therefore is this phrase God is Reconcileing the world to himself As if he should say If once you are gone out of the world and are not reconcilied unto God before you are gone you are lost for ever The object of this my grace is only those people that live in the world if they pass away this time and be not reconciled unto me while they live here they shal never be reconciled for God was not reconciling himself to men that are in Hell for they are not of this world they are gone out of the world they were suffered by Gods patience to live a great while in the world and here they filled the world with sin as much as in them lay Now they are gone out of the world and are gone from the shine of Gods grace which shal never come to shine upon them more they shal never come to hear any offer of the Gospel more This is a fourth Reason Reason 5. A Fifth Reason is this Hereby God wil shew his wonderful love and free Grace to wretched Creatures that he should regard such vild Creatures as those that live in the world for the world alas what is it It is a dunghil of filth and as the Apostle saith 1. John 5.19 The whole world lies in wickedness it lies as a dead Dog or Carkass that lies in a Common Sewer Nil mundum in mundo nihil aliud est totus mundus ante conversionem nisi aut hara porcorum aut collovie rapidorum canum Aust As a filthy hogsty or kennel of mad Dogs in a ditch al in slime and filth Now that God should set his heart upon the world what an infinite and wonderful love and free grace is this The truth is before our Conversion we do al lie in wickedness as a Carrion or a dead Dog that lies in a Cart-way al in gore mire So are we in our natural Condition and yet that the great God of Heaven should send his own Son into the world to die for such a one that he should make such a one an heir of Heaven and of eternal life that such a one should become a member of his Son and so have everlasting Communion with himself that this should be plotted by God from al eternity What an infinite love of God is this And again that the world lies in wickedness the world that is so vile and so unworthy a thing that yet the Lord should be thus reconciling the World to himself What an infinite and unconceivable free Grace of God is this Reason 6. The Sixt Reason is this They that shal live in the world shal generally come in to God and indeed be actually reconciled in time Though the world for the present be not so generally reconciled unto God yet the Lord hath his time when the Jews shal be called and the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in and we shal see further Reason of the generality of this expression God hath promised that Christ shal possess the utmost parts of the Earth and that the Heirs of the promise shal inherit the World I understand it litterally Rom. 4.23 God made a promise to Abraham and to his Seed that he should be the Heir of the World And this Promise is yet to be fulfiled in a literal sence In some spiritual sence the Saints may be said to be Heirs of the world for indeed the right especially belongs to them I do not say but ungodly men have right by guift he giveth the Earth to the Children of men but not by inheritance as the Saints have as Servants have a right to their meat and drink and what is given them but the Children have a right by inheritance so the Saints have a right to this world as wel as to Heaven and there is a time a comming when they wil be possest with their inheritance Then the Text wil be true literally And thus you have had the Reasons given you of this Phrase and this may suffice for the opening of the Point That it is the World that God was reconciling himself unto CHAP. 36 Use 1 Seeing God hath excepted none from Mercy let none except themselves BY way of Application now and that very briefly only two particulars First Seeing God propoundeth Reconciliation thus in such genneral and large tearmes to the world Then if God have not excepted any let none except themselves Art thou a man that livest here in the world there need be no further qualification for the tender of Grace for the offer of the gospel to thee but this that thou livest in the world God doth not cal for such qualifications as these That they must be such and such men of such and such ranks and dignities or men of such parts or that they must be such as have not committed such and such sins Or that they must be first terrified and so and so humbled No we have Commission to preach the Gospel to every one that hath no other quallification than this but that he lives in the world Indeed if thou wert gone out of the world although thou should'st have but one sinful thought to answer for we could not preach the Gospel to thee though it were possible for an Angel to come to thy soul after it is gone out of this world yet it cold not nor dare not preach the Gospel to thee But while thou are in this world we are appointed to preach the Gospel to thee and to hold forth the tender of Grace and mercy to the. There is no councel of God revealed either to Angels or men that hath excepted any one in the greatest Congrigation of people from Reconciliation with God and thou that hearest or readest what I now say thou mayest bless God that thou art one bless God when thou hearest and readest this that there is no councel of God against thee made known either to angels or men whereby thou art excepted from Reconciliation But every particular one for ought we know in any congregation may be reconciled unto God and have eternal life O Only take heed of abusing this grace of God look to it that you make a Good use of this grace of God this is that which we are bound to tel you and in the name of God we do declare it to you and God propounds this Gospel to us in these large tearms that you may be left utterly without excuse if you perrish There is none of you if you perish can say I was so vild a siner that I was afraid I should never be received by God though I did humble my selfe and come unto him for God wil answer you Were you such a vild Sinner Did not I reveal my gospel in such genneral termes that none might exclud himselfe did not I say I was reconciling my selfe to the world And did I make any exceptions of thee in particular Thou oughtest to have come in amongst the rest and have ventured thy soul
against another there may be a peace made and they may lay down reasons on both sides but al this while they may not come in to a league of friendship and amity one with another But God is so Reconciled to a soul as that he entereth into a League with the soul entereth into Covenant Fiftly The Lord when he is Reconciled to a soul he is perfectly Reconciled we may give it that word for the truth is it is such a Reconciliation so perfect as that there shal not remain the least grudg in the heart of God towards a man Reconciled It is true on our side it is not so perfect but on Gods side it is so perfect a Reconciliation as that there shal not remaine the least grudg in the heart of God against the Creature for any hurt to the Creature Sixtly Yea such is the Reconciliation as that it is everlasting such a Reconciliation as there shal never be breach made more such a Reconciliation as there shal never be a falling out more And where was there ever such a peace made between one man and another when was ever one man so Reconciled unto another as that a man may say wel these two are thus and thus Reconciled who were at deadly enmity before yea they are so Reconciled as that there wil never more be any breach between them so Reconciled as that all that ever can be done in the world shal never break the bond of friendship that is between them Here is a Reconcilement to purpose and this Reconcilement there is between God and every Beleeving Soul at the first moment when thou first comest to Jesus Christ God shakes hands with thee entereth into League with thee become a friend to thee is so Reconciled unto thee as that there shal be nothing in the world shal ever break the Atonement that is made between God thy Soul You shal see how God himself expresseth it in that 54. Isa 10. speaking to his Church about this very word of Recâ—nciliation he saith The mountaines shall depart and the Hils be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee This Scripture though spoken to the Church is true of every beleeving soul Do you think that Mountains are firm many stormes and tempests may be abroad but all the stormes in the world cannot remove the mountaines Look saith God how firm and steady the mountains are So firm shall my mercy be to thee and the Covenant of my peace Hath God had mercy upon thy soul and hath he been reconciled unto thee know then it is such a Reconciliation as is more stable and firm than the very mountains themselves O! this is the Complement the top of Reconciliation that it is a perpetual Reconciliation So that notwithstanding though some of Gods waies may perhaps be towards you as if you were an enemy God may so appear to you sometimes yet peace is to thee God intends no hurt at all howsoever he may look somtimes as an enemy yet at that time he means thee not the least hurt All the afflictions that befall thee they do not come from God as from an enemy though perhaps through thy weaknesse thou maâ—'st think so for though God be Reconciled to thee in so gracious a way yet if he correct thee thou art apt to look upon him as an enemy No it is thy mistake Gods Reconciliation is a through Reconciliation and may stand with all those Corrections that he useth towards thee 7 Yea this Reconciliation wil continue constant notwithstanding all those sins of thine which indeed of their own nature make breaches between God and man Take heed of abusing such a doctrine as this is Thy sins cannot overcome Gods goodness O! let Gods goodness overcome thy wickednesse for that is certain the Lord when he was first reconciled to thee he did know that there would be many failings and fallings out as it were but yet he was resolved to be reconciled and that that receconciliation should continue notwithstanding all those failings and thy sins though they may change some administrations of God towards thee so that he may severely Correct thee yet they shall not take away this Reconcilation but the Lord will continue thy friend stil But yet if indeed thou beest Reconciled God wil put this into thy heart that when there is any failing in thee thou wilt never be at quiet till thou comest to renue thy peace again Thou mayest lose the sence of thy peace but thou shalt never lose thy peace indeed And though we cannot speak such a truth as this is without fear and trembling because it may cost the hardening of many a soul yet so willing is God that his people shal be Comforted as that he will have this doctrine of Reconciliation published though it cost the damnation of many sinners 8 Yea the Accusations of the Devil against thee shal never provoke God so as to turn enemy to thee again There may be peace made between friend and friend but it may be there may be some whisperers some tale-bearers and make-bates by a spirit of Jealousie that may goe between them and do abundance of mischeif by their suggestions but this cannot be between God and us It is true the Devil would be continually a make-bate between God and thy soul and doth continually go before God to accuse the soul and therefore he is called the Accuser of the Brethren But the peace that is made up between God and a soul through his Son is so firme and the friendship is so stable as that the Lord shuts his Ears aganist all the accusations that can be made against his friends One intire friend cannot indure to hear ill of another It is a signe that freindship begins to grow cold when they are willing to hear of any evill against their freind The Lord will not listen to the least accusation that is made by Satan against his friend he will not so much as be willing to hear of any thing spoken against his people such a perfect and through and firm peace is there made between the soul and God CHAP. 5. Twelve Blessed Consequencs of our Reconciliation But now that which I specially intended should have been to have shewed you some Consequences of this peace And therein I should have shewed you the excellency of the Reconciliation I will give you the particulars thereof very briefly The first Consequence First hence followeth peace with al the Creatures in the world whereas before not only God was an enemy but all the Creatures were enemies the good Creatures the ill Creatures thy Companions whom thou thoughtest to be thy friends the Heavens the earth the Beasts in the field the Stones in thy House they were all thy enemies not the least Creature in the world but was one of the Host of God ready pressed to avenge the quarrell of
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
to himself by him I say so that the Apostle would put an emphasis on this that we are reconciled by Christ By him Saith he and he was not satisfied in saying of it once but he repeateth it again by him I Say whether they be things on Earth or things in Heaven There are two difficulties in this Scripture first in that it is said God hath reconciled al things to himself in Christ how doth God reconcile all things to himself in Christ we are now speaking of reconciling those that shal be Saved eternally but here the Apostle speaks of reconciling of all things God may be said to reconcile not only Saints but al things unto himself in this regard In that al things were lyable to distruction through mans Sin and it is in Christ and through Christ that any thing in the world is preserved in a good Condition When you behold the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and al these things and see the preservation of them in any good Condition you must know it is al through Christ and had it not been in regard of Christ al things would have come to ruine and confusion presenly and so God reconcileth al things to himself in Christ Further Al things are reconciled in Christ too in this regard In that now al things are through him come to be made Serviceable to those that are his Saints and reconciled ones and in that regard al things may be said to be reconciled to God because they are reconciled to Gods friends whereas before al Creatures were enemies tâ— us through Sin and now through Christ they come to be made useful to us and so unto God by us A Second difficulty in this text is How God hath by Christ reconciled al things in heaven what things are there in Heaven that are Reconciled to God by Christ We must understand that the things in Heaven that are said to be reconciled are especially to be meant of the Angels But you wil say How can the angels be reconciled to Christ there was never a falling out never an enmity between God and them I Answer That though in a proper sence as reconciliation Concerns man there is no reconciling of Angels unto God yet because there is a neerer and a further and a more firm union made between God and the Angels through Jesus Christ than ever there was before or than ever there should have been for ought we know if Christ hade not been in that regard reconciliation may be said to be of things in Heaven God and them being now by Christ more firmly made one than ever they were before And again though the Angels had never Sinned against God and so were no actual enemies unto God yet they were in a capacity of sinning for they being but Creatures they could not but be frail in themselves and so lyable to fal from God and to sin against him as wel as those that did fal therefore in regard of the establishment which they have now through Jesus Christ because they are now confirmed in such a condition that they are in an impossibility of falling from God God having so taken them to himself and they being so one with God that they can never fal from him in this regard also they may be said to be reconciled For notwithstanding al the perfection of their Creation they might have fallen into the same condition that those did that are now reserved in Chaynes to the Judgment of the great day But now God hath so reconciled al things in Heaven by Jesus Christ that the Angels themselves are more firmly made one with God than they were before And further the Lord doth receive them into a more intire affection of love in and by Jesus Christ than he did before the Lord looking upon the Angels in and through Christ there is a more through firme intimate intire affection of God towards them to establish them and to accept of them in Jesus Christ And besides they are reconciled to God or unto us rather because they are come to be our friends whereas at first they were our enemies so that in that regard there is a kind of Reconciliation but because I conceive the text doth not so much intend that we shal let it pass Thus you see how God was in Christ reconciling to himself even in some sense the very Angels themselves This then is the first thing the very thoughts that God had of entering into any tearmes or parly with man about peace is by Christ that the Lords heart was inclined to man it is from Christ that the Lord would be willing to accept of any satisfaction it is through Christ that we have an access to God any way it is through Christ There is nothing from the one end of the work of Reconciliation to the other but it is al through Christ For further opening of this great point there are these things to be propounded First Briefly to shew you the necessity of Christs coming in in order to our Reconciliation with God and likewise that it could be no other way but by Christ Secondly How Chirst comes to be a fit Reconciler Thirdly What it is that Christ hath ingaged himself to and performed according to his ingagement for our Reconciliation Fourthly How that which Christ hath done comes to be made over to us and that we come to have the fruit of it for our Reconciliation with God Fiftly The Consequences that flow from this Namely that our Reconciliation comes through Christ Sixtly The reasons why God wil be reconciled to us through his Son rather than any other way And Lastly To make some Application of al. These particulars might hold us some time but because we often meet with much of this Doctrine of Reconciliation and have divers times before and are likely if God lengthen out opportunities stil to do it therefore I intend to present al these seven particulars before you in a very short view CHAP. 13. The necessity of Christs coming in for our Reconciliation FOr the first The necessity of Christs coming in for our Reconciliation and surely this is that which is to be in culcated and beaten upon you again again for you neither know God nor Christ nor your own estates except you know the necessity of Christs coming in to undertake in the work of Reconciliation I suppose if we should ask any of you how you hope to be saved you wil presently answer by Jesus Christ But the understanding of the absolute necessity that there was of Christs coming in to reconcile us and God together is not so ordinary therefore I beseech you seriously weigh it The necessity of it in a word is this There was such a distance made between God and his Creatures through sin as did put a necessity upon a Mediator to come between the distance was so great for God being the infinite first being and we being his Creatures the distance must
of the first person in trinity for Creation is attributed to the first person and man sining against that work of Creation hence it comes to pass that the first is more directly and immediatly offended Now therfore the second Person in the Trinity he comes next in Order and therefore it is he that is fit to be a Reconciler between the father and us because we having sinned against the work of Creation God the father unto whom that worke is attributed is more especially offended 2 But not only so for if he had been but only the second person if he had been but only the Son of God he could not have been the reconciler of us unto God and therefore there must be somwhat else When we ask you what Christ is you Ordinarily answer the Son of God but if that had been al if he had been only the Son of God and the Second Person in Trinity he could not according to that way which God hath revealed in his word that he wil be reconciled unto Sinners by have been a fit mediator for us Therefore in the Second place that he might be a fit mediator to make our peace and to reconcile God and us together he comes and takes our nature upon him and is made a very man so that the same Person is now God and man he having taken up the nature into a personal union with the Son of God so that he pertakes of both those natures which is to be reconciled observe it wel Christ who is to be the Reconciler his business is to reconcile God and man between whom there was so vast a Breach Now to the end that he might be fit for this work and reconcile these two God and man he partakes of both natures and is become by uniting the nature of man which he tooke to himselfe into Personal union with the Godhead both God and man and having the nature of them both he hath interest in them both he hath interest in God the father as being the same God coequal with the father though not the same in a Personal regard but the same God with the Father and he hath interest likewise in man as he hath the same nature with him and thus he partaking of God and partaking of man comes to have interest in both and in that regard becomes a fit mediator between God and us Here is the great work of God to reconcile man to himself and in this God must do a work that is far greater than the making of Heaven and the Earth It had not been so great a work for God to have made ten thousand worlds over again as for God to make a mediator to become God and man in one Person The union of the two natures of Christ is the greatest work that ever God did from al eternity or ever shal be done and yet this was required to reconcile us to himself and surely you may wel conclude that the work of reconciliation of a sinner to God is a greater business seeing that Heaven and Earth must be moved about it and that the greatest work that ever was done or ever shal be done must be done about this or else it had never been effected The Second person in Trinity must come and take our Nature and be made in the form of a Servant that so he might be a fit peace-maker or Mediator between God the Father and us And then Thirdly Christ is a fil Mediator in this That he knows fully the mind of the Father and throughly understands even to the utmost what wrong the Father hath received by our sin If one should come to Mediate between one Man and another and should desire the party offended to be at peace He wil say you speak thus unto me but do you know what wrong such a one hath done me if you understood the wrong he hath done me surely you would not think it so easie a matter for me to be at peace and the truth is if al the Angels in Heaven and al the men in the world should come to interpose and to make peace between God and any sinner for any one sin God would presently Answer them and say what do you do to come to undertake this work of making peace with me and a sinner alas you do not understand what wrong is done unto me by his sin you know not what injury I have received by his sin therefore you are not a fit party to be a Mediator And in this regard no Angel in Heaven could possibly be a fit Peace-maker between God and Man for they know not what wrong sin hath done unto God But Jesus Christ knows to the utmost he understands throughly and fully al the wrong and injury that is done unto the Father by the sin of Man he knows what prejudice his Father susteined by al the sins of al the men of the world which no Creature else Angels nor Men could ever do Nay they are so far from knowing the wrong that is done to God by the sins of the world as they are not able to understand the wrong that is done unto God by one of the least sins that can be committed Fourthly Christ is a fit Mediator because he fully knew what would please and satisfie his father If a man should come to be a mediator to reconcile two that are at difference if indeed he knew the mind of the Party offended fully and throughly we would rather chuse such a man to make up the Breach such a man indeed that doth understand to a hair what wil satisfie the offended Party is fit to be a Mediator All the Angels in Heaven do not know like unto Jesus Christ fully and throughly the mind of God or what it is that wil satisfie him it is onely Jesus Christ who was with the father and lay in his very bosom from all eternity that knows fully what wil satisfie the wrong that is done to the father and therefore he alone was fittest to undertake this work Fifthly Christ is a fit Mediator in this That God the father doth infinitly love him that he is infinitely dear to the father and you know that it is a special ingredient for those to have that are to be Reconcilers that they should be dear one to another especially dear to the party that is offended If a poor man hath offended a rich man in a Town and he saith within himself O! that I were reconciled unto such a one If he can get one that is the intimate friend that that rich man hath in all the world to speak unto him in his behalf he wil conclude that certainly the business shal have good success and that this friend wil prevail Thus it is with our Mediator he who is our Reconciler unto God is infinitely dear unto the father God the father doth infinitely delight in him and therefore whatsoever he shal say or do must needs infinitely please God the
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.
