hath found out waies for it and he comes first to offer it But faith one that is offended with another I have been content to yeild so far as to come to him and to offer him Peace but I wil never do it more if ever there be any Reconciliation between us I warrant you he shal come to me the next time God doth not say so to us we were undone if he should if God should come once and offer peace to us and upon our refusal should stand upon such tearms as men do and say wel I have offered peace once but they shal begin next or else there shal be no peace between us No saith God though I have offered it once and it hath been refused I will offer it again Help 5. Yea further God is fain first to yield to his poor Creature It may be man may be wrought so far as to say I wil send to such a man the second time but when they are at parly and are together you shall see them if one of them be superior to the other stand upon this who shal yield first and it wil be hard to bring the Superior to yeild But God is not so When we come to treat with God about our peace and Reconciliation with him though our hearts stand against it yet God yeilds first And for that you have a notable Text Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies we were Reconciled unto God which Phrase doth plainly note that God is first contented to yield on his part this is the infinite grace and goodness towards man thus to begin with man in the point of Reconciliation CHAP. 11Vses of Gods beginning with man to be Reconciled Use 1. Admire his goodness in beginning seeing he had no need of us and had so great advantage against us Use 2. Begin to seek peace even with our inferiors Use 3. The cetrainty of our salvation being reconciled Use 4. Not to be backward and hang off when God calls to duty A Fourth Particular propounded at the beginning of this treatise in the first chapter is this That God begins first with man to be reconciled unto him In this great work of making peace it is God that begins it God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself In which part of the verse there are these four things further to be handled First That God begins the work Secondly That it is in Christ Thirdly That God was a doing of this even from eternity And Lastly That the Subject of this is the World There was a word or two hinted of the first of these in the last chapter It is God that begins the work of our Reconciliation and if he had not begun we would never have had thoughts of it we would never have known how to have gone about to have reconciled our selves unto him and although we could have known how to have done it yet our stout and stubborn hearts would never have yeilded unto God it is God that must begin the work And he doth not onely begin with us but indeed he continueth too although he hath begun yet if he do not go on and after our rejecting being reconciled unto him the first and second and third and fourth time if he should not stil himself begin the work a new again and again and again we would never come to be reconciled unto him I wil but only give you two or three passages by way of application having treated somwhat of this already and so pass on Vse 1 First Let us learn to admire the goodness of God to wreatched man his goodness that he should be pleased to begin this work of Reconciliation with us for do but consider the infinite distance that is between God and us O! infinite gondness that so great a God should begin with such a poor vild Creature as man is Amongst men if one be but a little inferior to an other and if he be fallen out with him that is beneath him he takes it in scorne for him to begin to make peace No saith he let him come to me and seek me if he wil. If God had stood upon such tearms all the Children of men would have been damned eternally When God saw that we would perish for ever and that we would never so much as have thought of being reconciled to him O then the bowels of his Compassion earned towards us and saith he I wil begin with them first for I see they wilnot begin They indeed began to make the Breach they began to sin against me and that wil be a second Consideration which makes the grace of God so much the more that the breach is made on mans part that all the wrong that is done is on mans part Amongst men if one be great though he himself hath done the wrong yet he expecteth his inferior should come and crouch unto him but if his inferior have begun the quarrel and have done the wrong he wil be sure then to stand it out and expect that his inferior should seek after a Reconciliation with him But here behold though we began the quarrel though we had done all the wrong and God never had done us any yet so infintly gratious is the Lord that he begins first God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself Yea further the Lord hath no need of us Among men if one fals out with another he may happily say wel I see I shall have use of this man I shall have need of him for this and that business or for such and such an imployment and upon this accoumpt though he be his inferior for superiors may have need of their inferiors he is willing to be reconciled unto him but God hath no such need of us God can tel how to glorifie his own name though we do al perish