The Riches of God's Love to His Elect

Extract

The Riches of God’s Love to His Elect – Thomas Goodwin

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 2:4-6.

The scope of the Apostle in these words, as I have told you, is to magnify these three attributes in God—his love, mercy, grace, towards us; and these as they are the causes of our salvation. In opening of these words, I have,

1. Shewn you the difference between love and mercy.
2. Shewn you why that the Apostle, when he would speak of the causes of our salvation, contented not himself to have said that God is rich in mercy, but that he addeth “for the great love wherewith he loved us.”
3. Shewn you likewise that a great love, and an act of love, or a purpose of love, taken up towards us, is the foundation of his shewing mercy to us; and that act of love is especially that taken up from everlasting, which he took up to us before we were, and therefore preceded the misery we were fallen into; for he had engaged himself to us by so great a love, which stirred up his mercy.

The next thing I came to was this, the greatness of this love. I did profess not to handle this argument in the vastness of it,—which by the grace of God might arise to a volume, if it should be so handled, —but so far forth as the text doth give foundation to anything about it, so far I professed to handle it, because I would explain the text. First, therefore, we considered the subject of this love, who it is that loved us. It is God, whose love therefore is as great as himself; and if God will be in love, how deep, how great will that love be! What a love will they possess with whom God professeth himself to be in love! Love, it is of all attributes the most commanding; it commandeth all in a man, and it commandeth all in God. Secondly, we considered that this God, though of a loving nature and disposition, yet he took up an act of love. “He loved,” saith the …