God at the general resurrection but saith he it is now the hower is comming and now is when the dead shal hear the voice of the son of God and they that hear shal live It was at the time and is continually in the ministry of the word There is the voice of the son of God that makes the dead to hear and to live And further the word of the Ministery must be looked upon as Gods in this regard because otherwise there could not be any ground or bottom for faith by any thing that is delivered in the Ministery of the word Now we know that the ministery of the word is the special ordinance that is appointed for the begetting of faith faith comes by hearing hearing by the word preached It doth not come so much by reading no not by reading of the book of God by reading of the scripture but by hearing and hearing the word preached Now then you wil say indeed The word in the Bible that is the word of God God speaks there and Christ speaks and we may bottom our faith upon what we read there but we must have somthing to bottom our faith upon when we hear it preacht by man as wel as when we read it and it is cleer by scripture that God doth rather work by the hearing of it preacht than by the reading of it Except we look upon it as the word of God and Christ we have nothing to bottom our Faith upon for nothing that is humane can be the bottom and ground of any ones faith It is not what is the judgment of such a man though he be never so learned never so holy a man that can bottom or ground my faith But when I come to heare him so as I can heare God and Christ speaking in him then have I somthing to ground my faith upon what he saith therefore here is the reason why so many go away and are only taken at the present hearing but their hearts are not grounded and bottomed in the truth because they hear man only and do not heare God But when people can say as those men that came forth from Samaria to the woman in John 4. about the middle of the Chap. sayd that when the woman came and told them Here is a man that hath tould me al that ever I did is not he Chyist And they went out to him But at length say they to her when they had spoken to him Now we do beleeve not because thou hast told us but because we have heard him our selves So may many a soul say I have been often hearing of sermons and I have been taken with the preaching of such a man and I did beleeve what he said and it went into my heart in some measure Oh! but now saith a soul I do not beleeve because he tells me this but I have heard in his preaching God and Christ himself it hath not been he but it hath been Jesus Christ that hath spoken to my heart There could be no grounding of our faith except that which is delivered in the Ministery of the word be looked upon as God and Christ speaking in them Object You wil say must we bleeve every thing that the Preacher speaks as if God and Christ spake it men may err Therefore you must compare what you hear with what you read and as those noble men of Berea did search the Scripture to see what Paul himself preacht they were not to take Pauls preaching but to compare it with other Scriptures and they were commended for it and God forbid that we should think it much that people should examine any thing we speak Try all things and then keep that which is good search the Scriptures and compare what is delivered by Scripture and then so far as that is according to the rule of Scripture that is spoken though it be not directly the words of the Scripture yet when it is spoken in the name of God according to Scripture it should be received as if God and Christ spoke it We challenge no such infallibility as the Papists say the Pope hath but we give unto al people liberty to examine our Doctrine by Scripture and then God expects and Christ expects that it should be received as if God and Christ spake CHAP. 59. Use 1. Answering the Objections of the Arminians And the Wantons of our Age. NOW then briefly Hence we have a Use of instruction where we have an answer to the Objection both of the Arminians of our late Wantons Arminians they make this Objection when we preach somtimes that al men naturally are dead in sins and trespasses and there is no free wil in man but man is as void of Grace as the dead Carkass that lies in the grave is void of natural life Now they say If men be so dead in sins Why do you preach to them Were it not a vain thing to go and preach in the Church-yard Would they regard what you say you preach that al are dead and that there is no life at al in men to do any good Why do you speak to them This point answers that Objection Though it is a truth that al men naturally are dead in sins and are before the Lord as a dead Carrion there is no dead Carrion more loathsome in the eyes of us than every natural Soul is in the Eyes of God but yet we come and preach to them Why because that in our preaching it is God God and Christ speaks though our voice have no power to raise from the dead yet the voice of God hath power to raise from the dead If Christ wil speak to one that is dead he shal come forth as you know in the 11. of John when Christ came to Lazarus saith Christ I say to thee Lazarus arise It were a vain thing for any of us to go to the grave and say arise but if Christ come he can raise them presently So we preach to a congregation that are mixt some that have lain in the grave of sin forty years perhaps together yet when we speak in the name of Christ and Christ speaks together with us we may speak to dead Souls for together with the word that is spoken there doth go a power and a life for it is the word of God and not the word of man that breaths forth life And again it is an answer to the Objection of our late Wantons they cry out against Ministers calling to men for duties and account them duty-mongers Say they What do you cal to men to do you tel them that they must do thus and thus and they must perform duties and humble themselves They think they have got a great Objection in this that because men have no power naturally therefore it is a vain thing to cal upon them to perform duties This answers them We cal upon them so as the voice of Christ though they have no power themselves yet we cal
upon them to set upon such duties we cal upon them to beleeve and to repent They say it is in vain to cal upon them to beleeve and repent But that way that God hath to work Faith Repentance in the heart of man it is to conveigh a power through his own voice in the ministry of his word and therefore we speak to them to beleeve repent as if they had power because we know that those which belong unto Gods election the Lord wil conveigh power to them through this word of his It is not our voice but it is the voice of God and of Jesus Christ We would have you to carry this meditation along with you at any time when we speak unto you and exhort you that you would come in repent and beleeve Carry this meditation with you and then you shal understand us aright We would not have you to think that we conceive you have power to beleeve and repent because we cal upon you but this we expect that while we are speaking to you that God Christ wil speak to your hearts so that there wil be power conveighed through that word of ours and though it be not conveighed this Sermon yet it may be the next or the next and hoping in the end that wil give repentance unto life CHAP. 51. Use 2. Ministers ought to speak as the Oracles of God The maner of their preaching Opened THe next use that arises from hence is that the Apostle Peter makes in 1 Pet. 4.11 If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God mark it here is an exhortation to those that have to deal in the ministery of the word that they must when they speak the word speak it as the Oracles of God so that that is delivered in the word you see it to be as the Oracles of God whatsoever a minister speaks according to scripture it is to be looked upon as the oracles of God Now therefore if this be so that the word that is spoken according to the rule is the Oracles of God then it is the duty of al that do speak the word of God to speak it in such a manner as it may appear to be the Oracles of God I have not now to speak to many ministers and therfore I shal not enlarge my self in this as I should have done Oh! with what a reverance should ministers speak for they come to speak as in Christ stead and therefore they should speak in such a manner as becomes the voice of God and of Jesus Christ as the Oracles of God and not think to speak according to their own fancies and their own humors and in their own waies but to speak as those that are sent in Gods place to speak to the people as if Christ were speaking to them and therefore to consider they are in the place of Christ so to speak with all authority as from Christ as in Math. 7. verse the last It is said of Christ That he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes for a minister of God he is to preach in Christs stead for so the Apostle saith therefore he is to labor what he can to express the very authority of Jesus Christ in his Ministery and there is a ministery that doth carry authority with it in the very consciences of men I have known of some that have come proudly into a Congregation to scorne at the word Prophane Russians that have come on purpose to outface the Ministery and to out face the word and yet they have met with that authority in the word that their hearts have been danted and they have fallen under the power of the word and there is a great deal of difference in the manner and way of preaching the word some