wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heat I have seen his waies and wil heal him c. Though he went on and was worth yet saith God I have seen his waies and wil heal him I wil not take advantage I wil be content after al their froward rejections of al the offers of Grace yet I wil heal them for al that The frowardness is that that hath reference not only to unprofitableness under afflictions but when one is dealt kindly withal and doth not answer according to his kindness but wil have his own wil such a one doth go on frowardly Now then if we could put al these together that have been named of Gods willingness towards sinners to bring them in to be reconciled to him Oh Lord how infinite would the Grace and goodness of God appeare How were God to be glorified in his Grace I see I cannot possibly come to these things that I have heretofore propounded As what needs al this and the like But that must be done or the reasons why God doth deal thus A word or too at this time for that why God doth do al this why doth God deal thus with sinners in such a manner First It is because mercy pleases him Micha 7.18 there God makes a large promise of pardon of sin because mercy pleaseth him Now that that is pleasing unto any creature that the creature loves to do it and loves to do it to the ful to the height as al pleasure you know to enjoye the creature to eate and drink and sport is very pleasing to a voluptuous man and therefore he doth desire to have this to the ful a large bag of Gold pleases a covetous man therefore he is never satisfied but would have it to the ful Honor pleaseth an ambitious man and therefore he never hath enough so mercy it pleases God and therefore as I may with Holy reverence speak God scarce thinks he hath ever done enough to shew the riches of his Grace Secondly God doth it because the blood of his Son doth cry continually in his eares for mercy and it is of such infinite worth and value and the obedience of his Son in shedding of his bloud it hath been so acceptable unto God and is that whosoever this blood is pleaded for the Lord must needs grant it to the utmost Now it is the blood of Jesus Christ that is shed for sinners that doth plead with God the Father that al this mercy might be shewed It is said in the scripture that the blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel the blood of Abel cries loude for vengeance vengance Lord against sinners But the blood of Christ cries aloude merrcy mercy Lord for sinners and God heares the cry of his Sons blood What is this that recries The blood of my Son for mercy for sinners let them have mercy yea let them have mercy to the ful Then the fludgates of mercy come to be opened though if it were not for the blood of Christ the patience of God would let out some common favors but when God comes to satisfy the cries of the blood of Christ for mercy saith God open al the fludgates now and let in streams of mercy for sinners let mercy be shewed to the highest degree that can be if the blood of my Son cry for it it must be though it requires wonderful mercy it must be great rich glorious mercy it is not a drop but had need of a Sea of mercies to anwswer it I but saith God the blood of my son cryes for mercy and though there be need of an infinite Ocean of mercy for to clense the soul of such a sinner it must needs be granted because the blood of my son cryes for it When you finde God manifesting himselfe to your souls in waies of mercy it comes from the blood of Jesus Christ that cries to God the father for mercy to be bestowed on you and this is the sum and substance of al these expressions of Gods grace toward sinners We thinke that so be very strange that ever such an infinite God should condescend to sinners but when we come to examin the reason we need not wonder at it we see now from whence it al coms it springs al from the ever living fountaine of the unsearchable rich grace of God in Christ though at the very reading we may wonder that ever God should do so and perhaps some men may think these are but the straynes of ministers to make it so but when we come to understand the bottom the ground of al then we must acknowledge the reality of it no wonder God shews mercy to such souls so unworthy and so vild why Because the blood of his son cryes for mercy CHAP. 55. Christs willingness to be Reconciled to sinners further Opened NOW before we come to answer the Objections or to any application there is yet somthing more to be opened unto you as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in CHRIST'S stead as the heart of God is so set upon it to be reconciled unto sinners so is Jesus Christ it is true Christ is God but Christ and God are here spoken of severally Christ is the same God with the father but he is God and man God incarnate God the mediator between the father and us so that it wil be exceeding useful to shew how the heart of CHRIST is set upon Reconciliation of sinners to God for the Apostle doth come in the name of Christ as wel as of God the father now that the heart of Christ is in it that appears in the understanding of the great worke of Reconciliation That he hath undertaken it and that so willingly as he hath done Certainly if Christ had not been much set upon this work to bring sinners to be reconciled unto the Father he would never have undertaken such a work which he knew would prove so difficult to him