God upon thee You are afraid of souldiers why have you not all this while been afraid of the Host of the Almighty God God hath Souldiers enough even in your own house which he can raise up against you he can raise the very dog that is in your family to tear out your throat if he once give him a Commission for there is an enmity between every Creature and a sinful soul and it must be so If there be an enmity against the Generall and Commander in chief of the Army there must needs be then the like enmity against the souldiers Thou that art a sinful soul thou walkest up and down in the midst of Gods Host that are ready every moment to destroy thee and that stands waiting for a Commission from God the Lord of Host to revenge his quarrell upon thee But now being once reconciled unto God all this Host all the whol Creation is reconciled unto thee All the good Creatures the Angels they are now for thy good whereas before they stood ready waiting for a Commission from God to strike thee to the heart for the Angels do wait when God wil give them a command to execute upon those that offend him and they are gone pesently to put the same in execution and so it is with every other Creature But now being reconciled these Angels are become ministring spirits unto thee It is a great matter to have the Angels reconciled by being at peace with God they come to be Reconciled also unto thee and instead of being thy enemies they are as so many fair chariots to guard thee from whatsoever may hurt thee The same I may say of all evil Creatures too they are al so far reconciled to thee as that they shal do thee no hurt or prejudice But The Second Consequence Secondly A Second fruit that follows is Peace of Conscience whereas before thy Conscience terrified thee struck fear and dread in thy heart continually accused thee before God and was as Gods Officer to fill thy Soul with poysoned Arrows and to rend and tear thee But now thou being at peace with God thy Conscience is at peace too Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ then follows those most sweet and comâ—ortable effects which we are afterwards to treat of But this is the fruit of Reconciliation Peace of Conscience which is worth ten thousand worlds For one to have his Conscience his enemy to have his Conscience continually to terrifie him it is a greater judgment than to have al the wild Beasts in the world to come and tear and rent his flesh Third Consequence Thirdly there is in the soul a Peace in all other faculties As thus Before the work of Reconciliation between God and man was done the Scripture saith there is no Peace to the wicked in regard of tumultuous workings of the many lusts that are in their hearts the one continally fighting against the other the Conscience telling one thing and the will of a man that opposeth Conscience and the affections they are all in a tumult one against another one lust opposeth another fighteth against another there is a disorder and a confusion and a tumult in the heart of a wicked man he goes against the light and the light against him and there is nothing but warring and combustion in his heart Your lusts saith the Apostle war one against another within you and you may easily find it to be so if you observe your selves that when your lusts are once up they breed such a woful disturbance in your heart that you are like the Sea that casts up nothing but mire and dirt Take a wicked man that hath but some darting in of any light telling him what the mind of God is his heart fights against this light and the light fights against his heart so that there are nothing but woful disturbances in his Soul and he is never at Peace No not when he seems to be most serene and quiet But now when we come to be at Peace wih God there is a blessed calme comes into the Spirit of a man the Conscience the wil and the affections are brought into a sweet and Comly order and things are in a great measure more quiet than ever they were The fourth Consequence 4. The fourth fruit is Joy in the Holy Ghost for God being at Peace with a soul the Holy Spirit comes and sheddeth abroad the love of God It is true somtimes we are not sensible of this joy but when once we come to know that we are Reconciled unto God then we come to feele the joy of the Holy Spirit shed abroad in our hearts This you have in Rom. 5. Having Peace with God we rejoyce in tribulation And more especially in Rom. 14.17 The Kingdom of God is nor meat and drink but Righteousness and Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit Joy in the Holy Spirit followes our Peace or our Reconciliation with God That is a fourth particular The fift Consequence 5. There is likewise this fruit of it Hence the soul comes to have free access into Gods presence with boldness Indeed when I look upon God as an enemy unto me and upon my self as an enemy unto God how can I come into Gods presence with boldness But being Reconciled I come to have access to God Adam could not stand in Gods presence when once he had broken his Peace with God but our Peace being made through Jesus Christ we may come into the presence of God and comfortably look upon his face and see no hatred no revenging wrath in it The sixt Consequence 6. Hence there may be a sweet and blessed trade between Heaven and Earth between God and the soul Reconciled As in Countries that are at Warr one with another there cannot be any traffique or trading between those Countries But if once there come to be a League and a Peace made up between the one and the other then trade is open So it is between God and the soul And the truth is there is no free trade made between Heaven and us till Peace be made we cannot trade to Heaven and fetch Commodities from thence we may speak to Heaven and Cry and say our Prayers as the phrase is but to fetch from thence the rich Commodities that are in that Country we cannot til there be a Peace Concluded Indeed a gracious heart that is Reconciled to God never sends up a prayer unto God but he doth as a rich man that sendeth a Ship to the Indies nay it is far more better for you may loose your Ship and your adventure that you send may miscarry But when a gracious soul trades with God and sendeth his Ship of prayer to Heaven he never fails of having a sweet and rich return The seventh Consequence 7. Now we come to injoy all the good we have in this world as upon a new right it is setled upon us and comes
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.
