God's highest love-gift

Christ is God's highest love-gift: Now Christ the mediator, was given without any Medium, or any intervening Mediator. God out of the meer bottom of Free-love giveth Christ: The Lord Christ was not given by so much as request, or counsel of Men or Angels: Christ, Heb. 1. 3. by himself purged our sins, 1 Tim. 2. 6. He gave himself a ransom for all; 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins, in his own body on the tree: he satisfied & payed in his own person: It was not a deputed work. God the Lord of life in proper person Redeemed us: Christ's love to us was not deputy love, he loved as not by a Vicar: Christ is given freely, as a Redeemer is more essentially a gift of Free grace (to speak so) then the grace of faith which is given to those who hear and are humbled for sin. And Christ given to die for sinners is a more immediate and pure gift of Grace then Remissions of sins, and eternal life, which are given to us upon condition of Faith, whereas a Redeemer is given to die for us, without any condition, thought, desire, any sweating or endeavor in man or Angel. So is Grace given out of Grace, saving Grace is made out of nothing, not out of the potency of the matter. The new heart is a creation, and as its Grace, is framed without tools, agents, art, or service; Grace issueth immediately out of Christ's heart, he hath no hire, no payment for it: non-payment, no money is Grace's hire. And heaven is given, not by art, not by merit, not for sweating; But how? Luk. 12. 32. It's the Father's will. And Rev. 21. 4. God shall wipe all tears from their eyes. It's the sweeter, that no napkin but his own immediate hand shall wipe my sinful face.

—Samuel Rutherford