eternally it is not for any use that God hath of us that he comes to begin the work of Reconciliation with us Besides God hath us at infinite advantage to do with us what he pleaseth Indeed a man perhaps wil be willing to be reconciled with his enemy because he sees it wil cost him much to make his party good against him it wil put him to much trouble But there is no such cause between God and us for God hath us under his feet for a man that hath gotten his enemy under his feet and hath him at al the advantages that can be for him to sue to him to be reconcinciled you wil say it is a rare thing and where is there such a thing in the world But behold God doth this with us though he have us at infinite advantage to do with us whatsoever he pleaseth and can fetch out his glory from our ruine and eternal misery yet he begins the work of Reconciliation with us Oh! admire the infinit grace of God toward wretched and sinfull man This wil be the work of the Angels in Heaven to all eternity to admire at
25. Christians may loose the assurance of their Peace with God through the weakness of their Faith 1. Weakness When they think the sin they fall into doth presently cause an enmity between God and them Object What need Beleevers then be careful to avoid sin Answered 2. Weakness Judging Gods works as enmity against them FIrst Through the weakness of their Faith and that in Two waies Weakness 1. When they shal through their weakness think that that sin they fall into or are overtaken with doth presently cause an enmity between God and them I make no question but there are many souls that God is reconciled unto and somtimes have had some comfort in the assurance of this reconciliation and yet if at any time they be but overcome with the sinful distempers of their hearts they presently think that this puts an enmity between God and them again and they begin to look upon God as upon their enemy and think that all the peace is broken between God and them and this makes such a Breach between God and them as that al that God hath done is undone again and now they think that God is against them in all his waies and contrary unto them as unto an enemy It 's true Carnall hearts that do not understand what the difficulty is of making peace with God or what a breach it is that sin makes between God and the soul they can sin and sin and sin and yet think God wil be merciful to them stil and never look upon their sin as enmity unto God or upon God as an enemy unto them in regard of their sin But take a poor soul that understands what sin is and hath found it a hard thing to make peace between God and himself as soon as any sin overcomes such a soul the dayly weaknesses many times make him think that God is an enemy to him and however he had good hopes before yet the breach is again as wide if not wider between God and him as ever it was Now by this know you do dishonor much the great work of God in Christ in the point of Reconciliation surely it is as great a dishonor as you can cast upon Christ when he hath come to make Reconciliation between God and you and when he hath undertaken it and done it so throughly as he hath and when it cost him his very life to do it yet when you apprehend this Reconciliation to be no otherwise but that upon any offence you think al is undone again truly this were but a very poor Reconciliation Suppose two that were at ods one with another and a great breach hath been made between them another comes and reconciles these two for the present but yet so as that the one shal watch the other to take an advantage against the other so as if there be but the least offence committed they shal be as great enemies one to another as before this were but a poor Reconciliation So when you come to think that upon every sin you commit after you have had your peace made between God and you though you can appeal unto God in the sincerity of your heart that it is the greatest burden in the world to you that you do thus sin against him and you would think it the greatest mercy in the world to be delivered from that body of sin yet when you shal come to think that upon this sin you have committed the breach is made as wide as ever it was with God What a dishonor do you put upon Christ What a Reconciliation hath Christ made for you O! therefore beleeve that Christ hath made another manner of peace with God then so and know that it is not a peace that can so soon be broken If a Bone-setter should set a Bone in your Body that were broken or our of joynt and set it so that it is right for the present but yet so too that if you stir your arm or leg it is out of joynt again you wil conclude this is no skilful Bonesetter Christ came from Heaven for this very end and purpose that he might joyn God and us together that he might make us one with God Do you think that Christ hath only set us so together as that upon every dayly infirmity we should be out with God again No certainly he hath set us strongly together more strongly then ever we were Adam in Innocency when he was without sin had not such a strong peace with God as thou hast in the mid'st of thy sins It is a truth and though we cannot speak of such things without trembling in regard we know how ready carnal hearts are to abuse them yet this is a truth