were not glorified before To be Justified in time doth no more argue a change in God than to be glorified in time argueth it The Saints upon Earth are not yet glorified and yet they shal be glorified and that argues no change in God So the Elect that are not yet Beleevers are not yet Justified in that sense the Scripture speaks of Justification yea they shal be Justified and that argues no change in God But that we may further understand this how God was from all Eternity reconciling himself unto the world yet there are several periods of time wherein there are several workings of God towards a sinner which indeed are implyed in the words of the Text. God was reonciling the world to himself he Was a doing of it and this work before it comes to the accomplishment hath several periods of of time And to the end you may understand it the better You must know that there is a great deal of difference between those actings of God which are in himself according to his own nature and those actions of his towards the creature that are in a suitable way to the Creature and for the want of the right understanding of the diffrence between these two many people do most grossly mistake and gather many absurd Conclusions They agrue from Gods infinite and unconceiveable way of acting in himself to those acts of God that are suitable to the Creature and received by the Creature when they heare of any thing of the workings of God received by the creature they would understand that in the same manner or as if it were to be understood in the same manner as those acts of God in himselfe I wil shew you how great a difference there is between them First Take the Acts of God in himself and this is true the act of God is the Beeing of God himself Gods Essence and his act in himself are allone but now the act of God as the Creature receives it is not the Essence of God for the Creature is not capable of Gods essence for then the Creature should be infinite But the act of God as it is in himselfe is God himself and so it is infinite there is no act as it is in God but it is an infinite act because is is God As now that which the Creature receives cannot be infinite So the acts of God in himselfe are al eternal and there is no difference of time with God there is not time past present and to come Look upon the acts of God as he worketh in himself whatsoever act there is in God even the glorifying of the Saints so far as Considered in God is eternal And there is no difference of time at al in the acts of God as in himself But if one consider those acts as the Creature receives them then we must looke at the difference of time one at one time another at another and another at another received by the Creature And you must take heed of too much boldness when we speak of God when God sometimes manifesteth his workings as the Creature receives we must not then thinke that these are the acts of God as they are in himself which are infinite and to be conceived in an infinite manner so as nothing but an infinite understanding is able to reach and to conceive of Therefore those men that think to fatham the arts of God as they are in himselfe they are too too presumptuous for only an infinite understanding is able to conceive of them we must conceive of them as the Creature receives them and so as they are revealed in the word and this is the substance of what is revealed concerning Gods working towards us namly that from eternity there was a transfaction between him and the Son in such an unconceivable maner as we know not of and that in time the Lord did lay our sins upon his Son on the Cross and that afterwards when his good time shall come to call a sinner to himself then he doth justifie him and prononce a sentence of absolution But first he calls them So the scripture saith those whom he hath called he hath justified The Scripture makes calling of a sinner to go before justification therefore whatsoever is in God from eternity yet it is apparent that speaking of justification as the scripture speakes of it Vocation goes before and that justification is no otherwise from eternity than Vocation God may as truly be said to cal a sinner out of his natural estate from eternity as to justifie a sinner from eternity in that sence that the scripture speakes of it in Rom. 8. But when we speak of justification ordinarily we speak of it in the sence that the scripture speakes of it here and so Vocation is first and then justification and afterwards glorification So that though the Lord be pleased to reveale much of the mistery of the Gospel to us and tel us he hath been reconcileing himself to us from eternity yet we must understand this in a sober way and take heed we do not vanish in our own thoughts when we come to search into it CHAP. 32. Five Vses of the former Doctrine A Word or two further for the Application of this for something hath been already done in the last Chapter and then we pass to another point Vse 1. Here we see the infinite love of God that he hath been pleased thus to think of us poor Creatures from everlasting to make it his worke to reconcile us to himself and here is the foundation of the sweetness and comfort of al the mercies of God to those that are reconciled unâ—o him that they are the fruits of eternal love of God to us And here is the foundation likewise of the establishment of the Saints that their happiness doth not depend so much upon the Covenant that God hath made between himself and them as the Covenant that God hath made betwixt himself his Son For the covenant is two fold either between God and Christ or between Christ and us Now it is true much doth depend upon our keeping Covenant with Christ but our happiness and Salvation and indeed al our good doth cheifely depend upon the Covenant between the Father and the Son Use 2. Againe Here we may see how to answer that question of some Atheists what God was doing before the world began I remember it is said that when that question was asked by some in the primitive times the answer was That God was makeing of Hel for such curiouse Inquisitiors But here we have a further answer to give then that namely That God was exercised from al eternity in the business of Reconciling the world to himselfe God had as it were the idea and the platform of all things before him and saw man how he was made in his Innocency and saw him fal and saw how he should rise againe and how he should be converted and glorified Al the platform
that those sins of theirs that stood upon their scoor are now taken off and set upon the score of Christ This is a blessed doctrine and we cannot speak of this without trembling of heart because we know how subject men are to abuse it but the Children must have the bread given to them though it tend to the ruine and destruction of others You that are sinners and go on in sin though you see it not you run every day upon the score like some Gallants that come into an Inn or into a Tavern and there cal for Wine and good cheer never thinking that one is al the while they are eating and drinking and merry behind the dore with a peece of Chalk scoring up al and at last wil cal in for the payment of it Every sin we commit is upon the score and there is a time when God wil cal for payment You wil say how is it then that God saith their sins shal not be imputed Why it is because Christ comes and al that is upon our score is taken off and set upon his but yet the score must be payed So that this phrase noteth That the Salvation of man is not from such a free pardon as a man that is in debt should have his Creditor come and say I wil quit the score I wil wipe off al and pardon it al No But the way of the Salvation of man is thus Here is a debt and payed it must be Only Christ the suerty comes and he payes for some and others are cast into the prison of Hel where they must lie till they have pay'd the uttermost farthing for the debt must be pay'd And here is the Reason of the difference between Beleevers and others Those that are damned al the time they live they run upon the score and at last God comes and reckoneth with them for all and then alas they have nothing to pay Saith God to the Devil take him Jaylor Death is Gods Sargant to arest him and the Devil is his Jaylor and they have him to prison and there he must lie til he hath payed the uttermost farthing But now Beleevers that have run upon the score In the dayes of their youth they were so much upon score When they were Apprentizes so much upon the the score Since they were married so much upon the score Yea but when divine justice is ready to seize upon them and arest them Christ comes in and saith he let the man be freed I wil pay the score for him As if a spend-thrift should run upon the score and when he is arested and ready to go to the Jayle there comes some freind and saith deliver him and I wil pay the debt So Christ doth So that when our sins are forgiven they are so forgiven as that it costs much our deliverance costs much And this I note from the phrae in the Original text for there it is thus not reckoning or accounting it upon the score I have in many sermons opened the doctrine of the pardon of sin therfore I do not intend â—o dilate upon that I wil only give some few notes from hence that are most proper to this text Note 1. And the first is this That there may be sin in the soul and yet not imputed Therefore there may be a righteousness imputed which is not our own there is the same ground of both Many of our adversaries do crie out of imputation of righteousness say they how can that which is none of our righteousness be made ours for so it is if we beleeve the Righteousness of Christ which is none of ours is made ours how can that be say they Yes as wel as that which is our sin shal not be made our sin if that which is our own shal not be imputed then that which is not our own may be imputed likewise Note 2. Secondly Which is a note of marvelous Comfort There may be a Reconciliation with God even while there remains much sin in the Soul It is not said thus Reconciling the world to himself taking away their sins purging out al their sins as if there could be no Reconciliation til al their Sins were taken away But he was reconciling the World to himself not imputing that is the Phrase As if he had said O! you Sinners so long as you live in the world you wil have sin and therfore do not think that God is not reconciled unto you or that you are not reconciled unto God No though sin be remaining in your hearts yet God may be reconciled unto you not imputing your sins This should be an argument to you to labor to purge out sin as much as you can seeing the grace of God is such that sin remaining in you yet God is stil reconciling you to himself it is not so much to think that God should be reconciled to the Angels in Heaven that have no sin in them O! but God to be reconciled to his Saints upon Earth that have so much sin in them that is much There are many of the people of God that cannot distinguish between the not imputing of sin and being of sin in them they think because they have much sin in them the Lord wil not be reconciled to them But know thou though sin be in thee yet theâ—e may be no imputation of sin to thee and therefore learn to distinguish between sin being in thee and sin being not imputed to thee And this should be of Use to us likewise to teach us to be willing to be reconciled to others notwithstanding there are many weaknesses in them and though they stil continue to offend us Be reconciled to your Servants and reconciled to your Childdren and to your Neighbors and say not I could be reconciled to them if I saw them changed indeed What meanest thou by that Dost thou mean that thou may'st see no more weaknesses in them or that there may never be any thing in them more that offend thee wilt thou stay so long God doth not stay so long for thee til he bringeth thee to Heaven and perfecteth thee he doth not stop his Reconciliation with thee til thou comest there and beest perfect No he is reconciled to thee here even here whil'st thou hast a nature in thee that bubbles out nothing but sin against him and notwithstanding the in-being of sin in thee yet God can distinguish between the in-being of sin in thee and the imputation of it Note 3. We see here is the bottom of al our Reonciliation the non imputation of our Sins It is no argument that God is reconciled to a man because he lets him prosper in the world or because he hath been at Sea and hath got a great deal of Riches in his Voyage perhaps the man blesseth himself and he thinketh O! now al is wel between God and me for he hath given me so much riches and he blessed me in such a Voyage alas thou mistakest
the Oyle of joy for mourning the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called Trees of Righteousness the Planting of the Lord that he might be glorified that is in effect the same with this the Ministery of Reconciliation that is but a large expression of the Ministery of Reconciliation and as you see here it is a prophecy of Christ that first Christ is annoyinted this Christ is appointed by God the Father and the Holy Spirit for the Spirit of God is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted â—e there is the holy Spirit in it God the Father appoints him he only may be said to be the appointer and the Holy Spirit going to annoint Jesus Christ to be a preacher of the Gospel and he being the prime and the cheif Prophet of the Church he doth appoint others to exercise as it were some work of his prophetical office that is to preach the great Doctrine of Reconciliation hath committed unto us the Ministery of Reconciliation this you shal see is the commission that Christ gives in the last of Mark 15.16 verses And he said unto them go yee into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleeveth is baptised shal be saved and he that beleiveth not shal be damned Go ye saith he and preach to every creature he that beleiveth and is baptised shal be saved but he that beleiveth not shal be damned this is the Gospel the doctrine of Reconciliation by Christ he doth not give them a bare commission but he joyns his own power together to this commission and tells them that his power doth go along with them in it Math. 28.18 And Jesus came and speak unto them saying All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth What followes in vers 19. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptising them in the name of the Father Son and Holy-Spirit What a commission is here what a preamble to the commissions is here I have received all power both in Heaven and in Earth And than he tells them Go and teach al nations as if Christ should say you are going about the greatest work that ever any creature hath been implyed in in this world for so it is certainly The Ministery of Reconciliation is next to the work of Redemption that Christ was employed about is the greatest work that any creature in this world was employed about whatsoever the world thinks of it no Angel in heaven was ever employed about a greater work then this and therefore being of so great consequence Christ makes this preface Al power is given unto me in heaven and in earth go ye therefore as if Christ should say Be it knowen to you now that the power that is given to me by the Father shal go along with you and therefore be encouraged but they might wel have said who is sufficient for these great things But be not discouraged saith Christ my power shal go along with you to assist you to comfort you to encourage you it shal go along with you to make your Ministery proffitable unto them that do belong unto my election It shal go along with you to defend you from al adversaries The world wil be enraged against you When you come to preach this Doctrine But now my power shal go along with you to defend you from them al to strengthen you against al oppositions in the world and to enable you to suffer whatsoever shal be brought upon you and further saith Christ I am with you Alwayes even to the end of the world One would have thought that that should have been sufficient that Christ should have said I am with you to the end of the world But there is something more in this I am with you Alwayes even to the end of the world that is I wil not be only with you so as not wholly to leave you but there shal be no one moment of time to the end of the world but in it I wil be with you I wil not only overshadow you and send my presence with you but every moment every day every sermon you preach and then I wil be with you to the end of the world those were dead above 1500. Yeares agoe and yet Christ saith he wil be with them to the end of the world that is with those that should succeed them in the Minnistery of Reconciliation This is the commission And when they come to any house they are to begin thus You shal say Peace be to you when they come to any place that is the peace of God in Christ Now this doctrine of Reconciliation is that that must be understood by preaching We can read but very little of it scarce one letter in all the book of the creature we cannot come to understand it by any knowledg of our own but it must be taught us no nor by the creature But thus much may be understood by the creatures Gods continuing to the world and shining upon the just as wel as upon the unjust and abundance of Mercy heer doth this declare with a loude voice that there is some possibility for men to be reconciled unto God there is mercy for mankind there doth seem to be a loude voice in the goodness of God in the creature to sound out in the eares of al the world that man is in a better condition than the Devills for certainly if God had no intention to do good unto mankind he would not continue so many Mercies as he doth But now this cannot shew us what is Christ but it may shew us thus much that God hath a way of mercy for the Children of men and I think in part that text may be meant of this that we have in Rom. 10.18 Where the Appostle speaks concerning the Gospel but I say have they not heard Yes verily their sound went into al the world have they not heard of the Gospel that is here spoken of Hath not Israel heard the Gospel Yes verily their sound went into all the Earth and their words unto the end of the world And this text if you compare it with the 19. Psal We may have cause to wonder much at the quotation of it and there you have it a little different as in the vers 4. their Line that is the great characcter of the Grace of God that is written in the book of the creature as it were in a line that is gone out throught the earth and hath a kind of sound in it at least we may see it written but hence you see in the 19. Psalm It is clerly spoken concerning the works of God In the Sun and in the Heavens The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmant shews his handy work The creature hath a loude voice to cal us to God by repentance now there can be no calling of us to Repentance but it is a voice of the Gospel And the
not so capable of conversing with Angels as men we are not able to stand before them when an Angel hath somtimes appeared to a gratious Servant of God he hath not been able to bear the glory of it but to fal down and when the Angels came in the 2 of Luk. and said Glory to God on high c. The Angels struck the Shephards with amazment And in the second place the Ministrey of the Angels could not be so effectual Angels do not so fully understand the windings turnings of the hearts of men so as men do A Man is more conscious to the turnings and windings of his own heart then any Angel can be he may know his own heart more then Angels can and by knowing his own heart he may be able to speak more suitable we do not in read the word that Angels knew the thoughts of the heart of men any further then they are some way exprest nor the Devils That is made to be the property of God to be the searcher of the heart but a Man may search his own heart in a great measure furthen the Angels and so they may the better speak unto the hearts of others and so God in Wisdome rather commits the Ministery of Reconciliation to men then Angels But a third is this and that is a special one that the power of God may the more appeare in the conversion of souls unto Jesus Christ and in this one thing the power of God doth appear a great deal more then in making Heaven and Earth First The Doctrine of Reconciliation is the most high supernatural thing that is in the world it is above the reach of a creature Secondly It is that that doth beat down mans nature as much as can be But now that a few poor fisher men at first to whom was committed the word of Reconciliation and a few of the Apostles that were in a poore meane contemptible condition that sometimes had scarce raggs to hang upon them were whipt up down put in the stocks as if they had been the vilest Rogues that had been in all the world and yet that God should subdue so many nations upon the face of the earth and in time should bring the whole world in general to receive this Doctrine by such poor and weak meanes O! the infinite power and glory of God that doth appeare In this God uses weak meanes to shew the greatness of his power and for that you have a cleare text in 2 Cor. 4 7. But we have this treasure in Earthen Vessels that is the Ministery of Reconciliation O! it is a treasure indeed in earthen vessels the word is in the greek in vessels of shells there were some rich shells that had on the outside a plaine shel that when you came to the Sea-shore you should look upon them and they looked meanly as if they had not been worth a farthing but within the shel there was a pretious Pearle that was worth many thousands of pounds so saith he we have this treasure in a shel that is in a poor weak fraile vessel man a contemptible vessel we have this pearle And why so the Apostle gives the reason that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us There is a mighty power of God that goes together with the Ministery of Reconciliation Whensoever any soul is brought home to be reconciled unto God certainly there goes a mighty power yea there goes an hyperbolical power together with it Object But how wil this appeare that there is such a mighty power of God that goes with the Ministery of Reconciliation It appeares in this that there is such mighty things done by such poor weak and contemptible means that men should be willing to part with any thing in the world yea their very lives and beare the greatest torments of the most cruel Tyrants and that for the witness of this truth Now this appeares to be the mighty power of God and this seemes to be a secret answer to any objection in 3 Cor. Is it so that the Ministers of the Gospel are far more Glorious then the Ministers of the Law What is the reason that the Ministers of the Gospel are in such a meane condition so much meaner then the Ministers of the Law There was an high Priest and he had glorious Robes and had pretious stones upon his brest and shoulders now we have no such things Here is a company of poor Fisher-men weak meane men that the world regards not suerly the Ministers of the Law were more Glorious then these Ministers of the Gospel No saith the Apostle for al this we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power of God might appeare and not of man and we are willing as if the Apostle should say that the power of God may appeare more that the glory of God may shine bright we are willing to be Earthen Vessels Another Reason may be this why God committs this Ministery to poor Men rather than to Angels surely God hath a further end then wee imagine it is in just judgment to be a stumbling block to wicked and ungodly men whose hearts are opposite unto the Glorious Gospel that as we know Christ said he preached in parables that in seeing they might not see and in hearing they might not understand as a just judgment of God against the Pharisees and others whose hearts were wicked and unclean and opposite unto Christ that the glorious things of the Gospel might be hid under those parables So I make no question but the means of the Ministery of the Gospel which the world counts Foolishness and the mean condition of the professors of the Gospel is made by God as a stumbling block to ungodly men who God intends should perish eternally because their hearts are wicked and perverse I hate them saith God therefore wil hide this rich treasure from them But those that I love I wil open the inside unto them but others shal have nothing but the outside they shal only have the visible part But now there are others whom God intends to save and they come and the Lord together with their outward Ministery speaks to their hearts and opens the inward treasure to them and they se the Glory of it and admire at it and they come to tast the sweet promises of the Gospel and they adore God in receiving such things as these are so that God fetches about his ends this way but in his just judgment hides his Gospel from some and reveales it to others and therefore saith the Apostle in 2 Cor. 4. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost the ministery of the Gospel it is hid to some but it is to those that are lost he hides it from them by this outward meanes the outside Thus you see why God doth commit the Ministery of Reconciliation unto men rather then unto Angells CAP.