have authority and others have no authority at al in it That kind of preaching that is to please the humors of men you shal have some kind of preachers to dandle mens fancies as it were that have some fine quaint words that there sentences shal be very smooth and as they say come off bravely and this is a dainty preacher and he shal have many fine latine sentences and witty speeches and come into a pulpit and acts as if he were to act a part upon the stage these are the fine quaint preachers the Court preachers as they cal them But this is not to preach as in Christs stead It is very like that this was the preaching of the Scribes and Pharises But when Christ came to speak he spake as one that God had authority and not as the Scribes There was a great deal of difference between his preaching and that of the Scribes he came with the authority of God he came to preach to the consciences of men and not to the fancies of men and the difference as there was in him so there is in some measure and degree now There are some that preach to this very day just as the scribes but there are others that preach as Christ did that preacht to the conscience and to the hearts of people and their words do stick in the consciences of men though they fret and vex and go away in a rage yet there is somwhat that sticks to their consciences so that they are either forced to yeild to it or fly from it And here is the reason that many a man wil cry out and say I wil never heare such a minister Why What is the reason his corrupt heart cannot bear that ministers preaching the word comes with power to his heart and his guilty conscience cannot beare it now watch but whether there be not some vile guiltiness in their spirits that say of such men they wil never hear them any more because their corrupt hearts cannot bear the authority of the word that preaching that is as if God and Christ speak it is with authority and not with fine quaint words To this purpose you have an expression in 1 Cor. 1.17 for Christ sent me he was to go in the name of Christ not with wisdom of men Christ did never send me to preach with the wisdom of men What a text is here How wil many men be able to answer this one text that make it their great study to get Wisdom of words But mark the danger of this Least the Cross of Christ be made of no effect There is a most hiddeous wickedness in this that a man should regard more to be commended for a fine Witty neat smooth preacher than he should have regard to the Cross of Christ to take effect to have Christ to be honor'd We find by experience that such preaching scarce ever stirs the Soul seldome or never works upon the heart It was a speech that once even a Prelate that was not the best but one ill enough and known to many I suppose here I heard it with my own Ears he said That he was convinced so farr that
GOSPEL-RECONCILIATION OR CHRISTS TRVMPET OF Peace to the World Wherein is shewed besides many other Gospel Truth 1. That there was a Breach made between God and Man 2. That there is away to make up this Breach 3 Reconciliation opened in eight Particulars Twelve blessed Consequences thereof How to know whether a Mans peace be made with God Five Helps to make our peace with God 4. God begins the Work of Reconciliation with man 5 Our Reconciliation with God is by Christ How Christ is a fit Reconciler Christ hath undertaken 1. To satisfie Gods Justice 2. To bring our hearts and subdue them to God 6 Gods reconciling the World to himself 7 Why God will not himself immediately dispence this Gospel Reconciliation 8 The Ministers of the Gospel are Embassadors of Christ What kind of Ministry God speaks most in How we ought to hear the Word The horrible wickedness of those that are idle in the Ministry 9 The exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners Sixteen Arguments manifesting Gods exceeding willingness to be reconciled to sinners 10 Christs willingness to be reconciled to sinners further opened 11 Objections Answered concerning the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners To which is added two Sermons By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS Published with a Testimony By Thomas Goodwin William Bridge William Greenhil Sydrach Sympson Philip Nye John Yates William Adderley London Printed by Peter Cole Printer and Book-seller at the Printing-press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange 1657. A Testimony to the World concerning several Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs that are Printing and wil shortly be Published WHat we have by way of Preface set before the several Books already published of this Reverend Author Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs may sufficiently serve for all that are come forth So that we only need now to give Letters Testimonial to the World that these viz. The Sermons on the 2 Corinthians the 5. chapter the 18. 19. and 20. verses Hos 2.14 Prov. 16.31 Math. 11.28.29.30 Which are or wil shortly be Printed We avouch likewise to be the painful and profitable Labors of the same Author and published by the best and most Authentick Copies Thomas Goodwin William Greenhil William Bridge Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye John Yates William Adderly The Names of Books printed by Peter Cole Printer and Bookseller of London and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange Mr. Hookers New Books in three Volums One in Octavo and two in Quarto These Eleven New Books of Mr. Thomas Hooker made in New-England Are attested in an Epistle by Mr. Thomas Goodwin and Mr. Philip Nye To be written with the Authors Own hand None being written by himself before One Volum being a Comment upon Christ's last Prayer in the Seventeenth of John wherein is opened The Union beleevers have with God and Christ and the glorious Priviledges thereof Besides many other Gospel Truths there is also shewed 1 That the end why the Saints receive al glorious Grace is That they may be one as the Father and Christ are one 2 That God the Father loveth the Faithful as he loveth Jesus Christ 3 That our Savior desireth to have the Faithful in Heaven with himself 4 That the happiness of our being in Heaven is to see Christs Glory 5 That there is much wanting in the knowledg of Gods Love in the most able Saints 6 That the Lord Christ lends dayly direction according to the dayly need of his Servants 7 That it is the desire and endeavor of our Savior that the dearest of Gods Love which was bestowed on himself should be given to his faithful Servants 8 That our Vnion and Communion with God in Christ is the top of our happiness in Heaven The first eight Books of the Application of Redemption By the effectual Work of the Word and Spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost Sinners to God In which besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 Christ hath purchased al spiritual good for HIS 2 Christ puts al HIS into possession of al that good that he hath purchased 3 The Soul must be fitted for Christ before it can receive him And a powerful Ministry is the ordinary means to prepare the heart for Christ 4 The work of God is free And the day of Salvation is while this Life last and the Gospel continue 5 God cals his Elect at any Age but the most before old Age. 6 The Soul is naturally setled in a sinful security 7 The heart of a Natural man is wholly unwilling to submit to the Word that would sever him from his sins 8 God the Father by a holy kind of violence plucks His out of their corruptions and draws them to beleeve in Christ The Ninth and Tenth Books of the Application of Redemption by the Effectual Work of the Word and spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost sinners to God Besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 The heart must be humble and contrite before the Lord wil dwel in it 2 Stubborn and bloody sinners may be made broken-hearted 3 There must be true sight of sin before the heart can be broken for it 4 Application of special sins by the Ministry is a means to bring men to sight of and sorrow for them 5 Meditation of sin a special means to break the heart 6 The same word is profitable to some not to another 7 The Lord somtimes makes the word prevaile most when its most opposed 8 Sins unrepented of makes way for piercing Terrors 9 The Truth terible to a guilty conscience 10 Gross and scandalous sinners God usually exerciseth with heavy breakings of heart before they be brought to Christ 11 Sorrow for sin rightly set on pierceth the heart of the sinner throughly 12 They whose hearts are pierced by the Word are carried with love and respect to the Ministers of it And are busie to enquire and ready to submit to the mind of God 13 Sinners in distress of conscience are ignorant what they should do 14 A contrite sinner sees a necessity of coming out of his sinful condition 15 There is a secret hope wherewith the Lord supports the hearts of contrite sinners 16 They who are truly pierced for their sins do prise and covet deliverance from their sins 17 True contrition is accompanied with confession of sin when God cals thereunto 18 The Soul that is pierced for sin is carried with a restless dislike against it Six Books more of Mr. Hookers in two Volums in Quarto are printing Twenty one several Books of Mr. William Bridge Collected into two Volumns Viz. 1 Scripture Light the most sure Light compared with 1. Revelations Visions 2. Natural Supernatual Dreams 3 Impressions with and without Word 4 Light and Law within 5. Divine Providence 6. Christian Experience 7. Humane Reason 8.