and so I would have Christians to look upon it to look upon the reconciliation that is made between God and them as a peace firmer then ever it was with Adam and God though Adam had no sin and they have many sins for Adam had it not in Christ and therefore think upon it as such a Reconciliation as Christ hath wrought and so honor God in it and sanctifie God in it If indeed it were no other reconciliation then thou hast got by thy own prayers or then thou hast got by thy own tears then thou mightest feare that that reconciliation might be broken upon thy renewing of sin And the truth is this is the ground why those that have inlightned Consciences are so ful of feares and doubts those indeed that have no inlightnings in them are without any feare but the other are ful of doubts and feares and it is upon this ground because that peace they have is no other but that which they have gotten by their Prayers and by their duties and by their teares and by their good meanings as they think and never bring in Christ they never have been acquaynted with that great Mistery of Godliness Now that peace with God that thou hast got any way but by Gods revealing the work of his reconciling himselfe to the world in Christ that peace wil never hold long but thou wilt be ready upon every temptation upon every suggestion upon every new sin committed to cal that peace into question But if thou hast been rooted in Christ and thy peace grounded upon that which is beyond al thy duties and al thy teares and prayers nnd canst look upon God as reconciled unto thee in Christ this peace wil hold and this may hold notwithstanding abundance of sins may remaine in the soul of one that is thus reconciled unto God And therfore for your help because you may not upon every sin cal in question your reconciliation with God know this that being reconciled unto God thou art not under the Law so as that every sin against the Law should put thee under the sentence of eternal death thou art not under the curse that doth threaten everlasting death to those that so sin Here is the difference between one that is
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
This may serve to be some prop to support and keep up any troubled Conscience from dispair even the very reading of this though still they are afraid of Gods willingnesse to make up the peace but it is possible thou may'st have it No Angel in Heaven Nor man in the world do or can know to the contrary but that it is possible for thee and thee for such a sinner as thou art or such as thou art to come to be reconciled And doth this begin a little to stir thy heart but to read that the Condition of man is not desperate but there is a possibility of his being Reconciled do'st thou believe because of this then as Christ said unto Nathaniel thou shalt see greater things than these So if thy heart begin to be affected by this thou shalt before we have done with this subject read greater things of the councel of God about his willingness to be reconciled unto the Children of men Only before I pass let me speak this one Word about this point Let us take heed that we do not turne this grace of God that we hear of this day to the increase of our more fearful condemnation or make our condemnation far more dreadful then the condemnation of the Devils is because we have more means afforded us for our delivery than ever they had for if we look not to it it may prove so that our condemnation may be more dreadful then the condemnation of the Devils and therefore you had need when you hear anything of this Decoctine of Reconciliation or of a possibillity of being reconciled unto God to lift up your hearts unto God and desire that the reading of this blessed Doctrine may not prove to the increase of your condemnation There is not such a thing preached to the Devils therefore if I come not in and accept of the terms of Reconciliation I shal be in worse case than the Devils It can never be charged upon them that God was willing to be reconciled and they would not but it may be thus said of al wicked and ungodly men that live under the sound of the Gospel and so Continue in their wickedness and die in it this wil be the charge that wil lie upon them another day and God wil saie unto them you did indeed hear that you were naturally enemies to me yet I manifestd in my Gospell that I would enter into terms of peace with you but you refused it and slighted it and scorned it What can possibly provoke the heart of a man so much as this that when he hath his enemy who hath deeply offended him at an advantage should yet offer tearms of peace to him and yet his enemy goes away scorning slighting and contemning him Truly thus do wicked men that live under the light of the Gospel when the Ministers of the Gospel come and preach peace and Reconciliation to them tel them that God is willing to be at peace with them that he is willing to treat and to parly with them about the business of salvation they go away and the language of their actions is this wel we wil shift as wel as we can for our selves we are resolved to have our waies of sin and to have our Satisfaction in this and the other lust Now God forbid that this should be in the heart of any one that casts his eyes on this book CHAP. 4. Reconciliation