it is in Christs stead saith the Appostle There wil be a time when thou wouldst fain have the eare of God to hear thee As you would have God to hear you then so do you hear him now marke that text in the 1. Prov. 24. against those that turn away their eare from hearing God speak Because I have called and ye refused I have streetched out my hand and no man regarded but ye have set at naught al my councels and you would have none of my reproofe howsoever you thought it was but the word of such and such a man yet you have set at naught al my councels and you would have none of my reproofe your hearts fretted and vext that such a man reproved you no it is my reproofe saith God and mark what a doom follows in the 26. vers you you shal cal Saith God and I wil not hear There was a time friend when I cald to you by such a sermon and you know that I spak to your hearts and you turnd a deaf ear to me you shal cal your hearts out and I wil not hear you and there wil come a time that you shal cal to Gods ministers to pray for you What would you have God to hear his ministers for you and wil not you hear his ministers from God It was a speech of Ambrose to Theodosius the Emperor saith he wil not you hear me seeing you desire that I should be heard for you you desire saith he that I should be heard for you and therefore be you willing to heare me now that was the speech to Theodosious after he hade fallen to a great sin comming to reprove him for his sin what saith he wil not you hear me you would be willing that I should be heard for you therefore be you willing to hear me so say I to al men that live in any way of sin Hear Gods ministers now for a day wil come when you wil be glad that God should hear his ministers for you O! hear us when we come in the name of God we would not have you to heare us if we speake our owne fancies This concerns those that neglect the word Now a word or two to those that disobey the word they wil set their judgments against the judgments of the ministers let him say what he wil it is but his opinion Do you know what you say this rebellion is against God against Christ as if there were this language in your hearts Christ saith I wil have this done thy lusts say they wil have this done O! this wil be charged upon thee one day that the voice of the divel was more strong with thee than the voice of Christ but specially it is to contemne the word to set at naught Gods councels to go away contemn the word Dost thou know what thou dost let me apply but these two scriptures to thee thou that Despisest and Scornest the word that canst go to company and there talke of what thou dost heare in a contemnning manner consider but of these two texts I pray first Consider of the text out of which the Point is Raised of Gods Speaking to thee thou dost despise and dost thou so Consisider what the text in Isa 39.23 Saith when thou gettest into company and there art warme with wine Oh! then thou liftest up the voice and laughest against whom hast thou lift up thy voice thou thinkest it is against Hezekiah No it is against the Holy one of Israel thou thinkest it is against such a man that preacheth such a day no it is against the Holy God and Jesus Christ and this is upon thy score written in Heaven here is one that hath reproached the Holy one and Jesus Christ In Luke 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me c. That is true not only of the desciples that were there for the present upon the earth but of al the faithful ministers to the end of the world for Christ saith when he sends them out I wil be with you to the end of the world They were dead more than a thousand years agoe and Christ yet had promised to be with them that is those that should succeed them he would be with them to the end of the world And this Text concerns every faithful minister as wel as the disciples of Christ al that time you despise Jesus Christ and God his Father when you despise the ministery of his word for the Lords sake take heed what you do when you have to deal with the word you have to deal with an edge tool it is that that wil either save you or destroy you for ever You that have been guilty of neglecting the word the Lord strike and humble your hearts and for a Cordial for time to come I wil apply but one scripture further to you and that is that in Heb. 12.25 What is that that in the faithful ministery of the word God and Christ speaks unto people Then take this exhortation So that yee refuse not him that speaketh If they escaped not who refused him that spak on Earth much more shal not we escape if we turne away him that speaketh from Heaven The Ministery of the gospel and the Ministery of the Law are compared One speaking from Earth the other from Heaven though the truth is they were both from Heaven But now in the Ministery of the Gospel God hath sent his own Son to you In the latter daies he hath spoken by his Son saith the Apostle in 1. Heb. the begining God who at sundery times spak in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last times spoken to us by his Son c. In former times God spake by his Prophets there was the voice of God but it is not so cleer that there was the voice of God though it is true Christ did speak then by the prophets but in comparison Christ is not said to speak by them But now in these daies God hath spoken by his Son and God hath reserved the Ministery of his Grace and his eternal counsels concerning the Children of men God hath reserved this for his Son and not only his Son personally but his Son in the Ministery of his word Now you wil say If Christ did preach as you say he doth there would be more power We find that when Christ did preach that the Pharises derided him in the original it is they blew their noses at him and marke they that were covetous they derided him they even derided Jesus Christ himself A worldly heart that is growen rich that hath gotten from a low estate to a far greater he wil deride the most excellent preaching in the world Take heed that you do not despise the Ministery for certainly the voice of Christ wil prevaile one day If it doth not prevaile here in the word it shal prevail one day when Christ shal say depart from me yee cursed though thou dost not
old ones have you that are fit to instruct young ones and to come incourage them in the waies of Righteousness and to tel them what they have found in Gods waies and so to provoke them on to the wais of righteousness 3. How few old ones have you that can delight to see God yet appearing more gloriously in his waies in his truth and ordinances than he hath done nay are not many vexed and think to cast off al with an apprehension of novelty new things that we have and so upon that vex and fret and wish that things were as they were formerly of Old 4. How many have we that are ancient that are spiritual and heavenly that can say with Paul Now I have finished my course and have fought the sight of faith and henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Glory Come Lord Jesus come quickly Certainly if old age be found in the way of sin it is as dishonorable as it is glorious when it is found in the waies of righteousness 95 Isaiah 20. a sinner a hundred years old shal be accursed saith God a siner a hundred years old we read in Exe. 8.12 When God would shew the superstitious idolatry of his people there he brought Ezekiel and shewed him what the ancients of Israel did O! it is a sore and heavy thing when as the ancients of Israel shal any waies countenance the waies of superstition and Idolatry and therefore in 9 Ezek. 6. when God would come against his people in the waies of his Iudgments then God had the destroying Angel begin at those that were old first and strike them first I it is a blessed thing when the Hoary head is found in the waies of righteousness but when we have white hairs and black consciences that is a grievous thing Instead of being old in the waies of righteousness to be old in adulteries in Ezek. 23.43 it is said there she was old in adultry that is an aggravation of her sin that shee was old in adultery yea to have the wantonness of their youth that be now come to their old age to have their old age be a sinke to the diseases of their youth Those that are old in sin they shal have old wrath heaped up for them Ezek. 25.15 it is an agravation of wrath that it is said to be old wrath there is old wrath as wel as old sins An old enemy of God is a most dreadful thing for him and his forefathers to have bin old enemies to God an old earthy muckworme to be old and yet ignorant and superstitious to be an example to draw others to that that is evil through the venerableness of their age this is a sore and a very grievous and an evil thing the Lord speak to the hearts of those that are so because they have so little time to make provision for their souls to make up their peace with God and it is hard for them to do it they that have bin in captivity seventy years as we read of the children of Isarael that they had bin in captivity seventy years together and so there are many men and women that have bin in captivity under satan for these seventy years perhaps for eighty years together O! how hard is it to work upon them as if a candle lay a longe time in the wet it is hard to light that candel it is as hard to worke the work of Grace upon any that have layne soaking a long time in their corruptions I wil not say it is impossible but give me an example of one man that hath bin converted when he was old only one seemeth to have fom probability of it and that was Manasseh but except that I know no example of any not that it is impossible only this I speak to cause those that yet have not made up their peace with God and yet they have one foot in the grave to look about them while there is time it is possible but we must make account of it as a mighty great thing God must magnifie his free grace towards you for how shal God have his ende in working upon you what service shal God have from you when you have given away your former time in the waies of sin the Lord speak to your consciences and humble them before him at this day for their condition is sad and it is a most dreadful object As it is a most glorious object to behold one righteous in his old age so it is a dreadful object to se an old drunkard an old swearer an old prophane man is a most dreadful and fearful object to behold but we hope that the Lord hath some objects among us that cal for much reverence and respect and to them I desire rather to speake VSE 2 By way of incouragement and by way of exhortation much peace and comfort is due unto such the Lord and saints look upon them as honorable Thou art a Father in Israel and God remembers al that thou hast done for him these forâ—y these sixty years I remember Luther saith That one gracious action is more excellent than heaven and earth Millies quam caelum et terra saith he one gracious action and there is a truth in it there is no gracious action but hath more excellency in it than the frame of heaven and earth Then those that have continued long in the waies of God and have grown Old in them Oh! how excellent are they that have performed so many gracious actions and al are treasured up with the Lord know the Lord hath Old mercies for thee who hast been an Old disciple and he wil not forsake thee when thou art Old Psal 71.9 Cast me not off in the time of Old age forsake me not when my strength faileth And in verse 18. now also when I am Old and gray headed Oh God! forsake me not If thy conscience tells thee thaâ—â—hou hast indeavored to serve God from thy youth to do good in the place God hath set thee in thou mayest now go with comfort unto God Oh Lord now forsake me not wheâ— am Old leave me not when I am Old Now thou â—ast the blessings of the people of God upon thee and whensoever thou goest out of the world Oh! the sweet savor that thou wilt leave behind thee thou art a glory and honor to all thy children and shalt be after thou art dead and gone in Proverbs 17.6 Childrens children are the crown of Old men and the Glory of children are their fathers The glory of children are their Fahers I when their Fathers are gracious and Godly then â—â—ey are the glory of their children As now what an honor is it that a child came of such an one Oh! this young man he had a very gracious Father an ancient grave Citizen he did worthily in his time he did God a great deal of service he was a man of excellent guifts in the place where God had set him surely
the Lord loved this creature and took delight in him therefore it is observable in that 1. Gen the last that though when he beheld all his other works he only said that they were good yet when the sixt day came wherein man was made the text saith that he saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good Every particular Creature was good taken by it self good as from God good in their qualities effects wthout any either guilt or hurt But now taken altogether are very good especially seeing man was made who is the most excellent of all Gods visible works in the morning of his creation observe it it is never said very good till the last day till man is made there is not this Commendation of the works of God mentioned till he had made man and the reason is indeed because the Lord did not take so much delight in all the works he had made in this world untill he had made man man was the very complement of all the excellencies of Gods works for indeed he was the End of all his works he made all the other for man and man for himself God hath not his glory I meane not immediatly from al his other works in the world but only through man and had it not been for man he had lost the greatest part of his glory in the rest of his works his glory passeth from all the works that he made unto him through man Now therefore though the works that God made the Heaven the Earth and the Seas and the like were good in themselves yet what glory could God have had in all these he could have no Communion with these Creatures after they were made and these Creatures could have no communion with him none of them could know God or take any notice of God or praise God actively God is a pure act and he is not content with having his glory passively but he must have his glory actively It is true al his Creatures were made as an instrument in tune but there was none to play upon it and though there be never so much of the glory of God in all the Creatures in the world yet if man had not been made none could have sounded forth this glory of God those Creatures had been Dumb in that respect like an instrument that cannot of it self sound forth any musick unlesse there were some to play upon it and so it is here God had made all other Creatures very good and there was in them matter of Gods praise but now to the end that this praise and glory of God may be sounded forth he brings in man and he gives him skil to praise the name of God in all these Creatures and in this God delighted very much Thus there was a most blessed union and a wonderful delight between God and Man at first but the truth is this union was soone broken and man in a smal time did come to be next to the Devills the most deadly enemy that God had though there was a most blessed union between God and man at first so that Adam could walk and Converse with God as he did for a while yet Adam sins against God and turns a most disperate enemy against God even he himself and all his posterity therefore you shal observe in the story where the fall of man is set forth that as soon as Adam had sinned the voice of God which he did but hear in the Garden became terrible to him and he presently seekes to hide himself he was Conscious to himself that hâ— had made God his enemy and he lookes upon God as his enemy and so flies from him as from his enemy O what a change was here of mans condition what a sad thing was this that God who had no Creature in al the world to know him and feare him and serve him and love him and in whom he could delight and have Communion but only man and that that man should presently turn rebel and enemy unto God such an enimy as God looks upon him as one having a most opposite nature unto him and man looks upon God as an enemy to him and flies from him as from an enemy so that God was sain as it were to call after him Adam where art thou This is the woeful fruit of sin even of the first sin of the fal of our first Parents and since the world began since that very time this man this Adam hath begotten none but enemies unto God and if there be any truth in the word of God this is certaine That there was never any Child of Adam but was born an enemy unto God the Scripture is as Cleere in this as in any thing I might name abundance of texts for it which for brevity sake I shal omit Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were Reconciled unto God Certainly if any men in the world were not enemies unto God they are those that are Reconciled afterward but the Apostle speakes of himself and of all other Christians that are Reconciled unto God he saith that they were enemies unto him this may be said of every man child in the world that he is an enemy unto God and such enemies are every one of us unto God naturally as that there is an antipathy between our hearts and him and the enmity of antipathy is the greatest it is not an enmity occasioned by some il carriage in one act as for example Two men though they were great freinds before yet there may be some miscarriage between them that they may be as enemies for a while but that is not al the enmity that is on mans part against God is in his very nature It is true there was a sinful act brought it in first and made a breach between God and man but that is not al it went further there was by this sin begoten in the heart of man an antipathy a natural antipathy between him and God so that the poyson of a Toad in the Body of a man is not more opposite and there is not a greater enmity to the nature of man than the nature of man is opposite and an enemy unto God himself Two sheep may fight one against another by occasion and be as enimies one with another but two sheep can never be at enmity one with another as the Wolfe and the Lamb are for their enmity is natural their natures are opposite one to another So the heart of man is opposite unto God even naturally And know this that there is in mans nature not only a hatred of God but a deadly hatred Perhaps you may think you are free from this but Certainly this is in every one of your hearts naturally even in those that have the best natures in the world as you call them there is in their hearts a hatred nay a deadly hatred against God But you wil say God forbid what hate God Se that Scripture
here is the first sound of the Trumpet of the Gospel and blessed are they that hear this joyful sound namly that there is a possiblity of being reconciled that the Lord is content to enter into parly with his enemies for God might have cast them off forever and never so much as parly with them as he hath done the Angels that sinned against whom he was so provoked that he resolved within himself and he hath kept his resolution since the beginning of the world and he will keep it unto all eternity that he wil not so much as enter into parly with those Creatures or be reconciled with them upon any tearms As when a man is so fallen out with an another as that if one should come to speak about terms of peace he cannot endure to hear of them no saith he I will never enter into treaty with him so long as I live about it So God wil never enter into treaty with the Angels he wil not hear of any terms of Reconciliation but is resolved to revenge himself upon them to al eternity therefore the Apostle saith they are reserved in chains to the judgmtnt of the great day But now Lord what shal become of man poor man might well fear when he hears what God hath resolved upon against the Angels he hath cause enough to shake at that for indeed man is a far more poore and mean and wretched Creature than those Angels are If it be so between man and man that when a great Prince is offended with some Noble man in his Court and so offended with him yea for his first offence as that all the men in the world cannot perswade that Prince so much as to vouchsafe to hearken to any terms of reconciliation and if some meaner officer some poore Groom shal have offended the King and provoked his wrath and hears of this that his Cheif favorite one that was neer unto him that was alwaies in his presence did but offend him once and yet the King should never hearken to any means of pacification surely this man would soon think with himself Lord what wil become of me Is there any hope that there shal be a parly between the King and me Certainly this poor man wil even be ready to have his heart sink within him and sit down altogether overwhelmed with fear and dispaire And so indeed should we all have done upon our reasoning within our selves concerning Gods dealing with the fallen Angels had we not had this glorious and blessed sound of the Gospel and hopes of Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ we would all have sunk down into the battomlesse Gulf of dispaire and concluded certainly against our selves that there can be no peace between God and us we being such enemies unto him as we are by nature But though this be beyond our thoughts as farr as the Heaven is above the Earth and though this could never enter into the heart of man that ever God would parly with poor falen man after so great an emnity begot by sin yet know this is the message that is come from Heaven even from God himself that he is contented to parly with you yea so Contented as that he himself hath sent ambassadors to us to intreat us be reconciled But of that hereafter God I say is Content to enter into treaty with man concerning a Reconciliation and the making up of a peace between him and their souls for that indeed is the very scope of the Gospel If I should a little dwell here to inquire the Reason of this why the Lord should be willing to enter into this treaty with man-kind the truth is it is an unsearchable depth we cannot imagine any Reason why the Lord should rather chuse to parly with us and to treat concerning terms of peace with us than with the Angels There is something indeed which we may have in our thoughts As thus If God did not Reconcile himself to man and save him he should loose his whole Creature he did not loose all the Angels when they fell but if God should not provide a way to be Reconciled to man the whole kind of that Creature would be utterly lost now the Lord wil not cast away the whole kind of such an excellent Creature as man is But the truth is these are but guesses at this Reason in chusing to treat with us about salvation and not with the Angels But the main thing is God hath waies to glorifie himself that we know not of in reconciling himself to man-kind We know this that there are glorious intentions that God hath in this work but what these are we shal never know througbly til we come to Heaven and that indeed wil be the very work of Heaven it self to be praising of God to all eternity for that great act of his namely his willingnesse to be reconciled to lost man rather than to the fallen Angels We shal know some Reasons of that afterward for God doth things according to the Counsel of his wil and there is nothing he doth but he hath a great deal of Reason for which we must adore though we cannot now fully understand Only for the present let me hint this unto you let the Consideration of but thus much affect your hearts O should we be sent to preach to the Devils such a point as this is or to the Angels in Hell and say the Lord hath kept this Councel from you almost this six thousand years and his waies towards you have been â—o as if he would never enter parly with you but now God hath revealed his wil towards you that he is content to enter into a Treaty with you about the things that concern your peace and the reconciling of you unto himself what a message would this be to them think you but this never was nor never shal be preached unto them If God should send this message to the damned in Hel and say to them the Lord is content to enter into a parly with you about the reconciling of himself unto you what a message would this be to them but this cannot be this is only a message to those that are alive here in this world to that part of the children of men that are living upon the earth unto them only can this be preached that there is a possibility of Reconciliation between God and them Truly the consideration of a possibility is that which may satisfie the heart of man let the terms be what they wil. O! is it possible that God may be reconciled I wil never inquire about the terms out of fear that the hardnesse of them should discourage me O! let the terms be what they will this is the most acceptable news this is the best tidings to my soul more acceptable than it I were told that I had a thousand worlds given unto me even this that I hear that there is a possiblity of reconciliation betwixt God and my self