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
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
of al these things was before God from al eternity As a work man when he goes to build an House or to build a ship he hath the platform thereof in his head before he strikes a strook So the great work of our Election of our Vocation Justification Reconciliation adoption sanctification and glorification the Lord had the platforme of al before him it was all in his Head as it were and he was exercised about it before the world began so that if thou art a Beleiver it now comes to be knowen that the Lord from al eternity was exercised about thee and thy good and about the Contrivance of thy Salvation and fore saw how thou wouldest fal from him and be made a child of wrath and an Heir of Hel. And then he saw a way how to recover thee out of that condition and how to bring this to pass how he would cast thy lot to live in such a place and in such an age of the world wherein the Gospel and the misteries thereof should be preached and that thou shouldest come under such a ministery and that just at the preaching of such a sermon such a truth should be darted into thy heart and applied unto thee and that then he would send his holy spirit to fasten that truth upon thy heart the Lord plotted al this from eternity and this is that which the Lord was busied about as we may speak with reverence before the world began Vse 3. Another Use is this It is a good establishment for us to help us to beleeve that eternal happiness that is to come that part of eternity that is a parte post Becaâ—se we have God revealeing his love to us in that part of eternity that is a parte ante God hath shewed that from eternity he hath been plotting our good Surely then it is no more for God to make us happy on the other side of eternity then it was for him to be plotting our happiness in the former part of eternity So that a Beleever may see his happy condition in this He is now injoying that peece of Gods love that is between two Oceans of eternity of love As if there were a little River and on each side there wer a mighty Ocean of Water now the streame of Gods love and mercy runs towards thee thou now dost receive abundance of good from God the Lord sweetneth thy life and now comforts and refresheth thy heart with his grace art thou glad of this and is this peece of the mercy of God sweet unto thee poor soul look on this side and look on the other side and see those Oceans of Eternal Love on both sides towards thee Alas this is a little that thou hast now but if thou lookest on one side there thou shalt see that eternal love of God that was toward thee before the world was made And if thou lookest on the other side thou shalt see eternal life in al that glory which shal never have an end which thou shalt actually be possessed of and that which thou art for the present in the possession of is a little stream in comparison of these two great Oceans of love that are from eternity to eternity And when thou hearest that God intends to make thee happy for ever and that thou shalt continue a glorious and blessed creature as long as God himself shal live and that thou shalt be happy as long as God shal be happy Perhaps thou thinkest how is this possible is it possible for such a poor fraile creature as I am to live to be happy as long as God himself shal be happy Yes do not doubt of it though it be a great thing for God hath had a love to thee from al eternity therefore though it is true there be many frailties and many sins of thine yet that cannot hinder thee of that eternal mercy that God hath been plotting for thee Methinks the Apostle argues after this manner Galla. 3.17 The Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ the Law which four hundred and thirty years after cannot disanul that it should make the promise of none effect Observe the Apostles argument the Law saith he cannot disanul the promise of Grace Why Because it was four hundered and thirty yeares after the promise was made and that which came so long after cannot disanul that which was before We may make use of the argument thus Surely if thou beest one that belongest to this transaction of God with his Son the sins that now thou fallest into cannot take away Gods love from thee cannot hinder thee from being happy for ever VVhy Because the Covenant of God with his Son for thy happiness was not four hundred and thirty years ago but hundred of millions of thousands years ago therefore that which is now done cannot disanul that which was from al eternity â—â—mfort thy self with this when thou hearest that God was reconciling himself to the world even before the world it self was yea from al Eternity VSE 4. Again It should stir al to begin betimes to get grace and Reconciliation with God You that are yong ones and are now in the flower of your youth crowned with rose buds Consider this God he was working for your good before the world be you working for his glory as soon as you can Shal not I give the begining of my years my first fruits to God who loved me and was working for me before ever I was borne therefore it is fit he should have as much of my time as can be VSE 5. Yea this should also be a mighty argument to put us al on to be constant in holy walking with God because the lord hath been working from Eternity and wil be working to eternity for our good and therfore that time which we have we should serve and glorifie God in it For suppose we should live ten thousand yeares or ten thousand millions of years in this world Suppose God should require us to live and serve him in the way we do now Eternally we should not think much of it for we serve God but one peece of eternity that is that part of eternity which is comming But God is merciful to us in both peeces of Eternity his mercy is to us on both sides from everlasting to everlasting God is before hand with us in his mercy and in his love his love was from eternity and shal Continue to eternity and therefore we should not think much to serve God and to glorifie him in waies of holiness al the time that we are appointed to live and when we have don al we cannot com neer to those workings which he hath been at for us But I shal leaâ— his point the Lord seal it with his bleessing upon our spirits CHAP. 33. Of Gods Reconciling the world to himselfe THE next point being the seventh propounded in the first chapter is That God was Reconcileng the World to himselfe So the