Opened 1 By it Gods enmity is taken away 2 The enmity on the souls part is taken away 3 God taketh into intire Love 4 By it thou comest to be in League and Covenant with God 5. The soul is perfectly Reconciled 6. This Reconciliation its everlasting 7 It continues notwithstanding all thy sins 8. The Devills Accusations shall never make God thy Enemy again III. Therefore I am in the third place to open a little further this grace of God the doctrine of Reconciliation and it is a most blessed and sweet doctrine especially in these times wherein there are so many Cumbustions abroad in the world wherein we heare of Warrs and rumors of Wars yea of Wars neer to us even in our own land our bowels what can be more acceptable in such times as these than to hearof Reconciliation Now when things are growen to such a height when there is such a deadly hatred for let me tel you there was never such a deadly hatred in a Nation between one party and another as there is now it is boyled up to the highest as poyson may be boyled up to such a height as that it may be death to touch it so the poyson and rage of our adversaries is boyled up to the greatest height But though we are not able to Conceive that there can be a Reconciliation between them and us yet there may be a possibility of a Reconciliation between God and us and the hearing of the Doctrine of Reconciliation may quiet and support our hearts against the feare and truoble that we have in these times wherein we have nothing but rumors of wars round about us yea in the midest of al these miseries which we hear of as the effect of these unnatural broyles that are amongst us Now the Doctrine it may be opened in these several particulars The first is this That enmity which we have heard of before when once God comes to be Reconciled to a soul is al done away al that enmity is then so removed as that the wayes of the Lord to a man are turned quite contrary to that they have formerly been which I shal afterwards discover in the effect of this Reconciliation more fully But this is the first thing the doing away of all that wrath and displeasure that was in the heart of God against the sinner so that if it were possible that you could but look into the heart of God you should not see any remainder of that wrath and displeasure that was in him because of sin It is true if we do consider of God in al his workings together from Election to glorification it wil be hard to affirme that ever God should be in a way of enmity against his Elect ones because he did alwaies love them for the truth is though we conceive Gods works by peeces yet they are al one in him but if we would understand God aright we must understand him in releation to his Creature and in releation unto himself for as God is in himself it is impossible for us to understand him but we must understand him in reference to his Creatures there we find that one excellency of God is cut into several peeces and parts and that one act of God which is his own being is discovered in several waies of acting There are a great many mistakes about God when as men do draw Consequences from what God is in himself to bring them to what God is in relation to his Creature and because they cannot reconcile these two namely what God is
hearts this Angel shall pass away from us This is another fruit of our Peace with God namely protection from the wrath of God when it spreads abroad as Lightning in the world The twelfth Consequence 12. Again Hence all that is in Gods word speaks Peace to us both the Law and the Gospel the very Law it self comes to speak Peace to us because it is now fully satisfied there is nothing in the word of God but is at Peace with those that are at Peace with him The threats that are in the word of God bring no evill at all to him that is reconciled to God every part of Gods word doth do good to them that walk uprightly according to that in Mic. 2.7 Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly When thou readest any part of the word of God though never so terrible if thou art Reconciled to God thou mayest read it with comfort Many people dare not read somwhat of Gods word they scarce dare come to hear somwhat of Gods word but if thou beest at peace with God thou needest not fear the reading or the hearing of any part of Gods word What is the Reason that many people when there is an argument preached that hath any terror in it they will come no more to hear it It is whatsoevever their pretences be a sign that there is some guilt in their hearts they look upon the word of God as if it were their enemy and it is a sad thing for a man to look upon any part of Gods word as his enemy Certainly if any part of Gods word be thy enemy God is thy enemy for there is no part of the word of God but there is Gods mind and Gods heart in it and therefore if thou beest at peace with God there is nothing in that word of God which is thine enemy Indeed a man that is on the Sea if storms and Tempests arise he may peradventure be afraid to look out he may not dare to stir out of his Cabbin But if he be on shore he can stand and look upon all the waves of the Sea and upon all the boysterousnesse of it without any trouble to him So when men are in their natural Condition when they are not converted