set one against another there should be a Reconciliation But God hath waies in his infinite Wisdom that we are not able to comprehend the spirits of any of our Adversaries are not so desperately bent against us but there was as much enmity between us and God as there can be betwixt us and any of our adversaries in the world and we have no such exasperated enimes against us as we were by nature against God If therefore God could find a way when we were such enimies unto him to make peace betwixt us and him then hath God likewise a way to make a true setled and constant peace between our Adversaries and us And we should desire that as God hath made our peace with him firme and sure so that what peace God makes in this land it may be somwhat like unto that peace that he hath made between Heaven and Earth There is a firme peace made between God and us a peace that we may rest upon and confide in A peace betwen our adversaries and us as things now stand we cannot count it sure you cannot be sure of your lives one night after it is done as things now stand But we must desire such a peace might be made as there is made between God and us sure and firme and stable Therefore pray much and beleeve much as you are able and though things be brought to such a straite as there is no likelyhood in the thoughts of men how it should be done yet they are not brought to such a straite as things were between God and us before he reconciled himself unto us And there was more required to make up that Reconciliation betwixt God and us then there can be between us and our adversaries And what was it that made our peace first with God God was in Christ reconciling the world it was the blood of his Son that saved our blood and therefore let al those that are godly go to this God of peace and not only cry to him by Prayer for the making of a true and firme peace amongst us but present unto him the blood of his Son to that end and say O Lord thou that sentest thy Son into the world to make peace between our Souls and thee look upon that blood and let that blood prevail with thee to make peace in England that there may be no more of the precious blood of thy Saints spilt and shed amongst us Here is the way to get peace And Certainly if the blood of Christ were able to make such a peace between us and God as is firme and lasting it wil be able also to make peace in this poor Nation and such a peace as shal be firme and lasting too Thus we are incouraged in regard of external condition in regard of the peace of our land that seeing God hath done the greater he is able much more to do the lesser That seeing God hath reconciled mercy and Justice together and made peace betwixt Heaven and Earth when the Breach was so great as al the men in the world and the Angels in Heaven could not find out a way to compose the difference and make up that breach yet he hath done it He can certainly also compose the differences and make up the breach that is amongst us CHAp 24. Use 5. Those that have assurance of their peace with God highly to prise it HEnce then if our Reconciliation with God be such as hath been opened and if it be wrought after that way Then an other Use we may make of it is this Namely That al those that have any comfortable assurance that their peace is made with God they are to prise it highly and not easily and lightly to loose the assurance of it Why Because it hath cost so much as it hath done and it hath been wrought for them after such a strange manner as it hath been the greatest work that ever God made and wherein his wisdome and goodness and power hath been seen now that which God hath set himselfe to worke so powerfully in to the end that he might acomplish it and that which hath cost so dear as it hath done that wherein so much of the mistery of Godliness is contained suerly then if we have obtained the assurance of it in our selves we should highly prise it and we should seeke to preserve it and not loose it we know not how I remember when we opened the excellency of our Reconciliation with God and what admirable fruits did flow fom it we had there a Use like unto this that because it is so excellent we should preserve it and not let it go lightly But now this Use is drawn from the way of Reconciliation that it is a Reconciliation in Christ and in indeed the argument fals more strongly upon us here then it did formerly before the argument was that we should prise it because we have such comfort in our Reconciliation because such admirable fruits doe flow from it because it is able to carry us through al troubles in the world But now we must seek to preserve it because we have it in Christ because it is that which cost more then ten thousand worldes are worth because God hath wrought so wonderfully to bring it ahout Hath God therefore spoken peace to any of your souls take heed that you turn not again to folly Psalm 85.8 I wil hear what the Lord wil say for he wil speak peace to his people and to his Saints but let not them return again to folly Hast thou gotten any comfortable perswasion that the Lord is reconciled unto them Christ and God hath made thee to know that Reconciliation with him was a difficult work it may be it cost you many tears and prayers and much trouble before you could get it and a long time you were seeking of it in a Legal way and crying unto God for his mercy to pardon your sins and Seeking to him in that natural way but then you could not have peace spoken to your hearts but in time the Lord opened the mistery of Christ unto your souls and then you sought Reconciliation with him in Christ and you saw how that it was in his blood that your peace was made Have you got peace in an Evangelical way through Christ O! Make much of it it is a precious Jewel in that it comes to you in such a way as this is it cost God dear and it may cost you dear but whether it cost you dear or no you may be sure it cost God dear therfore make much of it do not loose it to loose it fully so as God should again beâ—ome your enemy that indeed you cannot do but you may loose it in your apprehensions you may loose the comfortable assurance of it There are Two waies that Christians may loose the comfortable assurance of their peace with God First through the weaknes of their faith secondly through the sinfulnes of their lives CHAP.
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
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
between God and you no sin that is yet past that shal be your undoing and the eternal destruction of your souls But it wil be some sin that is yet to come somewhat that is yet to come wil be the eternal destruction of every sinner in this Congregation It s true if God smite thee now it wil be the sin that is past but if God let thee live this day it is rather for something that is yet to come than for any thing that is past for the continuance in the hardness of heart and your unbeleife from this time forward rather then for what is past If one had run in arrears and incurred a great deal of punishment enough to his undoing if this should come to be said unto him Thus far you have run But here is a proclamation there is nothing that is past that shal be charged upon you but look to it for the time to come I do not say that al the sinns that are past God wil never reckon but thus that he wil never reckon with any of you for what is past but for some cause of evil that you shal be guilty of for the future that must go along with it and that may cause God to bring that that is past over again but that that wil be your undoing and destruction wil be somthing that is to come and if you continue in your wicked waies then that wil bring al over again But now if you had a heart this day at this present to fal downe before the lord to seeke to make up your peace with him and to close with the grace of God in his son I can bouldly pronounce that al your sins that are past are done away O! remember this this gracious offer of God in Esa 1.18 whatsoever you have been before yet that needs be no discouragement unto you it is the continuance in your iniquity that wil undo you and now wil not this soul justifie God at the great day must not God needs be justified if any sinner in this congregation be awakened at last I say this argument shal rise up against them and shal justifie God against you Now God wil say you that lived a long time in sin you heard that after so many years sinning that whatsoever your sins were before yet some things that were then to come would be your destruction or els you should never be destroyed and yet you would venture for the time to come you would be bould to adde to that heape of your sins that have been so longe a making and thereby bring al your sins upon you that you had committed before And therefore righteous is God in the Condemnation of this sinner wee speak of the willingness of God to be reconcilled unto sinners to that end that you might come in and be reconcilled or otherwise that the justice of God may be cleere at the great day and this is a special end of al the manifestation of Gods goodness unto sinners that he might cleer himselfe at the great day in those that shal perish There are a great many things yet more behind where in the willingness of God to be reconcilled unto sinners is further to be set forth yet I know there are Objections that ly in your mindes How can we come And if God be so willing he may bring our hearts to be willing to be reconciled to him we shal discourse these more at lardge only for the present I desire to present before you this the manifestation of the goodness of God towards sinners to gain upon their hearts that they might be reconciled unto him and I should be very sory to open al these things in such a congregation as this is if it were not to gain some souls for it 's like enough that some wil be hardened and now if some should be hardened and others should not be gained what a miserable thing were it I might make this as an evidence how willing God is to be reconciled unto siners that he would have the riches of his grace thus manifestd to gain siners to himself though he knows that it wil be a means to harden others he knows that it wil cost the eternal damnation of many souls and though he do know this yet for al this saith God let my wilingness to be reconcilled be opened unto poor sinners by the preaching of the gospel though it costs many souls very dear yet for the love I bear to poor souls let it be made known to the face of them al. Now if God were not strongly set to do good to souls suerly he would not venture the damnation of other souls so much But saith God let their souls go rather than my willingness to be Reconciled unto others should not be declared unto them CHAP. 71. The eleventh argument Manifesting the exceeding wilingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners THe next argument that shewes the willingness of God to be reconciled unto sinners is this The Lord in his word doth use very powerful and strong arguments to draw the heart to come in to be reconciled this is that evidence I say that the Lord is willing by the strong reasons that God doth use in his word to gain upon the hearts of sinners to bring them in to be reconciled he doth not meerly offer mercy he doth not meerly set before the soul his mercy But the Lord labors with strong reasons motives and arguments to perswade and gain the hearts of sinners unto himself to come in to be reconciled unto him as now when a man doth offer peace it is somewhat and when he doth it in a generous loving way of curtesie that is more but then when he doth send strong arguments to perswad wil not readily take a denial but sends such such arguments doth consider before hand what wil be most likely to perswade the heart of such a man What can I conceive wil gaine his heart most What can I think Suppose there should be a man between whom you there hath been a falling out you should know that when he is alone in his closset he is thinking thus with himself What arguments can I conceive may take the heart of such a man to perswade him to come in to be at peace with me what can I think may be the most prevalent That wil I certainly use to perswade him But undoubtedly it is so with God God looks upon the Children of men and doth consider what argumentt wil take their hearts most the scripture is exceeding ful of prevalent powerful arguments to perswade the hearts of men to come in to be reconciled unto God Arguments sometimes taken from the equity of Gods waies towards them and their unequal wayes towards him Are not my wayes equal saith God and your wayes unequal Is there any thing that I require of you but righteous do not I speak righteous Sometimes he uses arguments
riches of his mercy and if thou beest one that God hath fastned upon to shew the riches of his mercy and Grace he shal get that Glory thereby to his name that he did most intend when he made the world Therefore though thy soul be pretious unto thee know that Gods Glory is more pretious unto him than thy soul can be to thee therefore God is more desirous of thy life with those that shal be saved hereafter than they can be desirous to be saved themselves this is a certaine truth because that God shal get more by the salvation of that soul than the soul shal get You get something but God gets much more now then if God be seeking after that that doth so much concern you and you know this day that Gods heart is more strongly set uppn it than yours one would think that this should be a mighty encouragement for any sinner to come in to be rconciled And therefore go on in thy way let not tentation come take off thy heart though yet God seems as an enemy to you We know that Josephs heart was as much towards his bretheren as his bretherens hearts were towards him Joseph dealt in a rugged way as if he had been their enemy yet then was his heart towards them And so go on in thy way of seeking the Lord and though God seeme to be as an enemy yet know that the heart of God is as much towards thee as thy heart can be towards him and Christ looks upon thee as one that he shal get glory to himself by for ever The good Lord say Amen It shal be so FINIS GODS PRESENT MERCIES TO HIS PEOPLE Are Arguments of FUTURE MERCIES Preashed at Saviors Southwark May 2. 1641. Hosea 2.14 And so on Behold I wil allure her and bring her into the Wilderness and speak comfortably unto her and I wil give her Vinyards from thence and the vally of Achor for a door of hope she shal sing there as in the daies of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the Land of Egypt and it shal be at that day saith the Lord that thou shalt cal me Yshi and shalt cal me no more Baali THis Prophet was sent to the ten Tribes to apostate Israel God threatened dreadful evills against them and yet from the begining of this 14. verse to the end of the Chapter maketh Gratious promises unto them I shal only thus premise that the scope of the Holy Ghost here is to shew mercy to discover the Mercy of God to Apostatizing Israel in a way of conjugal union that though she had gone a whoring from God in regard of her idolatrous worship yet God was contented upon her repentance to take her again and to marry her unto himself and therefore al along the Prophet suits himself with such expressions that signify Gods willingness to marry himself unto her again in that way as they did use to manifest their conjugal love unto their Spouses and that being premised wil help us to understand many expressions both in the words read and in the succeeding part of the Chapter that otherwise would be very obscure to us and especially that in verse 14. I wil allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably unto her this may be taken for bringing her into affliction and then speaking comfortably to her but that is not the scope of the Holy Ghost here it was only taken from the way of Marriage to carry the spouse out of the City into the field that was a heath and a common and so had the terme of a wilderness and there rejoycing and so bringing of her into the City and carrying of her to his Fathers house and that I might shew out of diverse places of scripture especially out of the Canticles who is this that cometh from the Wilderness The Holy Ghost taking this allusion from thence so that the meaning of this expression is nothing else but I wil deal gratiously with her as one that Marries a spouse and carries her out of the City into the field and there rejoyceth with her and speakes comfortably to her The main doctrinal conclusion which I intend to go through shal be raised from these words I wil give her the vally of Achor for a door of hope for I â—hall speak to no more then one point of Doctrine raised from those words I wil give her the vally of Achor for a door of hope It wil be necessary therefore before I tell you the doctrinal point to open these words unto you The vally of Achor It was that vally where Achan was stoned the story of which you may read in the 7 Chapter of the Book of Joshua and upon that occasion of the troubles that the people of Israel had by Achan this vally was called the vally of Achor for the vally of Achor is nothing else but the vally of trouble valla tribulationis the vally of trouble so alluding to that name Achan Now it is true that generally or by very many these words are carried thus That God wil so work things about as to cause the troubles of his people to be but doors of hope to let in Mercies to them and there is a truth in that doctrinal point but not a truth in the grounding of it upon this text for the meaning of the text is otherwise The vally of Achor Though the name signify trouble yet the truth is that this vally of Achor was a delightful vally a very fruitful vally it was just after the enterance into the Land of Canan that God gave it and God here doth allude stil to the way of marriage expressing his love to the ten tribes that he would receive them again and marry them unto himself in that way that they did use to marry amongst the Jews and the way was this amongst them when they did marry any according to the state of the husband he used to give her gifts commonly some field or piece of Ground and if he were a rich man then a larger piece of ground or a more fruitful peece of ground and so according to the height of his condition was his guift So saith God I wil give you a vally of Achor for a door of hope as you when you take a spouse to your selves then you use to indow her with some piece of land or ground according to your estate and that you give to her as a testification of that Love she is to expect from you for the future So I wil give you a vally of Achor I wil bestow fresh and choyce mercies upon you for the present and these mercies shal be in a way of dowrie as a testification of abundance of future good you shal receive from me this is the scope and sence of the Holy Ghost in these words As when God gave the people of Israel the land of Canaan he gave them this Valley
