Saturday, December 29, 2007

In God's Work of Redemption, we have Clear and Endearing Views of His Wisdom and Love

"In [Christ] we behold the wisdom, goodness, love, grace, mercy, and power of God acting themselves in the contrivance, constitution, and efficacious accomplishment of the great work of our redemption. This gives an unutterable luster to the native amiableness of the divine excellencies. The wisdom and love of God are in themselves infinitely glorious, infinitely amiable; nothing can be added to them; there can be no increase of their essential glory.

Howbeit, as they are eternally resident in the divine nature and absolutely the same with it, we cannot so comprehend them as to have an endearing, satiating view of their glory except as they are exerted in the work of the salvation of the Church; as they are expressed, communicating their blessed effects to the souls of them that believe, which is done only in Christ; so the beams of their glory shine unto us with unspeakable refreshment and joy (II Cor. 4:6). "


- from
The Glory of Christ by John Owen (emphasis mine)