unto God then when they come to hear of the terrors of the Law alas they cannot enter into Consideration of that wrath of God which the Law threatneth and which they apprehend is due unto them because of sin but their very hearts shake they do even shut their eyes against those truths But when they are once got upon the shore when there is a Peace made between God and them then they may look upon al the terrors of the Law and upon al that wrath that is threatned therein with joy and Comfort and bless the name of God for ever that they are freed and delivered from them These are the blessed and happy fruits of our Peace and Reconciliation with God And now before we go any further we must abide a while in the Application of what hath been thus far opened unto you concerning the excellencies and glorious fruits of this Peace and Reconciliation CAHP. 6. VSE 1. Wherefore in the first Place From hence it must needs follow that if there be such a blessed peace between God and a true Christian as hath been opened Then he must needs be very peaceable in the world he must needs be of a very peaceable disposition before men You wil say How doth this follow Thus. There is so much sweeteness in this Peace with God that it must needs so quiet the spirit of that man in whom it is that whatsoever is without shal never be able to make any great disturbance in his Spirit so great and so excellent is the sweetness of this Peace A Merchant that hath al his estate in one Bottom he is upon every stirring of the winds or upon the hearing of any storme afraid that all is cast away But if he hear news that the Ship is safe and that al is come securely into the Haven his Spirit that was afraid before wil be now so quieted and sattisfied with this newes that it wil not be a very easie matter at such a time to anger such a man There is nothing that is more able to keep the heart of a man from passion and frowardness and disturbance than a ful sattisfaction within ones own spirit Now if there be any thing in the world that is able to sattisfy the spirit of a man surely it is the Peace with God it is Reconciliation which is made between a man and God The Scripture saith that a good man shal be satisfied from himself Prov. 14.14 Ex sese at Mercerus expresseth it i. e. from himself Although he meeteth with those without that are troublesome and wil not sattisfy him that he hath so much within that he sattisfies and quieteth his own spirit Therefore a Christian needs not be beholding to the world for Peace for he hath Peace enough within his own bosome That which is the greatest Jewel in the world a Christian hath the ful pofession of within his own heart Al the Storms and tempests that are abroad in the world can never make an Earthquake if there be not some vapors within to do it So that which doth shake the hearts of men and make a Combustion in their Spirits it is more the inward disturbances that are there than any thing from without We may Complaine of outward things and of this matter and of this occasion and the like But the truth is if al be examined and the true ground of our disquietness searched into we shal find that the Cause of al our disturbance is rather from within than from without and if al were wel within we should never be troubled with any thing which doth befal us from without Now then if any thing in the world wil make al quiet within if any thing in the world wil beget a serenity and Calmness in the spirits of men it is this Reconciliation with God No marvel then that the Gospel speakes so much of the peaceable disposition of those that entertaine it that it tells us of the Wolses dwelling with the Lamb of the Lyons eating straw with the Oxe that is though men were formerly of such Wolfish and Lyon-like natures yet having received the Gospel and accepted of the tearmes of Reconciliation with God they shal be as Lambs they shal agree one with another And the reason is because there is so much in the Peace of the Gospel as wil quiet the heart so that a man may wonder when he Considers of the excellency of the Peace that is between God and man how it is possible for a Christian to be put into a passion You Complaine of the troubles you meet withal in your world that your Husband is froward or that the Wife is froward that you have perverse Neighbours but
Gods rich grace even in this one branch of the Gospel his beginning the work of Reconciliation Vse 2. And then Another Use of it may be this To teach us not to think much but to begin to seek peace even with our inferiors learn we by the example of God that if there be falling out between one neighbor and another or between one friend and another not to think much to begin the work of peace We think it would be a dishonor for us to yeild so far we say what is he not my inferior shal I send to him Why it is Gods glory to do it God doth not only do it to us but he accounts it his glory so to do It is a great part of the glory of God that he is willing to yeild to us and to send to us about tearms of Reconciliation And shal that which makes God to be glorious be accounted a dishonor to thee shal it make thee unglorious when it makes God to be glorious If it be an excellency in God suerly it is no baseness no dishonour in thee What a proud heart hast