November 5

PART II.—1 Peter 2:7

CHRIST is truly and intrinsically precious. All perfections and excellencies are concentrated in him: he is the constellation of beauty. All human traits of loveliness and worth, and all the attributes of divine glory, meet in him. He is the climax of all blessedness, greatness, and dignity. He is the life and felicity of the universe. All existence is derived from him, and supported by him. There is no felicity but what emanates from his own eternal and unchanging blessedness. His light and glory, he diffuses throughout all worlds, and he is the first cause and last end of all things. He is precious in the attributes which essentially belong to him:—Omnipresence, by which he is in every place at the same instant of time, in all, above all, and through all:—Omniscience, by which he has a perfect knowledge of all things, and by which all things are constantly before his discerning eyes:—Omnipotence, by which he can effect all his will, and do every thing he desires to do:—Unchangeableness, by which he is ever of one mind, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, so that his purposes stand fast and change not:—Eternal an existence underived, ever being the alone GREAT I AM. Then there are the moral attributes of his blessed and adorable character.

Inflexibly just: essentially spotless and holy perfectly true, infinitely good, unboundedly gracious, merciful, and compassionate: yea, love itself. The essence of love, and the fountain of love, love immutable, and everlasting.

"His mercies never shall remove, His nature and his name is love."