and he knew what it would cost him but yet he took it willingly and delightfully and for that compare those two Scriptures the first in Psal 40.7 Then said I Lo I come in the Volume of thy book it is written of me It begins in ver 6. Sacrifice and offerring thou didst not desire mine ears thou didst open burnt offerring and sin offering thou didst not require then said I Lo I come in the Volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy will Oh God It is a Psalm of Christ and a Prophecy of him and that it is of him it appears plainly if you compare the Scripture in Heb. 10. at the beginning and so on there you have the Apostle quoting this very Text only with a little difference in the word Now there are three or four things that are here to be observed of Christ in his willingness to come and undertake the great work of making Attonement between God and sinners Mine Ears hast
Was God beginning with us and did he so begin with us then let not us be backward with God let us not hang off in any duty when God cals us to do it but presently come in let it not be long before we perform any duty let us not stand out and defer with God and say I wil and I wil hereafter certainly that Soul that comes to understand the goodness of God how God began with us in making of peace before ever we had thoughts of it it wil be a mighty argument to put the Soul on to make hast to the doing of any duty which God calls for and to be speedy in the Service of God because he was pleased at first to begin But we pass that of Gods beginning to be reconciled unto us and come to that which is indeed the main in this point of Reconciliation in the Text and even the principal of al the Doctrines that are in the Gospel To wit That God was in Christ Reconcileing the world to himself CHAP. 12. Doct. Our Reconciliation with God is made in Christ Seven things propounded for opening the Doctrin YOu have read much of the blessedness of Reconciliation what a happy condition it is to be at peace with God especially in these times of war and trouble when there is so little peace in the Land And you have read that God begins the work But how doth he do it observe it is not God meerly considered as Creator of Heaven and Earth that infinite first being of al things But the first thing propounded in the first Chapter to be opened is this It is God in Christ reconciling him to the world God and man were enemies an enmity and a breach there was and the breach was infinitely wide and dreadful how shal God and man now come to be reconciled you wil say the Lord is a God of infinite mercy and he sees his poor creatures must needs perish eternally if he come to take advantage against them therefore it may be God was willing to pass by al and so free of himself and his own free Grace to be reconciled to such and such creatures as have sinned against him and so Reconciliation was made up No this was not the way there is more required than this Let God and the creature be put together without any Further Consideration and al the mercy of God on the one side and al the Cries and tears and repentings of the creature on the other side this wil never make up a peace This you must know is the Doctrine of the Gospel that man having made a breach betwixt God and himself and consider God meerly in himself as he is himself without relation to a Mediator and then take al the mercy of God on one side and al the tears and repentings the Cries and Prayers of the creature on the otherside and both these together can never make peace What must there be more you wil say That which we have in the Text God in Christ reconciling the world It is not God in himself reconciling the world to himself but it is God in Christ So that there must come somthing between God and us as to the matter of Reconciliation or otherwise there can never be a Reconciliation made This thing I have often had occasion to treat of and I am very willing upon every occasion to set this before those that I am to preach unto for this is the great truth of the Gospel and truly al our preaching should be even to bring this truth home to the hearts of people and whatsoever we preach if it be not in order to this we lose our labor and God hath little glory from what we do except it be in order to this or as it may be some way a fruit of it So then the point is this Doct. Our Reconciliation with God is made in Christ As we read of Jonah when the storms and tempests werein the Sea and when the waves roared and when the ship and the Marriners and al were like to be swallowed up when jonah was cast into the sea presently there was a calm So the stormes and tempests of Gods everlasting wrath are up against a Sinner and the waves of that wrath are ready to swallow him up But now Christ is cast into the heart of a man and Christ being presented as one standing between God and man al comes to be at a Calme When the Disciples were upon the Sea and the Sea troublesome yet when Christ came and rebuked the Sea and the winds all was stil So when there are troubles of Conscience nothing can rebuke those troubles of Conscience nothing can bring in peace and quiet into the soul but only Christ coming into the heart God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself There is nothing more plain in the Scripture than this that it is God in Christ that reconciles the world to himself It is evident enough in the text but I