Matt. XI, 25, 26, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” And this thanksgiving is said to have been accompanied with joy.—Luke X, 21. “In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit.” And so also, in His intercessory prayer, we find Him, as it were, burning with love to the persons who were to be the subjects of His salvation—John XVII, 10: “And all mine are Thine and Thine are mine; and I am glorified in them”; and verse 9, “I pray for them”—but mark what follows—“I pray not for the world, but for those whom Thou has given Me, for they are Thine.”
We mention these things to show that the strongest benevolence to mankind is consistent with the most perfect resignation to the justice of God as manifested in those who perish; for surely we know nothing at all of Christ if we suspect Him as being indifferent to the real good of mankind. We have examples of this also, in that eminent saint, the apostle Paul, as in II Cor. II, 4, “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.” Here we notice the expression of love to men in this language which was particularly addressed to those who were true believers.
But in reference also to those who appeared to be in an unconverted state, particularly as to the excommunicated person mentioned in the fifth chapter of the former epistle to the Corinthians, verses 1-6, the love of the apostle eminently shines forth. See the manner in which he speaks of this person in II Cor., II, 5, 6, 7, “But, if any have caused grief he hath not grieved me but in part, that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow;” that is, “This poor man, notwithstanding the heinousness of his guilt, ought to be regarded as having been already severely enough punished by men”; and so, the apostle adds, in verse 8, “Wherefore, I beseech you, that ye would confirm your love towards him”; and in verse 10, “To whom ye forgive anything I forgive also”; that is, I beseech you to do this, as soon as there is room for the exercise of forgiveness towards that person by his being brought to a sense of his sin—by his showing signs of grief for it—and by the circumspectness of his conduct.”
Now, it might be thought, that one who was so much in exercise of love as this apostle was, would be backward to submit to the justice of God. But see how he acquiesces in this, at verses 15, 16 of the same chapter: “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one we are the savour of death unto death,” etc. So also in Rom. IX, at the beginning we see him expressing the strongest benevolence to the very worst of sinners; and yet at verse 14 and downwards we find him strongly pleading for the glory of the justice and sovereignty of God; and he thus concludes at verse 20, “Nay, but O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, “Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour?”
Thus, the friends of Jesus Christ love Him in the exercise of His justice and sovereignty. The friends of Christ are distinguished by this, that they are deeply interested in all matters which belong to His spiritual kingdom. They are concerned for the enlargement of His kingdom; and whatever His heart is set upon, so is theirs also.”
(From a sermon on Songs, V.1, preached by Dr. John Love, Greenock, on Sabbath, January 23, 1785.)