Good morning, ladies! I trust that you will seek to be in true communion with God today and the perfection of His beauty will shine forth upon you!

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth! The Mighty One, God the LORD, our God shall come. Hear, O My people, and I will speak, I am your God!

Yesterday we read that preparation for meeting with the Lord on the Sabbath requires us to rise early and first meet Him in His Word. By READING the Word aright, our hearts, when dull—are quickened; when hard—are mollified; when cold and frozen—are inflamed; and we can say as the disciples, “Did not our heart burn within us?”

Secondly, we learned that we are to climb upon the mount of MEDITATION and meditate on four things.

“(1) Creation – By meditating on the works of creation, we shall learn to confide in God. He who can create—can provide; he who could make us when we were nothing, can raise us when we are low. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8.

(2) God’s Holiness – we learned that God counts holiness his glory, and the most sparkling jewel of his crown. “Glorious in holiness.” Exod 15:2: Here is meditation fit for the first entrance upon a Sabbath. The contemplation of this would work in us such a frame of heart as is suitable to a holy God; it would make us reverence his name and hallow his day. While musing upon the holiness of God’s nature, we shall begin to be transformed into his likeness.

Preparation: Today we are going to read the third point and learn the importance of meditating on Christ’s Love!

(3) Meditate on Christ’s love in redeeming us. Rev 1:5. Redemption exceeds creation; the one is a monument of God’s power, the other of his love. Here is fit work for a Sabbath. Oh, the infinite stupendous love of Christ—in raising poor sinful creatures from a state of guilt and damnation! Consider that Christ who was God—should die! that this glorious Sun of Righteousness—should be in an eclipse! We can never enough admire this love, no, not even in heaven. Consider that Christ should die for sinners! not sinful angels—but sinful men. Consider that such clods of earth and sin should be made bright stars of glory! Oh, the amazing love of Christ! Consider that Christ should not only die for sinners—but die as a sinner! “He has made him to be sin for us” 2 Cor 5:21. He who was among the glorious persons of the Trinity, “was numbered with the transgressors.” Isa 53:12. Not that he had sin—but he was like a sinner, having our sins imputed to him. Sin did not live in him—but it was laid upon him. Here was a hyperbole of love enough to strike us with astonishment!

Consider that Christ would redeem us, when he could not expect to gain anything, or to be advantaged at all by us! Men will not lay out their money upon a purchase—unless it will turn to their profit; but what benefit could Christ expect in purchasing and redeeming us? We were in such a condition that we could neither deserve nor recompense Christ’s love. We could not DESERVE it; for we were in our blood. Ezek 16:6. We had no spiritual beauty to entice him. Nay, we were not only in our blood—but we were in war against him. “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son;” Rom 5:10. When he was shedding his blood—we were spitting out poison!

As we could not deserve Christ’s love, so neither could we RECOMPENSE it. After he had died for us, we could not so much as love him—until he made us love him. We could give him nothing in return for his love. “Who has first given to him?” Rom 11:35. We were fallen into poverty. If we have any beauty, it is from him, “It was perfect through my loveliness which I had put upon you.” Ezek 16:14. If we bring forth any good fruit, it is not of our own growth, it comes from him, the true vine. “From me is your fruit found.” Hos 14:8. It was nothing but pure love, for Christ to lay out his blood to redeem such as he could not expect to be really bettered by!

Consider that Christ should die so WILLINGLY! “I lay down my life.” John 10:17. The Jews could not have taken it away—if he had not laid it down. He could have called to his Father for legions of angels to be his life-guard; but what need for even that, when his own Godhead could have defended himself from all assaults? He laid down his life. The Jews did not so much thirst for his death—as he thirsted for our redemption. “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how it consumes Me until it is finished!” Luke 12:50. He called his sufferings a baptism; he was to be baptized and sprinkled with his own blood! He thought the time long, before he suffered. To show Christ’s willingness to die, his sufferings are called an offering. “Through the offering of the body of Jesus.” Heb 10:10. His death was a free-will offering.

