taste their excellence together.

_First: Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world_.--A threefold
cord, that is, indeed, not soon broken. "Chosen," God's own love and
wisdom is the fount and spring whence all flows. And that in blessed
connection with the dearest object of His love--"in Him." "Before the
foundation of the world." In the stability and changelessness of
Eternity,--before that scene that is, and ever was, characterized by
change, began,--with its mirth and sorrow, sunshine and shadow, life
and death. Blessed solid rock-foundation for all in God and Eternity.

_Second: To be Holy_.--Separated from all the defilement that should
afterwards come in. Thus His electing love is always marked first by
separation from all evil. It can never allow its object to be
connected with the slightest defilement. The evil was allowed only
that He might reveal Himself as Love and Light in dealing with it.

_Third: without blame_.--So thoroughly is all connected with past
defilement met that not a memory of it remains to mar the present joy.
The defilement of the old creation with which we were connected has
left never a spot nor a stain on the person that could offend infinite
holiness. Clean, every whit. Bless the Lord, oh my soul!

_Fourth: In love_.--Thus separated and cleansed from all defilement not
mere complacency regards us. Not merely for his own pleasure, as men
make a beautiful garden, and remove everything that would offend their
taste, but active love in all its divine warmth encircles us. My
reader, do you enjoy this fair good? If you be but the feeblest
believer it is your own.

_Fifth: Adoption of Children_.--Closest kind of love, and that so
implanted in the heart as to put that responsive home-cry of "Abba,
Father," there, and on our lips. Yet nothing short of this was the
"good pleasure of His will.

_Sixth.--Taken into favor in the Beloved_: the wondrous measure of
acceptance "in the Beloved One." Look at Him again. All the glory He
had in eternity He has now, and more added to it. Infinite complacency
regards him. That, too, is the measure of our acceptance.

_Seventh_.--But no shirking that awful word,--no overlooking the awful
fact of sin's existence. No; the foundation of our enjoyment of our
own fair good is well laid "in whom we have redemption through His
blood, _even the forgiveness of sins_."

Sin, looked at in infinite holy Light,--thoroughly looked at,--and
B