God upon thee You are afraid of souldiers why have you not all this while been afraid of the Host of the Almighty God God hath Souldiers enough even in your own house which he can raise up against you he can raise the very dog that is in your family to tear out your throat if he once give him a Commission for there is an enmity between every Creature and a sinful soul and it must be so If there be an enmity against the Generall and Commander in chief of the Army there must needs be then the like enmity against the souldiers Thou that art a sinful soul thou walkest up and down in the midst of Gods Host that are ready every moment to destroy thee and that stands waiting for a Commission from God the Lord of Host to revenge his quarrell upon thee But now being once reconciled unto God all this Host all the whol Creation is reconciled unto thee All the good Creatures the Angels they are now for thy good whereas before they stood ready waiting for a Commission from God to strike thee to the heart for the Angels do wait when God wil give them a command to execute upon those that offend him and they are gone pesently to put the same in execution and so it is with every other Creature But now being reconciled these Angels are become ministring spirits unto thee It is a great matter to have the Angels reconciled by being at peace with God they come to be Reconciled also unto thee and instead of being thy enemies they are as so many fair chariots to guard thee from whatsoever may hurt thee The same I may say of all evil Creatures too they are al so far reconciled to thee as that they shal do thee no hurt or prejudice But The Second Consequence Secondly A Second fruit that follows is Peace of Conscience whereas before thy Conscience terrified thee struck fear and dread in thy heart continually accused thee before God and was as Gods Officer to fill thy Soul with poysoned Arrows and to rend and tear thee But now thou being at peace with God thy Conscience is at peace too Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ then follows those most sweet and comâ—ortable effects which we are afterwards to treat of But this is the fruit of Reconciliation Peace of Conscience which is worth ten thousand worlds For one to have his Conscience his enemy to have his Conscience continually to terrifie him it is a greater judgment than to have al the wild Beasts in the world to come and tear and rent his flesh Third Consequence Thirdly there is in the soul a Peace in all other faculties As thus Before the work of Reconciliation between God and man was done the Scripture saith there is no Peace to the wicked in regard of tumultuous workings of the many lusts that are in their hearts the one continally fighting against the other the Conscience telling one thing and the will of a man that opposeth Conscience and the affections they are all in a tumult one against another one lust opposeth another fighteth against another there is a disorder and a confusion and a tumult in the heart of a wicked man he goes against the light and the light against him and there is nothing but warring and combustion in his heart Your lusts saith the Apostle war one against another within you and you may easily find it to be so if you observe your selves that when your lusts are once up they breed such a woful disturbance in your heart that you are like the Sea that casts up nothing but mire and dirt Take a wicked man that hath but some darting in of any light telling him what the mind of God is his heart fights against this light and the light fights against his heart so that there are nothing but woful disturbances in his Soul and he is never at Peace No not when he seems to be most serene and quiet But now when we come to be at Peace wih God there is a blessed calme comes into the Spirit of a man the Conscience the wil and the affections are brought into a sweet and Comly order and things are in a great measure more quiet than ever they were The fourth Consequence 4. The fourth fruit is Joy in the Holy Ghost for God being at Peace with a soul the Holy Spirit comes and sheddeth abroad the love of God It is true somtimes we are not sensible of this joy but when once we come to know that we are Reconciled unto God then we come to feele the joy of the Holy Spirit shed abroad in our hearts This you have in Rom. 5. Having Peace with God we rejoyce in tribulation And more especially in Rom. 14.17 The Kingdom of God is nor meat and drink but Righteousness and Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit Joy in the Holy Spirit followes our Peace or our Reconciliation with God That is a fourth particular The fift Consequence 5. There is likewise this fruit of it Hence the soul comes to have free access into Gods presence with boldness Indeed when I look upon God as an enemy unto me and upon my self as an enemy unto God how can I come into Gods presence with boldness But being Reconciled I come to have access to God Adam could not stand in Gods presence when once he had broken his Peace with God but our Peace being made through Jesus Christ we may come into the presence of God and comfortably look upon his face and see no hatred no revenging wrath in it The sixt Consequence 6. Hence there may be a sweet and blessed trade between Heaven and Earth between God and the soul Reconciled As in Countries that are at Warr one with another there cannot be any traffique or trading between those Countries But if once there come to be a League and a Peace made up between the one and the other then trade is open So it is between God and the soul And the truth is there is no free trade made between Heaven and us till Peace be made we cannot trade to Heaven and fetch Commodities from thence we may speak to Heaven and Cry and say our Prayers as the phrase is but to fetch from thence the rich Commodities that are in that Country we cannot til there be a Peace Concluded Indeed a gracious heart that is Reconciled to God never sends up a prayer unto God but he doth as a rich man that sendeth a Ship to the Indies nay it is far more better for you may loose your Ship and your adventure that you send may miscarry But when a gracious soul trades with God and sendeth his Ship of prayer to Heaven he never fails of having a sweet and rich return The seventh Consequence 7. Now we come to injoy all the good we have in this world as upon a new right it is setled upon us and comes
of al your loose professors that walk so carelesly in their waies the peace they have had comes lightly to them and so goes lightly away from them they have patched to themselves a peace but they have not the right understanding of the mystery of the souls Reconciliation to God and that is the very ground of the looseness of their conversations Thus I have endeavoured to help you to examine your peace whether it be true or no. If you can upon these signes or notes conclude your peace to be right Blessed are you go your waies rejoycing and joyn with the Angels in their song Glory be to God in Heaven and peace on Earth glory be to the great God that is on high that hath not only made peace on Earth but made peace in my bosom and therefore O my soul returne unto thy rest Thy soul may now even take its ease You have a notable expression concerning this in Psal 25.12 where speaking of the happiness of the godly he saith What man is he that feareth the Lord his soul shal dwel at ease O! it is a blessed thing to have a soul dwel at ease You would fain have comfortable Habitations for your bodies where you may live at ease and not be disturbed or be troubled either with il neighbors or with fear of enemies O! but to have your Souls dwel at ease that is your happiness and therefore though in many places of the nation our Brethren abroad can have no houses wherein they may live at ease but are alwaies in great streights and dangers yet by this peace with God if it be made sure unto thee though thou wert in the midst of thy enemies thy soul may come to dwel at ease Remember that place therefore it is a blessed and a sweet promise and you should make much of it in such troublesome times as these are that he that fears the Lord his soul shal dwel at ease CHAP. 9. Use 3. To seek to make our Peace with God five helps thereunto 1. Keep from the outward Acts of sin 2. Labor to set God continully before you 3. Resolve not to be at Peace with your selves till you be at Peace with God 4. Seek Peace with God on his own Conditions 5. Prize Peace with God now as you wil value it at the day of Judgment THat we may conclude this particular of the excellency of our Reconciliation with God there is yet another Use which we may make of it And that is this Use 3. If it be of such a great excellency to be at peace with God O that you would al be in love with it that you would al seek to make your peace with him who is the great Reconciler You wil say Can we make our peace with God No you cannot do it but it is in a great part done to your hands if you have but hearts to seek after it It is true there is another point but that wil fal in afterward to shew how it is done to the hand of some already But for the present you must know that you can have no evidence to your own Conscience til you seek after this peace and the truth is if we either knew the need of it or the excellency of the injoyment of it we would never be at rest in any thing til we come to be assured that it is ours You wil say What shal we do I Answer though we know that it is the great work of Christ to make our peace with God yet God requires this and in requiring it if you belong to him he wil convey some secret influences of his grace into you to inable you to do it be wil give you a heart to labor for it which indeed is one signe of our peace Help 1. And therefore let me perswade you to do what you can do but keep for the present from the outward acts of sin and do not willfully give way to the inward or outward acts of sin labor to get your hearts to this that may you say the Lord knows I do not wilfully yield to any known sin convince your hearts possess your hearts throughly with this that it is the great work that you have to do in the world that this is that one thing that is necessary for your souls and you shal find that even this wil be a mighty thing to help you on Help 2. Again Labor to set God Continually before you the greatness of God the Majesty of God the power of God the goodness of God labor to set these before you thereby to draw your hearts to seek after your making your peace with God There is an excellent Scripture in Isa 27.5 That hath some difficulty for the understanding of it but it is very sweet if rightly understood Let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me and he shal make Peace with me it is a strange kind of Phrase and I find a great deal of difference amongst Interpreters about this text I find Mr. Calvin that usually hits as right as most carrying of it by way of interogation and so he saith you may read it thus Wil he take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me as if he should have said what wil he do wil he stay so long till he come to be made sensible of my power upon him and of my strength to bring him down and then it may be he wil make peace with me Thus many do they stay til God comes to make them sensible of his power and of his strength and then they wil make their peace with God But I can hardly think this to be the scope only it is a very good meditation to set God before you in his power in his strength in his glory and to meditate with your selves thus O if the Lord should come now and make me apprehensive and sensible of that power and strength of his indeed this wil stir up my heart to seek to make my peace with him What is the reason that there comes so many shreiks and cryings from souls when they are sensible of Gods power and strength O! they well know what a mighty God they have to do withal the truth is the reason why men do not make it their work now to seek Reconciliation and peace with God it is because they are not apprehensive of the power and majesty and glory that is in God how God is above them and can bring them under and make them vile and base when he pleaseth Therefore it is a good interpretation of the words Wil he take hold or apprehend my strength so the word signifies that he may make peace with me But to me the meaning is rather this wil he rather make use of my goodness and my mercy and so make peace with me For that is the strength that is here meant and that I shal shew you from the dependance only first
himself and the Father must look upon him as the Head of a Covenant to which we belong likwise So that his obedience and sufferring is to be looked upon now not as done by a private person But looked upon as the obedience and suffering of a publick Person of one that Bears our Names before God the Father And herein there is a further mistery of godlines The reconciliation between man and man is only when one that is a stranger comes and stands between and mediateth there is not required such a union between him that he mediateth for and himselfe But Christ comes not in meerly as a third person between God and us but he comes to take our very natures upon him and we are made one in the covenant of grace he as the Head and we as the members That look as Adam stood before God as the Head of the first Covenant of works and so we were al looked upon at first in him and dyed in him So Christ who is called the Second Adam stands before the Lord as the Head of the Second Covenant and al those that he doth mediate for and whom he doth seek to reconcile to the father stand al before the father in him so that his work is imputed to be theirs and the Lord looketh upon them in their Head fulfiling that Second Covenant of life and peace that he hath made with poor creatures in him So that you must not only look upon Christ to be a Saviour as the Son of God in Heaven but if you would look upon him with comfort you must look upon him as the head of a second Covenant and upon your selves joyned with him as members of him and so presented unto the father through him Thus God was in Christ reconciling himself to the world God looking upon Christ and through Christ as the head of the Covenant of grace upon al those that Christ did undertake for as Covenanters Joyned together with him comes to be reconciled to al those which shal be everlastingly Saved This is the mistery of the Gospel God in Christ reconciling the world to himself What Christ was hath been opened And what Christ hath undertaken and how God looks upon us through this mediator These things you must search into and cry unto God that by his Spirit he whuld open these misteries of the Gospel unto you and then you shal see much of the mistery of grace and of the minde of god and so come to have abundance of peace with God notwithstanding al the present remainders of uncleannes that are in your hearts CHAP. 17. How we come to have intrest in what Christ hath done is further opened WE have shewed in the former chapter what Christ doth for the Continuance of this peace between God and us that he is at the right hand of God there making intercession for the Saints continualy so that if ther be any thing that might in its own nature break the peace between God and us this our mediator sits at the right hand of the Father and there by his intercession he continually presents himself for the removing of it and for the continuance of the peace between God and us that there may no Breach fal out for the time to come this I say Christ undertakes to do and this is a special work of his Mediation namly his being Continually at the right hand of the Father and there presenting himselfe unto God for the keping and mantaining of this peace which he hath made between the Father and us Again if it be demanded how we come to have an Intrest in this that Christ doth which was the fourth thing propounded in the twelfth chapter in his Satisfaction in al that he undertakes The Answeer was this That Christ is made the Head of a second Covenant for as the foundation of the Breach that was between God and us at the first came by the first man Adam who was the Head of the first Covenant in whom we al Sinned and so turned enimies unto God So Jesus Christ is made a Second Adam and the head of a Second Covenant and al those that are looked upon as the posterity of the Second Adam for so it must be they are looked upon as one in him As al that were of the posterity of the first Adam were looked upon as one man in him and so the Breach was made and enmity came between God and al that one mans posterity so al that are to be of the Posterity of the Second Adam that are either actually of him or are to be born of him by a Spiritual generation which in the Scripture is tearmed Regeneration al those are looked upon as one with him and hence it is that in the 1. Cor. 15.47 the Apostle speakes of the first and second Adam as if there were no more but two men in the world for indeed ther are no more in that sense nor ever were The first man saith the apostle is of the Earth Earthly the second man is the Lord from Heaven Heavenly here is the first man and the Second man Why you wil say are there but two men in the world No not in that sense that is there were never but two men that did represent al others and under those two men are al other men in the world represented before God Al the children of men that fel from God the are represented in the first Adam who was the Head of the first Covenant and they stand under that covenant And al those that God intends to be reconciled unto and to glorifie they are represented before God in the second Adam who is the Head of the Second Covenant It is true if we speake properly Caine was in order the second man in the world but Christ is the Second man that is the Head of a second Covenant the Second man that God did enter into the Covenant withal for other men and in that sense he alone was the second man As in the same sense Adam is Called the first man so that God is Reconciled to the world in Christ that is as in the first Adam the Breach was made between God and man so in the second Adam Reconciliation is made between God and man And as God imputeth that which the first Adam did to his Posterity for Condemnation so that which the Second Adam did he doth impute to the Posterity of that Second Adam for life and Reconciliation And that you have more largly discussed in the most part of the fift Chapter of the Rom. especially from the middle of the Chapter to the end CHAP. 18. Eight Consequences of Our Reconciliation being made in Christ 1. It is a deep Mystery 2. It is very free 3. It is sure and certain 4. It is full 5. It is an honorable way 6. Yet in such a way as doth debase man 7. It is firm and everlasting 8. This Reconciliation was a very difficult work THere are yet
