Page:On the Revision of the Confession of Faith.djvu/34

26 undeserved favor to lost sinners, they understood themselves to be glorifying His love to sinners. It is perfectly true that they seldom make use of the term "love"; but this is due to the exactness of their phraseology, by which they prefer to speak of God's "goodness" and "grace"—by the one of which terms they designate His general love and by the other His special love for His people. When this is understood, so far are they from neglecting to emphasize the love of God, that it is rather within the truth to say that there is no other one subject so repeatedly and emphatically and lovingly dwelt upon. The "goodness" of God is one of His essential attributes (II., i.) and is infinite (V., iv.); nay, all "goodness" is in and of Him (II., ii.). It was in order to manifest His "goodness" that He created the world (IV., i.); and hence it is manifested by the light of nature (I., i.)—even that He is good and doeth good to all (XXI., i.); as also by the course of providence (I., i.; V., iv.), which is so administered as to redound to the praise of His "goodness" (IV., i.). Even His dealings with sin manifest His goodness (V., iv.). Especially does His treatment of the elect, however, flow from His free and unchangeable love (XVII., ii.; III., v.; V., v.); His love follows them at every step, and every separate blessing bestowed upon them is a "grace": effectual calling (X., ii.), faith (XIV., i.), justification (XI., iv.), pardon (XV., iii.), adoption (XII., i.), each is reckoned among the saving graces (XIII., i.; XVI., iii.; XVII., i.; IX., iv.). All His acts to His children are those of a gracious God (V., v.), all things being made to work together for their good (V., vii.), even His correctings being gracious (V., v.) and all to the praise of His glorious grace (III., v.). There is certainly no lack of emphasis on God's love here; though no doubt it is His sovereign love that is emphasized. Nor is it at all true that in glorifying God's infinite love for His