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
obey the present voice of Christ yet thou shalt obey the other voice at that day I must wind up this point with a word of Exhortation CHAP. 43. How we ought to have the word Vse 1. SEEing God and Christ doth speak to us in the Ministery of the word Let us come with other manner of thoughts to hear the word than hertofore we have done I remember I spake before that the word cannot be effectual til we come to know the voice of Christ in it as in that of Samuel I wil give you another text to shew what an admirable effect it wil work upon the hearts of men and women if they come to hear the preachings of the word as the voice of God and Christ and that is in Acts 10.33 You shal find there that Cornelius had sent for Peter to come to him imediately Therefore I sent to thee and thou hast wel done that thou art come Now therefore are we al here present before God to hear althings that are commanded thee of God Here is a gracious disposition of heart in Cornelius a souldier and other Souldiers and friends that he had Presently when Peter came now saith he are we here al present before God to hear al things that are commanded thee of God and we al here entertaine whatsoever thou shalt reveal to us from God as the word of God then Peter indeed preached with a courage and when people shal by their behavior with that reverence and affection attend as if they did attend to know something of the mind of God this encourages a preacher and then assoon as ever Peter had done his Sermon nay before he had done his Sermon the text saith in verse 44. That while Peter yet spake these words the holy spirit fel upon al them which heard the word No marvil they came with such a disposition of heart We are here al of us to know and heare what is commanded of God comming with such a frame of spirit Now while Peter was yet speaking the holy spirit fel on them which were to heare the word and so it wil be with you when you are alone before you come say Oh Lord that thou wouldest speak to my heart even so as you have it in Isa 2. Come let us go up to the house of the Lord. An excellent speech for those that are comming to hear in Isa 2.2 There is a prophesie of the times of the Gospel there is an excellent resolution an excellent temper of heart for people that are going to hear sermons come ye let us go up to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he wil teach us of his waies and we wil walk in his paths We are al here to hear what God wil say to us when at any time there is any truth made known to you you should receive it with such an affection God this day hath revealed some part of his mind that I did not find to be so before and when you hear of any sin revealed you should bless God and say the Lord hath met with my heart this day Oh! think it not an evil but bless God that Christ wil think of thee And so thou shouldest behave thy selfe Is there an exhortation to any duty God and Jesus Christ hath exhorted thee this day thou shouldest look upon it as if God and Christ hath been a perswading and exhorting thee and is there any word of comfort and promise applied unto thee thou shouldest look upon it as if God and Jesus Christ had spoken a word of comfort to thy heart this day Oh! if you would come with such a disposition as to receive al from God and Jesus Christ then you may expect that the Holy Spirit should fal upon you No marvail though when people come through custom and meerly because others come or through some other vaine respect that then they come and go away and never feel any work of the Holy Spirit But such as come with teachable hearts they may expect that the holy Spirit should come and fal upon them When the very people of Niniveh did repent they beleeved God so then the stoutest and proudest heart yea and the hardest heart in the world if it comes to beleeve God then it wil repent I am the willinger to be the more large in this because this Sermon may make profitable many other Sermons and for want of that true work of this point upon your hearts it is that so many Sermons do so little good CHAP. 56. The third Doctrine propounded in the 45. Chapter prosecuted Viz. The excellency of the Gospel make the Ministers earnest in their Ministration THe former part of this verse treated of several Conclusions in it A third Doctrine propounded in the 45 Chapter is That the consideration of the excellency of the Gospel that is committed to the Ministers of it to preach makes them that are faithful to be very earnest in their Ministration Now unto us is committed the word of Reconciliation Now then we are Embossadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ stead c. Now then upon this that the word of Reconciliation is committed to us and we pray you in Christ stead O! it is this that puts us on to the earnestness that you see in us First that the consideration of the excellency of the Gospel that is committed to the Ministers of it is that that should make them earnest in their ministration and to labor with al their might to draw people to that love of the Gospel The same that you have heard in this Chapter you have it again in the beginning of the next Chapter The Apostle having the word again and again that it is the Ministry of Reconciliation that is committed to them After that he tels them that he beseeches and prayes in Christs stead then he comes over it again in the beginning of the next Chapter as if he had not done enough O this Ministry of Reconciliation it is the Garce of God unto people O we beseech you saith the Apostle Do not recive this Grace of God in vain the Apostles so other faithful Ministers satisfie not themselves meerly in performing a task yet they can come speak an hour and speak to people such things as may please their Ears but they look after what they do to be solicitous and earnest for fear it should be in vain O! then we as Embassadors c. And I wil shew you another Text that is very remarkable in the 1. Col. 25. I am made a Minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfil the word of God and then he fals a commending of this Ministry of his in the Mystery that hath bin hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest to the Saints It may be carnal hearts look upon it as a mad and
ages that are now gone and their Souls are triumphing in Heaven I say that that is the Harvest of al their prayers surely cannot be one single Mercy but is a Mercy to let in others it is a Mercy that is a door of hope to further Mercies and that is the Third Note Again Fourthly a Fourth Note of a Mercy that is a making way to further Mercies is this The Fourth Discovery whether Gods present Mercies be in-lets to future Mercies That Mercy that leads us to the God of Mercy is certainly an inlet to further Mercies whatsoever it is that leads our Souls to the God of Mercy we may conclude that this Mercy wil bring abundant good with it I must not build upon divers Sccriptures only read that of David in 2 Sam. 7. the whole Chapter you may read at your leisure how Gods Mercy to him lead him to the God of Mercy upon which there was such a promise of continuance of Mercy for so long a time The fift Discovery whether Gods present Mercies be in-lets of future Mercies That Mercy I beseech you observe it that is to a Soul to a people an ingagement to duty is certainly a door of more Mercy whatsoever Mercy God bestows upon you in particular or upon a Nation if the Mercy be made an engagement to Duty certaitnly it is a door to more Mercy take it thus As so we may when we do account our duties to be Mercies then our duties wil hold so when Gods Mercies are turned into duties then Gods Mercies wil hold it is a most infallible sign of one that wil persevere in duty that wil never fail If thou wouldest know whether thou art like to persevere in duty or no O! I am afraid I shal fall off saysome O! if I were sure that I should persevere to the end it would comfort me Would you have an infalliable sign that your duties wil hold to the end take this for one If thy Soul looke upon every duty as a Mercy to thee every command to a duty as Gods Mercy to thee every day thus I dare pawn my soul that soul wil persevere so far as any soul shal account a duty to be a Mercy so far that soul shal persevere As it is a certain Evidence of perseverance in duty when a duty is accounted a Mercy so I say it is a cerain Evidence that there wil be a perseverance in Mercy when Mercy is turned into duty when Mercy shal be an engagement to duty and turns into duty then it is a certain sign there wil be a perseverance in mercy as when duty is accounted mercy there wil be a persevernce in duty Again another may be this The Sixt discovery whether Gods present mercyes be in-lets to future mercies That mercy that humbleth the heart that mercy is an in-let to further mercy And it is very observable that place in Sam. 2 7. you may read that Chapter in two or three several places when God had promised to David great things marke you Davids spirit was as low then never lower what am I saith David and David cries out Thou art great O Lord he crieth not out thou hast made me great but thou art great O Lord and in the 26. verse Let thy name be magnified for ever he was low in his own spirit What am I but let thy name be magnified for ever Davids heart was not taken up about this Oh! God hath promised to me a perpetual Kingdome unto my posterity and now I am great and God hath magnified me no but what am I and let thy name be magnified and be thou great O Lord. When this shal be the frame of a soule of a people when God advanceth them in a way of Mercy and they cry out Oh! let me be low and be any thing so Gods name be magnified certainly this Mercy is a fore-runner of further mercy As it is a great argument of the strength of faith and acceptable to God when as in one adversity when God seems to come out against him that a guilty heart can beleeve and the heart can be raised and not sinke in the depth of adversity I beseech you observe it as when the heart can rise in the depth of adversity it is a stronge argument that there is an enduring faith and a pretious faith so when the heart can fal in the height of prosperity and be low there is abundance of grace in that soul acceptable to God and God intendeth much good to it The seventh discovery Whether Gods present mercies be in-lets to future mercies When as we are careful to consecrate the first fruits of our Mercies to God when the first fruits of the good we do receive are ever consecrated to God then it is but an inlet of further Mercies for so it was here This vally of Achon you know it was by Jerico as an evidence unto them that they should have al the Land of Canan now what did they at Jericho they did devote al to God the whole City to God with the suburbs of it were devoted to God they consecrated the first fruites of Canan at their entering into Canan where Jericho was and this valey of Acon was just by it when God did begin to give them possession of that good land they did devote the first fruits to God and so it became an evidence to them that they should possesse the Good land afterwards So when God beginneth in a way of mercy and goodness then if a people or family or particular man or woman begineth to devote that first fruit of mercy to God it is evident it is a doore of hope of further Mercy Thus I have done with the explication I am sory I have no more time for the application I wil passe over things as briefly as I can it is the last of al I most intend for the First therefore USE 1. If this be so that Gods Mercies and even present Mercies are inlets to future when God is in a way of Mercy then his people may expect greater to follow hence folows this consequence upon it that therefore those men and women that are only careful to seeke God in time of affliction are much mistaken and it is a vile wretched folly for any to thinke that that is the only time to seeke God the time of affliction that is confuted from this point thus for if when God is in a way of mercy then Gods people they argue that more mercy is coming then this follows that when God is in a way of mercy then it is a fit time to pray to him that is the fittest time to pray to him when God is in a way of goodness and Mercy to them when Mercy is comming then it is a time for thee to be praying But now the case is quite cross in the world they wil pray to God indeed when when God hath them at the advantage in a time of sickness and affliction and