wil give you a Scripture or two for it and then proceed to the opening of the point That place in Rom. 5 1. is most cleer Being justified by faith we have peace with God How through our Lord Jesus Christ no peace with God but through our Lord Jesus Christ It is an easy matter for us to say so but to apprehend the necessity of this that it must be through our Lord Jesus Christ that we have peace with God to apprehend this cleerly and throughly it is a great matter and those know much of the minde of God that know this experimentally and powerfully In Eph. 2.13.14 In Jesus Christ you that were far off are made nigh through his blood for he is our peace This is spoken in two regards he is our peace with God it is apparent that it must be spoken in that regard for so it follows in verse 18. through him we have access unto the father but it is spoken of Christs being our peace in regard of uniting us to the Church of God to be made one with the people of God but no saith God here is a reconciliation are conciliation with God and then a union with the people of God with the church of God the partition wal is broken down through Christ and those that were as doggs before are now set up at the table and there is a peace made between Gods people and us for so Christ makes peace that way in taking away the enmity that the people of God might be one together as wel as they are one with God So in Collo 1 21 22. You that were somtimes alienated and enimies in your mindes by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled How In the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blamless and unreprovable in his fight and that in verse the 20. is remarkable for this purpose have saith he made peace How through the blood of his Cross by him to reconcile althings
satisfie you for what they have done This is appearent for in the Scripture where ever there is any speaking of Reconciliation you have mention of our being reconciled to God as wel as Gods being reconciled to us and indeed the Scripture doth make more mention of our Reconciling being enemies to God than of any thing of Gods working Reconciliation for us And that place that I quoted before in the Collosians is exceedging cleer for this namely that Christ hath undertaken for our Reconciliation for you heard before in Collo 1.20 That he had made peace through the blood of his Cross He hath undertaken to satisfie and the undertaking of it cost him his blood our Reconciliation cost Christs death But then in verse 21. He saith further You that were somtimes alinated and enemies in your minds by wicked works so it is in your Books but in the Original it is Enemies in your minds in wicked works not that you came to be enemies by your works for that is the advantage indeede that the adversaries have and say it is not a sinful Nature in us but we come by action to act wicked habits but it is you are enemees in your minds in works that is you did lay out al the enmity of your minds against God you have natural enmity in your minds against God and in your minds you do lay out and improve this strength of your enmity in your wicked works against God But saith he you that were thus allienated and enemies in your minds in wicked works he hath reconciled to present you holy and unblameable and inreprovable in his sight Here are two waies by which Christ reconciles us unto God he hath reconciled us by the blood of his Cross and then in the Body of his flesh through death to present us holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight he hath undertaken this latter as wel as that other and he hath undertaken that we shal not remain enemies unto God eternally but that there shal be a time when we shal be brought in to God and have gracious dispositions put into us so as we shal become frieâ—ds unto God and friends unto al that are Gods There are many that speak much of Christ in regard of his satisfaction and what the transaction was between God and him and they think that because Christ hath undertaken to satisfie Gods wrath what need we care for any thing what is it though we live as we list it is to no purpose what we do whether we do il or whether we do wel for Christ hath done al in the work of Reconciliation But my Brethren see the mistake Christ hath not only undertaken satisfaction and to reconcile God unto us but he hath undertaken with God the Father likewise to reconcile us unto him not to satisfie God alone but to bring us into a gracious fram and disposition of heart likewise and therefore except Christ do both the truth is he doth neither It is true the one may be done from al eternity Christ may undertake the one and undertake that he wil do the other also but until Christ hath actually done the other thou canst not conclude that he hath done the former That man that perswades himself that Jesus Christ hath done the former when as he hath not done the latter deceivs himself and therefore to beleeve in Christ as a Reconciler is to beleeve in Christ as undertaking these two things First undertaking with God the Father to make satisfaction unto him And then Secondly undertaking for us to bring us in to the Father likewise and as Christ must do the one as well as the other so he wil be as faithfull in the performing the Second as he was in the undertaking and dischargeing the First Few people think of this they think much of Christs undertaking to satisfie