therefore is this phrase God is Reconcileing the world to himself As if he should say If once you are gone out of the world and are not reconcilied unto God before you are gone you are lost for ever The object of this my grace is only those people that live in the world if they pass away this time and be not reconciled unto me while they live here they shal never be reconciled for God was not reconciling himself to men that are in Hell for they are not of this world they are gone out of the world they were suffered by Gods patience to live a great while in the world and here they filled the world with sin as much as in them lay Now they are gone out of the world and are gone from the shine of Gods grace which shal never come to shine upon them more they shal never come to hear any offer of the Gospel more This is a fourth Reason Reason 5. A Fifth Reason is this Hereby God wil shew his wonderful love and free Grace to wretched Creatures that he should regard such vild Creatures as those that live in the world for the world alas what is it It is a dunghil of filth and as the Apostle saith 1. John 5.19 The whole world lies in wickedness it lies as a dead Dog or Carkass that lies in a Common Sewer Nil mundum in mundo nihil aliud est totus mundus ante conversionem nisi aut hara porcorum aut collovie rapidorum canum Aust As a filthy hogsty or kennel of mad Dogs in a ditch al in slime and filth Now that God should set his heart upon the world what an infinite and wonderful love and free grace is this The truth is before our Conversion we do al lie in wickedness as a Carrion or a dead Dog that lies in a Cart-way al in gore mire So are we in our natural Condition and yet that the great God of Heaven should send his own Son into the world to die for such a one that he should make such a one an heir of Heaven and of eternal life that such a one should become a member of his Son and so have everlasting Communion with himself that this should be plotted by God from al eternity What an infinite love of God is this And again that the world lies in wickedness the world that is so vile and so unworthy a thing that yet the Lord should be thus reconciling the World to himself What an infinite and unconceivable free Grace of God is this Reason 6. The Sixt Reason is this They that shal live in the world shal generally come in to God and indeed be actually reconciled in time Though the world for the present be not so generally reconciled unto God yet the Lord hath his time when the Jews shal be called and the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in and we shal see further Reason of the generality of this expression God hath promised that Christ shal possess the utmost parts of the Earth and that the Heirs of the promise shal inherit the World I understand it litterally Rom. 4.23 God made a promise to Abraham and to his Seed that he should be the Heir of the World And this Promise is yet to be fulfiled in a literal sence In some spiritual sence the Saints may be said to be Heirs of the world for indeed the right especially belongs to them I do not say but ungodly men have right by guift he giveth the Earth to the Children of men but not by inheritance as the Saints have as Servants have a right to their meat and drink and what is given them but the Children have a right by inheritance so the Saints have a right to this world as wel as to Heaven and there is a time a comming when they wil be possest with their inheritance Then the Text wil be true literally And thus you have had the Reasons given you of this Phrase and this may suffice for the opening of the Point That it is the World that God was reconciling himself unto CHAP. 36 Use 1 Seeing God hath excepted none from Mercy let none except themselves BY way of Application now and that very briefly only two particulars First Seeing God propoundeth Reconciliation thus in such genneral and large tearmes to the world Then if God have not excepted any let none except themselves Art thou a man that livest here in the world there need be no further qualification for the tender of Grace for the offer of the gospel to thee but this that thou livest in the world God doth not cal for such qualifications as these That they must be such and such men of such and such ranks and dignities or men of such parts or that they must be such as have not committed such and such sins Or that they must be first terrified and so and so humbled No we have Commission to preach the Gospel to every one that hath no other quallification than this but that he lives in the world Indeed if thou wert gone out of the world although thou should'st have but one sinful thought to answer for we could not preach the Gospel to thee though it were possible for an Angel to come to thy soul after it is gone out of this world yet it cold not nor dare not preach the Gospel to thee But while thou are in this world we are appointed to preach the Gospel to thee and to hold forth the tender of Grace and mercy to the. There is no councel of God revealed either to Angels or men that hath excepted any one in the greatest Congrigation of people from Reconciliation with God and thou that hearest or readest what I now say thou mayest bless God that thou art one bless God when thou hearest and readest this that there is no councel of God against thee made known either to angels or men whereby thou art excepted from Reconciliation But every particular one for ought we know in any congregation may be reconciled unto God and have eternal life O Only take heed of abusing this grace of God look to it that you make a Good use of this grace of God this is that which we are bound to tel you and in the name of God we do declare it to you and God propounds this Gospel to us in these large tearms that you may be left utterly without excuse if you perrish There is none of you if you perish can say I was so vild a siner that I was afraid I should never be received by God though I did humble my selfe and come unto him for God wil answer you Were you such a vild Sinner Did not I reveal my gospel in such genneral termes that none might exclud himselfe did not I say I was reconciling my selfe to the world And did I make any exceptions of thee in particular Thou oughtest to have come in amongst the rest and have ventured thy soul
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