to us upon a new account through a new right and so it is far more Comfortable than before for before we had forseited all that we had because we had taken up Arms against God and you know when there is once a taking up of Arms that very act occasions presently a forfeiting of an estate So we having taken up Arms against the God of Heaven we have forfeited al our Comforts and injoyments and we have cause to wonder that God doth not send some arrest upon our estates and seize upon all that we have But now peace being made between God and us all is restored againe And so those who are reconciled unto God they may injoy Comfort in what they do possess they may look upon their Houses upon their Trade upon their meat and upon their drink as all fruits of their Peace with God The eight Consequence 8. Hence follows likewise the protection of God over us and over all we have so that we may injoy al securely I do not affirm but God may send the Adversary and he may take away our goods when he sees it may make for our good But certainly we are under Gods protection and there shal not one hair fal from our heads without leave and Commission from God the enemy cannot take away one hair or one farthing token without Commission from God under whose protection we are you shal not lose so much as one farthing but so as if you knew all you would be willing to lose it You wil say Would any one be willing to be plundred Truly if you knew that there were the work of Gods wisdom in it to you and how it doth accomplish his end and work his glory if you loved God you would willingly give up your selves and your estates unto him and say it is better for me to give up al that I have when it may be for the glory of God though I cannot tel the particular way yet I know God wil have his glory by it than it is for me stil to retain the possession thereof Therefore the Saints of God have nothing taken away from them but what is by warrant from God and from God that is my friend and remains my friend We do not understand the vastness of Gods love if we do not think that Gods intire love can stand with such a work as taking away some of our estate Gods love is so vast as it can stand with a thousand such things as that is Al these troubles and afflictions falling into the infinite Sea of Gods love makes no alteration therein The ninth Consequence 9. Upon this Reconciliation with God God and you come to have Common friends and Common enemies Doth God come into a league with you and are you Reconciled unto God hence forward saith God all your enimies shal be my enemies and all your friends shal be my friends and so it shal be with you you shal look upon al my enemies as your enemies and upon al my friends as your friends The tenth Consequence 10. Now you come to be in as good a Condition as ever you were before there was any sin committed in the world we were at Peace with God in Adam and it is broken I do not say this which we have now is Peace so properly as it is Reconciliation it is a recovering of Peace and thou being received into this Peace thou art in as good a condition in as happy an estate as Adam was in Innocency yea and happyer too for though there was a Peace between God and him then yet there was a possibility for Adam to turne an enemy to God But it is not so with thee now thou art therefore safer Gods heart is as much towards thee as ever it was towards Adam yea more for thou art in a better Covenant now in regard thou art in a Covenant of grace though no thank to sin but God hath so ordered it and turned it that as they say of a bone that is broken if it be wel sett it is stronger than it was before So when the heart is true and wel set in this Reconciliation with God it is more firme with God it is in a better Condition than it was before the Breach was made This is that which may be abundance of joy to the heart of a man When a man hath been at a difference with a great man at whose disposed lyes his life and al that he hath what a joyful thing is it to that man when there comes in one to Reconcile them both and so to Râ—concile them that he shal be in a better Condition than ever he was that he shal have the great man to be a surer friend to him than ever he was Wel Christians go together and rejoyce in this blessed goodness of God in this happy Reconciliation which Christ is come to make between God and man The eleventh Consequence 11. That by our Peace and with our Peace whatsoever wrath of God whatsoever Judgments of God comes abroad or are executed in the world we come to be freed from the evil of them so that none of that wrath shal befal us not in any revenging way as it doth befal wicked and ungodly men but we shal Certainly be delivered from all the evil of it When judgments are sent from heaven abroad into the world there is a protection unto al those that are Reconciled unto God though there be darkness every where else yet there is light in their hearts they are alwaies in Goshan though God be never so terrible in his judgments unto others yet this terror of God is taken from them If you should hear the noise of Trumpets and Drums the neighing of Horses the roaring of Cannons and shooting of Muskets and all the dreadful sound of warlike instruments peradventure at the first it may strike some feare and terror into you but when you come to hear that al comes from your friend it takes away the terror of al these things If a man comes to a house where there are a Company of fierce mastive Dogs that are barking as if they would come presenly and tear out his throat he may happily be in some fear but if the master of the house be his friend and if he stand by he need not then fear that any hurt shal come to him by them It is true indeed if he be an enemy or if he be a Thief that comes to steal and destroy he may fear these mastives So the Troubles of the world may come with open mouth as if they would devour us but if we be Gods friends if he stand by we need not fear what they can do to us for we have a quietus est we have a protection from God from all the evils that are in the world Though the devouring Angel shal come to destroy yet if the blood of Christ who is our Peace be sprinkled upon the posts of the doors of our
comest and cast it out This is a sign that thou art at peace with God if thou hast laid down thy weapons of warfare against God and art at enmity with every sin If thou entertainest in thy bosom no known sin though never so secret And this is the most eminent sign that can be so that the weakest Christian may be able to apply it to himself and come to know somewhat about this peace with God 2 Secondly If thou wouldst know whether God and thee be reconciled then let me put this to thee What Treaties have there been made between God and thy Soul for this you must know that though there may be a Peace indeed made between God and thee in some kind even from eternity as I shall afterwards shew you yet before it come into thy heart before thou can'st come to know it there must a Treaty pass between God and thee Reonciliation that is from eternity comes from Treaties between God the father and God the Son and that Reconciliation that in time comes into the Conscience is a fruit of some Treaty that hath been between God and thy self As for example When God would be at peace with a Soul he summons that Soul to come in he tels it that it is an enemy to him and that he is going on in contrary waies to him As usually you know when enemies come to a Town they will first summon the Town before they storm it So the Lord summons thee to come in When did God ever summon thy heart Hast thou felt the power of Gods summons in thy soul Then again Hast thou felt much intercourse between God and thy Soul Hath God been speaking to thy heart and thy heart speaking unto God Hath God been working towards thee and hath thy heart been working towards God Hath the Lord sent unto thee by his word and hast thou sent up unto him by prayer and as the Lord waits upon thee to know what thy answer is when he speaks to thee So do'st thou wait upon him to know his answer when thou prayest What have been the Treaties that have passed secretly in thy closet between God and thy Soul Thou dost not go on in a dul way and come and hear the word of God but never hear the voice of God but when thou comest to hear Gods word thou hearest Gods voyce thou hearest him speak unto thee Treating with thee about matters of Peace and thou feelest Gods Spirit drawing thy heart and telling somewhat of Gods mind unto thee perhaps at this time and for the present whilest thou art hearing thou tellest God secretly by ejaculations Lord I am willing to accept of those tearms of Peace and Reconciliation I am willing to accept of the Conditions of the Covenant Or perhaps when thou doest not this when thou art hearing yet when thou art got alone then thou openest thy self more unto God and sendest a ful answer unto God This is the way of treating that when thou comest to hear Gods word offering tearms of peace and requireing such and such tearmes thou at the very hearing sendest up by ejaculations secretly in answer to God Lord I accept of the tearms and when thou art gone sendest up a ful answer and then how doest thou bless his name that ever he was pleased to offer such tearms unto thee though they were a thousand times harder Hath there ever been any such doings in thy heart hath it been one of the greatest works that ever thy heart hath been set upon hath thy heart been set more upon this work of the treaty with God about peace than about any thing that ever concerned