Consider that Christ should not grudge, nor think much—of all his sufferings! Though he was scourged and crucified, he was well contented with what he had done, and, if it were needful, he would do it again. “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” Isa 53:11. As the mother who has had hard labor, does not repent of her pangs when she sees her child brought forth—but is well contented; so Christ, though he had hard travail upon the cross, does not think much of it; he is not troubled—but thinks his sweat and blood well bestowed, because he sees the child of redemption brought forth into the world.

Consider that Christ should make redemption effectual to some— and not to others! Here is astonishing love. Though there is sufficiency in his merits to save all—yet only some partake of their saving virtue. Christ does not pray for all. John 17:9. All have not the benefit of salvation by him. Herein appears the distinguishing love of Christ—that the virtue of his death should reach some—and not others. “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” 1 Cor 1:26. That Christ should pass by many of noble birth and abilities, and that the lot of free grace should fall upon you; that he should sprinkle his blood upon you “Oh, the depth of the love of Christ!”

Consider that Christ should love us with such a TRANSCENDENT love! The apostle calls it “Love which passes knowledge.” Eph 3:19.

Consider that he should love us more than the angels. He loves them as his friends—but believers as his spouse! He loves them with such a kind of love—as God the Father bears to him. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” John 15:9. Oh, what an hyperbole of love does Christ show in redeeming us!

Consider that Christ’s love in our redemption should be EVERLASTING!”Having loved his own—he loved them unto the end.” John 13:1. As Christ’s love is matchless, so it is endless. The flower of his love is sweet; and that which makes it sweeter is that it never dies! His love is eternal. Jer 31:3. He will never divorce his elect spouse! The failings of his people cannot take off his love; they may eclipse it—but not wholly remove it; their failings may make Christ angry with them—but not hate them. Every failing does not break the marriage bond. Christ’s love is not like the saint’s love. They sometimes have strong affections towards him, at other times the love-fit is off, and they find little or no love stirring in them; but it is not so with Christ’s love to them, it is a love of eternity. When the sunshine of Christ’s electing love is once risen upon the soul, it never finally sets. Death may take away our life from us—but not Christ’s love. Behold here a rare subject for meditation on a Sabbath morning. The meditation of Christ’s wonderful love in redeeming us, would work in us a Sabbath-frame of heart. It would melt us in tears for our spiritual unkindness, that we should sin against so sweet a Savior; that we should be no more affected with his love—but requite evil for good; that like the Athenians, who, notwithstanding all the good service Aristides had done them, banished him out of their city; we should banish him from our temple; that we should grieve him with our pride, rash anger, unfruitfulness, animosities, and petty factions. Have we none to abuse—but our friend? Have we nothing to kick against—but the heart of our Savior? Did not Christ suffer enough upon the cross— but we must needs make him suffer more? Do we give him more “gall and vinegar to drink?” Oh, if anything can dissolve the heart in sorrow, and melt the eyes to tears—it is unkindness we offer to Christ. When Peter thought of Christ’s love to him, how he had made him an apostle, and revealed his bosom-secrets to him, and taken him to the mount of transfiguration, and yet that he should deny him—it broke his heart with sorrow! “He went out and wept bitterly.” Matt 26:75. What a blessed thing is it to have the eyes dropping tears, on a Sabbath! Nothing would sooner fetch tears— than to meditate on Christ’s love to us—and our unkindness to him.

Meditating on a Lord’s-day morning on Christ’s love, would kindle love in our hearts to him. How can we look on his bleeding and dying for us—and our hearts not be warmed with love to him? Love is the soul of religion, the purest affection. It is not rivers of oil—but sparks of love—which Christ values. And sure, as David said, “While I was musing the fire burned” (Psalm 39:3), so, while we are musing on Christ’s love in redeeming us, the fire of our love will burn towards him; and then the Christian is in a blessed Sabbath-frame, when, like a seraphim, he is burning in love to Christ!”[1] I love you ladies! I pray for you, and I hope you are blessed in this instruction and find it helpful for your

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[1] Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, (PA: Banner of Truth Trust, Reprint 2021), 93 – 122.