Gods Justice and so to Reconcile them unto God but they have seldome thoughts of this that Christ hath also undertaken to chang their hearts and to make them friends unto God But you that go on in wicked works being enemies to God in your minds in wicked works perhaps you think God wil be Reconciled unto you through Christ and when you die you shal be saved through him Remember this point That Christ the Reconciler hath undertaken with God the Father both to satisfie his Justice and to subdue your hearts so that you shal no longer be enemies unto him and therefore if Christ have not done the other in your hearts it is an evident argument that for ought that yet appears he never undertook to satisfie the Justice of God for you O! what an argument is here for men to be restless and unquiet in their natural condition You that go on in a sinful and ungodly way you may certainly know that there is for the present no evidence that Jesus Christ hath undertaken with the Father to make any Reonciliation for you for if he had he hath also undertaken on your parts to bring in your hearts to the Father and to make you friends with him as wel as him friends with you On the other side any of you that find the work of the Spirit in your hearts that begin to find Christ subduing your hearts unto God that whereas heretofore you did live in waies of enmity unto God but now you begin to find the power of Christ in his word beating down those proud hearts of yours you find Christ changing of your minds and so bringing of your hearts into subjection unto God Bless God for this and know that this is part of Chists undertaking with God the Father and in that he doth this in your hearts it is an Evidence that he hath undertaken to satisfie Gods Justice for all your sins Thus you see how Christ is a Recâ—â—â—â—â—er and Mediator CHAP. 16. How what Christ hath done for Our Reâ—oncilition come to be made Ours 1. Christ the head of the second Covenant There is a fourth thing which I propounded in the twelfe Chapter and that is How we come to be reconciled to God in Christ It is true Chist hath done it you see But how do we come to have what Christ hath done made ours that so we may be reconciled unto God In a word thus Christ is looked upon by God the Father as the Head of the Second Covenant and so we are looked upon in him as Covenanters and as joyned together in one body in him this is the way of Christs Reconciling God us the way of the Conveyance of al the fruits of that Reconciliation unto us This is the Councel of God concerning the Children of men that they may come to be reconciled and saved As his Son hath undertaken the thing so it is not only that he should stand between the Father and us It s remarkable there must be a Union between him and us and he must present us to God the the Father as one Body with
set one against another there should be a Reconciliation But God hath waies in his infinite Wisdom that we are not able to comprehend the spirits of any of our Adversaries are not so desperately bent against us but there was as much enmity between us and God as there can be betwixt us and any of our adversaries in the world and we have no such exasperated enimes against us as we were by nature against God If therefore God could find a way when we were such enimies unto him to make peace betwixt us and him then hath God likewise a way to make a true setled and constant peace between our Adversaries and us And we should desire that as God hath made our peace with him firme and sure so that what peace God makes in this land it may be somwhat like unto that peace that he hath made between Heaven and Earth There is a firme peace made between God and us a peace that we may rest upon and confide in A peace betwen our adversaries and us as things now stand we cannot count it sure you cannot be sure of your lives one night after it is done as things now stand But we must desire such a peace might be made as there is made between God and us sure and firme and stable Therefore pray much and beleeve much as you are able and though things be brought to such a straite as there is no likelyhood in the thoughts of men how it should be done yet they are not brought to such a straite as things were between God and us before he reconciled himself unto us And there was more required to make up that Reconciliation betwixt God and us then there can be between us and our adversaries And what was it that made our peace first with God God was in Christ reconciling the world it was the blood of his Son that saved our blood and therefore let al those that are godly go to this God of peace and not only cry to him by Prayer for the making of a true and firme peace amongst us but present unto him the blood of his Son to that end and say O Lord thou that sentest thy Son into the world to make peace between our Souls and thee look upon that blood and let that blood prevail with thee to make peace in England that there may be no more of the precious blood of thy Saints spilt and shed amongst us Here is the way to get peace And Certainly if the blood of Christ were able to make such a peace between us and God as is firme and lasting it wil be able also to make peace in this poor Nation and such a peace as shal be firme and lasting too Thus we are incouraged in regard of external condition in regard of the peace of our land that seeing God hath done the greater he is