God in a Mercy As in his Mercy to Abraham Isaak Jacob Solomon David c. There were glorious discoveries of Gods presence when as Jacob was delivered form Esau saith Jacob I have seen thee as the face of God it may be read thus I have seen thee after the face of God after I have seen the face of God I have seen thee I that is sweet and comfortable indeed when we can see a mercy after we have seen the face of God we can se the face of God in the way of his Mercy and after we see the face of God then look upon the Mercy and then gather this argument If thou hast an eye that in a Mercy thou canst see the face of God there and after the sight of the face of God in the mercy then it is somewhat Thus in Isay 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us thou wilt for thou also hast wrought al our works in us mark the argument Lord thou wilt ordain peace Why For thou hast wrought al our works in us This scripture is spoken concerning the deliverance of the people of Israel from their captivity God did begin to deliver them and those that were Godly were sure to have deliverance complate Thou wilt ordain we are sure of that say they why for thou hast wrought al our works for us for it is not Cyrus But it is a remarkable hand of God upon the spirit of Cyrus and al that is done in our deliverance it is done through a mighty hand of God Thou hast wrought al our works in us The work it is a work above Nature it is a wonderful work of God and therefore we are sure that thou wilt ordain peace for us When God appeares wonderful remarkably in a Mercy to his people then they conclude of further Mercies A most excellent place for that likewise in Psal 75.5 Vnto thee Oh God do we give thanks for that thy name is neare thy wonderous works declare mark for that thy name is near thy wonderous works declare Oh Lord as if they should have said we se thy wonderful works we see thy face thy Power thy Glory thy Mercy and thy Goodness we se thy Mercy a creating Mercy and therefore thy name is near O! thou art good yet more and more for that thy wondrous works declare Brethren when Gods mercies are creating mercies then we may expect that they wil be perfect mercies for though in generation there may be a defect yet in creation there is never a defect many times there may want a Limb a member in generation but al that God creates he creates perfect Now when the mercies of God are as it were created mercies not generated out of second causes but we see a kind of created power then surely it wil be perfect Now Brethren before we come to Application to our own hearts we cannot but apply this as a strong argument to raise up our thoughts to make account of the mercies this day we enjoy to be a door of Hope unto us for if ever people have created mercies we have if ever a people could see the face of God in a way of mercy then we may at this day if ever a people could say Thou Oh Lord hast wrought al our works for us we may wel say it and therefore we may draw that coclusion that the Church did Thou wilt ordain peace for thou hast wrought al our works for us Surely Brethren Gods name is nigh God hath seemed to be afar off from England for a long time God is coming nigh his name is nigh for his wondrous works that he hath done of late declare it But that is the first The Second discovery whether Gods present Mercies be in-lets to future Mercies When Gods Mercies are Spiritual Mercies then they are certain in-lets to further Mercies a Spiritual Mercie never come alone but make way for further I wil give you but one Text for that because I see time outruns me in Ezek. 39.29 Neither wil I hide my face any more from them saith God Why For I have powred out my Spirit upon the House of Israel saitth the Lord God Mark I wil hide my face no more from them Why for I have poured out my Spirit upon the House of Israel saith the Lord God Brethren if ever any Nation had the Spirit of God poured out upon them certainly we have God poureth out his Spirit unto his people upon private Christians and upon Ministers in a wonderful abundant manner and how hath he poured out his Spirit upon our Worthies assembled in Parliament Now let this be a good Argument neither wil I hide my face any more from them for I have poured out my spirit upon them then it is an Argument for us this day that God wil not hide his face from us because he hath poured out his Spirit upon us If there be any people under Heaven that have the Spirit of God upon them certainly the people of England have it at this day and this is Gods own promise and Argument you may plead it with God in prayer that he wil never hide his face from them that he hath poured out his Spirit upon not only in general may you make use of it but for your selves in particular Hath God poured out his Spirit upon any of your Souls you may make this conclusion it is Gods own conclusion he wil never hide his face from you because he hath poured his Spirit upon you that is the Second The Third discovery whether Gods present Mercies be in-lets to future Mercies Then is a Mercy a fore-runner of further Mercy when it is obtained by Faith and prayer in the Covenant of Grace That Mercy that prayer and the exercise of Faith doth obtain is certainly and infallibly a fore-runner of further Mercy God hath not done with that people and that Soul in a way of Mercy where he bestows a Mercy as a fruit of prayer an exercise of Faith in the Covenant If prayer be the Key to open Heaven when it is shut to us much more then wil it keep Heaven open when it is once open but that we know to be the excellency of prayer it is the great Key of Heaven that golden Key of Heaven that opens it when it is shut then surely prayer can keep Heaven open If ever a Mercy were obtained by prayer certainly that Mercy that we have now for the present here in Edgland is a Mercy obtained by prayer if ever there were a Parliment obtained by prayer since England was a Nation certainly this Parliment was we may cal the name of this Parliament Samuel asked of God and what have been the earnest cries of Gods people of many that are dead and gone but for these times Now that that is a fruit not only of prayer of Gods people for the present but is the Harvest of so many prayers of the Saints of God and Worthies of God in former
shal make way for another duty certainly that soul wil persevere in Duty But here is the difference between that which is done by the strength of a natural conscience and that which is done out of a principle of true sanctifying Grace I beseech you observe it There are many I suppose are much troubled in this case of conscience they say that one that hath but the strength of a natural conscience he may performe duty out of this strength of a natural conscience how can I know then when I performe duty out of a gracious principle a principle of sanctifying Grace and that my duties are not out of the strength oâ— natural conscience If I would give but one note and were to study never so long of it I would give this note rather than any one and that is this use I am now upon If one duty that thou performest give strength to another duty and make thee fitter for it and inableâ—h thee to another duty this is a sign that it is not meerly out of a natural conscience for a natural conscience though it puts me upon the doing of it yet it puts not strength in me to do it but a Gracious principle puts me upon the doing of it and puts strength in me to do it therefore when I am put upon a duty upon conscience and I find that one duty doth fit me for another this is surely a gracious principle not only fitteth me in the same kind for so you may say meerly through use I come to be more perfect but when it fits in another kind in another way by excercise we come to be more fit for that habit but here now in spiritual duties one maketh way for another though it be in another kind in another way this certainly comes from Grace therefore if you mark this argument that Gods mercies but makes way for another therefore you wil have one duty make way for another this is a certaine signe of continuance of mercy to thy soul Again seventhly VSE 7. It should be a use of reprehension of our unbeleeving hearts thus It is the way of God when he comes in one mercy that we should look upon it as a door of hope for further but yet mark ye our unbeleeving hearts wil usually draw consequences from Gods mercies to nourish unbelief quite contrary to the raising hope and faith not to make Gods mercies a door of hope to let in mercy but make it a door of unbeleif to shut out mercy as you shal find an unbeleeving heart working from mercies thus I they are mercies indeed but they wil never hold they are mercies but they are to prepare me for greater Judgments and thus an unbeleeving heart wil work out arguments of unbeleef from the very mercies of God themselves This is a great sin for God bestows mercys to raise up hope and to help thy faith to work not to helpe thy unbeleef to work and yet bretheren there are many christians that make no other use of Gods mercies but meerly to nourish their unbeleefe and to strengthen their unbeleefe whereas they should make them a doore of hope Again an eight Use should be this USE 8. Be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful doth one mercy of God make way for anorher let one good action I mean of Mercy to your brother make way for another do not say I have done so much already and therefore I may now go on in my covetousness no if so be thou hast gracious principles one action of Mercy must make way for another one forgivness of thy brother in one thing must make way for another one action of liberality must make way for another thus God dealeth with thee and do thou so with thy brother for so is the command Be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful Now the last Use which I intended most of al and is the cheife Use of the point is this USE 9. A Use of Exhortation to us al to follow God on in the way of his Mercies when God hath opened a doore of hope to us let us follow on after God 63. Psalme 8. the Psalmest there speakes of God unto them but marke what use he makes of it my soule saith he follows hard after God O! this should be our course doth God come at any time particularly to us in any way of Mercy Let our soule follow hard after God when Jacob was wrastling with the Angel and day began to dawne the Angel would have been gone O! strive and wrastle the more What! doth the day dawn many times thou art wrastling a longe time with God stil there is nothing but darkness in thy soul but thou doest hold on through Gods Grace to thee at length the day beginneth to dawne God beginneth to let in some light to thy Soul and yet it may be even at that time God seemeth as if he would be gon O! stir up thy self then and wrastle indeed when the day beginneth to dawn O! that thou mightest have more might then as you know that place that God bids David and his people when you hear the noise saith he in the mulbery trees bestir your selves for God is going out before you then So I may say when you feel God stirring in your hearts and have some impressions of God upon your spirits O! bestir your selves follow on the good work of the Lord. I remember we read in the gospel of the poore blind man crying after Christ O! Son of David have Mercy upon me some would have had him hold his peace but at length Christ pittying of him asketh who it is that cryed after him and those that were by came â—o the bâ—ind man and saied thus to him be of good comfort for he cals thee I have observed that he went as fast as he coâ—ld then and â—eared no danger of stumbling at any place So I may say to many of your souls it may be your case at this present thou hast bin crying for the sight of thy eyes O! that he would shew me his truth and open the gospel and the misteries of it O! that he would open my heart and give me a soft heart and a beleeving heart whereas I have an unbeleeving heart wel be of good comfort he cals thee now he works by his spirit and calls thee O! now bestir thy selfe and go on after God in this way It is a special part of the wisdome and duty of Christians to observe what are the waies of Gods mercy towards them as I told you before the connections of them so I mean the beginings of them and therefore take this one note It is a great reason why many Christians are so long time in darkness and under the spirit of bondage because they do not observe the beginnings of Gods mercy how God beginneth with them because they have not al the mercy they would have therefore they neglect the observation of the beginnings
that that is the best way to conveigh true saving Grace unto them a spirit of life into them it is by this means rather than by others the Lord chooses this way rather than others You have received the Spirit saith Paul to the Galatians And how have you received it by the preaching of the Law or by the preaching of the Gospel Which way was the conveighance of the spirit of God to you Was it by the preaching of the Law or the preaching of the Gospel not by the one but by the other Though there be a great deal of use of preaching the Law yet that which doth conveigh the Spirit and grace into the Conscience it is the opening the riches of the treasure of the Grace of God in the Gospel therefore this Objection hath no strength in it to say we have no power in our selves God doth entreat and beseech because by this meanes he puts forth a power into the hearts of those he doth intend to save everlastingly If we should entreat dead men to rise it were a folly for us because we cannot conveigh any power into them but it is not in vain for God because he is able while he is entreating and beseeching to conveigh a power into them Obj. But you say in the second place what need the Lord do al this God might work it by a word from himselfe God might presently shew forth his almighty power to bring in sinners to himselfe he need not stand praying and intreating and answering Objections bringing of arguments and the like because he can by his almighty power bring in sinners he can breake the stoutest heart that lives upon the earth and pul downe the proudest spirit and therefore what need God do al this Ans I Answere who aâ—t thou O man that reasonest against God but if you wil have reasons there are many to be given First because God having to work with a rational creature he wil work suitable to the nature of that creature that he is working upon If God were to work meerly uppon stones to raise out of the stones children unto Abraham then God would but only speak the word and say let it be done it should be done but the Lord loves to do it in a way sutiable to a rational creature now that way is this First that the understanding should be inlightened and the heart should be gained and wrought upon they knowing what it doth it should come to do what it doth freely and wilingly though we have no free wil at the first yet when wee do embrace the gospel then the Lord doth cause the hearts of men to embrace it wilingly and this is a great part of the gospel of God to shew himselfe to his creature he wil work his own work but such a way as shal be suitable to his creature Again if the Lord should bring in sinners to himself by his almighty power then there would not so much of the beauty and riches of his grace appear as there doth this way If God should effectually work it by his own hand I say the glory of his grace would not so gloriously shine sorth Now it is the special designe that God hath in al his workes about redemption that the glory of the riches of his grace might appear to men and Angel's that they might magnify it Now what can be more to magnify grace then when a sinner shal come to vieu the several workings of Gods mercy towards him how the lord hath provided a way of Reconciliation and that though the soul were backward and hung of yet the Lord stil followed on and put on the soul and would not suffer the soul to die and perrish in the sins of it What wil magnifie Grace more than this the way of bringing in sinners to be reconciled unto himself wil be a principal subject for the Saints to be blessing of God to al eternity And therefore you Christians that have found the work of God bringing in your hearts to himself observe what Gods work is marke the several waies of Gods working with your souls For know that those several waies of Gods working with your souls now wil be the subject of your eternal praises in Heaven And hence it is that God doth go on in such several expressions that the riches of his Grace might appear the more fully Yea and further that by this means he might gain the hearts of sinners everlastingly to himself there is nothing wil gain them so unto God as this declaration of the riches of his Grace in the Gospel And when the sinner shal see not only that God is reconciled but how God hath set his heart upon it how earnest God hath bin in it this wil engage the heart of a sinner for ever unto God and hence it is that those sinners that have felt most of the Grace of God bringing them in to be reconciled are those that keep closest unto God As for such as are only stopt in the way of their sins by the terrors of the Law and are not acquainted with the mistery of the Grace of God in the Gospel they seldom hold out though for a while out of slavery to their consciences they do not commit such and such sins This I make no question one may be brought to do that hath no true saving Grace that they may not dare to commit a sin in secret for a while meerly our of terror of conscience But now these men they are only wrought upon by the terrors of the Law they seldom hold out but though conscience bear a strong hand to keep them from sin for a long time yet at length they break those bonds But now those that have not only conscience enlightned and do not see the danger of sin only but come to have these beames of the Grace and goodness of God let out into their hearts and their hearts are so gained unto God by this that they wil never depart from him but their hearts wil follow to the bountifulness of God The difference of these two may be exprest by this similitude Look how it is in frosty wether when the water is frozen there are two waies to come by the water the Husbandman goes in the morning and sees the water frozen and beates it to pieces and breaks the yce but though he doth so the next morning he comes and sees it frozen as much as before but when there comes warm weather and dissolves the yce then it quite goes away in flakes so hence the hearts of al sinners are frozen and God comes with the terror of the Law and beats them in pieces and breaks them that way I but at last they freeze again and grow as hard again as ever But now when the Lord comes with the beams of his Grace and shines upon them then their Hearts thaw and the yce goes away and their hearts come in flowing to God in another manner than