were honorable So is the Reconciliation between God and us it is so honorable a Reconciliation that it wil be the glory of God before the Angels and Saints to al Eternity and it is that which God doth much rejoyce in as being exceedingly pleased with it seeing his honor is made up in this Reconciliation That is a fifth Consequence from hence Consequence 6. Sixtly Followeth this If we be reconciled to God in Christ Hence our Reconciliation is in such a way as doth altogether debase man and though it be upon honorable tearms yet it is in a way wherein man hath no cause to glory in himselfe It is the greatest way for the lowing and humbling of man that posibly can be there could be no way devised wherein man should be reconciled to God and yet be abased so much as he is in this way of Reconciliation when he truly Considereth it For it is true we are reconciled but how we began it not our selves we did nothing in it our selves al was done by Christ therefore in Rom. 3.27 saith the Apostle where is bousting It is excluded by what Law of works no but by the Law of Faith God indeed hath done great things for us but al that which is done for us is not thankworthy to our selves it was al done without us God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himselfe and therfore though it is in honorable tearms in respect of God yet when we seriously Consider of it we have ground and Cause sufficient to be abased in our selves even to the very dust And then Consequence 7. Yet further Our Reconciliation being in Christ Hence it follows That it is a most firme and lasting Reconciliation an everlasting Reconciliation as it is in Christ here is the ground of the Everlastingness of it Hence it is that there is nothing can make a Breach again between God and us so as we should become Enimies againe unto him so that when we understand this Reconciliation with these properties and Consequences then we understand aright what it is to be Reconciled unto God Consequence 8. There is one Consequence or poperty mor of this Reconciliation that I must ad to what I mentioned before And that is this That if it be in Christ that we are Reconciled unto God Then certainly the work of Reconciliation is a very difficult work it is a mighty hard thing Heaven and Earth must be moved before this can be done and God even shakes the Heaven and the Earth in this work It was the difficultest work that ever God himself undertooke and the difficultest work the Son undertook for when he undertook it you find that he did sweat at it and before he had done it it cost him his very hearts blood therefore it was not an ordinary and slight work to reconcile God man together but a most difficult work because it was in Christ CHAP. 19 Three Reasons why God would be Reconciled to the world in Christ and no otherway 1. Because God the Son is most glorified this way 2. Because God the Father is most glorified this way 3. Because there was no such way as this to melt the hearts of sinners Or to encourage them to come to God BUt there yet remains to shew you the Reasons Why God would Reconcile himself to the world this way in Christ and no other way And for that I shal only give you these Three Reasons Reason 1. First Because in this way the Father glorified his Son had it not been for this way of Attonement we had but little understood the glory of the second Person in Trinity No nor indeed of the Third Person nor the distinction of the Persons and therefore before the Gospel came to be made known to the Sons of men the distinction of the Persons in Trinity was very little made known And in those places wherein the Gospel is not revealed and made known there is nothing fully known of the distinction of the Persons in the Trinity Now for the glory of the Trinity and more especially for the glory of the second Person the Son of God who is the special Person in the work of Reconciation hath God chosen this way of Reonciliation It is true indeed the Third Person and the Spirit is sent by Christ and in the Consummation of the work of Reconciliation the glory of that Person appears but the main weight of the work lies upon the Son and for the glory of the Son of God hath he appointed this way to be Reconciled to the world And indeed it is such a work as the Son himself doth exceedingly glory in and accounts this to be a great part of his glory that he is appointed by God the Father to be the Mediator to reconcile God and man together I besech you observe this this work of Reconcilation betweene God and us it is that which Christ himself doth glory in and it is that which he counteth next unto the glory that he hath Personally with the Father as he is generated of him from all Eternity next unto that Jesus Christ glories in this that he is appointed to be a Mediator between the Father sinful man And that Christ himself doth glory in this work I wil give you a Scripture or two to prove it That place which we have in the 13. John 31. is remarkable for this Therefore when he was gone out Jesus said Now is the Son of man Glorified God is glorified in him Glorified now When It was when Judas betrayed him and when he was going to shed his blood and to die for the sin of man and to Compleat and Perfect this work of Attonement or Reconciliation Now saith he is the Son of man Glorified as if so be he should have said I was indeed designed by the Father from all Eternity to undertake this work of Reconciliation and I came into the world for this very end that I might do it and all this while I have been a doing of it in a way of preparation but the main work is stil behind for me to accomplish and perfect this work of Reconciliotion but now it is at hand Now I am going to die and this my death wil bring an end to the work and now saith he is the Son of man glorified yea here is the glory that I expected from al Eternity this is the glory that I rejoyced in when I was in the Bosome of the Father for then I knew of this I knew I was appointed to be a Mediator I knew it would cost me my Blood when I should come to compleat that work and now the time is come when it is to be performed and therefore now the Son of man is glorified I say Jesus Christ accounteth it his glory that he is appointed to stand as a Mediator between God and us And therefore you shal find that when the Scripture speaks of Christs being appointed for this work by God that
he rejoyced in it exceedingly Psal 40.6 Sacrifices and Offerings thou didest not desire mine eares hast thou opened burnt Offerings and Sin Offerings thou hast not required then said I Lo I come mine eares saith he hast thou opened what is that which God spak to him unto which his eare was opened That which God the Father spake to him was this Son the work of Reconciliation between my selfe and sinful man I have appointed and designed you to it I have appointed you to go to be a Mediator between us and to undertake to make Satisfaction and such satisfaction as that sinful man and I may be at peace as that Mercy and Justice may be Reconciled together For let me tel you as I have hinted before God and we could never have been reconciled except Mercy and Justice had been reconciled Now God the Father tells Jesus Christ that he hath appointed him to this work And saith Christ my eare hast thou opened O I do entertaine this worke and entertaine this gladly yea though I know that I must be made a Sacrifice for the sin of man And observe what follows in vers 7. then said I Lo I come I am ready and willing to do this work for in the volum of the Book it is written that I should do thy wil that is in the Scriptures it was written before ever Christ came into the world that he should come to perfect this great work And verse 8. I delight to do thy wil O Lord yea thy Law is in my heart What was this wil of God Certainly this wil of God here spoken of was that Christ should be a Mediator between God and man and to make up this Reconciliation and O saith he I do even delight to do this wil of thine though it be a wil which wil cost me deare And saith he thy Law this Law that requires of me to come thus to be a Sacrifice and to shed my blood to the end that I may be a Mediator between man and God even this Law it is with in my heart This is one Reason why God Chose this way of Reconciling himself to the world because it tended to the glorifying of his Son and his Son acknowledgeth it that it was his glory and therefore just when he was going to die he breaketh out into thâ—se words with desire have I desired to eate this Passover because that was to make way for his death which was the accomplishment of this work of Reconciliation Reason 2. A second Reason why God would have this way of Reconciling man to himself is Because in this way the Father himself is most glorified the Attributes of God do shine in a greater luster in this way of Reconciliation then if so be God had been reconciled unto man only in passing by the offence and so no more to do for now shines forth the glory of his Wisdom of his power and of his Justice as wel as of his mercy not only mercy but the other divine Attributes of God shine in this way of Reconciliation exceedingly bright and there is no such Glass to behold the glory of God in as the glory of the Gospel in the Mistery of Reconciliation We indeed behold and see the glory of God in the Glass of the Creatures But in the Gospel in the work of Reconciliation in Christ there is the bright Glass wherein al the beams of the glory of Gods Attributes are vnited together and shine with a Transcendent luster Yea there is not only a luster and a shining forth of them but a heat and a warmth that is reflected in the beholding of them In this way of Reconciliation God himself is glorified and therefore that Text which I named John 13.31 You have this likewise said that as Christ acknowledged himself to be glorified by this work so saith he my Father is glorified in me and therefore in Chapter 17. About the beginning Father saith Christ the hour is come glorifie thy Son that the Son may glorifie thee And verse 4. I have glorified thee on Earth how hath he glorified God I have finnished the work that thou gavest me to do that work of Mediation that work of Reconciliation between thy self and sinful man that work I have finnished and in that work I have gâ—orified thee upon Earth And the truth is this is the glory that God expecteth from the Children of men even to be admired and magnified in this great work of Reconciling the world to himself in his Son And that is the second Reason Reason 3. A third Reason is this Because the Lord saw that there was no such way to melt the heart of sinful Creatures and to draw them to come and close with himself as this way no such way to incorrage the hearts of poor sinners to come in to be reconciled unto God as this even the Consideration of the great things that the Lord hath done to make peace and Reconciliation between himself and sinners God I say foresaw this and because he would have a way to break the hardest heart in the world and to draw the most stout and stubbarne sinner unto himself therefore he hath chosen this way above al others of Reconciliation This the Gospel tels us in that parrable wherein you have the letting out of the Vineyard unto Husbandmen and it tels you when the Master sent one servant and they beat him and he sent an other and they beate him and at length he said within himself I wil send my Son surely they wil reverence him as if he should have said Here are a company of hard hearted stubbarn stout wicked creatures in this world and they have had this argument and the other argument to work upon theire hearts to perswade them to come unto me but so hard are their hearts as that they give a rebound to al the arguments that they have and there is nothing strikes into their hard hearts there is nothing melts them nothing perswades them to come unto me But I have one argument more and that shal break the stoutest and hardest heart that is and that argument shal be a prevailing argument if they be those that are appointed to life if they be such as are not lost Creatures for ever and what is that argument even this that I am reconciling my self to the world in my son I wil send my Son into the world to work out this reconciliation and there I wil reveale so much of my glory that when they come to see this O their hearts shal be fil'd with admiration they shal stand and wonder at the goodnes and riches of my grace and their hearts shal melt before me and shal at length be gained unto me when they come to heare thereof Certaynly it is the most Dangerous thing in the world for the hearts of men not to be melted not to be gained upon with this Doctrin of our Reconciliation with God in Christ And remember it if
going of the miles is as necessary as the other and though that be not required yet it is implyed in the act that is required and it is to be looked upon as necessary as that which is required as a Condition So it is true humiliation is not the Condition of the second Covenant it is not the thing that intersteth us in Jesus Christ but it is that which the nature of faith doth necessarily imply for faith is an understanding Grace and indeed it is the most gloriouse worke of the soul that ever was for a soul to beleeve in God through Christ to beleeve that God is Reconciled to him in Christ it is the most glorious work under heaven Now when I beleeve in Christ as a Savior what is he a Savior from a Savior from my sin a Savior from the wrath of God and this the Soul must necesarily be senssible of how else can it put forth such an act of Faith and I know no faithful preacher in the world that ever pressed humiliation further then this that when men beleeve in Christ they must know and be sensible of what they do you must know Christ is a Mediator and if he be a Mediator what is he a Mediator for why to make up a Breach between God and you And then you must know what that breach is that is the breach that your sin hath made And then you must know what sin that is Namely that your sin hath provoked the Justice of God and put you under the Curse of the Law So that you see the necessity of opening the law though it be not a thing which interesteth us in Christ yet it follows of it self as a necessary Consequence without which you cannot understand Christ as a reconciler This is therefore the first use If God wil never be reconciled to any Soul but only in Christ then that Soul that comes to be Saved must come to see it self in a most woful Condition for such a Creature as hath need of such a Mediator must needs be in a most Wretched Damnable Misserable Cursed condition in it self for else it could never requier such a Mediator And certainly there is no such way to honor Christ as this When men speake of Christ and of free Grace except rhey instruct people in this Namely the breach that is made between God and them through sin how can any of their Avditory understand what Christ is Christ is a Mediator what to do to save from fin What from what sin from sin What is that sin must be made known if Christ be the reconciler between God and us because Reconciliation implies a breach and a breach that is made by sin and if you know not what breach is that is made how can you honor Christ as Mediator So that you must know what that breach is that breach is the enmity that is in your hearts by Nature you must know what that enmity is and be sensible of it or else you can never give glory to God in Christ And though many have so much in their mouthes of Christ and of free Grace yet it is apparent in their Course that they do not give glory to Christ Christ hath little cause to thank them for any glory that he hath from them in their Conversation they rather blott and staine the name of Christ and what is the reason The truth is they never rightly understood Christ as a Mediator they never knew what it was to have need of a Mediator between God and them and so they having but a superficial knowledg of Christ Christ hath but a superficial glory from them That is the first Use CHAP. 31. Use 2. Discovering of Mistakes about Reconciliation 2 IF God hath reconciled himself to the world in Christ Hence we are to take notice of the great mistakes there are in the world in the point of Reconciliation with God Certainly if this be a truth that the only way of making up our peace with God is in Christ then the world doth gennerally mistake in the great matter of Reconciliation with God and a mistake in this is an undoing mistake a damning mistake a Soul may perish eternally meerly thorugh a mistake in the matter of Reconciliation A man may be troubled for sin and cry out of his sin and may break off the practice of his sin and cry unto God in Prayer that he would pardon him and be reconciled unto him and yet mistaking here and not understanding that it must be God in and through Christ that reconcileth himself the mistake in this may prove an undoing mistake to that Soul and although they should be Crying out of their sins al their daies they may perish at last if they do not know and rightly understand how to close with Gods mercy as it is in Christ if they do not understand that it is God in Christ that reconcileth himself to the world We know the greatest part of people look for their Reconciliation with God meerly in a natural way they have sinned against him and they wil cry unto him for mercy and for pardon and so they think al may be made up between God and them I remember Luther hath a notable speech concering this in his meditation about the way which God hath appointed for reconciling of man to himself that it is in Christ It is intollerahle and horrible blasphâ—my saith he to faigne any worke by which thou mayest presume to please God and he gives the reason of it It is therefore intollerable and horrible blasphemy for any to faigne any worke by which they shal presume to pacifie God when they shal see and hear that God cannot be pacified any other way but by such a way as the blood of his Son one drop where of is more preciouse then the whole Creation And upon this ground being meditating of Gods reconciling the world to himself and that it was by such a way as the blood of his Son and that one drop of his blood is of more value then al the Creatures in Heaven and Earth hence it was that he affirmes is to be horrible and intolerable blasphemy for any man to think to pacifie God any other way Nay when God by such a way hath appointed Reconciliation for a man to neglect this and to think that any work of his own shal pacify God especially those that heare the Gospel preached to them when they shal think of any other way of their own and so neglect the way that God hath appointed this is indeed a most intollerable and horrible blasphemy and Certainly it is that which provoketh the Lord exceedingly that when a sinner shal be made apprehensive and sensible of the Breach that is made between God and him for that sinner to think the Breach to be no greater then may be made up with any work of Repentance or good meaning or good works the Lord disclaineth to look upon that sinner in this
by the stopping of mens mouthes that they shal not be able to say another day O the Lord was terrible and he was a hard master and I durst not goe unto him Indeede my Conscience told me I had sinned against him but I durst not goe to him for mercy for I was afraid of him The mouthes of men shal be stopped another day that have heard this doctrine or God reconciling the world in Christ opened unto them and have not come in and layd hold upon it Indeed it is the plea of many a servant that hath offended his master when one comes to him and Saith why do not you goe and humble your self before your master O Saith he I dare not he is such a furiouse man that he wil fly upon me presently I had rather suffer very much then go to him and this they think excuse enough and many poor Servants wil rather wander up and down the Contry and perish then go backe to their master But noe sinner can say so of God let him be never so vild a siner that is departing from God if one should come unto him and say you wreched sinner whether are you going you are departing from God you are going away from him but behold God calls you to come in O goe and humble yor soules and lament your sin and lay downe al those weapons of enmity against God which you have taken up This sinner now cannot say how shal I dare to look upon God I that have been such a vild and wretched Sinner Surely God wil distroy me and consume me No the Lord propounds himselfe to you a God or mercy in his Son and tels you that he hath provided a meanes in his Son to be reconciled unto you and that his heart hath been so much upon reconciling himselfe to the chrildren of men as that he hath sent his son to do this worke and though it cost the very blood of his son yet he wil do it and therefore sinner if thou dost not come in but wilt go on in wandring from God and Continuing in wayes of enmity against him thy blood be upon thine own head Thou hast read this blessed doctrine of the Gospel opened that God was reconciling himselfe to the world and that he was reconciling himelfe to the world in his Son and that God excepted that when this message was brought to a Congregation the whole Congregation should come and fly unto him and that the world should be fill'd with Cries O! that we might be Reconciled unto him Our Lotd expects this day from some of you to heare you reflect this upon your selves by crying unto him for Reconciliation in his Son that should be the issue of such sermons as these are God ever after such preaching looks to heare some soul repeate in prayer to God and tel him what it hath heard in the Ministery of the word and upon that make a prayer unto him according to what it hath heard As in this manner The Lord expects that this day some sinner or other should get alone and be crying unto God in prayer Lord I have heard not only that there is a possibility for sinners to be Reconciled but there is such a glorious way of Reconciliation that thou hast done it in thy Son Such an honorable way and such a certaine way of Reconciliation and that thy heart is much in that way And Lord I have heard that this is a way that takes away all objections in the world al the discouragments that can be immagined and thou hast revealed it to that end that is that thou mightest break the hearts of sinners and draw them to come in and accept of that blessed covenant that thou hast tendred to them in Christ and to be reconciled unto thee Now Lord I desire to cast my soul upon this free grace of thine in thy Son O! that I might feel thy spirit inableing me to such a gloriouse work as this and O! that the Lord might heare such things as these from some of your Closets this day it wil be that which wil even cause the heart of God to rejoyce that ever he opened the doctrine of Reconciliation to you otherwise it wil turne to the quite contrary end it wil only serve to stop your mouthes at the great day That is another Use CHAP. 23. Use 4. Dispaire not of Gods making peace in this Nation YEt once more If there be such a way of Reconciliation between God and us if God hath wrought it so that it is in Christ Truly from hence we have no Cause to dispaire in Gods power and wisdome and goodness to make peace in this Nation God hath done the greater work You see that God is a God of peace and loves peace and to the end that he might be at peace with the wretched Children of men he hath wrought so wonderfully as to send his own Son into the world and provide such a way that he may be sure that peace may be made and by that way he hath done it He hath made peace between Mercy and Justice there is peace made between an infinite provoked God and wreatched sinful vild Creatures I told you before that this was a mighty difficult work yea the most difficult that ever was or can be in the world If God hath therefore wrought such a work so difficult in a way so gloriouse Then from hence learne not to dispaire but that God may worke even peace for us in this Nation and an honorable peace and a good peace too We are not only hereby incouraged to cry unto God for peace between him and our Souls but we are by this incouraged to cry unto him for peace in the Nation and that he would put an end to these woful times of destruction and misery and war which many of our Brethren have suffered and bled under And indeed those that do understand or have ever felt the work of God in working peace between his maiesty and their Souls they are those that have such intrest in God as if any people shal prevail with him for peace in the land it must be these they wil prove to be our peace makers in the conclusion howsoever people at present cry out of them as if they were the means and instruments of making the gratest debate and as if they were the enimies of peace No my Brethren they that have experience of this great work of God of making peace between himself and their Souls they are they that he at the Throne of grace continually crying unto him that is the prince of of peace to make peace in the Land We desire peace But you wil say How can it be done that way Why should we say how when God himself hath made peace between Heaven and Earth We see things so intricate that we know not how it should be done and we wonder it should ever be brought about that the Spirits of men being so