thou that thou shouldest think that that doth debase thee too much which makes God to be a glorious God that that which doth set so much glory upon God should in thy thoughts put dishonor upon thee as if thy honor were to be higher than the honor of God himself Certainly those men that are of such implacable dispositions at least they wil never yeild to begin to make up their peace with others but they wil stand it out to the uttermost though their consciences tell them that they themselves have done a great deal of wrong and that they could be willing there were a peace only they wil not begin This proud and stout spirit in men is an argument that they have not been accquainted with Gods reconciling of himself unto them for Gods beginning to be reconciled unto thee wil make thee to begin reconciliation with thy inferior You wil say why should not he begin first It is true why should he not it is his duty indeed and so it is our duty to begin with God but suppose he doth not begin thou shouldest rather pitty him and look upon him in so much the more miserable Condition and know that though thou hast the advantage of him yet thou art to be like unto God in this particular USE 3. Thirdly A third Use of Gods beginning the work of Reconciliation with us is the Use that the Apostle himself makes in Rom. 5.10 If when we were enimies to God we were reconciled unto him by the death of his Son how much more being reconciled we shal be saved by his life here you see the Apostles inference upon Gods gratiousness in himself he being willing to be reconciled when we were enimies much more being reconciled we shal be saved as if he should have said al the goodness of God towards poor wretched sinful Creatures when we were desperate enemes to him and never thought of coming in to be reconciled unto him yet the Lord himself finds out a way and begins the work of making peace between him and our souls surely then being reconciled unto him we shal be saved What shal God when we were a going on in a desperate way of enmity against him shal this God come then to us and have thoughts of peace and Love and mercy to us surely when we are reconciled when we have hearts in some measure to love this God and to serve and fear him he wil not cast us off certainly no it is better with us now than before When we were enemies unto him and desperate enemies it had been then no wonder if God had cast us off and sent us to our own places to lie for ever under the infinite burden of his wrath but the Lord had then thoughts of peace towards us it is therefore now far otherwise with us though it is true we have many corruptions in us but we can appeal unto God that our Souls love him and that the desire of our hearts are to fear and serve him we can in some measure be able to say Lord thou that knowest al things knowest that there is nothing in the world our Souls desire more than to overcome these Corruptions there is no burden in al the world like unto the burden of sin there is nothing so grievous to us as this that we have such vile hearts and natures that can serve him no better than we do and if God should ask us what we would have from him we can say in the sincerity of our souls Lord thou knowest we would not ask Riches or Honors to be Kings and Princes in the world but Oh that we might be delivered from the remayner of the corruption that is in our hearts from such and such distempers of our Souls whereby we dishonor thy name continually Certainly if the hearts of men be in this disposition they may gather a comfortable argument to themselves and conclude thus There was a time that I went on as a dsperate enemy unto God and I lived without God in the world and never minded the power and the majesty and the Dominion of God over me but as if I were born to nothing else but to sin against God I followed my own lusts with al manner of greediness but behold then even at that time the Lord had thoughts of mercy towards me and he took me perhaps when I came to the hearing of the word with a purpose to contemne and despise it and to ieer at it yet at that very time he took me and spake to my heart and shewed me Jesus Christ and his mercy and then he broke my heart now the Lord knows though when I come to the word I profit not as I should yet I come with a heart desiring to profit and I would fain know the mind of God in it and before I come I go to God and desire him to shew me some part of his wil Wil God now cast me off when being a disperate enemy to him he had thoughts of mercy towards me wil he cast me off for those infirmities that I have now I know I have not a heart opposite to that Grace though I have a heartful of distempers I am not an enemy unto God as I was before and an enemy to his people and ordinances No my heart is towards him my heart is towards his people and towards his Ordinances and was God reconciled to me then even whil'st I was an enemy and wil he now cast me off for weaknesses and infirmities Certainly it cannot be O make much of that place of the Apostle If when we were enemies unto God we were reconciled unto him much more saith he certainly now God wil not cast us off but we shal be saved That is a third use that we may make of Gods begining the work of Reconciliation USE 4. A Fourth is this