when he comes by his stroaks Now because the Lord sees that this is such a way to engage the hearts of sinners to come in unto him therfore he doth not only put forth such an almighty power but comes in such a way as this when the sinner cannot be able to perceive the hand of God that is the almighty power that doth the work yet the sinner can perceive the shining of Gods Grace and his goodness and the expressons of his love and the like this is apparently before the Eyes of the sinner to admire and works upon the heart when the other is more secret Obj. Thirdly If God and Christ be so willing to be reconciled unto sinners then you wil say what is the reason that there are no more reconciled One would think that al sinners in the World should be reconciled to him hee may reconcile al Is it not as easie for God to reconcil one as wel as another God many times tels us that few shal be saved Yea Christ himself tels us so Now this that you have preached about Gods and Christs willingness to be reconciled One would think that al the world should come in to be reconciled otherwise how wil it appear that they are so willing Ans For the answer to that the heart of God Christ are much set uppon Reconciliation with sinners but so as may be suitable to other ends that God hath God wil not have the work of his mercy manifested so as it shal crosse any other work that he hath to do so farr as the Glory of his mercy may be manifested without crossing of some other work that God hath to do so farr it is let out not to al. Why Because it wil not be suitable to some other ends that God hath to bring about that he should be reconciled unto al sinners Object You wil say to other ends Why Do Gods ends crosse one another If Gods Heart be for Reconciliation with sinners how should this Cross any other thing that God hath to do Answ For answer though things may seem to us one to be cross to the other yet there is a blessed concord in Gods ends and his waies and it wil appear plainly one day before the Children of men and Angels and it wil be the great work of God hereafter to manifest that those things that seem most to be cross one to another yet wil be very Advantagious and assisting to the Promoting and Coronation of this blessed work As it is in the Heavens there is the motion of the Heavens they have one motion by which they are carryed one way and there are the Starres they have another particular motion of their own and yet there is a concord in the motions of the Heavens In any work that a man doth as in a Clock there is one wheel that runs one way so farr and another meets with it they seem to run quite contrary waies and yet take them altogether and they do al run to the end that the work is intended for and yet seem to go contrary the Cross going of the wheels is the right going of the Clock So God seems to work in the works of his Grace one way and in the works of his justice another way and they seem to go quite contrary one to the other But the truth is they worke al to the end that the workman makes it for here is the Grace and mercy of God thus manifested in entreating and beseeching sinners to be reconciled It goes thus far and then when it hath had its ends then comes the stroak of Gods justice and that striks another way and al makes to the beauty of the work of God that he might have glory in al So though God be thus earnest yet it is no Argument that al sinnners should be reconciled because it appeares to be the beauty of Gods work which shal appear another day the work of mercy thus farr and the work of justice so farr this we are not able to understand throughly now but it is left to the great day to be understood Further It may be answered that these expressions are cheifly intended towards those that belong to his eternal election but revealed in such a general way as none should exclude himself therefore the charge of the Ministers of the Gospel is to preach to every creature because we do not know who they be that do belong to the election but it is for the sake of Gods elect ones that these things are reconciled in such a ful way as they are such things should be taught in a Congregation where there are many thousands but if there be but a few that beloâ—g to the election of Grace God aimes at them most though he may aime at the other too for to lessen their sins and somtimes to aggravate them Yet know if there be but a few that it is for you and for your sake that these things are preacht and these may serve to answer to those objections CHAP. 79. Use 1. Admire Gods infinite Grace in enterating to be reconciled to sinners Considering 1. What it is God intreats for 2. Who are intreated 3. By whom you are intreated 4. What need hath God of you USE IN the first place upon al what hath been said of the willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled unto sinners that they thus do entreate sinners we are taught First to stand and admire at the infinite riches of the â—â—ace of God and espeically you who have felt this work of God effectually upon your Hearts You who have found God wooing and suing to your hearts give God the glory of his Grace and admire at it It were mercy for the Lord once to offer upon any terms to be reconciled unto sinners or to shew them any favor Meerly to offer it that is grace that is to be admired and that is more than God hath done to the Angels he would not do so much to them But now that God should not only offer but send to feek after thee to cry after you again and again to be importunate with you to entreate and beseech not only by his Ministers but by this own spirit for there is the work of that the spirit of God comes and woos and beseeches sinners to come in and be reconciled Oh stand and admire at this forever Let it take up your hearts to give glory to him and the rather if you consider these four things First What it is that God doth entreate and beseech for What is it that you are entreated to do That that shal deliver you from the greatest evil that any creature is capable of and that whereby you would receive the greatest good that any creature is capable of you are entreated not to be miserable but to be happy and not only that you should serve God and not sin against God and do the works that God requires of you for his glory but you
God in a way of mercy to thy family to thy body to thy soul at any time now take heed to thy selfe that thy iniquity be not discovered for now wil the devil come and tempt thee to break out in some notorious sin that he might cut off the way of Gods Grace that he might shut that door of mercy that God is now opening to thee in Zacharie 8 15.16 Saith God there So again have I thought in these daies to do wel unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah feare you not mark you what follows and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour and love no false oathes for al these things are the things that I hate saith the Lord mark the expression of God it doth very nearly concerne us now we may wel apply that 15. verse unto the condition of England at this time I thought in these daies to do wel unto this people and to the house of Judah but in these things that I should do saith God look to your selves you must not think that when I am going on in a way of mercy you may do what you list but these things I wil do but it is upon this condition that you follow God on in that way if God doth open a door to us if we would not have it shut he expects that we should come and enter in at that door that is close with him in that way of mercy he is doing wel but then seeing that our sins have made the interruption and it is not alwaies that Gods present mercies are certain arguments of further mercies How shal we know when we may draw an argument to assure our selves from that mercy we have now that there is further mercies intended for us This you may remember in the beginning of the point I told you it was a priviledg of Gods saints and yet every one wil be ready to snatch at it to conclude to themselves wel God is a God ful of mercy and therefore because he beginneth to shew mercy to me he wil go on surely I shal find favor it hath been his way and course to deal thus with his people and therefore seeing he hath delivered me from one evil he wil deliver me from another Bretheren it is the usual way of wicked men to catch at the priviledges of the Saints as if they were their own we have a notable example for this in the prophesie of Jeremiah that is worthy of our observation in Jer. 21.2 It is an example there of Zedekiah Zedekiah was a wicked man and yet he flattered himself in this and promised to himself that what priviledges the people of God had in former times he must needs have the like mark what he saith now Inquire I pray thee of the Lord for us Nebuchad-nezar King of Babilon maketh war against us if so be the Lord wil deal with us according to al his wonderous works that he may go up from us Mark saith Zedekiah to Jeremiah Oh! inquire Oh! let us know the mind of God whether he wil deal with us according to al his wonderous works God had dealt with his people according to his worderful works had dealt wonderfully for his people and Zedekiah a wicked man and the wicked people that were with him they were ready to flatter themselves with hope that God would deal with them as he had done with his people heretofore worderfully but they were deceived And so people when they heare of a priviledg of the Saints for them to promise to themselves that they shal have the like from God that his peopl have I say they wil be mistaken for the promises that are made in Scripture of Mercy they are the inheritance of Gods Saints Isa 54.17 This is the inheritance of my servants Saith God When God made a promise to his people of Mercy there I but saith he this is the inheritance of my Sarvants it belongs not to al it is their inheritance their portion what have others to do with the inheritance of Gods people When a Saint of God looks into the word of God and reads the word he may see every promise every expression of Gods goodness as a part of his inheritance and take it it is thy inheritance though thou inheritest not worldly riches thou mayest have short or little comings in yet know thou art an heir of al the glorious promises that are written in the Book of God they are thy inheritance A wicked man when he reades in the Scripture he can take no such delight in it for indeed he may reade many promises but they are none of his inheritance they are the inheritance of Gods people There is a great deal of difference between an heire riding through his Fathers ground and a strangers riding through it just the like difference there is between a carnal man reading the scriptures a Saint An heir rideth through his ground and seeth fruitful fields and pleasant meadows and saiâ—h he this is my ground and a stranger rideth through them and commends them I but they belong not to me So a Saint reades the scripture and the expressions of Gods goodness there and saith they are my inheritance and a carnal heart saith no such matter and therefore Gods Mercies to his people are inlets to further if they are not so to thee thou canst not conclude and say Oh! I was in such a danger and in such an extremity and God delivered me from that extremity and therefore if I come into the like he wil deliver me again no thou canst not say so It was a notable expression of Hezekiah Isa 38. When God there delivered him from the sickness as its thought by Divines it was the Plague and God delivered him he concludes In love to my soul hast thou delivered me from the pit of corruption this is an excellent couclusion that a child of God may make if ever he were delivered from the danger of the Plague in love to my soul Lord thou hast delivered me and I shal go to the house of the Lord I shal yet have further mercy It may be some of you have had the the Plague in your houses it may be upon your selves and God hath delivered you and you wil take it as an argument that God wil diliver you again because he delivered you from that yea but unless thou be a Hezekiah a Gracious man or woman thou canst not conclude that God hath delivered thee from that pit of corruption for Gods preservations of wicked men are many times reservations for greater evils as I might shew you but that I see that I must hasten Wel but then stil how may we know when we may draw an argument from Gods present mercies to future The first discovery whether Gods present Mercies be in-lets to future When in a mercy there is some special discovery of God unto his people I say some special and glorious discovery of
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
upon their death beds when Gods justice is out against them and Gods wrath upon them and they see themselves plunging into the bottomless gulfe then they wil pray and cry for mercy Oh! thou shewest thy selfe to be a stranger to the waies of God and to the minde of God and to the covenant of God if thou wert one of Gods people then thou wouldest know that when God is in a way of Mercy then is the best time of praying for one Mercy lets in another and then is the best time of praying I would argue thus Is it more likely that God when the day of his patience and longe sufering continues to thee that then he should deny thee mercy I say is it like he should deny thee mercy then and yet when the day of his wrath and justice cometh then he should bestow Mercy upon thee what an absurd apprehension of things is here Thou criest God wil deny thee Mercy and grace now now is the day of his long-suffering patience and wil he deny it now and yet is he like to give it thee when the day of his wrath and justice cometh upon thy sick bed and death bed that may be the day of vengance of wrath If thou hast wisdome to thy soul seeke God whilst Mercy is coming and while he is in a way of Mercy that is the fittest time to pray and therefore take it this day and be convinced you carnal hearts that have no minde to pray but when they are in their afflictions but those hearts are most spiritual that can pray most when God is coming most in mercy to them but the time of affliction is the most unlikly time of getting any thing from God I had thought to have spoken divers things about that USE 2. If this be so when God is in a way of mercy one mercy wil let out another hence al the Saints of God are taught and admonished to observe and take diligent notice of the connexion of Gods mercies towards them for certainly this is Gods way to them one mercy maketh way for another and if thou belongest to God that hath been his way to thee all thy life time even from his Electing thee only now it is thy duty to be observant how God hath made one mercy a door of hope to another mercy and it is a special work to observe Gods waies towards a Christian a special work of the Sabbath many of you especially you that are not book-learned you say you know not how to spend the Sabbath after the publique exercise is done but must walk up and down the streets c. here is a work for them that are not book-learned to spend the Sabbath in If thou beest godly then sometimes every Sabbath recollect all the waies of Gods merciful providence towards thee ever since thy Youth and Childhood and how one hath had a connexion to another how one mercy hath let in another mercy and that lets in a third and that third a fourth and you shal see how the track of Gods goodness