thee in al thy life Then it is a good evidence unto thee that thou art in a way of Peace and if thy Conscience speaks peace unto thee from this it wil be a comfortable evidence indeed But the truth is I cannot give you the ful and through evidence so as fully to sattisfy your heart til I come to the next point To shew you how the heart is brought to Christ and reconciled to God in him But somewhat may be done to help the soul that way 3 Thirdly the Third Signe therefore is this If thou beest at peace with God then upon Gods being pacified towards thee and upon thy apprehension of it it wil make thee looke back to thy former wretched dealings with God and be confounded in thy own thoughts and cause thee even to abhor thy self for that cursed carriage of thy heart towards him and dealings with him when thou wert in away of opposition and when thou wert walking Contrary to him I wil give you a most excellent scripture for that it is in the 16. of Ezek. the latter end That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more Why Because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done that is the time you see when the soul comes to be ashamed of its wretched dealings with God and be confounded in the thought thereof even when the Lord is pacified towards it for al the evil that it hath done towards him Lay this therefore when you lay aside this Book and are got alone warm to hearts A man would think if God should aske the question that this should rather be answered when God comes and reveales the fruits of this wrath towards a soul no but when I am pacified saith God towards thee then thou shalt be confounded and never open thy mouth any more So that if thou hast any evidence any found evidence to thy soul that the Lord is pacified towards thee for al the evil that thou hast done against him it wil make thee look back to thy former actings and when thou dost remember them thou wilt be Confounded in thy own thoughts and whatsoever God doth do with thee thou wilt never open thy mouth any more but be ashamed of thy self for al thy wicked dealings towards God Many of your Consciences may tel you that there hath been divers horrible things acted by you against the Lord what sins have not many of you lived in do you hope that God is reconciled to you and pacified towards you for al those horrible things that you have done If he be you wil upon this grace of God towards you look back upon what you have done formerly and be confounded in your own souls and the mroe you apprehend your peace to be made with God the more wil you be ashamed and the more wil you be troubled for what you have done Many a wretched sinner that hath lived in waies of sin when the fear of death comes upon him wil be confounded ashamed of what he hath done then he wil complain cry out to others and desire them to pray for him but that is not the thing that God here speaks of for let God but set such a one upon his feet again and free him from his
in Egipt and next unto Pharoah himselfe then the text saith that the Spirit of Jacob revived and he said is Joseph my sone a live I have enough So when a Siner that comes to be made sensible of the evil of sin and the greatnes and widenes of that Breath that is between God and him when he comes and hears one preach of the Doctrine of Reconciliation and of Attonement between God and the Soul and how that al his Sins may be pardoned and God may become an intire frind unto him and he come to be saved and glorified eternally in the higest Heavens The hearts of a poore Sinner beginns to fail but when he can tel him what great things God hath done to bring this work about that God hath in his infinite wisdome found out such a glorious way for reconciliation that he hath sent his son and he is become man and hath been under the wrath of his father and Satisfied for mans Sin and died and shed his blood and is now assended into Heaven and is at the right hand of the Father and an Advocate and an interscessor upon this the sinner may come to beleeve that there is a reallity in the thing a Certainty in this worke of reconciliation My Brethren the work of reconciliation is a Sure thing indeed it is not a notion fancy or an imagination but there is a reality and a certainty in it and al this follows from hence that it is in Christ we could never be so ertain of the thing except we had these real demonstrations of Gods heart towrads us Suppose God had sent an Angel from Heaven to preach to the Children of men the Doctrin of reconciliation and to tel them that God was wiling to be reconcilied unto them alas this could never be made out to be so Certain unto them but stil the hearts of poore Siners would have been afraid and would have thought surly whatsoever is said unto us is but a little to quiet us for the present certainly the mater is not so as it is declared unto us this would not have been so certain though an Angel from Heaven had declared it but when God shal please to give this evidence to us of his heart being towards us and of his willingnes to be reconciled unto us that he hath wrought so strangly for us in sending the second Person in trinity to be made man and him to do thus and thus to worke out this work of Reconciliation Upon this we may come certainly to conclude that the heart of God is real in the woâ—k In Rom 4.16 we have an expression to this purpose therefore it is of faith saith the Apostle it is what is that that is the promise of life and peace for of that the Apostle is speaking in that place It is of faith why that it might be by greace so the end the promise might be sure Mark here these two properties of our reconciliation with God Wee are reconciled in Christ Upon that first it follows that it is a great mistry And then secondly that therfore it is free therfore saith he it is of faith that it might be free It is of faith as if he should say it is from God in Christ for faith doth relate alwaies unto Christ It is of faith that is of faith in Christ that it might be by greace as if it had not been by faith if it were by any works that we should do then it were not free it were not by grace but it is by faith in Christ that it might be by grace And then secondly it is of faith in Christ to the end that the promise might be sure you wil say would it not be suer though it had not been by faith suppose God had only sent an Angel as I hinted before would it not have been sure No not so sure as now it is for in that it is by faith upon Christ we have Christ to pitch upon as the Object of our faith for our reconciliation with God and by that it coms to be more sure then it cold be by any other way We cannot conceive that it were possible for the Lord by any way to reveale the reallity of his heart and the certainty of his work in reconciling the world to himself so as by this means in that he hath reavled it to be in Chirst And that is the Third thing that follows from it Consequence 4. The Fourth thing from thence is this That if it be in Christ then as it is sure so it is full Indeed were it in any other way that God did reveal Reconciliation to us then in Christ we might be afraid that there were something in the heart of God against it that the heart of God did not fully close with us to be fully Reconciled with us but when we hear what God hath done to Reconcile us to himself what a price he hath paid for it what cost he hath been at to accomplish it and that his own Son hath undertaken to bring us and the Father together and so to make up this Reconciliation then we may conclude it a full and perfect Reconciliation Jesus Christ would never undertake such a work but he would Compleat it and he hath Compleated it and therefore when you hear this word of the Gospel that we are Reconciled to God in Christ we may conclude that the work is a ful and a compleat work because it is done in him That is another Consequence Consequence 5. Further if the Reconciliation we have with God be in Christ hence in the Fifth place it follows that God is Reconciled unto man upon very honorable tearms it is an honorable Reconciliation for it is such a Reconciliation wherein God suffers nothing at all but he hath all made up If God had come and only passed by our offences and so had been reconciled to us without any more ado the Devils perhaps might have cried out against him and have said Where is the glory of thy Justice these have sinned against thee as wel as we and the Breach they have made upon thy Justice is no way made up thou hast been by them dishonored and that dishonor that thou hast receivd by them is no way answered But now Man being reconciled to God in Christ none of the Devils in Hell can speak against Gods Justice or against his Righteousness for as God is Reconciled so he is Reonciled upon honorable tearms Indeed a man that hath an inferior who hath offended him when he can see no other way to help himself but that he must put up al the wrong and injury that hath bin done him It is a far different thing then to be reconciled to the party offending upon honorable terms for if he could come to have this wrong made up again and not only he that hath offended come to submit himself to him but all the injury that he hath done him fully satisfied this
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
your hearts when you come to hear of this Doctine be not gained upon be not drawn unto God it is a shrew'd argument that you are lost Creatures for God himselfe looks upon this way of reconciliation as the most gaining and prevaling argument that posibly he can use to gaine the heart of any man And except you finde your hearts gained upon by this you may take it as an argument of a most dangerous Condition in which you are I dare appeal to those whose harts God hath gained to himselfe let them Say what was it that gained their hearts what was it that broke their hearts most kindly at first and Caused them to fly unto God was it not the opening of this mistery of Reconciliation in Christ was it not Gods tender of his mercy to the souls of poore sinful creatures in Christ And woe to those Persons that shal Sit under the ministry of the Gospel the droppings of heaven and here the blesed tidings of Reconciliation in Christ and yet not find their hearts gained by this argument for this was one special end why God those this way of Reconciling himself to the world that he might by this gaine the hearts of the Children of men to himselfe for ever So that now you have had al these things opened in the point besides the proof of it in Scripture first you have had shewed unto you that there cold be no Reconciliation but in Christ secondly That Christ was a fit mediator to reconcile God and us together and in what particular thirdly what Christ hath undertook to do for the Reconciliation of us to God and what he doth to this very day Fourthly how we com to have Interest in what he hath done for our Reconciliation fiftly the several properties or consequences of this Reconciliation which doth discover to us what a kinde of Reconciliation it is And then