However Harsh His Hand May Be
God's love for His people remains constant and unchanged despite afflictions, and is based on His own free grace and goodness.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that God's afflictions do not alter His unwavering love for His people. Despite the harshness of His hand, God's affections remain constant, as His love is rooted in His own grace rather than in our worthiness. He illustrates this with the example of Munster, who viewed his suffering as God's precious adornments. Brooks reassures that God's love is everlasting and not dependent on our actions, affirming that He loves us simply because He chooses to love us.
Text
("A Heavenly Cordial" 1665)
None of God's afflictions upon His people ever make
any change or alteration of God's affections towards
His people.
However harsh His hand may be against them--
yet His love, His heart, His favor, His affections--are
still one and the same to them.
When Munster lay sick, and his friends asked him how
he felt? He pointed to his sores and ulcers, whereof he
was full, and said, "These are God's gems and jewels
with which he decks His best friends; and to me they
are more precious than all the gold and silver in the
world!"
God's dear love to His people is not founded upon
anything good in His people, nor upon anything good
which is done by His people--but only upon His own
free grace and goodness!
What could move the holy God to love us, who are poor,
worthless, fruitless sinners? This question is best resolved
in these words, "He loves us because He loves us!" The root
of His love to us lies in Himself! God's love to His people is
a lasting love, yes, an everlasting love! It is a love which
never decays nor waxes cold. "I have loved you with an
everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."
Jeremiah 31:3
Sermon Outline
- God's Afflictions Do Not Change His Affections
- God's Love Is Not Founded on Human Worth
- The Root of God's Love Lies in Himself
- God's Love Is a Lasting Love
- God's love is based on His own free grace
- Human worthiness is not a factor in God's love
- God's love never decays or waxes cold
- God's love is an everlasting love
Key Quotes
“These are God's gems and jewels with which he decks His best friends; and to me they are more precious than all the gold and silver in the world!” — Thomas Brooks
“He loves us because He loves us!” — Thomas Brooks
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Remember that God's afflictions are not a sign of His displeasure, but rather a demonstration of His love and care for you.
- Trust in God's free grace and goodness, and not in your own worthiness, for His love is not founded on anything good in you.
- Rest in the knowledge that God's love for you is a lasting love that never decays or waxes cold.