hath been towards you al your daies and that wil be a most sweet meditation for you wherein God shal have a great deal of Glory the 92. Psalme is a Psalme appointed for the Saâ—â—ath and you shal find that it is a Psalme of contemplation of the works of God and the waies of Gods mercies trwards his people it is a special way to understand the connexion of things and the connexion of causes how one cause hath dependance upon another cause and that upon another and that upon another and this is the difference between Sence and Reason the bruit Beasts that have only sence they taste the sweetness of a thing but they never enquire after the cause but now the more rational any man is the more desires kindle in him to find out the connexion of causes If this be a sweet thing to a soul in a natural way to find out the connexion of causes O! how sweet is it to a gracious soul to find out the connexion and concatination of al the mercies and goodnesses of the Lord towards him in al the passages of his life and do it the rather because that the truth is Brethren this that I am speaking of now it is that wherein a principal part of the glorious inheritance of the Saints consisteth in the glory of Heaven wherein the happiness of the glorified souls there shal consist it wil be this that eternal Sabbath that shal be spent in Heaven wil amongst other things be spent in this work that I am speaking of in a contemplation of al the connexion and concatination of Gods merces towards those that are now in Heaven Now they have been connected and concatinated ever since they have had a being and so brought up to that height of glory Oh! what an infinite content the Saints shal have when God shal reveal al when they shal see into the councels of God and the wil of God so freely and into al his waies how they were chosen from al eternity and so to eternity and there they shal see every passage of Providence that they did not understand the meaning of before how it made way to such a mercy and that to another and that to another and so til they were brought to that fulness of glory they shal I say be eternally contemplating thus of the connexion of Gods mercies and praising and blessing of God that did thus work and coennex things together for their good If thou hopest to come to Heaven to be thus excercised to give God glory there Oh! begin this work here for we pray Gods wil may be done on earth now as it is done in Heaven As on the contrary it wil be a great part of the torment of the damned that they shal there see how one work of Justice made way for another how one passage of Gods Providence made way to one Judgment and that to another and that to another and so til they were plunged into the bottomless pit for ever and the very sight how God wrought from one to another wil be torment enough to them Wel that is the Second to consider of the connexion of Gods mercies A Third Use of the Point is this USE 3. If this be so hence we are taught to entertain every mercy of God kindly and to make much of al Gods mercies if we belong to God every mercy comes but as a Messenger of further mercy Oh! entertain it wel entertain it kindly imbrace it make good use of it Indeed when the Prophet Elisha knew the Messenger of the King came to do mischief to him he bids them entertain him roughly at the door hardly at the door but Brethren every mercy that cometh to us if we be godly it cometh as a Messenger of good tidings it cometh to bring more mercy with it and therefore let us entertain it kindly at the door let us
entertain it kindly for certainly it wil make way for further mercy that shal be the Third And then the fourth is this USE 4 The consideration of this point may cause abundance of humiliation to our hearts cause exceeding sad thoughts if this be so that one mercy of God makes way to another one mercy if it be sanctified and have the blessing of God with it it is a door of hope to another hence when we look backwards to these waies of Gods mercies that have been heretofore towards us and look to the oppertunities that we have had of obtaining further mercy from God and consider how we have lost them when God was in a way with us Oh! that should draw tears of blood from us look back to thy life I suppose there is never one in this congregation but in looking back to the waies of Gods providence to them they cannot but cry Oh! the Lord was once in a way of mercy to me there was a time that certainly God was merciful to me Nay not only in outwad mercies such and such deliverances I had at such a time Oh! had I followed those mercies What might I have gotten when I was crying to God for deliverance God heard me God hath delivered me delivered my family now God as it were was in a way of mercy to me O! had I followed that then what might I have gotten but I neglected the opportunity I lost it and now God is in another way with me but especially when you look back to the opportunities that you have had for the good of your souls hath not God many times bin in a way of mercy to your souls Oh! was not there such a time when you began to have frequent workings of Gods spirit in you you began to have light darted into your Consciences to have the spirit of God drawing your hearts that when you came to the word you found the word coming with power and the spirit of God sealing it and your hearts did begin to yeild and to melt before God Oh! what might you have gotten if you had gone on if you had followed God in those convictions of conscience and in those beginnings of troubles you had and workings of Gods spirit what might you have come to now There was a door of hope but fooles and wretched men to stick in the birth and come not forth and alas May not many say Oh! that I had a door of hope there was such a mercy of God towards me but wo to me the door is shut I find my heart shut up and my conscience shut up and my heart now is hard but it was beginning to be softened but Oh! how hard it is now God was opening my heart but now it is otherwise with me and for ought I know God is gone and Christ is gone I had a day if I had knowen it Oh! it had been happy for many in this place if they had at such a time followed God when he was in a way of Mercy If it may be when God was in a way of mercy to thee thou haddest had a heart to go into thy closet and there cried to God to follow on that Good work that he had begun and to make it effectual to thee this had been a gracious work to thy soul but thou wentest away into thy shop into thy calling perhaps into the Tavern or Alehouse to thy gaming to thy company and so nâ—glectedest the day of Grace there was a door of hope but there was another door thou haddest a mind rather to follow than to follow God in the way of mercy I wil not say that there is no door of hope for thee for there may be a door of hope but this I wil say that thy condition is a lamentable and most greivous condition and thou haddest need look to it for this consideration sinketh the hearts of men and women afterwards If thou shouldest come to thy sick bed or death bed perhaps thy conscience wil preach that to thee that now I am preaching to thee and then thy conscience wil give ananswer it is true there was a door of hope opened to me and then if any Minister come to offer Mercy I you wil say it is for those that have a time of Mercy but God did open my heart and I did shut my heart against him and these thoughts and conclusions are the despairing and sinking thoughts of men and women upon their sick beds and if God never had been coming towards me there might have been some hope but what hope is there now for me Oh! take heed for time to come any of you if God be coming in a way of Mercy if this day by the word at this time he begin to open any of your hearts labor to follow him to go in at this door of hope Wel that is the fourth again fiftly from this point learn this USE 5. If one Mercy be but an inlet to another Mercy then this should teach al the people of God to be content to beare one affliction though it be but a way making for another affliction the argument runs thus It is true there cometh an affliction and by and by another and that makes way for another and so the cloudes rise after the raine and how many poor weak hearts are plunged and dejected they can bear one affliction I but when another cometh and another cometh at length they fal down under the weight of their afflictions but if thou be one that belongest to God and hast the assurance of this point that I have this day been preaching to thee then use it as an argument to uphold thy heart It is true one affliction cometh after another and one affliction maketh way for another and hath not one mercy come after another too and hath not one mercy made way for another too I am sure I have had mercies thick and three fold and one hath made way for another and though I have new afflictions making way one for another yet let me beare them considereing how long a time I have had mercies making way one for another yet further in the sixt place the sixt Use of this may be of great conscequence too VSE 6. That if this be the way of God towards his people that one mercy shal make way for another then it should be the way of the people of God towards him again that one duty should make way for another duty there is a great deal of reason for it If God be thus gratious to us that one mercy maketh way for another then we should be so thankful to him that one duty of ours should make way for another duty and this brethren is a most excellent thing that one duty maketh way for another duty as I told you before when a duty is accounted a mercy then it wil certainly persevere and so take this second note of persevering comeing in here when one duty
of mercy but now if thou hadst a heart to observe the beginings of Gods mercy and to pray when he begins to open the doore and let in a little light and so to follow God thou mightest have been free from the spirit of bondage long ere now But I must leave particular applications now and come to the more general and therefore seeing that this is the thing our condition requires we must venture upon it at least now though I should never doe any other thing I could not forbeare at this time that God hath opened a doore of mercy a doore of hope to us to al England I suppose every one sees it and among the people of God it is the mater of their discourse when they come together Now what is it that should be our care O! that this doore be never shut that now our iniquities lock it not now to follow God on in the way of his mercy that is brethren a blessed doore of hope and I may compare this doore of hope to that doore that leads into the holy place 1. Kings 7.50 the text saith That the hinges of gold for the doors of the inner house that door that went into the holy place it had the hinges of gold Bretheren those worthies of our land that God hath called unto our Parliamentary Asembly they are the hinges of our door and blessed be God they are not iron hinges thaâ— they have not rigid rugged spirits not at al to regard the cries of the oppressed no they have been unto us as hinges of gold our door of hope doth hang upon hinges of gold If I were at this time to speak to that Assembly those that are the hinges of our doore to those that are our door-keepers the door-keepers of this Door of hope yea rather those that are even this doore it selfe unto us were I to speake to them I would seek to lay the great charge of that mighty trust that is committed unto them upon them never any Assembly in the world had opportunities of greater mercy from God to his people than these have were I to speake to them I should seeke to perswade that as ever they would have God open to any of their souls for themselves or their posterity when they shal knock at Gods door of mercy that they would be faithful in keeping the door of hope open unto us that we might enter comfortably into it I should cry unto them that they would set open their own hearts open ye gates be ye opened ye everlasting doores that Christ the King of Glory might enter into your hearts families be set up there but because I am not to speake to them but to you this day I shal direct my selfe unto you in that that is sutable to this auditory I am preaching to The exhortation of God to you is that you would take notice of the great work of God in this doore of hope that you would give him the glory that you would praise his name for his wonderous works declare that his name is nigh and therefore praise him that you would seek God now earnestly when he is in a way of mercy O! that you would seeke to praise him now and praise him as much as ever you can that you would close with God in the great work that God is about that according to your several places and rankes you would further the great worke that God hath opened a door unto that now you would bestir you while God is stirring in a way of mercy be you al stirring in a way of endeavours according unto the mercy God hath sent that your hearts might be up and kept up as Gods heart is up at this time and be kept up for ever and to that ende that your hearts might be a little stirred to further the work of God and towards keeping open this door take these Considerations 1. That door of hope that now we have Oh! it is a door that God hath opened after much knocking Oh! there hath been rapping at Heavens gate mighty knocking 's there before this door was opened Oh! the prayers of the Saints that have been put up for to get open this door they have knocked again and again and it hath seemed to be barred against them at length prayer hath got open the door as God promised Knock and it shal be opened This day that word is â—ulâ—illed towards us we have knocked and the door is opened now that door that is opened by such knocking 's O! whaâ— great pitty it were it should be shut again through our â—emissness 2. It is a door of hope opened to us now when as but a little while since we have hâ—d a door of fears and miseries and wrath and wickedness superstition and Idolatry even set wide open this was a door not long since Oh! did not God open a door to us so as if he would let in al wrath and miseries What fears had we What kind of communion had we when we met together What shal we do Where shal we go the hand of God is against us you were afraid that God would let ih a deluge of misery and at that door let in al his wrath upon us and not only so but a door open for al kind of wickedness al superstition Idolatry cruelty What a door was there open not long since we may apply that place of Jer. 23.15 where the Prophet saith Prophaneness is gone through the whole Land from the Prophets from wicked and scandalous Ministers and others Oh! what superstition and prophaneness went throughout our Land there was a door open from them to al wickedness such a door as might bring al kind of wickedness Now that we that had the mouth of such a door laid open upon us should now have a door of hope opened to us Oh! praised and blessed be the name of God! shal we be unfaithful now to God in this way of mercy towards us 3. Consider that we have this door of hope opened to us after that we have been unfaithful after the opening of other doors how many doors have we shut to our selves hertofore We have had many doores of hopes other Parliaments before yet we not following of God we did wretchedly and wickedly shut these doors upon God and upon our selves and yet that God should open yet another door unto us Oh Gracious God! as they cryed at the laying of the foundation of the Temple Praise Praise so we may say now though the work be not done as we desire yet at the beginning of it we may cry praise praise 4. This door of hope was opened to us when in our own thoughts we give al up for lost when we even thought in our selves that God had for eternity shut the door against us Oh! how have the ministers of God in former times been crying up judgments and our guilty consciences did close with those truths and say