more then so but that thou castest of the comfort of it that thou mightest give liberty to thy loosnes and negligence and to have the flesh have satisfaction And so Christ himself may abraid the what shal I come from the bosom of my father and take upon me the form of a servant and be made a curse that I might make peace between my father and thee and is it worth no more but this that thou castest away the Comfort of thy assurance for such a sinful distemper of heart to give thy liberty to live after the flesh Yea the Holy spirit may come and a braid thee and say What shal I come and reveal the deep councells of God towards thee and shew thee what those things were that God from all eternity hath done for thee shal I open the misteries of Christ unto thee and draw thy heart unto him and shal I speak peace unto thee and yet when al is done thou shouldest regard this so little as for the sattisfaction of some base distemper of heart loose that which I have thus brought to thee loose the comfort of al that I have done for thee both Father Son and Holy Spirit may abraid thy negligence and the loosness of thy heart and life Yea and thine own Conscience may tell thee and say did not I often hint unto thee that if thou didst give liberty to thy selfe to walk thus and thus loosely thou shalt loose thy comfort and thou shouldst ' come to apprehend God to be a terror to thee and wilt thou even in these dayes of troble when men crie out of feares and dangers take such a foolish course to loose thy peace with God Is there any thing in the base distemper of thy heart that can countervail this loss Look upon those that walk holylie and closs with God and let their Conversations abraid thee they keep their hearts cleane and maintaine their peace with God and when they lie down they lie down in peace and they awake in the comfortable assurance of their peace and when thy heare of warrs and rumors of warrs yet so long as they can look up to God as their reconciled Father their hearts are fixed and stable and though they suffer the spoyleing of their goods and â—he loss of all that is deare unto them yet they know that within their bosom there is that which wil afford comfort enough unto them And yet thou through the giveing sattisfaction to some base and sinful distemper or lust canst not think upon God without terror can'st not apprehend him but as an enemy O! unworthy soul how shouldest thou be confounded in thy own thoughts for the loosness and negligence of heart in preserving that peace which Christ hath wrought between the Father and thee so strangly and so wonderfully Work these things my Brethren upon your hearts any ground all upon this that we are reconciled to God in Christ our Reconciliation was wrought by such a strang way as by Christ and it cost his blood to work it therefore if we have any hope of our peace with God we had need looke to it to preserve it CHAP. 27. Use 6. Give God the glory of our Reconciliation Againe we have yet a further Use here If God be reconciled to us in Christ it teacheth us to give God the glory of this great worke adore the infinite wisdome and mercy and goodnes of God in this work of his towards us reconciling us to himselfe in Jesus Christ When Christ was born the Angels Sang glory to God on high peace on earth and it was upon that ground that they Sang it as if they should have said O Lord what a way is here for thee to make peace upon earth that thou shouldest send thy Son here we looke upon a poore Infant in a manger and this Infant is the eternal God the second person in Trinity that hath thus taken mans nature upon him and here he lyes in the cratch even the same person that made the world What a strang work of God is this to bring peace upon Earth peace after such a way as this glory be to God on high And this is the thing we should spend our dayes in to adore the infinite wisdom and goodnes of God in this way of his in reconciling the world to himselfe in Christ God expects that al the children of men to whom Christ comes to be made known to should even fal upon their faces and spend their days in adoring and praysing and magnifying this great work of God God expects that we should have mighty high thoughts of this work and if our thoughts be not high of this work and be nor lift up above al Creatures we do but take the name of God in vaine God doth not care for any other glory we give him except we give him the glory of this work It is true when we see the works of God in the Earth and in the Seas we should glorifie Gods power and Gods wisdom c. But except your heart be taken with this master peece as I may so terme it with this great work of God of Reconciling himselfe to the world in Christ God wil rject al your other gloryfyings of him I mean so reject them as he wil not accept of them in comparison therefore this is the thing that God accepteth above al and this is the comandement of God that we should beleeve in his son and that we should give the Father the glory due unto him for reconciling himselfe to the world in his Son This is the worke that shal be done in Heaven to al eternity This is the thing that God himselfe delights in above al that ever he hath done that takes up his heart above al. And if it do not take up your hearts but you look upon it as an ordinary thing and so indeed count the blood of Christ as a comon thing O! know it is a high indignity in that thing in which he doth expect most glory from And let me say this Hath God revealed this work of his Son unto thee and is thy heart taken with this great work that God hath done and art thou continualy adoring of the greatness of that work of God peace be unto thee for this is as Good an evidence that thou art reconciled unto God in Christ as any I know But I must hasten CHAP. 28. Use 7. To love Christ And do or suffer for him AGain Is it in Christ that we are reconciled unto God O! let Christ be beloved by us Let us say with the blessed Martyr Lambert None but Christ None but Christ which he spake too when he came to the stake to be burnt for Christ a good Lessen for us by the way to take out that may come to suffer very hard things for that which we have undertaken to do in obedience to God yet for us to rejoyce when we come to suffer banishment or loss of goods or
seeking Reconciliation to eye Christ and carry him in our armes If there be any of you that now begin to have your consciences stirred and to be made sensible of the breach that is between God and you do not rest in seeking peace in a natural way but eye Jesus Christ and when you look up unto God for peace look unto him in Christ Look upon Christ as the second person in Trinity takeing our nature upon him Look upon Christ as the head of the Covenant of Grace Look upon Christ as the Lamb slayn from the begiâ—â—â—f the world and having made peace with his blooâ— Look upon Christ as sitting at the right hand of the Father makeing intercession Thus you should act your faith upon God in Christ when you are seeking peace with God The reason why many people ly under the spirit of bondage for many years together is this Because they look upon God meerly as he is in himselfe and do not look upon God through Christ and so do not sanctifie the name of God in this great work of Reconciliation CHAP. 30 God was reconciling the world to himself from all eternity opened ANd thus we have gone through that point of Gods being reconciled to us in Christ There is another Namely The Sixt thing propounded in the first Chapter viz. That God was reconcileing the world to himself in his son The work of our Reconciliation is not a work of yesterday it is a work that God was doing from all eternity for the point is from that particle he was this work for God to reconcile us to himself in his son hath taken up the heart of God from al eternity That place in Titus 1.2 Is most remarkable for this In hope of eternal Life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began he not onely promised it now but he promised it before the world began who was there before the world began to whom God made this promise There was his Son Jesus Christ So then that is the meaning when he saith God was reconcileing himself to the world that there was from al eternity a transaction as it were between God the Father and God the son about our Reconciliation there was not only a purpose in 〈◊〉 â—â—om al eternity that he would reconcile the world to â—elf but there was a real and actual transaction between the Father and Son about it an agreement between God the Father and God the Son about it Gods Wisdom from al eternity was exercised to find out a way Secondly Gods purpose was from al eternity to do it And Thirdly There was a transaction between God the Father and God the Son from al Eternity for to do it they did covenant one with the other God the Father told his Son what he required of him and God the Son promised to the Father to do it there was such a transaction as this and therefore the scripture saith it was promised before the world began God the Father did promise to his Son before the world began what he would do for those that he would dy for as if he should have said Thou art content to lay down thy life and to shed thy blood Yea saith the Son I am wel saith the Father I wil be reconciled unto them and I wil save their souls they shal have eternal life for their portion this I promise thee and so it was promised to Christ first It is true the promises of the Gospel are sweet and they should rejoyce our hearts I had perished in my affliction saith David had I not had ragard unto thy word nothing more sweet to a soul then the promises are but though the promises that are made to us in the Gospel are sweet yet the promise that was made to the Son of God is infinitly more sweet And this is the thing that I should have shewed you not only how this was promised unto Christ but the excellent comfort that this is unto the Saints that they are now to look upon al that is done unto them and upon all the works of Gods grace to them not as a new thing not as an accidental thing that comes As if we should have peace here in the Commonwealth it would be pretiouse to us if it should be upon these tearms and we would al rejoyce much in what should befall us in a way of a safe peace But our peace with God is not wrought with God so as if we were perishing and then Gods providence came and turned all about againe No our peace with God is a thing plotted from al eternity God did as it were contrive it in Heaven before any world was made God thought of this work of Reconcileing himselfe unto the world yea unto thee in particular if thou beest a Beleever a broken hearted sinner before even the Havens or the Earth were made God had actual thoughts of thee stil and there was a Covenant between God the Father and the Son for thy soul in particular and though God foresaw thou wouldest sin against him and turne enemy to him yet there was a consultation between the Father and the Son from al eternity to bring thy soul home unto God and to pardon thy sin So that thou art to look upon al the works of Gods grace towards thee here in bringing thee to his Son and upon all the comforts thou hast from his Son as the fruit of Gods eternal plot of Gods eternal councel with his Son and that although it doth but now break forth yet it was that which was in the bosom of the Father and the Son from al eternity and this indeed wil sweeten our Reconciliation with God and al means tending thereunto As doth God send but the word of Reconciliation to bring you home unto Christ this was that which there was a Contrivance of in the heart of God from al eternity That in such a time such a man should live in such a place and such a Minister should be sent amongst them and such a text of scripture should be opened and such truths should be preached and if thou findest God bringing of these truths home to thy soul know it is a fruit of that eternal counsel that was between the Father and the Son before the world began and a branch of the promise that God made to his Son from al eternity Do'st thou when thou comest to the word begin to feel thy mind inlightned to know Jesus Christ doth thy heart begin to be melted is thy soul drawing after Christ do not look upon this as a meer accidental thing do not say only What a providence of God is it that called me to such a Sermon at such time I went for company sake to such a place but when I came I felt the Spirit of God stirring in my Soul yea I find a beginning of that which I hope I shal have cause to bless God for for ever Do not look upon this as a
to be made over to one before he was borne somtimes between man and man there is something made over thus to our heires lawfully begotten though there be none born yet it is given them and there is solemnity in Law concerning it Perhaps it is given to some as a feofee that if such and such should be borne they should injoy it or that they shal imploy this for the benefit of such and such that shal be born so Jesus Christ stood before the Father as we may so terme it as a feofee in trust as the head of a Covenant and there were transactions between the Father and him there was not onely a purpose in God to reconcile himselfe to us but there was grace given to us in Christ there was an actual donation of this unto Christ before the world began that so we might come to Injoy it Again another Scripture for this is the 1. Cor. 2.7 which speakes somwhat of this also though not altogether so fully as the former The words are these But we Speake the wisdom of God in a mistery even the hidden wisdom which God ordeyned before the world to our glory He doth not only speake here of Gods Electing of Gods ordaining us to Glory but he speakes of the whole mistery of the Gospel which he calles the hiden wisdom of God Now this doctrin of Reconciliation which I have been preaching to you about that we are reconciled to God in Christ this is the hiden wisdom of God which was kept hid from the begining of the world and yet ordayned before the world to our glory God had contrived al this doctrin of Reconciliation and purposed that in time it should come to be revealed to us as it is at this day There is yet another Scripture for this which is very remarkable It is in the 17. John you shal finde in that chapter many expressions to that purpose that those that did beleeve in Christ were such as God the Father had given him and you may find by divers expressions there apparantly that there was an agreement a transaction between the Father and the son long before the thing was done verse 16. I have manifested my name to the men thou gavest me out of the world thine they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy word he doth not speak meerly of giving them at this time but of Giving them to â—â—e son before now for he makes that to be the ground of their beleife he doth not make their giviâ—â—â—â—em to him to be beleeving but he makes their beleeving and the keeping of the word of faith to be a fruit of Gods giving them to his Son the fathers giving them to his Son is the foundation of their beleeving and hence it is that in time they come to beleive because God the father hath from al eternity given them to his Son that is the argument of Christ this indeed makes the difference between some that beleeve others that do not beleeve There are som that are of mean parts poor people and yong ones that beleive in Jesus Christ and the great misteries of the Gospel others that have more understanding that are learned men they do not beleive That which makes the difference is this that God the father gives some to his son to reconcile and he doth not give others and this is the argument of Christ in that 17 John he makes the foundation of their faith to be God the fathers giving of them to the Son So that it is apparent in Scripture that there hath been before we come to beleeve ye a before the world was a transaction between the father and the Son about our reconciliation God was reconciling himself to the world So that our Reconciliation with God and the having our sinns not imputed must be considered in three periods of time The first is if we may cal that a period of time which rather was before time that which was from al eternity with the Son there God was reconciling himself unto us Secondly when Christ came into the world and was upon the Cross and suffered there was an actual imputation of the sins of al the Elect unto him and a laying of them upon Christ there was then a special act of God imputing and charging upon his Son the Sins of al the elect Thirdly when God cals any sinner to beleeve then there is an other act of God passing the Sentence of absolution upon the Soul an actual passing of it which we cal Justification As it is between man and man you know the law may be satsfied for the prisoner and yet the Prisoner not absolved thâ—â—â—â—soner is not acquitted til the sentence be so solemnly pronounced by the Judg though the verdict be brought in not guilty yet he is not acquitted until the Judg pronunce the sentence of absolution So though Jesus Christ in his sufferings when he was crucified satisfied the law for al that should beleive in him yet there is required a pronouncing of the Sentence by the Judg for the acquitting of which is our Justification And yet somtimes we know that after the sentence is pronounced by the Judg the malefactor may ly in Prison til the fees be pay'd Just thus it is with us after our justification yet we remain in this world and have the fetters of our corruption upon us have the fetters of afflictions and troubles upon us til we have pay'd the dues to nature and the dispensations of Gods Providence One that is Elect and not a beleever he is as a prisoner that hath the Law satisfied for him though he doth not know it yet certainly he shal be saved One that is Elect and a beleever is as a prisoner that hath the Judg pronouncing the sentence of absolution upon him yet afterwards so long as the Beleever is in this world he is like a Prisoner that hath had his sentance pronounced upon him to acquit him but he lies in Prison til he hath pay'd his fees But those in Heaven they have not only the Law satisfied and the fees pay'd but they are set at liberty also and are in their Fathers house There are Several times therefore of Gods manifestation of our Reconciliation to us not imputing our Sinns unto us But though there be such several workings of God yet this doth not argue any change in God which is an Objection that many through weakness make that because God doth this thing and the other thing the other thing that was not done before therefore 〈◊〉 would argue as if there were a charge in God and therefore would conclude that there is nothing that is now done but was done and that as it is now done so it was done everlastingly But we are to know this that Gods actual pronouncing of a sentence of absolution now was not done before doth no more argue a change in God than Gods glorifying the Saints in Heaven now who
in case men beleeve he hath left it to them to beleeve or not beleeve and so al the great councels of God must depend upon mans wil No certainly Christ hath not left it so but those that he hath reconciled unto God he hath so reconciled them to him as that they shal beleeve and this is not al the world 3. Further If this were so that Christ hath payed a price and left it to mans free will to beleeve or not beleeve the truth is Judas would have been as much beholding to Christ for Salvation as Peter But you wil say Judas was never saved Peter was But according to these men Christ did as much for Judas as for Peter for he shed his blood for Judas as wel as for Peter only Peter by the act of his free wil beleeved and the other did not So that the truth is according to the doctrine of these men Peter shal be no more beholding to Christ at the day of judgment than Judas was Peter indeed must acknowledg that he was saved by Christ but if their doctrine be true he may wel say Lord thou hast done no more for me than for Judas and what was more I did that my selfe thou shedest thy blood a like for us but I beleeved and he did not if he had beleeved he might have been saved as wel as I so hereby the grace of God is exceedingly dishonored by these men that hold universal Redemption by Christ and make it to include al the world There are many arguments that might be used which because they are not so cleer to the ordinary capacities of people we shal leave further mentioning of them at this time and shal only ad that it is Arminian doctrine to teach that there is a price payed by Christ for al the world and it is left unto men to beleeve or not to beleeve And that is true evangelical doctrine That there is a price payed by Christ and God hath resolved upon such and such particular ones in the world that he wil be reconciled unto and that they shal beleeve and be everlastingly saved CHAP. 35. Why Gods Reconciling to himselfe is expressed in so large a terme as the World Six Reasons thereof BUt you wil say If this be so that God hath made such a difference that there are some that he hath been from al eternity reconcileing himself unto and not al what is the reason of this phrase why doth he say that he loved the world and that he was reconciling himself unto the world without any distinction One would think God should rather have expressed it thus That he Reconciling himself to some in the world and that he loved some in the world and not the world in general No God would rather express it in this general phrase upon these Six Reasons Reason 1. First He would say the World to exclude Angells that are not so properly of this world But this doth not come up so fully to the Reason why God would rather say the world than this or that man in the world And therefore Reason 2. In the Second place another Reason is this Because he would shew the sufficiency of the death of Christ and of the work of Redemption that there is enough in it if it were to save never so many worlds Reason 3. Thirdly Another Reason of it is this That God might shew that in the Ministery of the Gospel none shal be excluded No not the worst of sinners that are in the world and therefore God doth not say in the Ministery of the Gospel this or that particular man or woman Christ died for but generally he died for the world Because he would hereby shew that he hath not excluded the worst and vildest sinner in the world and that those that are the most notorious and the greatest sinners in the world may come in and be Reconciled If God had expressed it thus There are some in the world that I have been reconciling my self unto from al eternity Then may a sinner say surely if there be but some God never intended me that have been so wicked a wretch so notorious a sinner But therefore God would not express it so but in the most general tearmes to the end that there should not be any one sinner in the world have this plea Lord I was excluded No saith God I wil have the Ministery of my Gospel go in such generall tearmes as that every sinner shal have incouragement to come in and receive mercy Therefore you shal find in that last of Mark. 15. where Christ gives his Commission to his disciples to preach He saith go in to al the world and â—â—each the Gospel to every Ceature that is to man who is a little world an Epitome of every creature To the Gentiles also who had been denyed this favor of the Gospel as if they had been none of Gods creatures If thou beest a creature the Gospel is to be preached to thee There is to be a general tender of Grace and mercy to every Creature throughout the whole world to the greatest sinners that live upon the face of the Earth Great sinners and smal sinners al of them are to have the offer of Reconciliation with God And the Ministers of the Gospel are to preach in the name of God that the Lord doth tender unto every one this offer of mercy and Salvation This to be done ministerially to every Creature we shal come preach to not only great sinners but those that are of the meanest condition in the world For some may say If God wil shew mercy to some in the world sure it must be to some great ones in the world those that are eminent and may do him a great deal of service alas what service can God have from me a poor creature that lives al day long in a poor dark hole that can do him no work or service wil ever God have any thought of me Yes if thou be a creature of God and livest in the world thou art no more excluded from Reconciliation with God than the Kings and Emperors of the Earth and it may be God may think of thee in that poor hole of thine a thatched cottage when he neglecteth and passeth by the great Monarks of the world Therefore this expression is so large that those that are the poorest people in the world and the greatest sinners in the world may know they are not excluded from the offers of grace in the Gospel This is a third Reason And then Reason 4. A fourth Reason why it goes in such tearmes as these That herby the Lord may shew that those that shal actually come in to be reconciled unto him they must come in while they are in this world That those persons that are capable of Reconciliation are only such persons as live in the world If they be not reconciled before they are gone out of the world they are never to be reconciled
