“The condescending love of God” by Thomas Brooks

“Doth the Lord give the best and greatest gifts to His people? Then you that are His people, sit down and wonder at this condescending love of God.

Oh! What is in thy soul or in my soul, that should cause the Lord to give such gifts to us as He hath given? We were all equal in sin and misery; nay, doubtless, we have actually outsinned thousands, to whom these precious gifts are denied.

Let us therefore sit down and wonder at this condescending love of God.

Oh! We were once poor wretches sitting upon the dunghill, yea, wallowing in our blood, and yet behold the King of kings, the Lord of lords, hath so far condescended in His love, as to bestow Himself, His Spirit, His grace, and all the jewels of His royal crown upon us.

Oh! What heart can conceive, what tongue can express, this matchless love! ‘I will be thine forever,’ says Christ, and ‘My Spirit shall be thine forever,’ and ‘My grace shall be thine forever,’ and ‘My glory shall be thine forever,’ and ‘My righteousness shall be thine forever.’ ‘All I am and all I have, shall be thine forever.’

O sirs! What condescending love is this! Oh! What a Christ is this!”

–Thomas Brooks, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ,” The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 3, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, 1866), 117.