“And to know thelove of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all thefulness of God” (Eph 3:19).

Where shall I begin my thoughts upon this subject ofthe love of Christ to men? And when begun, how shall I make an end? It hath abreadth and length, a depth and height, that passeth knowledge. If the ApostlePaul, that had the brightest discoveries of his love, owned this, much more mayI. I may sooner find out the height of heaven, the breadth of the earth, or thedepth of the sea, than measure Christ’s love. It is an unfathomable ocean thathas neither bank nor bottom. O whither did his love carry him? From the heightof glory to the depth of misery. How low and deep was our fall, that nothingcould recover and raise us up but the low abasement of the Son of God, the Kingof glory! How low was the step he made to help us up; even to put on ournature, and suffer himself to be pierced for our transgressions, and bruisedfor our iniquities! Blessed Lord, thou tookest not on thee the nature ofangels, but the seed of Abraham; these are fast bound up from thee with chainsof darkness, whilst thou drawest us to thee with the cords of love! Howdistinguishing was thy love to man, that brought thee from heaven to earth,from the throne to the manger, from the manger to the wilderness, from thewilderness to the garden, from the garden to the judgment-hall, from thejudgment-hall to the cross, from the cross to the grave; yea, from the glory ofheaven to the torments of hell,—and all for creatures that were black and uglyas hell! How wonderful is the sight thou callest me to see at the Lord’s table!Even to see him suffering for sin, that never committed sin! To see him madesin for us, who knew no sin, that we, who knew no righteousness, might be madethe righteousness of God in him! An amazing sight indeed!

“Lord, what is man that thouart mindful of him!” O what is he that thou shouldst magnify and set thy hearton him! And what am I, the worst of men, the vilest of sinners, that thoushouldst stoop so low to exalt me; that thou shouldst endure the poverty ofthis world, that I might enjoy the riches of heaven! Be content to live in theform of a servant, that I might have the adoption of a son! 

Bewilling to bow thyself unto death, to raise me to eternal life! Be content tobe numbered among transgressors, that I might have a crown among the blessed!To be crowned with thorns, that I might be crowned with glory! To be condemnedbefore men, that I might be justified before God! To drink the bitter cup ofwrath, that I might drink the pure river of life! To cry out in sorrow upon thecross, that I might triumph with joy upon the throne! To stand before the mouthof hell furnace, to keep its flames from breaking out on me!

O Lord Jesus thy love hath overflown all banks, andthy compassion knew no bounds! Can I think on it and my heart not burn! Can Ispeak of it and not be overcome, so as to seek like Joseph, a secret place toweep in!

O love that passeth knowledge! How shall I think of it and not standamazed! That the general should die for the soldier, the physician for thepatient! That the righteous Judge of heaven should come to the bar, put himselfin the malefactor’s clothes, and be condemned for him! That the blessed Son ofGod should interpose his innocent breast to receive the mortal stroke for us!That God all-sufficient should be exposed to hunger and thirst, to grief andweariness, and the vilest reproaches and indignities, for worms like us! Beholdthe Creator of the world, wounded, mangled, and killed by ungrateful creatures,whom he came to save! Behold his bowels yearning towards them who raked in themwith their bloody hands! Behold his heart burning with affection towards themthat cruelly pierced it! Surely a believing view of this love of Christ issufficient to mollify a heart more cold and frozen than ice itself! O loveunfathomable! Who can measure its dimensions? It hath a height without a top, adepth without a bottom, a breadth without a side, a length without an end!Astonishing love! that my exalted Lord should stoop so low as to become a man;nay, a poor man, a man of sorrows, a deserted man, a dying man, and also a deadman, for such a wretch as me! Nay, more, that he should stoop to be made acurse, and underlie a dreadful load of wrath upon his innocent soul, infinitelymore heavy than what is laid upon any damned soul in hell!

O what a sea of wrath did my loving Jesus swimthrough to save me from perishing! Behold how that raging sea wrought, and wastempestuous, roared most terribly, and threatened to swallow me up with therest of the elect world, till once my Redeemer stepped in, and undertook to bethe sacrifice for calming the sea! Take me up, (said he, like Jonah,) and throwme into the sea, and ye shall all be safe. In this red sea our blessed Jonahwas content to swim for thirty-three years, without seeking deliverance, tillonce the sea was perfectly calm, and every elect soul out of danger. Marvellousloving-kindness! Oh that I could, with a suitable frame of heart, both rememberand admire redeeming love, and redeeming blood, when I go to sit down at myRedeemer’s table. O that I may there get faith’s sight of the various instancesof his love, that passeth knowledge. Let me there view Christ in the womb, andin the manger, in his weary steps and hungry bowels; in his prostrations in thegarden, and clotted drops of bloody sweat. Let me view his head with a crown ofthorns, and his face besmeared with soldiers’ spit. Let me view him in hismarch to Calvary, and his elevation upon apainful cross, with his head bowed down, and his side streaming blood! Ounparalleled love! It had been wonderful love to have sent one of the loftyseraphim to suffer for us; but to give him whom all the seraphim serve andadore, is love “that passeth knowledge!” Let me view the Scripture designationsand titles of “him that loved us, and gave himself for us,” that he might washus in his blood.

He is our“Emanuel, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Mighty God, the EverlastingFather, the Prince of Peace, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince ofthe kings of the earth, the Lord of glory, the Plant of Renown, the Brightnessof his Father’s Glory, the express Image of his Person, the Bright and MorningStar, the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the world, the Head of the church,the Beginning and First-born from the dead, the Appointed Heir of all things.”This is he that loved us, and gave himself to die for the redemption of a crewof rebels, grace-abusing, and gospel-slighting sinners! Oh, what am I, thatthou shouldst spare, yea, ransom and feast me in such a manner! Long agomightst thou have shaken off the hand of thy providence such a viper as I aminto fire unquenchable; and there made me to know, to sad experience, what itis to abuse free grace, by the loss of eternal glory: But, instead of that,thou hast pitied me, loved, become my surety to appease justice for my heinoussins by thy blood, when no other sacrifice would do. Lord, I welcome thy lovefeast; I lay my hand on the head of the sacrifice, and rest upon it; “Ibelieve, Lord, help my unbelief.” O that I may henceforth live under thecontinual sense of my infinite obligations to my glorious Surety that couldmake his soul an offering for my sin. O what return shall I give him for allhis soul-travail and agonies for me? O that I could spend my whole life, andeach day of it, in magnifying his love, and living to his praise. ‘‘Now,blessed be his glorious name for ever and ever; let the whole earth be filledwith his glory.” Amen and Amen. Ω