Apostle saith plainly in the 2 of Rom. That the patience of God calls us to Repentance in verse 4. whatsoever leades to Repentance hath something of the Gospel in it Patience and goodness though we never come to heare of the Ministery of the Gospel yet it is that that calls us to repentance and it is cleare in this because that is spoken of in the creature the loude voice in the creature in the 19 Psalm it is applied to the Gospel in Rom. 10. and except you understand it so we cannot tel you that the sound of the Gospel hath gon to the utmost parts of the earth We cannot understand in the Apostles time how the Gospel went to the utmost parts of the world for there are many places that are not found out yet but this kind of sound of the Gospel goes throughout the earth that by the voice of the creatures men ought to come to know thus much that surely there is some way for God to be pacified towards sinful men though they cannot tell which way or what way suerly there is some way and many of the Jewes knew no other way but this they knew there was a Messiah to come but what he was or who he was they know very little of him Now the Devills have no such work of God towards them nor such bounty and patience and goodness towards them whereby they can conclude that God hath any thoughts to be reconciled to them Though its true they are not yet fully under the torment that they shal be yet they are under so much torment as they are said to be reserved to the great day in chains of darkness whereas wicked and ungodly men are preserved by the bounty and patience of God and the cords of Gods bounty and mercy is towards them and therefore they are not reserved in chaines of darkness as the Devil and damned are So that by the bounty of God in the creature we may gather such a conclusion that surely God hath some way to shew mercy unto mankind But we can never have any thoughts by any works of God in his creature that God should send the second person in Trinity to take mans nature upon him to die to suffer for mans sin to tender up satisfaction to divine Justice and then al must be brought into this Covenant then he must be the head of the second Covenant and they must be made Members of his body now the Creature hath no such misttry as this and therefore in the 3 Eph. 8. verse saith the Apostle speaking what his ministery was unto me who am the least of al Saints is the grace given that I should preach amongst the gentils the unsearchable riches of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 investigabiles divitias not to be paced or traced out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of α and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vestigium qui nullis vestigiis indagari potest It is used also Rom. 11.33 they are unsearchable speaking of the riches of Christ as they are of Christ they are unsearchable the word is there the Riches that are without footsteps there is no foot steps of the riches of Christ if we speak of the Doctrine of Christ the Mediator as it is indeed in the Gospel there are no foot steps of them in the Creature therefore though there be some kind of sound in the Creature that it is sure that God hath some kind of way to be reconciled but now the sound of the Gospel this is committed to Ministers to Preach therefore in the. 1 Cor. 1.21 the Apostle saith That in the Wisdome of God the World by Wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that beleeve Mark the world by Wisdome knew not God certainly the world did know there was a God and that he was infinite in power and goodness but the Text saith they know not God that is they knew not God savingly in Christ they might know that God had some kind of way to shew mercy to sinners but what way they knew not and by Wisdome that is by al the Wisdome that was revealed by God in the Creature and by al the Wisdome they received from God they knew not God by Wisdome true there is an abundance of the Wisdome of God in the Creature several acts are no other then several beames of Gods Wisdome shining in the Creature and the knowledg of these acts are no other but the several beames of Gods Wisdome shining into mens understandings take either of both them and by both these it could not know God in a saving way but by the Foolishness of preaching that is by the preaching that the Men of this world do account foolishness the Lord is pleased to save those that beleeve so that it is evident that the Ministery of Reconciliation is committed to the preachers of the Gospel CHAP. 40. Why God chose Men rather than Angels to dispence the Mystery of Reconciliation The Reasons thereof NOw it is to be enquired after First why God would choose men rather to be the dispencers of of the great Mystery of Reconciliation then the Angels God hath not committed unto them this word of Reconciliation though it is true the Angels they do go about and they somtimes witness to the Gospel as you may read afterwards But they are not chosen by way of office to the Ministery of the Gospel that is not the office they are appointed to so as the Ministers of the Gospel are God hath not chosen Angels in an ordinary way to come and dispence those great and glorious things unto the Children of Men. Object You wil say had it not been better that God should have chosen the Angels to come in and preach Jesus Christ than men for they are poor weak Creatures and like our selves and now when they come to stand up and Preach Jesus Christ the great things about reconciling men to God should we think that they know more then we ourselves Answ You must not think that there is no good to be done till one comes and tels you that you never heard of But you must know that it is by vertue of the ordinance of Christ because he hath appointed a Minister of the Gospel to come and in such a way to preach though the instrument be like your selves and perhaps may not have a deeper understanding then some of you yet you are to look upon it beyond the matter that he speaks you are to look upon it as the ordinance of Christ and so to expect and look at al means whatsoever But now the great standing ordinance in the Church of God is the Ministery of the Gospel It is this that is committed to us to Preach and this therefore is to be looked upon as the power of God to salvation in those that God intends Salvation to God hath not chosen the Angels but Men and upon this reason because we are
41. Why God wil not himself immediatly dispute this Gospel Reconciliation BUT further it may be said why wil not God immediately himself preach this Doctrine of the Gospel The Mistery of Reconciliation we see many infirmities in men Men are ready enough to stumble at al infirmities of the Ministers of the Gospel which by the way should teach Ministers of the Gospel to have a care how they walk but because there are so many things to be excepted against men we would be ready to think if God would himself preach the gospel from heaven men would regard it more No but God wil not do so though God wil assist the Ministery to make it effectual in the hearts of those that shal be saved yet he wil not speak himself from Heaven but he wil send men like themselves and let men hear or not and howsoever though men think if God should speak himself they would hear him yet if they heare not men they would not hear God God spake himself from heaven in the delivering of the Law but men did not keep the Law but now God wil rather speak by men because he doth delight to make use of every creature according to the capacity of it The Lord takes a wonderful delight in the use of almeans that is suiteable to a creature And therefore you shal find which is very observeable that though God did begin to speak from Heaven to Saul that he did convert who afterwards was called Paul Christ spake at first from Heaven but mark he would not do the whol work himself immediately but before the work should be accomplished there should be meanes used in Acts 9.4 There Christ speaks from Heaven but I beseech you observe it what doth Christ speak from Heaven he doth not preach the gospel it is only the word of conviction Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me This was enough to strike Saul with astonishment so that he fell upon the earth and said Lord what wilt thou have me to do But mark what answer is given him Go into the Citty and it shal be told thee You must not think though I begin to speak from Heaven to you but that you must be content to set upon means and so he did with Saul he arose from the Earth in verse 8. God made him stay a good while before he would tel him what he should do he was three dayes and nights and eate nothing and was praying al the while unto the Lord and then in vers 10. Saith the Lord to Ananias a Minister of his Go to such a place and there thou shalt open to Saul my Mercy this Doctrine of Reconciliation It is true I begin to think upon him but I wil not go on in the work you shal do it and he shal attend upon your Ministery to let him know what my mercy in Christ to his Soul is and I wil bless your Ministery unto his Soul And thus you see how God stands upon the making use of the meanes I make no question but it is something like to Gods dealing with many of you though God at first begins himself and strikes some terror into your hearts A man when he is going about his business he hath some suddaine thought dents into his heart Lord where am I What if I should now die how can I answer for such and such things before God And thus perhaps he comes to be troubled in his Conscience by some immediate work of God but he wil not go on in this work immediately but he sends him to the Ministers of his word and there he shews him what he must do concerning his good I wil give you a notable text to shew you how God stands upon means in Act. 10.2 He had some kind of the fear of God but understood little of Christ he was a souldier a Centurion of the band called the Italian band he had a greate many souldiers that were wicked but yet he had some that were godly But though he was in that place yet he was a devout man and ful of prayer as it is commendable for Souldiers to be much in prayer because carrying his life in his hands he had need carry Grace in his heart and then in the 3. verse it is a very observable Scripture first God accepts of his prayers and appeares in a Vision to him and sends an Angel to him and tels him that his prayers were accepted wel but God had revealed so much of Christ to him which he was very ignorant of Object You wil say seing God did send an Angel to him why did not God reveal Christ by the Angel No he would not he sends an Angel to Cornelius to this end to bid him send for Peter that was a Minister of the Gospel This should be the message of the Angels to tel him that God regarded his prayers and almes I but as if the Angel should say God hath other things to tel you but the truth is I have no commission to tel you my commission is to tel you that you should send for a Minister he sent for Peter and Peter came and Preacht Christ unto him as you may see in verse 34. so that you may see that God doth use to work upon men by means and surely herein God wil honor humane nature in taking it upon himself and for Gods honoring of the Minister of his word take this one note which is likewise very observable that Christ himself when he Preacht upon the Earth we never read that his preaching was so efficatious to convert so many Souls as the Ministers of the Gospel did Peter when he came to preach the Gospel Converted three thousand Souls at one Sermon and you never read that Christ converted so many at a Sermon Christ himself preaching immediatly the Gospel did never convert so many as Peter did The reason is to shew that we must not expect so much the immediate preaching of God unto us as God and Christ preaching to us by the Ministery of Man that is the meaning of it so that now you have had the point opened unto you that God committs unto us the Ministery of Reconciliation I shal endeavour to apply it CHAP. 42. Use 1. The sending of the Ministers of the Gospel is to be accounted a glorious blessing FIrst If this be the great work of the Ministers that are sent amongst you to dispence the Ministery of Reconciliation to you O! then certainly the sending of any of the ministers of the gospel among you you are to account a glorious and a wonderful blessing of God upon you at any time why what is their errand They come to treat with your souls about Reconciliation with God and God hath appointed this the greate means of bringing souls unto himselfe to be reconciled unto himselfe and therefore it is one of the greatest blessings in the world to have the minestry of the gospel in any congregation Blessed be your eyes saith
common wealth Look what right you have to your Houses Lands and Estates you have the same right to your practice of Religion This is the mercy of God towards England rather than to other Countries Now we take up Arms to defend our civil right and let it be in what it wil be either to our Estates or Houses or Religion or whatsoever it be stil it is a civil right this is that that justifies this quarrel and this is enough to stop the Mouths of any in this point and to answer that argument about the primitive times But I let this pass and come unto the next verse CHAP. 45. Verse 20. Opened and Five Doctrines propounded VERSE 20. Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you reconciled to God NOW we are Embassadors Mark what rise the holy Apostle takes saith he God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us this word of Reconciliation Now then we are Embassadors His spirit seems to be much moved in this What God reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Now then we we are Embassadors for Christ now then we have a great trust now then we have a great charge now then we are Embassadors not from any earthly great Prince but from Jesus Christ himself So that in these words you have these several points of Doctrine I might cast them into these several conclusions Doct. First That the Ministers of the Gospel are Embassadors of Christ Secondly What they do in this their Embassage It is as if God and Christ did it as though God did beseech you by us so we pray you in Christs stead Thirdly The Consideration of the Excellency of their Commission and Embassage makes them wonderful careful to do what they are sent about and very earnest in plying the work they are sent to do Now we are Embassadors and as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled Fourthly That God and Jesus Christ are exceeding willing to be reconciled unto Sinners And that is the Fourth thing which is indeed the principal thing in the Text that is recorded Now as the very ground of al that is intended in the Text. That God and Christ is exceeding willing that sinners should come in to be reconciled to him for they do pray and beseech you Fiftly That the work of the Ministery of the Gospel it is by al the means they can to labor to draw a people by entreating and beseeching them and to take no nay of the hearts of the people until they do get them to come in to be reconciled unto God These are the five things of the 20. verse Now then we are Embassadors for Christ c. I shal but briefly treat of the first three for indeed the two latter are the cheif which I chose this text for To shew you the willingness of God that sinners should come in and be reconciled to him and the work of the Ministery is to draw the hearts of the people But the other three I shal speak of but by way of preface unto these CHAP. 46. The Ministers of the Gospel Are Embassadors of Christ Opened in six particulars First That the Ministers of the Gospel are the Embassadors of Christ Not Embassadors for Belial or for Antichrist as many Ministers have been to plead the cause of Antichrist as if they were sent as Legates from Rome and to plead for superstitious vanities we are not Embassadors for Belial for sin for wickedness for many times you heare pleading against Godliness and for wickedness No we are Embassadors for Christ we are sent Embassadors this is something more than messengers this is a higher degree than to be a bare messenger an Embasdor is more than a steward in 1. Cor. 4. Therefore let a man so account of us as the Ministers of Christ and dispencers of the misteries of Salvation I only wil shew you a scripture for that and a little open it and soon pass by this point We have it often in scripture this word Embassador In Eph. 6.2 There you have it to the same purpose as it is here For which I am an Embassador and he is in bonds He was not used like an Embassador you know Embassadors First they are such as are sent from Princes and States to other Princes and States it is not a private man If any of you send a messenger about a business he is not said to be an Embassador but one that comes from a Prince or State from other countries he is said to be an Embassador So the Minister of the Gospel he is not sent to deale between man and man but between God and man in matters that concern the great God of Heaven and Earth and sent from him though designed to it by men yet their calling depends upon God upon Christ only here is the difference when Princes and States send their Embassadors they send them to other Princes and to other States But now God sends Embassadors to poor wretched sinful men and herein he doth honor man that he wil send a messenger from himselfe to them to be an Embassador When a Prince doth send a messenger to a person you do not say that the Prince doth send an Embassador to them that are in prison that he may execute when he pleases rather an Executioner than an Embassador So we might al have expected rather that there should an Executioner have been sent but God is pleased for his elect ones to send an Embassador And besides Embassadors are not sent about every trivial business but when an Embassador is sent it is about a publique business a State business of some great consequence so when you hear that God sends his Embassadors to the world you must know that it is about a great and a weighty business about a State business it is about that that doth concerne the very state of Heaven the God of Heaven it is that that concerns God himself more neerly than any thing in â—â—â—s world concerns him It concerns God next unto his own beeing and unto his Son the neerest of any thing that is without that belongs to a God therefore we are called Embassadors Thirdly They are called Embassadors because they must look to this that they do not the least thing but by Commission it is as much as his life is worth to go beyond his Commission in any thing so the ministers of the Gospel they must keep close to the Commission which they receive from Jesus Christ Fourthly when he goes to any place he doth represent the person of the King himself from whom he came and what wrong is done to him is done to the Kings person Let the Embassadors be never so meane so al the Ministers of the Gospel they come to you in the