the Reasons why God would reconcile the world to himself in this way rather then in any other way CHAP. 20. APPLICATION Vse 1. See the woful misery sin hath brought us unto humiliation for sin us ful THis improvment of al by application to our selves folows Indeed a great part of what hath been insisted on though it hath been by way of Explication yet it hath been Applicatory But there are yet further things by way of Application to be presented to you al flowing naturally from what hath been taught neither shal I need to be long in it because it is but only a working upon your hearts the same things which I have inlarged upon in the opening of the Point VSE 1 1. then from this point that God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himselfe Hence is presented before us the woful misery that sin hath brought us into There is nothing that sets out the Breach between God and man so much as this That the making up of that Breach must be in Christ There is a great question now on foot Whether humiliation be necessary or no whether men must be made senssible of their natural condition and so be humbled and that way be brought unto Jesus Christ There are a great many that Catch hold upon the abuse of this Humiliation so as wholly to exclude it but exceeding ignorantly because that some would make humiliation as if it were a Condition of the Covenant which indeed it is not and when they heare us say that it is not a Condition they presently Conclude that there is no need at al of it because say they Humiliation doth not at al interest us in Jesus Christ And because some perhaps wil trust two much in their Humiliation and rely upon it therefore others wil wholly take it away and exclude it But though humiliation is not the Condition of the Covenant though it is not that which doth give us an interest in Jesus Christ though it is not that which we are to rely upon yet there is very much need of humiliation and that we be made sensible of our lost Condition by sin and by that which hath been delivered you may see a necessity of it for Consider I suppose if you beleive that God wil pardon your sins and that he wil be Reconciled unto you you beleive it is in Christ Yea you wil say that is Certaine and therefore seeing Christ hath wrought our Reconciliation what need we be humbled for sin Certainly my Bretheren in that which you say if you understand what you say there is implied the deepest work of humiliation and the strongest argument thereunto that it is possible for any Creature to be Capable of in this world How is that you wil say Thus. I beleeve that God is reconciled to me in Christ what hath God wrought my reconciliation in his Son hath he brought it about by Jesus Christ and chosen that way above all other wayes to do it Then certainly such was the Breach between God and me through my sin that al the Angels in Heaven and al the men in the world could never make it up Such was the Breach that my sin had made between God and my soul as it is required so great a mistery of Godliness to make it up as the very Angels themselves are not able to comprehend And indeed it is the greatest work that ever God did do or that â—ver God wil do to al Eternity Consider what it cost to make up the Breach that sin had made between God and thy soul And againe If you beleive that you are reconciled to God in Christ you do not only see and are Convinced of the greatness of that Breach but you must be sensible of it too for can I go out of my self and exercise such a gloriouse act of Faith upon Christ as Mediator and yet not be sensible of what Christ hath done Certainly the work of faith can never be raised in the heart But it is raised so as the sinner knows what he doth when he doth beleive and is sensible of what he doth And if this be so take but these two things That when a man beleeves in Christ as Mediator that he knows what he doth when he beleeves and is sensible of what he doth take but these two things for granted and I wil warrant that foul wil be humbled it follows of it self and of its own nature it need not be required as a Condition it is as necessary to the work of faith as light in the Sun when it shines or as heate of the fire and indeed it is implyed As for example When I am to go to such a place or about such a business it is true going is not the condition required it is not required that I should travil so many stepps by way of Condition but that such an act should be performed that I should be at such a place at such a day to do such a business now though this be not expressed in a condition that I must go so many miles and the
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
upon the offer of the freeness of my grace Indeed there can be no other incouragment but this for the first work whosoever doth beleeve at any time he is not to beleeve because any qualification of his gives him a right to it but upon these termes that God hath reconciled the world to himselfe and that he hath offered the promise of grace generally and that he hath Said whosoever wil come may come in and beleeve whosoever is a thirst may come and that word of his is my warrant that endifinit Promise that God hath made is a Sufficient encouragement and if I can rowl my soul upon this it is that which gives me right and interest in the grace of God and whosoever hath been saved hath been saved upon these terms The first worke hath been a kind of venturing work they have ventured their soules upon this grace of God thus generally and indefinitly offered and do you retire into your closets and do so too You whose consciences condemn you of great and notorius sinns when you hear of this genneral offer though you do not know whâ—◠〈…〉 be elected or no trouble not your selves with â—uâ—h thoughts but venture to cast your souls upon this free grâ—ce of God in Christ with resolution to give up your selves to the service of God for the time to come â—and though you have not abillity in your selves yet who knows but upon such a work as this Gods Spirit may come even at that instant to inable you to do it This is that which God requiers and if God perswade thy heart to this it is a good signe that mercy is intended to thee When at every time God shal make an offer and tender of the Gospel to thee it doth stirr up thy heart thus to conclude wel I wil adventure my soul upon this offer God hath not excepted me why then should I except my selfe God hath not cast me away why should I make my selfe a castaway do not dispair But beleeve CHAP. 37. VSE 2. SEcondly Hence then it concerns us al to look about us while we live in this world that there may be some work of God upon our hearts while we are here that while we live in this world we may be reconciled unto him for if the thrid of our life be once cut asunder and we be noe longer in this world but go out of it without being reconciled unto God we are undone creatures for ever We say of men when they are dying alas such a one is now no man for this world wel they had neede then to look to themselves that the work of Reconciliation be done before for when thou art no longer in this world then thou art gon for ever O then apply thy selfe to this work whilst thou hast time and tak hold of the means and oppertunities which God affords unto thee while thou art a man of this world loose it not and know it is a great mercy of God to thee to continue thee in this world because here thou art under the power of grace thou art under that genneral grace of God that is indefinitly tendred unto every man under that grace which hath fallen upon as great Sinners as thou art and therefore so long as there is life there is hope This point I have divers times made use of to shew that this time of our lives is the time of grace and salvation and it follows naturally and fully from the expression in the text therefore I shal leave it Only let me tel you thus much That though God expresseth this grace of Reconciliation here to the world yet if ever thou beest actually and indeede reconciled to God before thou dost leave the world God wil make thee to be a man no more of this world and though thou art in the world yet thou shalt not be of the world but above the world Therefore in john 17. you shal finde when Christ speaks of those that his father had given unto him and had beleeved on him he sayeth verse 14. and 16. I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them because they are not of the World even as I am not of the world I pray not that thou should'st take them out of the world but that should'st keep them from the evil It 's true when men have beleeved on Christ they are in the world and Christ doth not pray that God should take them out of the world but preserve them in the world It should teach us by the way to be content to live in the world though it be a dangerous and an evil world for it was as dangerouse and as evil a world wherein the disciples and Christ lived they were in danger of death for the profession of Religion and yet though Christ loved his disciples he would not pray they should be taken out of the world You have a great many discontented people that wil pray that God would take them out of the world No saith Christ keep them in this world And then he saith they are not of the world Indeed God is reconcileing himself to the world that is to those that are in the world but being reconciled to them they are no longer men of the world though in the world therefore if thou beest one that God the Father and the Son hath agreed upon from al eternity to be reconciled unto him in time thou shalt be brought to be one not of the world even whilest thou livest in the world Therefore you that are not only in the world but are worldly men and minde only the things of the world know that the worke of Reconciliation is not done with your Souls what God hath done concerning you in his eternal purpose from al eternity we know not but as yet the work is not done upon thy soul thou art not reconciled unto God that is thou art not brought into such a disposition in thine own heart as to be at peace with God and if ever thou shalt have any peace at al know it must be done here in this world the work of Reconciliation must be done here Thus much for that point That God was in Christ reconcileing the world to himself CAHP. 38. Not imputing their trespasses Opened And 3. Notes on the text NOw followes the Two other Expressions Not inputing their trespasses to them And hath committed to us the word of Reconciliation The first I may finnish in a few words not imputeing their trespasses meaning not reackoning not setting their sins upon their own score so the word is As a man that is in debt we say there is so much standing upon his Head so much upon his score Now when God is said not to impute your trespasses the meaning is your debt comes to be cancelled to be reckoned the debt of an other man he sets your sins no longer upon your score but upon the score of Christ this is the happiness of Beleevers
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.
