Hosea 1:11

REFLECTIONS

READER! We may truly say, with one of the Sacred Writers, in reference to the Church in her latter-day glory; glorious things are spoken of thee thou city of God! For to behold, as this Chapter relates, the low and impoverished state of the Church; and God putting away, as it were, his people, and yet recovering them by the riches and sovereignty of his grace, all of himself, and from himself, and his own purpose, counsel, and will; surely we are constrained to exclaim, what hath God wrought?

Reader! is it so, that we are by nature, and by practice, like the children of whoredoms, and richly deserve to be forever called, Lo Ruhamah, and Lo ammi; but yet by the infinite grace of adoption, brought into acceptance by Christ, our spiritual Head? Is it in Jesus, and by Jesus, the one glorious Head of his body the Church, the whole of Judah and Israel are gathered; and when not a people are made the sons of the living God; oh! for grace to admire and adore these high privileges, and ascribe all the glory, and the praise, to whom alone it is all due. Precious Jesus! let my soul henceforth be forever eyeing thee, as the cause, the whole means, the whole end. Earnestly as my soul desires to love thee, let not my love to thee be made anymore the standard of my safety in thee, but let me consider thy love as the whole sum and substance of all my safety and my joy. Oh! for grace to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. In heaven itself, the full and clear apprehension of thy love, constitutes the chief happiness of the place. Give me then, dearest Lord, by thy Spirit, to be able to comprehend with all saints, the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of thy love, that I may be filled with all the fulness of God!