it not only litteral but Tipical to tipify Gods waies of dealings with other Churches to the end of the world and it is very observable that he maketh the Church of Sardis to answer to the Church of Germany just according to his opening of Gods dealing with the Church of Sardis he prophecies what God should do to the Church of Germany and so it came to pass and this Church of Pihladelphia he did interpret it thirty or fourty years agoe so long it is since he wrote it of the Church of Scotland and see how far God hath made it good God hath opened a door to them and certainly such a door as shal never be shut that which is opened to them and they not only wil have it themselves but God wil make them instrumental for others and mark how they are described for thou hast the Ministery every one looked upon that Church with contempt a very poor beggerly nation and an ignorant people had little knowledg of any thing at al had but little time but yet thou hast kept my word though they have little knowledg yet they wil keep his word yea marke and consider how far he goes on behold I wil make them of the Synagoge of Satan which say they are Jewes and say they are the Church of God I wil make them to say they are not Jwes they are not the church of God but they do lie behold I wil make them to come and worship before this people to know that I am God even to worship before their feet to know that I have loved them do not those that cryed out of them before and rayled upon them do they not now begin to be convinced that God was with them and therfore now we know how they are called by others what titles now they have different from their former thus God hath fulfilled it in part upon them and beleeve it we shal have a share in that mercy even that door that is opened to us in that way is so opened as it shal not be shut againe wherefore then to conclude al. 1. Let every one take heed let the fear of God be upon every soul especially any of you that are more eminent than others in any place take heed as from God this day take warning that thou be not the least interruption in the great work that God is about certainly if you be if you wil stand in this door to hinder the good that God is letting in you wil certainly be overcome you wil certainly be vanquished you can never hinder the work God is about and therefore those men that are superstitous Antichristian and would uphold that work I say those men are in some respects more unhappy than the superstitious and Antichristian men in former times because that those that before did seek to maintain superstition popery the like then it was a time that God was peacable and suffering towards the enemies of his people and was content it should come in then I mean content by way of permission not by way of approbation and did suffer it but now is the very time that God is quite rooting it out it is the very time that God is seting himself against it and therefore they that shal now seek to uphold it they are men that are most unhappy because at that time they stand in the doore just when God is comming with his power and with his stength O! take heed you have no hand in interupting the great work God is about and my brethren that we may give God the honor of this door of hope 2. Let us consider with our selves what we would have given heretofore that we might have had such a door of hope I am perswaded many of us would have laid down our lives O! Lord if we might have purchased so much good as now is come to England we would have counted our dearest heart blood wel spent Now seeing we would have given so much heretofore O! what shal we render now that strength that we should have spent under the cruel rage of our adversaries O! Let that strength be now spent to the praise and honor of our God under his mercies there is a notable place of scripture for that in the 119. Psalme 134. God had delivered him from his oppressours and therefore he would keep his statures Thou hast O Lord delivered me from my oppressors therefore wil I keepe thy statutes So that strength that we should have spent under the cruelty of our oppressors now should be spent in the keeping of Gods statutes and following the waies of God 3. Let our hopes now rise higher God would have our hopes raised higher seeing he hath opened a door let us stand in the door and let us not be discouraged though we think perfect reformation a difficult thing yet brethren perfect reformation now is not more difficult than that we have now was difficult a year or two agoe a year or two agoe that we now have was as unlikely as perfect reformation now is and therefore we are to raise up our hopes to higher greater things and therefore the King when he smote the ground twice or thrice he should have smote seven or eight times And brethren we have to deale with a great God and his designe is to magnifie his great name in the good of his Church in the 17. Psalme Thou hast shewed thy marvailous loving kindness The word as is is taken by some may be read Lord make thy loving kindness wonderful miraculous God loveth to make his loving kindness to his Church miraculous Now brethren we may hope to have that from God that shal make God appear a wonder-working God that shal set up God in his glory now this reformation in our land it shal set up God in his glory that we hope for our hope is at the lowest except we hope for such great things as may set out God to be an infinite and great God An ordinary reformation in deliverance from the oppression of the state it is not enough to set out the infinite pardoning and loving kindness of God wherfore then for the conclusion of al O! let every one therefore now goe on in the name of God and stand in the door and look how God is comming and close with him and meete God in every way of his mercy in Reve. 4.1 the text saith There was a door opened in heaven brethren certainly there is a door opened in heaven let us incourage our hearts and do what we can in our places and with the strength that we have let us open our hearts and open our desires to him let him know that we are willing to venture our estates our liberties our lives and al that we are or have to maintain a good cause God hath done much he wil do much in Psalmes I have brought you out of the Land of Egypt open your mouth wide that I may fil
against another there may be a peace made and they may lay down reasons on both sides but al this while they may not come in to a league of friendship and amity one with another But God is so Reconciled to a soul as that he entereth into a League with the soul entereth into Covenant Fiftly The Lord when he is Reconciled to a soul he is perfectly Reconciled we may give it that word for the truth is it is such a Reconciliation so perfect as that there shal not remain the least grudg in the heart of God towards a man Reconciled It is true on our side it is not so perfect but on Gods side it is so perfect a Reconciliation as that there shal not remaine the least grudg in the heart of God against the Creature for any hurt to the Creature Sixtly Yea such is the Reconciliation as that it is everlasting such a Reconciliation as there shal never be breach made more such a Reconciliation as there shal never be a falling out more And where was there ever such a peace made between one man and another when was ever one man so Reconciled unto another as that a man may say wel these two are thus and thus Reconciled who were at deadly enmity before yea they are so Reconciled as that there wil never more be any breach between them so Reconciled as that all that ever can be done in the world shal never break the bond of friendship that is between them Here is a Reconcilement to purpose and this Reconcilement there is between God and every Beleeving Soul at the first moment when thou first comest to Jesus Christ God shakes hands with thee entereth into League with thee become a friend to thee is so Reconciled unto thee as that there shal be nothing in the world shal ever break the Atonement that is made between God thy Soul You shal see how God himself expresseth it in that 54. Isa 10. speaking to his Church about this very word of Recâ—nciliation he saith The mountaines shall depart and the Hils be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee This Scripture though spoken to the Church is true of every beleeving soul Do you think that Mountains are firm many stormes and tempests may be abroad but all the stormes in the world cannot remove the mountaines Look saith God how firm and steady the mountains are So firm shall my mercy be to thee and the Covenant of my peace Hath God had mercy upon thy soul and hath he been reconciled unto thee know then it is such a Reconciliation as is more stable and firm than the very mountains themselves O! this is the Complement the top of Reconciliation that it is a perpetual Reconciliation So that notwithstanding though some of Gods waies may perhaps be towards you as if you were an enemy God may so appear to you sometimes yet peace is to thee God intends no hurt at all howsoever he may look somtimes as an enemy yet at that time he means thee not the least hurt All the afflictions that befall thee they do not come from God as from an enemy though perhaps through thy weaknesse thou maâ—'st think so for though God be Reconciled to thee in so gracious a way yet if he correct thee thou art apt to look upon him as an enemy No it is thy mistake Gods Reconciliation is a through Reconciliation and may stand with all those Corrections that he useth towards thee 7 Yea this Reconciliation wil continue constant notwithstanding all those sins of thine which indeed of their own nature make breaches between God and man Take heed of abusing such a doctrine as this is Thy sins cannot overcome Gods goodness O! let Gods goodness overcome thy wickednesse for that is certain the Lord when he was first reconciled to thee he did know that there would be many failings and fallings out as it were but yet he was resolved to be reconciled and that that receconciliation should continue notwithstanding all those failings and thy sins though they may change some administrations of God towards thee so that he may severely Correct thee yet they shall not take away this Reconcilation but the Lord will continue thy friend stil But yet if indeed thou beest Reconciled God wil put this into thy heart that when there is any failing in thee thou wilt never be at quiet till thou comest to renue thy peace again Thou mayest lose the sence of thy peace but thou shalt never lose thy peace indeed And though we cannot speak such a truth as this is without fear and trembling because it may cost the hardening of many a soul yet so willing is God that his people shal be Comforted as that he will have this doctrine of Reconciliation published though it cost the damnation of many sinners 8 Yea the Accusations of the Devil against thee shal never provoke God so as to turn enemy to thee again There may be peace made between friend and friend but it may be there may be some whisperers some tale-bearers and make-bates by a spirit of Jealousie that may goe between them and do abundance of mischeif by their suggestions but this cannot be between God and us It is true the Devil would be continually a make-bate between God and thy soul and doth continually go before God to accuse the soul and therefore he is called the Accuser of the Brethren But the peace that is made up between God and a soul through his Son is so firme and the friendship is so stable as that the Lord shuts his Ears aganist all the accusations that can be made against his friends One intire friend cannot indure to hear ill of another It is a signe that freindship begins to grow cold when they are willing to hear of any evill against their freind The Lord will not listen to the least accusation that is made by Satan against his friend he will not so much as be willing to hear of any thing spoken against his people such a perfect and through and firm peace is there made between the soul and God CHAP. 5. Twelve Blessed Consequencs of our Reconciliation But now that which I specially intended should have been to have shewed you some Consequences of this peace And therein I should have shewed you the excellency of the Reconciliation I will give you the particulars thereof very briefly The first Consequence First hence followeth peace with al the Creatures in the world whereas before not only God was an enemy but all the Creatures were enemies the good Creatures the ill Creatures thy Companions whom thou thoughtest to be thy friends the Heavens the earth the Beasts in the field the Stones in thy House they were all thy enemies not the least Creature in the world but was one of the Host of God ready pressed to avenge the quarrell of
Gods rich grace even in this one branch of the Gospel his beginning the work of Reconciliation Vse 2. And then Another Use of it may be this To teach us not to think much but to begin to seek peace even with our inferiors learn we by the example of God that if there be falling out between one neighbor and another or between one friend and another not to think much to begin the work of peace We think it would be a dishonor for us to yeild so far we say what is he not my inferior shal I send to him Why it is Gods glory to do it God doth not only do it to us but he accounts it his glory so to do It is a great part of the glory of God that he is willing to yeild to us and to send to us about tearms of Reconciliation And shal that which makes God to be glorious be accounted a dishonor to thee shal it make thee unglorious when it makes God to be glorious If it be an excellency in God suerly it is no baseness no dishonour in thee What a proud heart hast thou that thou shouldest think that that doth debase thee too much which makes God to be a glorious God that that which doth set so much glory upon God should in thy thoughts put dishonor upon thee as if thy honor were to be higher than the honor of God himself Certainly those men that are of such implacable dispositions at least they wil never yeild to begin to make up their peace with others but they wil stand it out to the uttermost though their consciences tell them that they themselves have done a great deal of wrong and that they could be willing there were a peace only they wil not begin This proud and stout spirit in men is an argument that they have not been accquainted with Gods reconciling of himself unto them for Gods beginning to be reconciled unto thee wil make thee to begin reconciliation with thy inferior You wil say why should not he begin first It is true why should he not it is his duty indeed and so it is our duty to begin with God but suppose he doth not begin thou shouldest rather pitty him and look upon him in so much the more miserable Condition and know that though thou hast the advantage of him yet thou art to be like unto God in this particular USE 3. Thirdly A third Use of Gods beginning the work of Reconciliation with us is the Use that the Apostle himself makes in Rom. 5.10 If when we were enimies to God we were reconciled unto him by the death of his Son how much more being reconciled we shal be saved by his life here you see the Apostles inference upon Gods gratiousness in himself he being willing to be reconciled when we were enimies much more being reconciled we shal be saved as if he should have said al the goodness of God towards poor wretched sinful Creatures when we were desperate enemes to him and never thought of coming in to be reconciled unto him yet the Lord himself finds out a way and begins the work of making peace between him and our souls surely then being reconciled unto him we shal be saved What shal God when we were a going on in a desperate way of enmity against him shal this God come then to us and have thoughts of peace and Love and mercy to us surely when we are reconciled when we have hearts in some measure to love this God and to serve and fear him he wil not cast us off certainly no it is better with us now than before When we were enemies unto him and desperate enemies it had been then no wonder if God had cast us off and sent us to our own places to lie for ever under the infinite burden of his wrath but the Lord had then thoughts of peace towards us it is therefore now far otherwise with us though it is true we have many corruptions in us but we can appeal unto God that our Souls love him and that the desire of our hearts are to fear and serve him we can in some measure be able to say Lord thou that knowest al things knowest that there is nothing in the world our Souls desire more than to overcome these Corruptions there is no burden in al the world like unto the burden of sin there is nothing so grievous to us as this that we have such vile hearts and natures that can serve him no better than we do and if God should ask us what we would have from him we can say in the sincerity of our souls Lord thou knowest we would not ask Riches or Honors to be Kings and Princes in the world but Oh that we might be delivered from the remayner of the corruption that is in our hearts from such and such distempers of our Souls whereby we dishonor thy name continually Certainly if the hearts of men be in this disposition they may gather a comfortable argument to themselves and conclude thus There was a time that I went on as a dsperate enemy unto God and I lived without God in the world and never minded the power and the majesty and the Dominion of God over me but as if I were born to nothing else but to sin against God I followed my own lusts with al manner of greediness but behold then even at that time the Lord had thoughts of mercy towards me and he took me perhaps when I came to the hearing of the word with a purpose to contemne and despise it and to ieer at it yet at that very time he took me and spake to my heart and shewed me Jesus Christ and his mercy and then he broke my heart now the Lord knows though when I come to the word I profit not as I should yet I come with a heart desiring to profit and I would fain know the mind of God in it and before I come I go to God and desire him to shew me some part of his wil Wil God now cast me off when being a disperate enemy to him he had thoughts of mercy towards me wil he cast me off for those infirmities that I have now I know I have not a heart opposite to that Grace though I have a heartful of distempers I am not an enemy unto God as I was before and an enemy to his people and ordinances No my heart is towards him my heart is towards his people and towards his Ordinances and was God reconciled to me then even whil'st I was an enemy and wil he now cast me off for weaknesses and infirmities Certainly it cannot be O make much of that place of the Apostle If when we were enemies unto God we were reconciled unto him much more saith he certainly now God wil not cast us off but we shal be saved That is a third use that we may make of Gods begining the work of Reconciliation USE 4. A Fourth is this