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
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners This is the sum of the ministery of reconciliation when we come to bring this unto you we do not expect al acceptation to open your hearts and hands to receive in this work of reconciliation into you as we read of Noah when he was tossed up and down the Sea after many dayes he put forth a dove and she brought in an Olive branch Now this you know is an Embleme of peace Noah opened the window of the Arke and took in the Dove with the Olive branch and al those that come to preach the Gospel unto you they come with the Olive branch in their mouths and the truth is you are as it were upon the Sea floting up and down and we come unto you with an Olive branch in our mouthes like Noahs Dove Oh then open your windows and receive it saith the prophet Oh how beautiful are the feet of them that bring good tidings of peace and as you read in Rom. 10.15 Their very feet should be beautiful unto you It is so prophecied of among the Prophets and it is made use of in the new Testament and if you find your hearts opened and accepting of it and rejoyce and bless God for it then you fulfil that prophesie and then the feet of those messengers are beautiful in your eyes that is the work that you should come for when you come to hear a Sermon You should think this day am I comming to hear somewhat of the work of reconciliation between God and my soul and when people come to the word to expect somthing concerning this peace with God and when they heare any such thing Oh then they should bless the name of God Some come to the word to hear some witty sentences and for discourse though the maine thing is that you should come to hear somthing about the reconciliation of God to your souls and you should watch for such a word al the while the minister is opening the point Oh! but when wil the word of peace be opened from God to my soul And when you hear that word Oh! you should embrace it and receive it as in Psal 58. I wil hearken what the Lord wil say for he wil speak peace unto my soul so should every poor afflicted conscience say I wil hearken this day when Christ wil speak peace to my soul The Lord by his word speak peace unto you and make that which we preach in opening the things of the Gospel to bee a powerful ministery of reconciliation unto your souls CHAP. 44. I have treated about what commission is given unto the Ministers of the Gospel and there is one great thing that I would have you observe that we take no notice of how the Apostle again again speaks of this as making account that it is one of the greatest things that concerns the world that ever was for saith he in v. 18. Al things are of God who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ hath given unto us the Ministery of reconciliation But he had not enough of that but he comes over it again to wit that God was in Christ reconcileing the world that God reconciled us to himselfe by Jesus Christ hath given unto us the Ministery of reconciliation that is in the 18. v. that is God is reconciling himself unto the world in Jesus Christ again the same is in the 19. verse And hath Committed unto us the word of reconciliation shewing that it is a matter of great consequence it is a great trust that is commited to the Ministers of the Gospel the word of Reconciliation and there I shewed you how you were therefore to enertain the Ministers of the Gospel beautiful should the Feet be of those that bring glad tidings c. That comes from God with this Commission this Doctrine of Reconciliation in their mouths as Noah put forth his hand and took in the Dove with the Olive branch So when a Minister comes with this Olive leafe in his Mouth the Ministry of Reconciliation you must open your hearts and take it in A word or two more about this This you have heard at large is the great work of the ministers of the Gospel to bring unto you the Doctrine of Reconciliation howsoever it may be folishness before the world yet it is the great Ordinance whereby God wil bring men to be reconciled unto himself those that he hath a purpose to save Here is now a work to treat with you about reconciling your Souls to God to open to you the Counsels of God about bringing you to be at peace with him Use 1. See what a wicked wretched world this is that cannot bear the Ministers of the Gospel Hence then see what a wicked and wretched world is this that cannot bear the Ministers of the Gospel When this is al the work that they come about this errand unto them in the name of God to treat with them only to make peace between God and their Souls here is al the Errand and yet the world cannot bear this If they came as the Messengers of Gods wrath against them then indeed the world might look sourly upon them and seek to avoid them but when they come about no other Errand but meerly to treat with their Souls about terms of peace that the world should not recceive them but reject the Gospel and despise it and look upon the Ministers of the Gospel as if they were their greatest enemies This is a most wretched wicked world and there is nothing in the world that can aggravate the sins of menmore then this that they should reject the Ministry of the Gospel Saith God What when I shal send the Minsters of the Gospel my servants to treat with these wretched Creatures about making peace between me and them and they shal reject this certainly God expects that wheresoever he sends the Ministry of the Gospel generally al people should admire at the grace of God that is made known to them in Christ and they should al come in and even cry to God Lord What is it thou dost require what Is there any Messenger from Heaven come Now let us give up our hearts as a blank paper let God write in them whatsoever he pleaseth he doth not expect that men should rise in a rage against the word and cast it of as that that brings trouble upon them how infinitely are men mtstaken in this to think that the preaching of the Gospel is a trouble to the world to whom it is the greatest happiness that can be in this world And if you knew it you would bless God for it even with your faces groveling upon the ground that such a commission was given to your brethren to come from God to treat in his name about termes of Reconciliation with you the Sons of men What hurt is it the Ministers of the Gospel do unto men that they should be
so troubled with them as to say that the Town or place is troubled and we could never be at quiet since there was such and such preaching were there not infinite mallice it could never enter into the hearts of men such a conceit as this is You speak about treating of peace with God but they are severe and denounce the Judgments of God against us I appeal to you how doe wee denounce them do we denounce them absolute or only in order to the bringing of the souls to faith and repentance what do wee plead against It is but against your sin that is your enemy your deadly enemy that would certainly undo you that would destroy you eternally Ahab speakes of the prophet hee never speakes good unto me and yet saith Ahab have I found thee O mine enemy he looks upon the prophet as an enemy so wicked carnal hearts though we come to open the misteries of the gospel to them yet when we shew them upon what termes it runnes they think we do not speak good unto them Certainly whatsoever your thoughts are we are enemies to nothing but your sins that would destroy you that is your enemy and would any one think it hard to have his deadly enemy to be hardly dealt withal Al that we desire is but to break the league between your souls and Sin that there may bee a league between God and your souls certainly love of sin and peace with God they cannot stand together at the same time it cannot possibly be that there should be a league between sin and your soules and yet a league between God and your soules now which of the two do you thinke is the best and who is your greatest friend either he that seekes to maintain a league with sin or to break it that you may have a league between God and your souls this is the intention of the gospel But you wil say if this be the commission of the ministers that God hath put into them the word of Reconciliation why do they preach the law so much as they do why do they preach terror so much for this is their commission the word of Reconciliation To that I answer certainly he is a minister that knows not his commission that preaches the law or any terror any other way but in order to this word of Reconciliation any other way but to make you to understand this word of Reconciliation though there be in some respects a great deale of difference betweene the law and the gospel yet most people thinke it greater than it is for the substance of the law is that that is implyed at least in the gospel implied as thus when we say the word of Reconciliation it is impossible to open this unto you without shewing you somthing that the law tends to Reconciliation why Because that wee are enemies to God Enemies to God How how can we be enemies to God yea by your sins How shal we know that sin doth bring enmity between God and us The Law tels you cursed be every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the booke of the law to do it When we speake of Reconciliation there is implied enmity I appeal to any of you considering that God works with creatures according to the nature of creatures he doth use to worke though above reason yet in a rational way he begins the work with those whom he intends to save therefore how can wee in a rational way tel what Reconciliation is until we understand what an enmity sin hath made between God and our souls Is it possible to understand the sweetnes of peace with God until we understand the danger of our estats that that we speake of the law it is that that is implyed in the gospel and that the revealing of the gospel may come with a more sweetness and fulness into your hearts O! that you would but carry this along with you ever when you hear any of the ministers speak any thing to you that hath any terror in it do but perswade your souls of this O! but this is in order to my peace with God in order to shewe what a blessed and sweet savior Jesus Christ is But others wil say the word of peace is committed unto you why do you speak of war then Tâ— that I answer but in a word when we speak to you concerning war what is our aime what doth it tend to But only this that you may be willing to venture your selves your lives and estates to maintain among you this word of Reconciliation here is the end were it not for this we could quickly hold our mouths we should not hazard our selves so as we do to speake to you of such an argument we are apparently and any man whose eyes are but halfe open may see that if we be sluggish and cowardly now farewel the word of Reconciliation the word of the Gospel is gone we must not expect that that must be amongst us and the posterity that is comming after It may be some of you may know that since God hath called a Parliament and blessed it as he hath don never was the word of Reconciliation opened so clearly as it hath been there hath Been some kinde of preaching before with a deal of mixtures but for that clear way of Reconciliation your consciences may tel you that is hath not been so cleerly opened Obj. But you wil say the Apostles they had the word of Reconciliation and preached it to the people but they did not preach to the people that they should maintain it by force of armes But they taught people to suffer and to lay downe their lives and not to take the sword into their hands Ans This hath been answered again and again and it is a most vain objection of the people This objection seemes to be strengthned partly from the thing it selfe They say religion should not be maintained by the sword and secondly the example of the primitive tims First for religion know that the maintenance that is now by the sword in this cause it is not meerly for religion but it is for our civil right that we have to our religion And this answer wil answer both For the Objection that Religion should not be maintained by the sword and that of the primitive time I say the maintenance now of Religion it is not for that only that the sword is taken up the sword is not taken up meerly for that as Religion but for the civil right that we have to our Religion which in the the primitive times the Apostles had not nor the Christians then but now we live in such a Country wherin we have civil right unto our Religion as wel as to our estates we have not only right unto the profession of our Religion because God gives it us out of his good wil but we have it too by vertue of a civil right by vertue of the Law of our