able much more to do the lesser That seeing God hath reconciled mercy and Justice together and made peace betwixt Heaven and Earth when the Breach was so great as al the men in the world and the Angels in Heaven could not find out a way to compose the difference and make up that breach yet he hath done it He can certainly also compose the differences and make up the breach that is amongst us CHAp 24. Use 5. Those that have assurance of their peace with God highly to prise it HEnce then if our Reconciliation with God be such as hath been opened and if it be wrought after that way Then an other Use we may make of it is this Namely That al those that have any comfortable assurance that their peace is made with God they are to prise it highly and not easily and lightly to loose the assurance of it Why Because it hath cost so much as it hath done and it hath been wrought for them after such a strange manner as it hath been the greatest work that ever God made and wherein his wisdome and goodness and power hath been seen now that which God hath set himselfe to worke so powerfully in to the end that he might acomplish it and that which hath cost so dear as it hath done that wherein so much of the mistery of Godliness is contained suerly then if we have obtained the assurance of it in our selves we should highly prise it and we should seeke to preserve it and not loose it we know not how I remember when we opened the excellency of our Reconciliation with God and what admirable fruits did flow fom it we had there a Use like unto this that because it is so excellent we should preserve it and not let it go lightly But now this Use is drawn from the way of Reconciliation that it is a Reconciliation in Christ and in indeed the argument fals more strongly upon us here then it did formerly before the argument was that we should prise it because we have such comfort in our Reconciliation because such admirable fruits doe flow from it because it is able to carry us through al troubles in the world But now we must seek to preserve it because we have it in Christ because it is that which cost more then ten thousand worldes are worth because God hath wrought so wonderfully to bring it ahout Hath God therefore spoken peace to any of your souls take heed that you turn not again to folly Psalm 85.8 I wil hear what the Lord wil say for he wil speak peace to his people and to his Saints but let not them return again to folly Hast thou gotten any comfortable perswasion that the Lord is reconciled unto them Christ and God hath made thee to know that Reconciliation with him was a difficult work it may be it cost you many tears and prayers and much trouble before you could get it and a long time you were seeking of it in a Legal way and crying unto God for his mercy to pardon your sins and Seeking to him in that natural way but then you could not have peace spoken to your hearts but in time the Lord opened the mistery of Christ unto your souls and then you sought Reconciliation with him in Christ and you saw how that it was in his blood that your peace was made Have you got peace in an Evangelical way through Christ O! Make much of it it is a precious Jewel in that it comes to you in such a way as this is it cost God dear and it may cost you dear but whether it cost you dear or no you may be sure it cost God dear therfore make much of it do not loose it to loose it fully so as God should again beâ—ome your enemy that indeed you cannot do but you may loose it in your apprehensions you may loose the comfortable assurance of it There are Two waies that Christians may loose the comfortable assurance of their peace with God First through the weaknes of their faith secondly through the sinfulnes of their lives CHAP.
from the absolute necessity that lies upon sinners to come and be reconciled unto God shewing them that certainly they wil be lost undone and eternally damned if they do not come in He that beleeveth not the wrath of God abides upon him You are lost and undone creatures except you do come in And sometimes arguments taken from the excellency of the benefit and profit that there is in comming in to God and being reconciled unto al the Glorious promises of the Gospel are so many powerful arguments to draw the hearts of sinners to run in to be reconciled unto God I might be very large in this in shewing of the particular arguments that God doth use but take that one ful argument that we have to perswade sinners to come in In Prov. 1.23 Turne you at my reproof behold I wil pour my spirit upon you I wil make known my word unto you He speaks here to simple ones Scorners Fools Turne you at my reproofe behold I wil pour my spirit out upon you saith God as if God should say though you are Scorners yet the truth is my heart works towards you my heart doth yearn towards you and if you would but turne to me I would pour forth my heart to you you shal have my very spirit my very heart let out unto you if you wil turne unto me What an argument is here to prevail with the hardest hearts in the world For God himself to come and say unto a sinner to one that hath Scorned him and his wayes and to a Fool that hath gone on in waies of folly and wickedness for God to come and say unto him Oh wretched sinner come in come in turne to me turne to me for my heart is ful my heart is top ful turn to me I wil pour forth my heart to thee Al those promises of giving