needs be great it is sin that made the distance between God and us and that was so vast and wide that it did necessarily require a Mediator to come between and especially upon this ground because the Lord was resolved to have that wrong that was done unto him by the sin of man perfectly made up sin had wronged God and God was resolved upon it he was set upon it to have this wrong compleatly made up and that he himself would be perfectly righted and this Gods Justice cals for and thus stood the tearms between God and Man Man having wronged God and God and He are now at varience and God stands upon it and is resolved with himself thus though I be willing to be at peace with them yet I wil be at peace with them so as I wil have the wrong that is done made up my Justice shal be fully and compleatly satisfied I must be righted for I am God and there shal not be such a flaw remayning in my Justice to eternity as that such and such Creatures should sin against me and I pass it by without having any satisfaction for saith God this would be a flaw in my Justice for ever and that I will not have and therefore I will be righted in that wrong that is done me by the fal of Man It is true when one man comes to treat about peace and Reconciliation with another it is somtimes necessary for him to pass by an offence without any satisfaction at al especially when that poor Creature that hath offended is not able to make satisfaction but it is not so between God and Man though one Man being at variance with another when he sees that he that hath done him the wrong cannot make satisfaction he then is indeed to pass it by but Gods mercy did never work after that manner though the mercy in a man may work him to such a Reconciliation and though God be a God of infinite mercy infinitly more merciful than any Creature can be yet the way of the working of Gods mercy is a different way from the working of the Creatures mercy neither doth it argue that there is not as much mercy in God as there is in the Creature but that the way of the working of Gods mercy is different from that of the Creatures and this is the way of the working of Gods mercy not to pass by the wrong done but to provide some means or other himself to satisfie that wrong to the end that he may have his Justice satisfied and because that this was necessary hence it comes to pass of our being reconciled unto God through Jesus Christ The necessity of Christs being a Mediator is not so much this that we are grieveous sinners and so we have need of abundance of mercy from God if there were nothing but these two only that we are great sinners and so have need of great mercy there would not come a necessity of Christ But we are great sinners and we have need of the mercy of God and the wrong that sin hath done unto God must be made up and his Justice fully satisfied and here comes in the necessity of a Christ And thus God was Reconciling himself to the world in this regard And the truth is though some of you have heard the sound of this oftentimes yet you must know this is the great mistery of the Gospel and by our presenting this unto you again and again perhaps God wil give you a further insight into this truth It is this that the Angels desire so much to pry into they know this that Gods Justice must be satisfied but they know it not so and so as the Church knows it and as the Saints know it and therefore they pry more and more into it to see the further depths of it as indeed there is greater and greater depths in this mistery which we can never fathom and which is only reserved for the time of the Resurrection Most people think that when they are to seek for Reconciliation with God they have to do with God only as a merciful God But you must know when you have to do with God about Reconciliation you have to do with more than with the mercy of God ye have to do with God reconciling himself to the world in his Son and you can never seek Reconciliation with God in a right Evangelical way unless you seek it in his Son That briefly shal suffice for the first The necessity of Christs coming in to the work of Reconciliation CHAP. 14. How Christ comes to be a fit Reconciler Opened in seven Particulars 1. Because he is the second person in the Trinity 2. He hath taken our Nature on him 3. He knows fully the mind of the Father 4. He fully knows what wil satisfie the Father 5. God the Father doth infinitly Love him 6. He never offended the Father 7. What he doth hath infinite efficacy and worth THe second thing propounded in the twelfth Chapter is this How Christ comes to be a fit Reconciler it is he who is the great Peace-maker and therefore in the Scripture he is called the Prince of peace it is he that is Melchezedeck King of righteousness and King of peace But how comes he to be so by being a Mediator between the Father and us and so you shal find he is called in the Scripture Heb. 8 6. But he hath obtained a more Excellent Ministry by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant that is of a Covenant of grace and not of that covenant of works Now Christ he is a fit mediator to come in and to mediate between God and us As amongst men when there is a Breach between two and they are at a Distance the Breach is such as requires one to come in and to mediate between them It is not alwayes necessary between man and man where there is a Breath that one should come and mediate but there being a Breath between God and us it was absolutely necessary that a mediator should come in to treat between God and us and there could never have been the least parly the least treaty between God and fallen man had not a mediator stept in between and this mediator is Jesus Christ and it is he that is only fit to be our Reconciler and Peace-Maker 1. Because he is the Second Person in Trinity and in that regard he is fit You wil Say How doth this make him fit Thus The Sin that was committed in the first transgression was more directly against the first Person God the Father Why wil you say was it against one Person rather than against another It was indeed against them al but it was more directly against the first Person and this is the reason of it because mans first sin was against that perfection which God gave him in his creation against that created righteousnes that was put into him which was especially the work
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
going of the miles is as necessary as the other and though that be not required yet it is implyed in the act that is required and it is to be looked upon as necessary as that which is required as a Condition So it is true humiliation is not the Condition of the second Covenant it is not the thing that intersteth us in Jesus Christ but it is that which the nature of faith doth necessarily imply for faith is an understanding Grace and indeed it is the most gloriouse worke of the soul that ever was for a soul to beleeve in God through Christ to beleeve that God is Reconciled to him in Christ it is the most glorious work under heaven Now when I beleeve in Christ as a Savior what is he a Savior from a Savior from my sin a Savior from the wrath of God and this the Soul must necesarily be senssible of how else can it put forth such an act of Faith and I know no faithful preacher in the world that ever pressed humiliation further then this that when men beleeve in Christ they must know and be sensible of what they do you must know Christ is a Mediator and if he be a Mediator what is he a Mediator for why to make up a Breach between God and you And then you must know what that breach is that is the breach that your sin hath made And then you must know what sin that is Namely that your sin hath provoked the Justice of God and put you under the Curse of the Law So that you see the necessity of opening the law though it be not a thing which interesteth us in Christ yet it follows of it self as a necessary Consequence without which you cannot understand Christ as a reconciler This is therefore the first use If God wil never be reconciled to any Soul but only in Christ then that Soul that comes to be Saved must come to see it self in a most woful Condition for such a Creature as hath need of such a Mediator must needs be in a most Wretched Damnable Misserable Cursed condition in it self for else it could never requier such a Mediator And certainly there is no such way to honor Christ as this When men speake of Christ and of free Grace except rhey instruct people in this Namely the breach that is made between God and them through sin how can any of their Avditory understand what Christ is Christ is a Mediator what to do to save from fin What from what sin from sin What is that sin must be made known if Christ be the reconciler between God and us because Reconciliation implies a breach and a breach that is made by sin and if you know not what breach is that is made how can you honor Christ as Mediator So that you must know what that breach is that breach is the enmity that is in your hearts by Nature you must know what that enmity is and be sensible of it or else you can never give glory to God in Christ And though many have so much in their mouthes of Christ and of free Grace yet it is apparent in their Course that they do not give glory to Christ Christ hath little cause to thank them for any glory that he hath from them in their Conversation they rather blott and staine the name of Christ and what is the reason The truth is they never rightly understood Christ as a Mediator they never knew what it was to have need of a Mediator between God and them and so they having but a superficial knowledg of Christ Christ hath but a superficial glory from them That is the first Use CHAP. 31. Use 2. Discovering of Mistakes about Reconciliation 2 IF God hath reconciled himself to the world in Christ Hence we are to take notice of the great mistakes there are in the world in the point of Reconciliation with God Certainly if this be a truth that the only way of making up our peace with God is in Christ then the world doth gennerally mistake in the great matter of Reconciliation with God and a mistake in this is an undoing mistake a damning mistake a Soul may perish eternally meerly thorugh a mistake in the matter of Reconciliation A man may be troubled for sin and cry out of his sin and may break off the practice of his sin and cry unto God in Prayer that he would pardon him and be reconciled unto him and yet mistaking here and not understanding that it must be God in and through Christ that reconcileth himself the mistake in this may prove an undoing mistake to that Soul and although they should be Crying out of their sins al their daies they may perish at last if they do not know and rightly understand how to close with Gods mercy as it is in Christ if they do not understand that it is God in Christ that reconcileth himself to the world We know the greatest part of people look for their Reconciliation with God meerly in a natural way they have sinned against him and they wil cry unto him for mercy and for pardon and so they think al may be made up between God and them I remember Luther hath a notable speech concering this in his meditation about the way which God hath appointed for reconciling of man to himself that it is in Christ It is intollerahle and horrible blasphâ—my saith he to faigne any worke by which thou mayest presume to please God and he gives the reason of it It is therefore intollerable and horrible blasphemy for any to faigne any worke by which they shal presume to pacifie God when they shal see and hear that God cannot be pacified any other way but by such a way as the blood of his Son one drop where of is more preciouse then the whole Creation And upon this ground being meditating of Gods reconciling the world to himself and that it was by such a way as the blood of his Son and that one drop of his blood is of more value then al the Creatures in Heaven and Earth hence it was that he affirmes is to be horrible and intolerable blasphemy for any man to think to pacifie God any other way Nay when God by such a way hath appointed Reconciliation for a man to neglect this and to think that any work of his own shal pacify God especially those that heare the Gospel preached to them when they shal think of any other way of their own and so neglect the way that God hath appointed this is indeed a most intollerable and horrible blasphemy and Certainly it is that which provoketh the Lord exceedingly that when a sinner shal be made apprehensive and sensible of the Breach that is made between God and him for that sinner to think the Breach to be no greater then may be made up with any work of Repentance or good meaning or good works the Lord disclaineth to look upon that sinner in this
25. Christians may loose the assurance of their Peace with God through the weakness of their Faith 1. Weakness When they think the sin they fall into doth presently cause an enmity between God and them Object What need Beleevers then be careful to avoid sin Answered 2. Weakness Judging Gods works as enmity against them FIrst Through the weakness of their Faith and that in Two waies Weakness 1. When they shal through their weakness think that that sin they fall into or are overtaken with doth presently cause an enmity between God and them I make no question but there are many souls that God is reconciled unto and somtimes have had some comfort in the assurance of this reconciliation and yet if at any time they be but overcome with the sinful distempers of their hearts they presently think that this puts an enmity between God and them again and they begin to look upon God as upon their enemy and think that all the peace is broken between God and them and this makes such a Breach between God and them as that al that God hath done is undone again and now they think that God is against them in all his waies and contrary unto them as unto an enemy It 's true Carnall hearts that do not understand what the difficulty is of making peace with God or what a breach it is that sin makes between God and the soul they can sin and sin and sin and yet think God wil be merciful to them stil and never look upon their sin as enmity unto God or upon God as an enemy unto them in regard of their sin But take a poor soul that understands what sin is and hath found it a hard thing to make peace between God and himself as soon as any sin overcomes such a soul the dayly weaknesses many times make him think that God is an enemy to him and however he had good hopes before yet the breach is again as wide if not wider between God and him as ever it was Now by this know you do dishonor much the great work of God in Christ in the point of Reconciliation surely it is as great a dishonor as you can cast upon Christ when he hath come to make Reconciliation between God and you and when he hath undertaken it and done it so throughly as he hath and when it cost him his very life to do it yet when you apprehend this Reconciliation to be no otherwise but that upon any offence you think al is undone again truly this were but a very poor Reconciliation Suppose two that were at ods one with another and a great breach hath been made between them another comes and reconciles these two for the present but yet so as that the one shal watch the other to take an advantage against the other so as if there be but the least offence committed they shal be as great enemies one to another as before this were but a poor Reconciliation So when you come to think that upon every sin you commit after you have had your peace made between God and you though you can appeal unto God in the sincerity of your heart that it is the greatest burden in the world to you that you do thus sin against him and you would think it the greatest mercy in the world to be delivered from that body of sin yet when you shal come to think that upon this sin you have committed the breach is made as wide as ever it was with God What a dishonor do you put upon Christ What a Reconciliation hath Christ made for you O! therefore beleeve that Christ hath made another manner of peace with God then so and know that it is not a peace that can so soon be broken If a Bone-setter should set a Bone in your Body that were broken or our of joynt and set it so that it is right for the present but yet so too that if you stir your arm or leg it is out of joynt again you wil conclude this is no skilful Bonesetter Christ came from Heaven for this very end and purpose that he might joyn God and us together that he might make us one with God Do you think that Christ hath only set us so together as that upon every dayly infirmity we should be out with God again No certainly he hath set us strongly together more strongly then ever we were Adam in Innocency when he was without sin had not such a strong peace with God as thou hast in the mid'st of thy sins It is a truth and though we cannot speak of such things without trembling in regard we know how ready carnal hearts are to abuse them yet this is a truth and so I would have Christians to look upon it to look upon the reconciliation that is made between God and them as a peace firmer then ever it was with Adam and God though Adam had no sin and they have many sins for Adam had it not in Christ and therefore think upon it as such a Reconciliation as Christ hath wrought and so honor God in it and sanctifie God in it If indeed it were no other reconciliation then thou hast got by thy own prayers or then thou hast got by thy own tears then thou mightest feare that that reconciliation might be broken upon thy renewing of sin And the truth is this is the ground why those that have inlightned Consciences are so ful of feares and doubts those indeed that have no inlightnings in them are without any feare but the other are ful of doubts and feares and it is upon this ground because that peace they have is no other but that which they have gotten by their Prayers and by their duties and by their teares and by their good meanings as they think and never bring in Christ they never have been acquaynted with that great Mistery of Godliness Now that peace with God that thou hast got any way but by Gods revealing the work of his reconciling himselfe to the world in Christ that peace wil never hold long but thou wilt be ready upon every temptation upon every suggestion upon every new sin committed to cal that peace into question But if thou hast been rooted in Christ and thy peace grounded upon that which is beyond al thy duties and al thy teares and prayers nnd canst look upon God as reconciled unto thee in Christ this peace wil hold and this may hold notwithstanding abundance of sins may remaine in the soul of one that is thus reconciled unto God And therfore for your help because you may not upon every sin cal in question your reconciliation with God know this that being reconciled unto God thou art not under the Law so as that every sin against the Law should put thee under the sentence of eternal death thou art not under the curse that doth threaten everlasting death to those that so sin Here is the difference between one that is