pleasure in the death of a sinner c. As I live saith the Lord God They were pineing away in their wickedness lying down in their sins now as I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner but rather that he should turn and therefore turn turn O! turn Why wil ye die As if a poor sinner should lie down and say the Lord is provoked against me and he wil not be reconciled to me No the wrath of God is out against me he wil revenge himself of me the Lord looks upon a sinner lying in this manner and he bids his servants go and say to him the Lord swears by his own life and saith to this sinner As I live I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner I swear by my self because I have no greater to swear by CHAP. 66. The Sixt Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners ANother Argument is this wherein God doth manifest in his word that above al works that are pleasing to him and that he would have people most to respect in this world is the work of beleeving in his Son and laying hold upon him and so upon that mercy of his that he doth offer in his Son and that is the great work that he is more pleased withal then al the works they do and not doing that it is the greatest offence whereby they can offend God they cannot offend God more in doing any thing in the world And this shews the willingness of God to be reconciled unto sinners God being pleased with a sinner that doth come in to take hold of his mercy And that you have in John 6.29 This is the work of God that ye beleeve on him whâ—â—â—â—â—ch sent by way of excllency above all other therâ—â—â—â— as if God should say If you should do the 〈◊〉 famous work that ever man did in this world I would not delight in it I would not care for that in comparision of this work of comming in and beleeving in my Son Is there a man that should be the great Conqueror of the whole world a man that were famous in al the world Let a poor Soul a penitent heart come in and close with Gods grace in Jesus Christ and rowl it self upon mercy in Christ for Reconciliation this poor Soul though the meanest that were possible to be immagined in the whole Nation is a more glorious work in Gods Eye then the most glorious work of the greatest Conqueror of the earth If thou wert able to rule the Sea if thou wert able to govern al the world if thou wert able to command the Heavens it would not be such a glorious work in the Eyes of God as that is to come and lay hold upon his Son as he is tendred in the Gospel If you should give al your Almes to the poor and your body to be burnt yet it were nothing to the work of beleeving in his Son In John 3 God is most displeased with not beleeving in his Son As if God should say it 's true you are naturally enemies to me and you have lived in waies of enmity against me O! you have provoked me al your daies when you were yong a drunken unclean prophane Youth a Lyar a Swearer a Sabboth-breaker c. but yet you live to hear the voice of the Gospel sounding in your ears and to have the offer of Jesus Christ to your Souls for the pardon of your sins Now be it known to you al the Oaths that ever you swore al your Blasphemies al your Drunkenness al your Uncleaness al al your Sabboth-breaking put them altogether they wil not provoke me so much as rejecting of my Grace in Jesus Christ that I tender to you That is the condemnation of the world al the other iniquities wil not sink you down so deep in Hel as not comming to beleeve in Jesus Christ to lay hold upon the Grace of God that is tendred to you in the Gospel Now is not God very willing to be reconciled when he shal manifest himself thus unto sinful men CHAP. 67. The Seventh Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to Sinners YEt further God manifests himself willing to be reconciled in this that when he sees that notwithstanding al these expressions that have been before that we have spoke of if sinners wil not come in God he wil seek them seeing they wil not seek to him God seeks himself to sinners First that is a point that you have heard before that God is aforehand with us God comes to us because we wil not seek to him If a man be fallen out with another he should come and seek to him but he wil not because he hath such a stout heart Wel saith he that I may convince him that I am not such an austeer man as he conceivs me to be I wil seek to him first and I wil not only seek to him but I wil go to him and beseech him and that you have in the Text Christ is said to come to save and to seek that which was lost we were al lost and we would not seek to him but he was fain to come yea he came from the bosom of his Father He came into the world and his great Errand was to seek those that were lost and when he had found them he beseeches them to be reconciled unto him CHAP. 68. The Eight Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners FUrther God manifests himself willing to be reconciled in this in the waies of his dealing with wretched sinful men in sending his Grace to allure the hearts of sinners the Lord sends his mercy to spread al the beauty and lustre thereof before the Sons of men al the excellency and Glory of it before the Soul that it may entice the Soul of the sinner to come in unto him he doth not meerly send and seek to him but that he might overcome the hearts of men with love and mercy this is Gods way to cause his mercy to stand before the Soul and to spread the beauty and excellency of it that it move and entice and allure the hearts of men that so God as it were by coards of Love might draw the hearts of poor sinful men unto him If God did but scare men so come in to him it were somwhat but it is this which we have cause to bless God for if the Lord come in never such a terrible way to force us to come in that so there might be made up peace between God and us the Lord besides that way of terror and wrath though somtimes he wil use that way to stop men in the course of their sins and to force them to come in he goes forth and doth send his mercy to stand before the Soul and to spread the beauty excellency and glory of it before the heart of
doth deal in a familiar way as man to man when he hath brought his Arguments and answered Objections and been importunate and pleaded then truly sometimes if it be a tender hearted man perhaps his heart doth even break within him and he is ready to burst out with tears because of the stoutness and frowardness of such a one that wil ruine himself and stand out against so much reason and that prevailing more than al the other arguments especially when he is to speak to one that he hath any reference to as a Father the Father perhaps perswades the Child and answers what the Child hath to say is importunate appeals to the conscience of the Child yet he stands out stubbornly and at length the Father or Mother can hold no longer but burst out in tears lamenting the hardness of heart of such a one Now if a Child that is stubborn should look in at a key-hole and see his Father or Mother shedding of tears because of his hardness of heart then the Child wil certainly be convinced of this Now certainly my Father loves me and al he doth it is but for my good certainly thus did Christ when he came to Hjerusalem he wept over it Upon what ground O! that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that concern thy peace O! that thou hadst known Christ fel a weeping Now we are to know this that the tears of Christ at that time concern sinners now as verily truly as they did concern sinners at that very instant and we are to look upon Christs cariadge of himself to sinners in former times as at this instant concerning us and amongst us Now I would appeal to you suppose Christ were born in this world in the flesh again as he was and should come and look towards this commonwealth and should come hither and say O! England England O! that thou hadst known the things that concern thy peace and should weep over London or weep over Westminster as he did over that Citty of Hjerusalem Would not this break our hearts Would not we take this as a great Argument that Christ was very dersirous of the peace of this Citty or place Now concerning every particular Soul it is true and every one should make use of that Scripture and apply it to themselves as if Christ stood weeping over it and say Oh that thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that concern thy peace Would not this break your hearts this Town that Christ sends his Gospel amongst And suppose you could see him bodily Jesus Christ standing here and one tear trickling down after another saying O! that this people did but know the things that concern their peace at least in this their day when they have a price put into their hands before the Gospel Sun goes down or is eclipsed surely we should say that Christs tears argue the rowling of his bowels towards them it may be their time wil not continue long O! that they knew it now If you did see Christ thus weeping I suppose this would be a mighty argument to you that Christ were willing to be reconciled to you We are I say to make use of that Scripture as if it were now And though Christ doth not shed tears now in Heaven yet there is as much compassion in the heart of Christ now as ever there was here upon earth he hath lost no compassion by going to Heaven and therefore know that Jesus Christ doth look at this day upon this Congregation and many particular Souls it is propable Christ more specially eyes and saith in his very heart Oh! that such a Soul such a Servant such a Youth Oh that they did but know the things that concerns their peace for now the Gospel is opened to them and a day of salvation is made known to them and they are labored to be drawn from their evil waies to embrace me and Oh that they did know these things that concern their peace And thus it appears how willing God is to be reconciled I shal afterwards shew somwhat about Christ in a more special manner that sinners should come and be reconciled unto God CHAP. 76. The sixteenth Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners FUrther there is an other evidence of the willingness of God to be reconciled unto sinners and that is this The Lord doth foresee that after he hath done al to be reconciled unto sinners let him do what he can the Lord foresees what a little honor he shal have for the present at least in this world by them he sees that after they are brought in that yet stil there wil be abundance of corruption and they wil dishonor God extreamely now and wil grieve the Holy spirit that doth thus draw them he sees that they wil walk more offensively and it may be Scandalously towards their bretheren and dishonor the profession of religion God sees what a deal of do and stir he shal have with those that he doth bring in to himself and yet for al this he goes on with his work and labor with the hearts of sinners notwithstanding al that he doth foresee And then the last of al is this that after the Lord hath used al these meanes to bring sinners to come in and break their hearts that they might be reconciled to him though they that stand out against him and plead and weep over them and mourn yet the Lord is content to waite and yet a long time upon sinners and not to take advantage against them for their rejecting of this Grace of his that he tenders to them That scripture I named before is sufficient for that Isa 30.18 And therefore wil the Lord wait that he may be gratious Oh! how many yeares hath the Lord waited upon som of you We have cause to stand and admire at the Grace of God that ever he would once offer mercy to us that after so many offers and such importunities to prevail with our hearts and we frowardly have rejected this Grace that now God should waite upon us to heal our souls and at length to overcome us Oh! this manifests the goodness of God and the tenderness of his heart to be willing to be reconciled unto sinners and therefore in Jer. 13. Mark what God saith unto sinners in the last verse I have seen thy Adulteries and thy Neighings and the Lewdness of thy Whordomes and thy abominations Wo unto thee Oh Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean When shal it once be Saith God Oh! that once it might be I am content to stay again and again Oh! when shal it once be Let not al my labor be in vaine Oh! here is the fullness of the expressions of God and that place likewise in Isa 57. Is observable for this purpose the 17. and 18. verses For the iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth and Smote him I hid me and was
another expression there is I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I streightned till it be accomplished Christ was streightned in his heart til the work was done You may see how much the heart of Christ was in it to be reconciled unto sinners when became to do the thing indeed when the wrath of God was even just comming upon him then though nature had some kind of reluctancy he saieh if it be possible let this cup pass from me to shew how sensible his humane nature was of it yet presently Not my wil but thy wil but thy wil be done And the scriptue tells us that he did make his soul an offering for sin and that he layd down his life And further after that Christ had layed down his life and risen again mark one expression more that shews how willing Christ is to have sinners reconciled and brought in unto the Father and to be at peace with him and that is very remarkable in Luke 24. verse 46. And so on note what was that first preaching of Christ repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand So here in this world in his bodily presence this may seem to be his last sermon What was it he said unto them Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer Wel in vers 47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name amongst al nations begining at Jerusalem and ye are witnesses of these things and then by and by he was caught up into heaven That which I note this scripture for is this that after Christ had been so notoriously abused in his sufferings yet this did not hinder his earnest thirsting after reconciliation of those that had put him to death and had so abused him saith he it is written that it behoved Christ to suffer c. To begin at Jerusalem and that is that that I would have done The repentance should be preached to al nations but begin at Jerusalem Why begin at Jerusalem Because Jerusalem was the place where Christ was put to death immediately befâ—â—â— he was crowned with Thorns mockt a Reed put into his hands spit upon The Children of Barrabas rather than him yea and they cryed Away with him they carried him to the Cross and there nailed him til he was dead and thus they dealt with Christ there yet Christ would have repetance preacht to al Nations but saith he above al think of Jerusalem and begin at Jerusalem let them have it in the first place Jerusalem that took away my life that killed me If any thing in the world could take of the heart of Christ from being reconciled to sinners one would have thought that that which he had done to him at Jerusalem should have taken of his heart but he would have them begin at Jerusalem It is a notable Text of Scripture to us and you shal find it the most remarkable conversion and bringing in of sinners was at that Sermon of Peter when Peter charged them that they had crucified Christ the most famous conversion that ever was made of those people that put Christ to death the most famous work of Gods reconcling sinners to himself of Christ bringing in of sinners by the preaching of the Gospel it was by bringing in of those sinners and therefore in the last Sermon that Christ preached from Heaven as the first Sermon upon Earth and the last Sermon upon Earth and the most solemn Sermon that was at the dedication of the Temple is altogether about bringing in sinners to be reconciled to God So the last Sermon that he preacht from Heaven or that ever he wil preach til he comes again so in Revel 22.17 And the spirit the Bride said come let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst say Come and whosoever wil let him take the water of life freely These are the last words in effect that are at the conclusion of the book that ever Christ would speak til he came to Judgment never would he speak more in that way to the children of men until he came in a new world But in this word here is the last in this expression Let him that is athirst and whosoever wil let him come and take of the water of life freely Now the Objections they wil come in as first CHAP. 78. Objections Answered concerning the willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners OBject You wil say Why should God do al this and Christ do al this you tel us that God is so willing to be reconciled and hath so exprest himself and Christ so willing to be reconciled and hath so exprest himself by entreating and beseeching but both God and Christ knows we can do nothing of our selves and therefore to what end is al this that you have spoken as if we should go into Golgothus or burial places and entreat the dead to rise out of their graves To what purpose would it be we are dead in sins and trespasses and now if we can do nothing al that you have spoken is but to little purpose To that purpose I answer First though it is true we are dead in sins and trespases and are not able to performe any true saving work by our own strength yet first al those expressions of God and Christ in his word and so of the ministers of God in their names it may be of this use to stir up common gifts and graces of the spirit of God in us and that is for to have them stirred up to the utmost that possible may be people must not think that because they cannot do any worke that is indeed saving in it self any work of spiritual life that therefore there is nothing to be done by them we are to know that though the saving works of God be more rare yet there are common workes of the spirit that God doth dispence to many yea to most and in some degree or other to al especially to those that live under the sound of the Gospel there are none that live under the sound of the Gospel but they have some common gifts of the Spirit of God in one degree or other Now the Lord would have these stirred up to the utmost though it cannot be in a sanctified way and these expressions of God Christ to sinners have a great deal of efficacy in them to stir up what common gifts of Gods Spirit you have and if sinners do not this they cannot expect that God should do much towards them Consider what power God hath given them and what common gifts they have already and let that be acted to the utmost and then they may wait stil for more from God This is a truth that there are none that do perish but God hath this to charge them with that they did not stir up the common gifts of Gods spirit Secondly though we cannot do any thing of our selves yet God knows
upon their death beds when Gods justice is out against them and Gods wrath upon them and they see themselves plunging into the bottomless gulfe then they wil pray and cry for mercy Oh! thou shewest thy selfe to be a stranger to the waies of God and to the minde of God and to the covenant of God if thou wert one of Gods people then thou wouldest know that when God is in a way of Mercy then is the best time of praying for one Mercy lets in another and then is the best time of praying I would argue thus Is it more likely that God when the day of his patience and longe sufering continues to thee that then he should deny thee mercy I say is it like he should deny thee mercy then and yet when the day of his wrath and justice cometh then he should bestow Mercy upon thee what an absurd apprehension of things is here Thou criest God wil deny thee Mercy and grace now now is the day of his long-suffering patience and wil he deny it now and yet is he like to give it thee when the day of his wrath and justice cometh upon thy sick bed and death bed that may be the day of vengance of wrath If thou hast wisdome to thy soul seeke God whilst Mercy is coming and while he is in a way of Mercy that is the fittest time to pray and therefore take it this day and be convinced you carnal hearts that have no minde to pray but when they are in their afflictions but those hearts are most spiritual that can pray most when God is coming most in mercy to them but the time of affliction is the most unlikly time of getting any thing from God I had thought to have spoken divers things about that USE 2. If this be so when God is in a way of mercy one mercy wil let out another hence al the Saints of God are taught and admonished to observe and take diligent notice of the connexion of Gods mercies towards them for certainly this is Gods way to them one mercy maketh way for another and if thou belongest to God that hath been his way to thee all thy life time even from his Electing thee only now it is thy duty to be observant how God hath made one mercy a door of hope to another mercy and it is a special work to observe Gods waies towards a Christian a special work of the Sabbath many of you especially you that are not book-learned you say you know not how to spend the Sabbath after the publique exercise is done but must walk up and down the streets c. here is a work for them that are not book-learned to spend the Sabbath in If thou beest godly then sometimes every Sabbath recollect all the waies of Gods merciful providence towards thee ever since thy Youth and Childhood and how one hath had a connexion to another how one mercy hath let in another mercy and that lets in a third and that third a fourth and you shal see how the track of Gods goodness hath been towards you al your daies and that wil be a most sweet meditation for you wherein God shal have a great deal of Glory the 92. Psalme is a Psalme appointed for the Saâ—â—ath and you shal find that it is a Psalme of contemplation of the works of God and the waies of Gods mercies trwards his people it is a special way to understand the connexion of things and the connexion of causes how one cause hath dependance upon another cause and that upon another and that upon another and this is the difference between Sence and Reason the bruit Beasts that have only sence they taste the sweetness of a thing but they never enquire after the cause but now the more rational any man is the more desires kindle in him to find out the connexion of causes If this be a sweet thing to a soul in a natural way to find out the connexion of causes O! how sweet is it to a gracious soul to find out the connexion and concatination of al the mercies and goodnesses of the Lord towards him in al the passages of his life and do it the rather because that the truth is Brethren this that I am speaking of now it is that wherein a principal part of the glorious inheritance of the Saints consisteth in the glory of Heaven wherein the happiness of the glorified souls there shal consist it wil be this that eternal Sabbath that shal be spent in Heaven wil amongst other things be spent in this work that I am speaking of in a contemplation of al the connexion and concatination of Gods merces towards those that are now in Heaven Now they have been connected and concatinated ever since they have had a being and so brought up to that height of glory Oh! what an infinite content the Saints shal have when God shal reveal al when they shal see into the councels of God and the wil of God so freely and into al his waies how they were chosen from al eternity and so to eternity and there they shal see every passage of Providence that they did not understand the meaning of before how it made way to such a mercy and that to another and that to another and so til they were brought to that fulness of glory they shal I say be eternally contemplating thus of the connexion of Gods mercies and praising and blessing of God that did thus work and coennex things together for their good If thou hopest to come to Heaven to be thus excercised to give God glory there Oh! begin this work here for we pray Gods wil may be done on earth now as it is done in Heaven As on the contrary it wil be a great part of the torment of the damned that they shal there see how one work of Justice made way for another how one passage of Gods Providence made way to one Judgment and that to another and that to another and so til they were plunged into the bottomless pit for ever and the very sight how God wrought from one to another wil be torment enough to them Wel that is the Second to consider of the connexion of Gods mercies A Third Use of the Point is this USE 3. If this be so hence we are taught to entertain every mercy of God kindly and to make much of al Gods mercies if we belong to God every mercy comes but as a Messenger of further mercy Oh! entertain it wel entertain it kindly imbrace it make good use of it Indeed when the Prophet Elisha knew the Messenger of the King came to do mischief to him he bids them entertain him roughly at the door hardly at the door but Brethren every mercy that cometh to us if we be godly it cometh as a Messenger of good tidings it cometh to bring more mercy with it and therefore let us entertain it kindly at the door let us