rest to thy soul of giving life eternal eternal salvation Glory Peace and Comfort and a Kingdom shal al be made good to thee The Lord therefore suites himself unto us in such arguments so close as may out-bid other comforts that we have in the word in any waies of sin and therefore tels them of Hony and Milk and Rayment and Gold and Silver and al such things as are precious in the eyes of men such as are of esteem with us and tenders his Son unto us upon such kind of notions that every one of them might be prevalent arguments to gaine the hearts of sinners to come in unto God this is the way of God that he comes into the hearts of his people with the most prevalent arguments such reasons as one would think were impossible to be gainsaid I appeal to the hearts of those who have been acquainted with the work of God upon them How did God come to your hearts did he not come with mighty strong arguments to you The Devil he tempted and he comes with strong arguments and God he comes and tempts with strong arguments the Devil draws and God draws Gods mercies draw stronger than the Devil can Oh! it was mercy to that soul and the truth is when the Lord pleases to work effectually upon the soul he can present stronger arguments to draw the heart of a sinner to him than it is possible for the Devil to prevaile against CHAP. 72. The Twelfth Argument Manifesting the exceâ—ding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners ANother way is this in answering al Objections that lie in the hearts of sinners whatsoever Objections lie in the hearts of sinners God hath waies to answer al those and he doth it in his word and by his Spirit As now What would a sinner object If you object your unworthiness of such mercies as God doth offer unto you and therefore it is unlikly that ever God wil bestow that mercy on you observe Esa 55. there is a place that God intends directly to answer that objection that it may never hinder any sinner from comming in unto him saith God Come ye to the waters and he that hath no monies come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without mony and without price Note in one verse there is three times Come without Mony he that hath no Mony come and Eat and then buy without Mony and then without price What is the meaning of this here you are to know that the promises of the Gospel are set out to you by Wine Milk so by bread afterwards by those things that are most delightful most useful for the nature of man the Gospel is set out by such things and so it is in Scripture by things that are the most excellent of al. Somtimes by a Kingdom for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand there is the argument the Kingdom of God is at hand and somtimes by a marriage when God sends to people to be reconciled he sends to them with this Argument that it is to marry them to his Son And somtimes by a Supper that God the Father invites too a Supper wherein there is al kind of dainties the great King makes a Supper at the marriage of his Son and there are powerful Arguments that God useth O but I am unworthy saith a poor soul What that such a one as I so vile so wretched and every way unworthy should have such things this was the policy of the Devil at the first the Devil labors to make sinners to slight the Gospel to set at naught the counsels of God so you have it in Prov. 1. to account the bloud of the Covenant a common thing that is the first way But if he cannot prevail that way but the Lord doth shine through al mists and il conceipts of the Gospel and shews unto the Soul the excellency and beuty of his Son and of the glorious things that are in the Gospel then the Devil comes the other way Indeed saith he there are glorious things but thou art unworthy thou art a wretched base vile Creature and canst thou think that God should grant such things as these to thee now the Lord answers this Objection What saith God Come without Money What is that that is though thou hast no worthiness in thy self though thou hast no a bilities to buy any thing that is good yet come come yet close with my Grace that shal make thee rich enough thou shalt have money enough that way Come without mony without price let never that Objection hinder thee that thou art unworthy unable to do any thing the Lord cals thee without Money offers freely to thee therefore in the latter end of the Book of the Revelation it is said in the last Chapter the 17. ver And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst Come and whosoever wil let him take of the water of life freely How shal I ever think to have it It is free so that this