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
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
the Oyle of joy for mourning the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called Trees of Righteousness the Planting of the Lord that he might be glorified that is in effect the same with this the Ministery of Reconciliation that is but a large expression of the Ministery of Reconciliation and as you see here it is a prophecy of Christ that first Christ is annoyinted this Christ is appointed by God the Father and the Holy Spirit for the Spirit of God is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted â—e there is the holy Spirit in it God the Father appoints him he only may be said to be the appointer and the Holy Spirit going to annoint Jesus Christ to be a preacher of the Gospel and he being the prime and the cheif Prophet of the Church he doth appoint others to exercise as it were some work of his prophetical office that is to preach the great Doctrine of Reconciliation hath committed unto us the Ministery of Reconciliation this you shal see is the commission that Christ gives in the last of Mark 15.16 verses And he said unto them go yee into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleeveth is baptised shal be saved and he that beleiveth not shal be damned Go ye saith he and preach to every creature he that beleiveth and is baptised shal be saved but he that beleiveth not shal be damned this is the Gospel the doctrine of Reconciliation by Christ he doth not give them a bare commission but he joyns his own power together to this commission and tells them that his power doth go along with them in it Math. 28.18 And Jesus came and speak unto them saying All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth What followes in vers 19. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptising them in the name of the Father Son and Holy-Spirit What a commission is here what a preamble to the commissions is here I have received all power both in Heaven and in Earth And than he tells them Go and teach al nations as if Christ should say you are going about the greatest work that ever any creature hath been implyed in in this world for so it is certainly The Ministery of Reconciliation is next to the work of Redemption that Christ was employed about is the greatest work that any creature in this world was employed about whatsoever the world thinks of it no Angel in heaven was ever employed about a greater work then this and therefore being of so great consequence Christ makes this preface Al power is given unto me in heaven and in earth go ye therefore as if Christ should say Be it knowen to you now that the power that is given to me by the Father shal go along with you and therefore be encouraged but they might wel have said who is sufficient for these great things But be not discouraged saith Christ my power shal go along with you to assist you to comfort you to encourage you it shal go along with you to make your Ministery proffitable unto them that do belong unto my election It shal go along with you to defend you from al adversaries The world wil be enraged against you When you come to preach this Doctrine But now my power shal go along with you to defend you from them al to strengthen you against al oppositions in the world and to enable you to suffer whatsoever shal be brought upon you and further saith Christ I am with you Alwayes even to the end of the world One would have thought that that should have been sufficient that Christ should have said I am with you to the end of the world But there is something more in this I am with you Alwayes even to the end of the world that is I wil not be only with you so as not wholly to leave you but there shal be no one moment of time to the end of the world but in it I wil be with you I wil not only overshadow you and send my presence with you but every moment every day every sermon you preach and then I wil be with you to the end of the world those were dead above 1500. Yeares agoe and yet Christ saith he wil be with them to the end of the world that is with those that should succeed them in the Minnistery of Reconciliation This is the commission And when they come to any house they are to begin thus You shal say Peace be to you when they come to any place that is the peace of God in Christ Now this doctrine of Reconciliation is that that must be understood by preaching We can read but very little of it scarce one letter in all the book of the creature we cannot come to understand it by any knowledg of our own but it must be taught us no nor by the creature But thus much may be understood by the creatures Gods continuing to the world and shining upon the just as wel as upon the unjust and abundance of Mercy heer doth this declare with a loude voice that there is some possibility for men to be reconciled unto God there is mercy for mankind there doth seem to be a loude voice in the goodness of God in the creature to sound out in the eares of al the world that man is in a better condition than the Devills for certainly if God had no intention to do good unto mankind he would not continue so many Mercies as he doth But now this cannot shew us what is Christ but it may shew us thus much that God hath a way of mercy for the Children of men and I think in part that text may be meant of this that we have in Rom. 10.18 Where the Appostle speaks concerning the Gospel but I say have they not heard Yes verily their sound went into al the world have they not heard of the Gospel that is here spoken of Hath not Israel heard the Gospel Yes verily their sound went into all the Earth and their words unto the end of the world And this text if you compare it with the 19. Psal We may have cause to wonder much at the quotation of it and there you have it a little different as in the vers 4. their Line that is the great characcter of the Grace of God that is written in the book of the creature as it were in a line that is gone out throught the earth and hath a kind of sound in it at least we may see it written but hence you see in the 19. Psalm It is clerly spoken concerning the works of God In the Sun and in the Heavens The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmant shews his handy work The creature hath a loude voice to cal us to God by repentance now there can be no calling of us to Repentance but it is a voice of the Gospel And the
Apostle saith plainly in the 2 of Rom. That the patience of God calls us to Repentance in verse 4. whatsoever leades to Repentance hath something of the Gospel in it Patience and goodness though we never come to heare of the Ministery of the Gospel yet it is that that calls us to repentance and it is cleare in this because that is spoken of in the creature the loude voice in the creature in the 19 Psalm it is applied to the Gospel in Rom. 10. and except you understand it so we cannot tel you that the sound of the Gospel hath gon to the utmost parts of the earth We cannot understand in the Apostles time how the Gospel went to the utmost parts of the world for there are many places that are not found out yet but this kind of sound of the Gospel goes throughout the earth that by the voice of the creatures men ought to come to know thus much that surely there is some way for God to be pacified towards sinful men though they cannot tell which way or what way suerly there is some way and many of the Jewes knew no other way but this they knew there was a Messiah to come but what he was or who he was they know very little of him Now the Devills have no such work of God towards them nor such bounty and patience and goodness towards them whereby they can conclude that God hath any thoughts to be reconciled to them Though its true they are not yet fully under the torment that they shal be yet they are under so much torment as they are said to be reserved to the great day in chains of darkness whereas wicked and ungodly men are preserved by the bounty and patience of God and the cords of Gods bounty and mercy is towards them and therefore they are not reserved in chaines of darkness as the Devil and damned are So that by the bounty of God in the creature we may gather such a conclusion that surely God hath some way to shew mercy unto mankind But we can never have any thoughts by any works of God in his creature that God should send the second person in Trinity to take mans nature upon him to die to suffer for mans sin to tender up satisfaction to divine Justice and then al must be brought into this Covenant then he must be the head of the second Covenant and they must be made Members of his body now the Creature hath no such misttry as this and therefore in the 3 Eph. 8. verse saith the Apostle speaking what his ministery was unto me who am the least of al Saints is the grace given that I should preach amongst the gentils the unsearchable riches of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 investigabiles divitias not to be paced or traced out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of α and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vestigium qui nullis vestigiis indagari potest It is used also Rom. 11.33 they are unsearchable speaking of the riches of Christ as they are of Christ they are unsearchable the word is there the Riches that are without footsteps there is no foot steps of the riches of Christ if we speak of the Doctrine of Christ the Mediator as it is indeed in the Gospel there are no foot steps of them in the Creature therefore though there be some kind of sound in the Creature that it is sure that God hath some kind of way to be reconciled but now the sound of the Gospel this is committed to Ministers to Preach therefore in the. 1 Cor. 1.21 the Apostle saith That in the Wisdome of God the World by Wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that beleeve Mark the world by Wisdome knew not God certainly the world did know there was a God and that he was infinite in power and goodness but the Text saith they know not God that is they knew not God savingly in Christ they might know that God had some kind of way to shew mercy to sinners but what way they knew not and by Wisdome that is by al the Wisdome that was revealed by God in the Creature and by al the Wisdome they received from God they knew not God by Wisdome true there is an abundance of the Wisdome of God in the Creature several acts are no other then several beames of Gods Wisdome shining in the Creature and the knowledg of these acts are no other but the several beames of Gods Wisdome shining into mens understandings take either of both them and by both these it could not know God in a saving way but by the Foolishness of preaching that is by the preaching that the Men of this world do account foolishness the Lord is pleased to save those that beleeve so that it is evident that the Ministery of Reconciliation is committed to the preachers of the Gospel CHAP. 40. Why God chose Men rather than Angels to dispence the Mystery of Reconciliation The Reasons thereof NOw it is to be enquired after First why God would choose men rather to be the dispencers of of the great Mystery of Reconciliation then the Angels God hath not committed unto them this word of Reconciliation though it is true the Angels they do go about and they somtimes witness to the Gospel as you may read afterwards But they are not chosen by way of office to the Ministery of the Gospel that is not the office they are appointed to so as the Ministers of the Gospel are God hath not chosen Angels in an ordinary way to come and dispence those great and glorious things unto the Children of Men. Object You wil say had it not been better that God should have chosen the Angels to come in and preach Jesus Christ than men for they are poor weak Creatures and like our selves and now when they come to stand up and Preach Jesus Christ the great things about reconciling men to God should we think that they know more then we ourselves Answ You must not think that there is no good to be done till one comes and tels you that you never heard of But you must know that it is by vertue of the ordinance of Christ because he hath appointed a Minister of the Gospel to come and in such a way to preach though the instrument be like your selves and perhaps may not have a deeper understanding then some of you yet you are to look upon it beyond the matter that he speaks you are to look upon it as the ordinance of Christ and so to expect and look at al means whatsoever But now the great standing ordinance in the Church of God is the Ministery of the Gospel It is this that is committed to us to Preach and this therefore is to be looked upon as the power of God to salvation in those that God intends Salvation to God hath not chosen the Angels but Men and upon this reason because we are
from the absolute necessity that lies upon sinners to come and be reconciled unto God shewing them that certainly they wil be lost undone and eternally damned if they do not come in He that beleeveth not the wrath of God abides upon him You are lost and undone creatures except you do come in And sometimes arguments taken from the excellency of the benefit and profit that there is in comming in to God and being reconciled unto al the Glorious promises of the Gospel are so many powerful arguments to draw the hearts of sinners to run in to be reconciled unto God I might be very large in this in shewing of the particular arguments that God doth use but take that one ful argument that we have to perswade sinners to come in In Prov. 1.23 Turne you at my reproof behold I wil pour my spirit upon you I wil make known my word unto you He speaks here to simple ones Scorners Fools Turne you at my reproofe behold I wil pour my spirit out upon you saith God as if God should say though you are Scorners yet the truth is my heart works towards you my heart doth yearn towards you and if you would but turne to me I would pour forth my heart to you you shal have my very spirit my very heart let out unto you if you wil turne unto me What an argument is here to prevail with the hardest hearts in the world For God himself to come and say unto a sinner to one that hath Scorned him and his wayes and to a Fool that hath gone on in waies of folly and wickedness for God to come and say unto him Oh wretched sinner come in come in turne to me turne to me for my heart is ful my heart is top ful turn to me I wil pour forth my heart to thee Al those promises of giving rest to thy soul of giving life eternal eternal salvation Glory Peace and Comfort and a Kingdom shal al be made good to thee The Lord therefore suites himself unto us in such arguments so close as may out-bid other comforts that we have in the word in any waies of sin and therefore tels them of Hony and Milk and Rayment and Gold and Silver and al such things as are precious in the eyes of men such as are of esteem with us and tenders his Son unto us upon such kind of notions that every one of them might be prevalent arguments to gaine the hearts of sinners to come in unto God this is the way of God that he comes into the hearts of his people with the most prevalent arguments such reasons as one would think were impossible to be gainsaid I appeal to the hearts of those who have been acquainted with the work of God upon them How did God come to your hearts did he not come with mighty strong arguments to you The Devil he tempted and he comes with strong arguments and God he comes and tempts with strong arguments the Devil draws and God draws Gods mercies draw stronger than the Devil can Oh! it was mercy to that soul and the truth is when the Lord pleases to work effectually upon the soul he can present stronger arguments to draw the heart of a sinner to him than it is possible for the Devil to prevaile against CHAP. 72. The Twelfth Argument Manifesting the exceâ—ding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners ANother way is this in answering al Objections that lie in the hearts of sinners whatsoever Objections lie in the hearts of sinners God hath waies to answer al those and he doth it in his word and by his Spirit As now What would a sinner object If you object your unworthiness of such mercies as God doth offer unto you and therefore it is unlikly that ever God wil bestow that mercy on you observe Esa 55. there is a place that God intends directly to answer that objection that it may never hinder any sinner from comming in unto him saith God Come ye to the waters and he that hath no monies come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without mony and without price Note in one verse there is three times Come without Mony he that hath no Mony come and Eat and then buy without Mony and then without price What is the meaning of this here you are to know that the promises of the Gospel are set out to you by Wine Milk so by bread afterwards by those things that are most delightful most useful for the nature of man the Gospel is set out by such things and so it is in Scripture by things that are the most excellent of al. Somtimes by a Kingdom for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand there is the argument the Kingdom of God is at hand and somtimes by a marriage when God sends to people to be reconciled he sends to them with this Argument that it is to marry them to his Son And somtimes by a Supper that God the Father invites too a Supper wherein there is al kind of dainties the great King makes a Supper at the marriage of his Son and there are powerful Arguments that God useth O but I am unworthy saith a poor soul What that such a one as I so vile so wretched and every way unworthy should have such things this was the policy of the Devil at the first the Devil labors to make sinners to slight the Gospel to set at naught the counsels of God so you have it in Prov. 1. to account the bloud of the Covenant a common thing that is the first way But if he cannot prevail that way but the Lord doth shine through al mists and il conceipts of the Gospel and shews unto the Soul the excellency and beuty of his Son and of the glorious things that are in the Gospel then the Devil comes the other way Indeed saith he there are glorious things but thou art unworthy thou art a wretched base vile Creature and canst thou think that God should grant such things as these to thee now the Lord answers this Objection What saith God Come without Money What is that that is though thou hast no worthiness in thy self though thou hast no a bilities to buy any thing that is good yet come come yet close with my Grace that shal make thee rich enough thou shalt have money enough that way Come without mony without price let never that Objection hinder thee that thou art unworthy unable to do any thing the Lord cals thee without Money offers freely to thee therefore in the latter end of the Book of the Revelation it is said in the last Chapter the 17. ver And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst Come and whosoever wil let him take of the water of life freely How shal I ever think to have it It is free so that this
