Jerome Zanchi (1516–1590) on the Love of God: General and Special

Zanchi:

Chap. 4.

Of the Love of God.

That true and perfect love is in God, and is properly attributed unto him. That God loves not only himself, but also every thing that he has made: although he loves not all things with an equal love. For he loves the better things better then those things that are less good: the godly then the ungodly. Further, that the love of God is free, infinite, constant, and everlasting.

The love of God cannot be separated from his grace: seeing that grace being taken in that other signification, whereof we have spoken much before, is no other thing then free love, which is also the root and fountain of all clemency, mercy, and of all good things towards us. From from whence is salvation of the world? Christ plainly teaches, saying, John. 3, that “God so loved the world that,” (that is, he not only sustains and governs it wisely, enriches it with good things, giving it rain from heaven and fruitful times, filling men’s hearts with meat and gladness, yea and bearing an incredible patience, their daily and grievous injuries, thus by his divine goodness expecting and leading them to repentance, but also), “he gave his only begotten son, that all which believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And it is certain that there is nothing in Scripture found more often, then that God loves. What? his Son, his church, the elect, all men, the world, and to conclude, all things that are: so as nothing wants [lacks] God’s love toward it. We have therefore worthily taken in hand to expound this attribute of God concerning his love, next unto that of the Grace of God, seeing it so so necessary to be known, for the true understanding of the Scriptures. But in this love of God we are handle and expound five questions. First whether that love properly agree to God: Secondly what things God loves, whether besides himself, all other things also, or but only some things and not all: thirdly, he if love all things, whether he love them all with an equal love or no: fourthly, whether he always love the better things more, than those that are less good: fifthly, what manner of love God bears towards his elect. Lastly we will say something concerning the use of this doctrine…

David Dickson (1583-1662) on God’s Love and Goodness to Man

Dickson on Psalm 8:3-4:

3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

From his admiration in God’s respect, and love to man above all other creatures, learn, 1. The weakness and unworthiness of man, considered both in himself, and compared with his glorious creatures made for his use, commend the bounty of God to man, and make it a matter of great admiration. For when the prophet considers the glorious heavens, &c. he asks what is man, &c. 2. Man of all the creatures is most esteemed and taken care of by God; for he is mindful of man, and daily visits him.

David Dickson, A Commentary on the Psalms (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 1985), 1:33. [Some spelling modernized; underlining mine.]

Charles Hodge (1797–1878) on the Love of God: General and Special

Charles Hodge:

1)

§ 13. The Goodness of God.

A. The Scriptural Doctrine.

Goodness, in the Scriptural sense of the term, includes benevolence, love, mercy, and grace. By benevolence is meant the disposition to promote happiness; all sensitive creatures are its objects. Love includes complacency, desire, and delight, and has rational beings for its objects. Mercy is kindness exercised towards the miserable, and includes pity, compassion, forbearance, and gentleness, which the Scriptures so abundantly ascribe to God. Grace is love exercised towards the unworthy. The love of a holy God to sinners is the most mysterious attribute of the divine nature. The manifestation of this attribute for the admiration and beatification of all intelligent creatures, is

declared to be the special design of redemption. God saves sinners, we are told, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. ii. 7.) This is the burden of that Epistle.

As all the modifications of goodness above mentioned are found even in our dilapidated nature, and commend themselves to our moral approbation, we know they must exist in God without measure and without end. In him they are infinite, eternal, and immutable.

Benevolence.

The goodness of God in the form of benevolence is revealed in the whole constitution of nature. As the universe teems with life, it teems also with enjoyment. There are no devices in nature for the promotion of pain for its own sake; whereas the manifestations of design for the production of happiness are beyond computation. The manifestation of the goodness of God in the form of love, and specially of love to the undeserving, is, as just stated, the great end of the work of redemption. “God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John iii. 16.) “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John iv. 10.) The Apostle prays that believers might be able to comprehend the height and depth, the length and breadth, of that love which passes knowledge. (Eph. iii. 19.)