entertain it kindly for certainly it wil make way for further mercy that shal be the Third And then the fourth is this USE 4 The consideration of this point may cause abundance of humiliation to our hearts cause exceeding sad thoughts if this be so that one mercy of God makes way to another one mercy if it be sanctified and have the blessing of God with it it is a door of hope to another hence when we look backwards to these waies of Gods mercies that have been heretofore towards us and look to the oppertunities that we have had of obtaining further mercy from God and consider how we have lost them when God was in a way with us Oh! that should draw tears of blood from us look back to thy life I suppose there is never one in this congregation but in looking back to the waies of Gods providence to them they cannot but cry Oh! the Lord was once in a way of mercy to me there was a time that certainly God was merciful to me Nay not only in outwad mercies such and such deliverances I had at such a time Oh! had I followed those mercies What might I have gotten when I was crying to God for deliverance God heard me God hath delivered me delivered my family now God as it were was in a way of mercy to me O! had I followed that then what might I have gotten but I neglected the opportunity I lost it and now God is in another way with me but especially when you look back to the opportunities that you have had for the good of your souls hath not God many times bin in a way of mercy to your souls Oh! was not there such a time when you began to have frequent workings of Gods spirit in you you began to have light darted into your Consciences to have the spirit of God drawing your hearts that when you came to the word you found the word coming with power and the spirit of God sealing it and your hearts did begin to yeild and to melt before God Oh! what might you have gotten if you had gone on if you had followed God in those convictions of conscience and in those beginnings of troubles you had and workings of Gods spirit what might you have come to now There was a door of hope but fooles and wretched men to stick in the birth and come not forth and alas May not many say Oh! that I had a door of hope there was such a mercy of God towards me but wo to me the door is shut I find my heart shut up and my conscience shut up and my heart now is hard but it was beginning to be softened but Oh! how hard it is now God was opening my heart but now it is otherwise with me and for ought I know God is gone and Christ is gone I had a day if I had knowen it Oh! it had been happy for many in this place if they had at such a time followed God when he was in a way of Mercy If it may be when God was in a way of mercy to thee thou haddest had a heart to go into thy closet and there cried to God to follow on that Good work that he had begun and to make it effectual to thee this had been a gracious work to thy soul but thou wentest away into thy shop into thy calling perhaps into the Tavern or Alehouse to thy gaming to thy company and so nâ—glectedest the day of Grace there was a door of hope but there was another door thou haddest a mind rather to follow than to follow God in the way of mercy I wil not say that there is no door of hope for thee for there may be a door of hope but this I wil say that thy condition is a lamentable and most greivous condition and thou haddest need look to it for this consideration sinketh the hearts of men and women afterwards If thou shouldest come to thy sick bed or death bed perhaps thy conscience wil preach that to thee that now I am preaching to thee and then thy conscience wil give ananswer it is true there was a door of hope opened to me and then if any Minister come to offer Mercy I you wil say it is for those that have a time of Mercy but God did open my heart and I did shut my heart against him and these thoughts and conclusions are the despairing and sinking thoughts of men and women upon their sick beds and if God never had been coming towards me there might have been some hope but what hope is there now for me Oh! take heed for time to come any of you if God be coming in a way of Mercy if this day by the word at this time he begin to open any of your hearts labor to follow him to go in at this door of hope Wel that is the fourth again fiftly from this point learn this USE 5. If one Mercy be but an inlet to another Mercy then this should teach al the people of God to be content to beare one affliction though it be but a way making for another affliction the argument runs thus It is true there cometh an affliction and by and by another and that makes way for another and so the cloudes rise after the raine and how many poor weak hearts are plunged and dejected they can bear one affliction I but when another cometh and another cometh at length they fal down under the weight of their afflictions but if thou be one that belongest to God and hast the assurance of this point that I have this day been preaching to thee then use it as an argument to uphold thy heart It is true one affliction cometh after another and one affliction maketh way for another and hath not one mercy come after another too and hath not one mercy made way for another too I am sure I have had mercies thick and three fold and one hath made way for another and though I have new afflictions making way one for another yet let me beare them considereing how long a time I have had mercies making way one for another yet further in the sixt place the sixt Use of this may be of great conscequence too VSE 6. That if this be the way of God towards his people that one mercy shal make way for another then it should be the way of the people of God towards him again that one duty should make way for another duty there is a great deal of reason for it If God be thus gratious to us that one mercy maketh way for another then we should be so thankful to him that one duty of ours should make way for another duty and this brethren is a most excellent thing that one duty maketh way for another duty as I told you before when a duty is accounted a mercy then it wil certainly persevere and so take this second note of persevering comeing in here when one duty