effectually work that makes the effectual working upon the heart when the people receive the word as the word of God And the 4 Gal. 14. Mark how the Galatians received the Apostle saith he there And my tentation which was in my flesh you despised not nor rejected but received me as an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus Here he speaks in way of commendation of the Galatians you receive me as an Angel of God even as Jesus Christ as if you had received Christ Jesus and mark the Apostle was in a poor mean condition in respect of his outward estate My tentation that was in my flesh In my outward man I was very low and this might have been a tentation to you for to have caused you to have rejected me when I spake Oh! this hath been a tentation to many men because the preacher is an Earthen Vessel though he hath brought the right treasure of the Gospel yet this hath been a tentation But saith he it was not so with you you received me though poor weak a mean man that had scarce bread to eate yet you received me as an Angel of God yea beyond that as Christ Jesus himself But yet you shal observe in the next words that it seems their hearts began to be drawn aside iâ— the 15. vers There was a time when I came first amongst you when you wer ready to have pluct out your very eyes for me and you cryed out O! this blessed doctrine of the gospel that we now hear but where is the blessedness It seems that some fals teachers had come and inveigled them and had taken them off from the Apostle Oh! Where is the blessedness you spake of as if that were now gone but that is the Duty of people and then and only then it is like that the Ministry of the word can do any great good When the people look upon it as if God spake and Jesus Christ spake unto them I wil only conclude with this one thing that til you do come to apprehend this it is not like that ever any great good to any purpose wil be done It s like it wil be with you as it was with Samuel you know God called to Samuel Samuel Samuel saith God he runs to Ely saith he my Son I did not cal thee wel he went again and slept and God calls again He did not know it was Gods voice he runs to Ely again but then the text faith that Ely perceived that God called the Child Ely gave him this instruction that if he called again he should say Lord speak for thy servant heareth And then he went and slept again and the Lord came and called to him and then he said speak Lord thy Servant heareth And then God opened his heart unto him Oh! God called the first time and he thought it had been Ely and looked no further God said no more to him but left him and so again the second time But when he came to understand that it was Gods voice then you shal observe that God opened himself wonderfully to him and shewed him then his minde to the ful So just thus it is with people they come now to hear the Ministry of the word they hear a sound in their ears and what they hear is very good but they look only at a man the man speak and they may perhaps commend the man and commend his Sermon al this whil God speaks not to their hearts And then they wil go the second time and it is true God doth speak to them but they do not know it is Gods Voice and because they do not know it is Gods voice God doth not make known himself unto them But when the time of Gods Love comes this is the great Embassage that is sent to the Children of men And when he pleads with you you should think that it is Christ that is pleading with you when he is opening of any Scripturre to you you should think that it is Christ that is pleading with you when he is opening of any scripture to you you should think that Jesus Christ is opening that Scripture to you and when you com with such a heart then God opens al his mind to you I appeal to you whether it hath not been just thus the dealings of God with you as it it was with Samuel you have come once and again to a sermon but have looked no further then Ely to the minister but when you have come to the word with the disposition and said Lord speake for thy servant hears Lord reveal what thou wilt I se it is thine one ordinance and the minister though he be but a poor weak man yet he comes and stands in thy stead and speaks in thy name and I say when you come thus you shal find more in one sermon let out to you then in a thousand before and here is the ground that many have lived thirty or forty years under a powerful ministry and it hath sounded in their eares but they never have heard the mind of God savingly revealed unto them Because they never have fallen down and said lord speak for thy servant hears O! do this and thou shalt hear the great messuage from God then you shal have God oppening himselfe unto you to the ful CHAP. 49. The Second Doctrin propounded in the 45 chapter further prosecuted I Have made some enterance into this second point Doct. That God and Christ doth speake in the ministers of his word What the minesters of God do acrding to their rule and Word it is to be looked upon as if God and Christ did it This is Cleere in the text As though God did beseech you we pray you in Christs steed saith the Apostle For this I gave you divers scriptures I might ad many more ct thought to have added some more cleer scriptures to shew you that what the ministers do it is as if God Christ did it I might name forty places that are cleer in this point but shal not that I may proceed What the minister of God speak according to the ruls I say it is as if God and Christ spake and it must needs be sure if we consider of the power that there is of Christ in the ministry we have had experience of it that there is such a power of the ministry of the word that it coâ—ld not be but only by the speaking of God God and Christ in It the which hath power to inlighten to awaken conscience to terrefie the conscience to humble to bring down the stoutest proud heart in the world yea and to convert souls in John 5.25 the text saith of the word of the son of God that brings life Verily I say unto you that the houre is comming and now is when the dead shal hear the voice of the son of God and they that hear shal live 〈◊〉 certainly this is spoken not only of the voice of the son of
when he came to present one to such a town he asked whether there were not some in the place that desired some others Yes said they there are some that desire a university man to come to them but saith he the preaching that is there wil not humble a Soul doth not tend to humiliation I heard this even from one that I know was not a freind to powerful preaching and yet his conscience was so farr convinced from it because the wisdom of words and learning is there shewed but that kind of way of preaching the Gospel it makes the Crosse of Christ to be of no effect Your flaunting preachers when do they convert a Soul therefore saith the Apostle if we preach so as to do good it must be such a preaching as is in the 18. vers It must be foolishness to wicked men but to these that are saved it is the power of God and the Wisdom of God wicked carnal men wil say here is no Schollership no learning in such a Sermon Wel it is foolishness to them but to them that are saved it is the power of God to Salvation but such a poor man sayth I know not what they say But I find a power in it my Eyes were never awakened til now my heart was never wrought upon til now to those that are saved it is the power of God If you find a power in it that which wicked men cal foolishness it is a good argument that you are one that shal be saved when it quickens you And again in the 19. vers For it is written I wil destroy the Wisdom of the wise and wil bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Al their bravery shal come to nothing and then in the 23. vers But we preach Christ Crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness And then again the 2. Chap. vers 1. And I Brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or of mans wisdom You wil say it was because Paul could not No Paul was an admirable Scholler a most Eloquent man he was brought up under the feet of Gamaliel And yet this man came not with excellency of speech or Wisdom of words declaring to them the excellencies of God for saith he in the 2. vers I determined not to know any thing amongst you save Jesus Christ and him crucified c. This makes the word powerful when it comes in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit and not with entising words of mans Wisdom that your faith should not stand in the Wisdom of man but in the power of God howbeit we speak Wisdom amongst those that are perfect There is Wisdom in preaching You wil say why should preachers be fool No God forbid there should be the greatest Wisdom that can be and this is no warrant for one to come into the Pulpet and to speak extempore we do not come to justifie a raw and empty discourse that hath nothing in it but meer words and a noise but hath no solildity No let Ministers study and Labor to be as sollid as they can search into the misteries of the Gospel open the secrets of God so it wil prevail with the consciences of men if Ministers have any parts there is matter enough to express the parts of those that are most able and that which requires their study and so the Apostle would have Timothy to study and therefore it is no justifying of those that do not study But we must remember we come to speak in Christs steed Christ certainly did not come with empty words but he came to open the counsels of his Father and he did reveal the great Misteries of the Gospel it was in a sollid way so the Apostle that which they spake was weighty and sollid though it was not with vain words and phrases as I spake before But this I name the rather not that I direct my speech so much to Ministers as to you people seeing you hear that this is our point that God Christ speaks in the Ministry of the word that therefore you should desire and affect such a kind of Ministry wherein God speaks most wherein Christ speaks most wherein you can hear the voice of God and of Christ And I know no one argument that doth more fully evidence the difference between a carnal heart and a gratious spiritual heart than this What Ministry doth thy heart most savour and rellish â—hereby you may know the temper of your hearts One may know the temper of the body by knowing what food one doth most savour so we may know the temper of the heart by knowing what food it doth most rellish if thou dost rellish frothy food thy heart is according to it but if thou dost rellish and Savour a spiritual Ministry that comes in the power and authority of God and Christ that speaks to thy heart and conscience this is an evidence and sign of a gracious disposition in thy heart And the truth is in one that is fallen or in a great measure from God if there be any sparks of grace remayning they wil appear in this as much as in any thing that though his heart be grown more loose than it was yet stil he cannot but acknowledg he doth find more power in such a spiritual Ministry than in another But your carnal hearts they wil savour and relish of a Ministry that is a meer word ministry that hath least of God and Christ where there is but little of God and Christ in the heart there the Ministry that hath least of God and Christ is most rellished Some Women and some that are ignorant if they hear a Sermon that hath a great deal of Greek latin in it that they cannot understand they go away and commend his Sermon though they understand not any one thing of it I have heard of an excellent story of a poor begger in Queen Blizabeths time who heard a Sermon at the Court and heard a great many Latine Sentences and Eloquent speeches and the poor beggar he follows the Minister when he was going away and blesses God and says Oh! Master Doctor I bless God and thank God at my heart The Minister turns about and asks him what the matter is Oh! Master Doctor saies he I hope the old Religion is comming in again But have not the Prelates Silenced those men that wrought most upon the heart and conscience If any did preach so as that their Ministry came to be powerful end to prevail upon the hearts and consciences of men the Prelates would not let them stand CAHP. 52. How to know what kind of Ministry God speaks most in NOw you wil say How shal I know what kind of Ministry it is wherein God did speak most For the Answer to that I appeal to your consciences what kind of preaching do you think in your consciences there would be if Christ himself were
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
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