Experience Mayhew (1673-1758) on God’s Love to Mankind With Regard to Matt 12:37, John 3:16, 1 John 2:2 and 2 Peter 3:9

Mayhew:

Now, what unparalleled Love is this to self-destroying Sinners, to whom God may truly say, as in Hosea 13. 9. Oh Israel, host destroyed thy self; but in me is thine Help. This Love of God is very much celebrated in the holy Scriptures. Give me Leave to recite a few of the Passages wherein it is so. John 3. 16. For God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting Life, 1 John 4. 9,10. In this was manifested the Love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the World, that we might live thro’ him. Herein is Love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our Sins. 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19, 20. God—hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself, not imputing their Trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of Reconciliation. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as tho” God did beseech you by us: We pray you in Christ’s Stead, be ye reconciled unto God. Matth. 23. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not! Rom. 2.4. Or despiseth thou the Riches of his Goodness, and Forbearance, and Longsuffering; not knowing that the Goodness of God  leadeth thee to Repentance. Hosea 11. 4. I drew them with Cords of a Man, with Bands of Love; and I was to them as they that take off the Yoke on their Jaws; and I laid Meat before them.

I am not ashamed to say, (if I were I should be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, contrary to Rom. i. 16.) that the Love of God thus manifested towards Sinners, has not a Relation to the Elect only, (tho’ principally unto them) but extends itself to the whole World, as in the mentioned John 3. 16. and in i John 2. 2. Mark 16. 15, 16, and 2 Cor. 5. 19, as I will, if I am put upon it, and God gives me Liberty, more fully show.

William Shedd (1820-1894) on God’s Universal and Special Love

Shedd:

THE TRUE PROPORTION IN A CREED BETWEEN THE UNIVERSAL AND THE SPECIAL LOVE OF GOD

IT is objected that insufficient emphasis is laid in the Westminster Confession upon the universal offer of mercy, and the common call to faith and repentance, and some even contend that these are not contained in it. Advocates of revision [of the Westminster Confession] demand that them doctrines shall be more particularly enunciated than they now are, and complain that more is said concerning electing love of God in the effectual call than his upon his indiscriminate love in the outward call. In reply to this, mention the these following reasons why the Westminster Confession, in common with all the Reformed creeds, is more full and emphatic regarding the special love of God toward his church than regarding his general love toward the world.

1. The Scriptures themselves are more full and emphatic in the first reference than in the last. A careful examination of the Old and New Testaments will slow that while the universal compassion of God toward sinful men is plainly and frequently taught, yet it is the relation of God as the Savior of his people that constitutes the larger proportion of the teachings of the Prophets, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles. These parts of Scripture are full of God’s dealings with his covenant people, instructing them, expostulating with them, rebuking them, comforting them, helping them–expressing in these and other ways his special love and affection for them, as those whom he has chosen before the foundation of the world. Throughout the Bible men universally are both invited and commanded to believe and repent. No one disputes this. This is God’s universal love. But, whenever the love of God is particularly enlarged upon, carefully delineated, and repeatedly emphasized, in the great majority of instances it is his electing love. The Savior’s last discourses with his disciples, and his last prayer, have for their principal theme the “love of his own which were in the world,” whom “he loved unto the end.” For these he specially supplicates. “I pray for them: I pray not [now] for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine.” The Epistles of Paul also are like the Redeemer’s discourses. So full are they of expanded and glowing descriptions of the electing love of God that the charge of a narrow Jewish conception of the Divine compassion is frequently made against them. The Confession therefore follows the Scriptures in regard to the proportion of doctrine, where it puts the mercy of God toward his people in the foreground. And to object to this proportion is to object to Divine Revelation.

2. The electing love of God and his special grace naturally has the foremost place in the Confession as in Scripture, because it is the only love and glace that is successful with the sinner. The universal love of God in his outward call and common grace is a failure, because it is inadequate to overcome the enmity and resistance with which man meets it. While therefore the sacred writers represent the common call as prompted by the compassion of God toward the sinner, and expressive of his sincere desire that he would hear it, and as aggravating his persistence in the sin of which a free pardon is offered, yet inasmuch as it yields no saving and blessed results, they we see no reason for making it the principal and prominent part of the Divine oracles. But that electing love in the effectual call and irresistible grace, which overcomes the aversion of the sinner and powerfully inclines his hostile will, inasmuch as it is tile principal work of God in the human heart, becomes the principal subject of discourse for ” the holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” They dwell rather on the special grace that triumphs over human depravity, than on the common grace that is defeated by it.

William G.T. Shedd, Calvinism Pure and Mixed (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1893), 107-109. [Underlining mine.]