Objection cannot hinder Obj. O! but there may lie another Objection Thus it may be the Lord wil require though he requires nothing that I shal do before hand but wil grant his mercy freely but when I am come then perhaps things that are hard wil be required at my hands O! the waies of God they are hard waies and then I must live so strictly then I must make Conscience of my waies and so abandon al my sins and Lusts and whaâ— saith the Devil to a corrupt heart What wil you leave al such pleasant waies and be so streightly bound Then you must do nothing but according to the word of God and of Conscience farewel al the Comforts and Joyes of your life iâ— you come once to be religious and godly these are the tentations that do keep of the hearts of men I appeal to you have not some of your hearts been kept off from Jesus Christ and the waies of God meerly upon some such temptations as these and indeed perhaps at first it may be so til the nature of a man is changed But mark how this objection is taken away when sinners are called to Christ I suppose you know the place Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden and I wil give you rest But that concerns the former and then afterwards when Christ had said so come to me ye that are weary heavy laden and I wil give you rest take my yoak upon you my burthen c. It seems then we must be yoaked and burthened But marke what follows in vers 30. For my yoak is easy and my burthen is light as if Christ should say never harken to such a tentation of any difficulties in my wayes I assure you beforehand you wil find that the Devil doth but gul you deceive and cozen you I wil warrant you that beforehand that I wil lay no yoak upon you but you shal say when you come to beare it it is an easy yoak and though it be a burthen yet you shal acknowledg it is a light burthen This I dare say in the name of God unto al come in al you that stand off from the waies of God though the waies of God may seem hard to you at first yet I dare say from God unto you that you wil find the wayes of God more easy to you at last than ever you did in the waies of sin For certainly there is more trouble in the waies of sin than can be in the waies of God And when God cals upon you to come in to be reconciled he doth profess this to you that he wil require nothing of you but that which shal be more pleasant to you than any wayes of sin that you lived in before there be more comforts and joy and that for the present than ever you had in the waies of sin do but ask any one that hath made tryal of this and desire them to speak their consciences to thee I meane those that have had any apprehension of the love of Christ to them yea have you began to walk in wisdomes wayes which are pleasantness and to tread in those paths which are strowed with roses and paved with peace pray then speak plainly how do you find your self is it not better now than it was before do you not find more ease more comfort and joy in these waies of God than you did before in any way of Sin Oh such a one wil profess unto you that they find more comfort than ever they did before they find more sweetness in communion with God in his wayes in one day than they found in the waies of sin in al their lives before the Holy Spirit in pleading with the hearts of men saith the same Prov. 3.17 Her waies are waies of pleasantness and her paths are peace If you wil beleeve the spirit of God the waies of Godliness are waies of pleasantness and al her paths are paths of peace What should hinder you then It is neither your unworthiness that can be any hinderance nor the hardship of the way These are the two great blocks that lie in the way and God doth fully take away these in scripture and if there be any other objection I dare undertake bring what objections you can give me but a litle time to find out some manifest word or other in the scripture that shal meet with the very objection Then how doth this argue Gods exceeding willingness to be reconciled to sinners If a man send his messenger to such a one to offer peace and he thinks beforehand Oh! but he wil have this and this objection against me but saith he to his servant that is imployed in the business you shal answer this objection thus and the other objection thus CHAP. 73. The thirtenth argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners ANother evidence of Gods willingness to be reconciled is this that God is so importunate with sinners he uses such strong arguments that he first takes away objections and then he is so importunate he doth not meerly satisfy himself with offering of mercy but he is very importunate in the work and the importunity of God appeares First in this that the scripture expresses God crying out after sinners not only seeking out after sinners but calling and crying so the words in the Original are of Gods beseeching to be reconciled of God calling to sinners in Prov. 1. It is said of wisdom that it cries the Lord cryes out and that in Isa 55. When he makes a proclamation he begins first with Oh! yes Oh! every one that thirsteth come to the waters and he that hath no mony and there is the offer of Christ with a proclamation Further Gods importunity is manifest in this that he comes over again with a thing and is not content with the expressing of himself But he doth it again and again and again he is at it as in Isa 55. vers the first Se how many times there is crying in one verse Ho! every one that thirsteth come ye and he that hath no mony come and come the third time three times in one verse saith God come to sinners and then in the third verse Incline your eare and come unto mee saith God and hear and your souls shal live and I wil make an everlasting Covenant with you there is another promise Even the sure mercies of David so hear in one short scripture four times come saith God O! how importunate is God with sinners God doth not do with us as commonly wee do with him God seeks after sinners more earnestly than sinners seek after God thus we seek to God for mercy we pray to God for mercy we content our selves with praying once and seldome looke after our prayers what becoms of them but God he cries to us to come and if we do not come the first time then he crys come come come four times together we are ready to think
if our petitions be repeated twice in prayer it is atautology this shews the earnestness of the spirit of God in it and he is exceeding willing CHAP. 74. The Fourteenth Argument manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners ANother evidence is this when yet siners do not come yet the lord leaves them not but he doth then appeal to the very conscinces of sinners and deales with them that way and that is very powerful he deals with sinners that way to breake their hearts when after al his arguments they com not in then the lord appeals to their own consciences then wil plead with them in a way of appealing to their consciences why they should not come in and yeild unto him and this way is verry powerful to prevail with sinners If you would go and prevail with any one for a thing that you have a desire to accomplish what course do you take either you send to them or go to them and then you open the case to them and yet they are not moved then you bring powerful arguments to perswad them and yet they do not move them then you take away al their objections and yet that doth not prevail upon them then you do importune them and if that do not overcome them what is the next way you take then you appeal to their owne consciences then say you nay I appeal to your own conscience whether I have said it or no I wil even leave it to your conscience and judg of it in the presence of God let your own conscience be your judg and somtimes this prevailes more than al the arguments in the world When you appeal to a mans one conscience that he doth deal unequally and very il that he doth not yeild but God doth thus he doth apeal unto mens consciences I wil give yo suome scripture for it in the 43. Esa 26. Put me in rememberance let us plead together declare thou that thou must be justified come saith God let us hear what you can say let us plead together Declare thou that thou mayest be justified declare it say what thou canst try whether you or I be in the right way I wil even be contented to leave it to you only let us plead and declare what we can But that place seemes yet to be more ful that you have in Jerem. 2 3 you have often expressions of Gods pleading with his people in the ninth verse and then you have it again at least three times in this Chapter that the lord saith he wil plead in v. 23. you have it again wherefore wil you plead with me c. and then in the 35. vers Behold I wil plead with thee saith God but now God pleads thus in his pleading he wil leave it he wil appeal to the very consciences of men and that you have in Exek 18.25 vers yet you say the way of the lord is not equal hear O! house of Israel as if he should say conscience answer Is not my way equal wil not your owne consciences answer you thus that his waies are equal the lord is content to plead with his people the conclusion of his pleading is a leaving it to their consciences to the people as if God should say thus as he doth often God comes by his spirit in the ministry of his word I appeal to you hath he not often done so and saith do you think in your very consciences that these waies that you walk in are right my waies are they good is it any way equal that wretched sinful creatures should take their liberty to go on al their daies and please themselves in the lusts of their own vaine hearts and now when they can sin no more nor longer that then they should cry to God for mercy and that then he should pardon them and accept them unto his favour Is this equal is not the lord infinitly more worthy of al the strength thou hast if it were ten thousand times more than it is than that thou shouldest have given it up to thy lusts and vanities Conscience speak whether God be not most worthy of al and what wert thou made for no other end but meerly to eat and drink and satisfie thy flesh and have thy lusts heere for a while dost thou thinke in thy concience that God did intend no other end for thee when he sent thee into the world you have been upon your sick bedds and cried to God and have promised to God better obedience now are your waies equal to take your liberty to sin after God hath thus delivered you and after God hath preserved your life when you were at the very brinke of death and that death was ready to deliver you up into the hands of eternal misery and do you think that this was Gods end in preserving your life that you might have more time to sin against him and might spend the latter part of your strength in bringing dishonor to his Name was this Gods end in preserving your life God might have struck you one blow more and sent you down to eternal misery and then God should have had no more dishonor of you but should have had the Glory of his Justice upon you Now do you think that this is the end why God did preserve you that you should have more years added to your life that you should have more time to sin against him This argues Gods willingness to be reconciled that the Lord is thus pleasing with you and let me speak to every one in this place that hath felt God pleading thus with them know that the Lord by this work of his doth strive with thee to bring thee to be reconciled unto him This is no other thing than the striving of the Spirit of God himself with you though perhaps you think this is troublesom to you Many men and women when they have their consciences pleading thus they think it is troublesom Oh wretched man or woman that thou art this work of Conscience is nothing but God pleading with thee to save thy Soul Thou hast stood against his Word that hath been preached to thee and now God seeks to thee the other way by his Spirit to strive in thy Conscience he appeals to thy own Conscience that so thou mayest be brought in to be reconciled unto him But when God hath no mind to be reconciled then saith God to Conscience let him alone and then the sinner goes on with a hard heart and blesses himself that his Conscience is quiet Oh no no Conscience is quiet but God hath left laboring any more with thee CHAP. 75. The Fifteenth Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners BUt further the Lord shews his willingess to be reconciled to sinners in this that when this way wil not prevail you wil think there were never another way to be found yet there is another way when God
wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heat I have seen his waies and wil heal him c. Though he went on and was worth yet saith God I have seen his waies and wil heal him I wil not take advantage I wil be content after al their froward rejections of al the offers of Grace yet I wil heal them for al that The frowardness is that that hath reference not only to unprofitableness under afflictions but when one is dealt kindly withal and doth not answer according to his kindness but wil have his own wil such a one doth go on frowardly Now then if we could put al these together that have been named of Gods willingness towards sinners to bring them in to be reconciled to him Oh Lord how infinite would the Grace and goodness of God appeare How were God to be glorified in his Grace I see I cannot possibly come to these things that I have heretofore propounded As what needs al this and the like But that must be done or the reasons why God doth deal thus A word or too at this time for that why God doth do al this why doth God deal thus with sinners in such a manner First It is because mercy pleases him Micha 7.18 there God makes a large promise of pardon of sin because mercy pleaseth him Now that that is pleasing unto any creature that the creature loves to do it and loves to do it to the ful to the height as al pleasure you know to enjoye the creature to eate and drink and sport is very pleasing to a voluptuous man and therefore he doth desire to have this to the ful a large bag of Gold pleases a covetous man therefore he is never satisfied but would have it to the ful Honor pleaseth an ambitious man and therefore he never hath enough so mercy it pleases God and therefore as I may with Holy reverence speak God scarce thinks he hath ever done enough to shew the riches of his Grace Secondly God doth it because the blood of his Son doth cry continually in his eares for mercy and it is of such infinite worth and value and the obedience of his Son in shedding of his bloud it hath been so acceptable unto God and is that whosoever this blood is pleaded for the Lord must needs grant it to the utmost Now it is the blood of Jesus Christ that is shed for sinners that doth plead with God the Father that al this mercy might be shewed It is said in the scripture that the blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel the blood of Abel cries loude for vengeance vengance Lord against sinners But the blood of Christ cries aloude merrcy mercy Lord for sinners and God heares the cry of his Sons blood What is this that recries The blood of my Son for mercy for sinners let them have mercy yea let them have mercy to the ful Then the fludgates of mercy come to be opened though if it were not for the blood of Christ the patience of God would let out some common favors but when God comes to satisfy the cries of the blood of Christ for mercy saith God open al the fludgates now and let in streams of mercy for sinners let mercy be shewed to the highest degree that can be if the blood of my Son cry for it it must be though it requires wonderful mercy it must be great rich glorious mercy it is not a drop but had need of a Sea of mercies to anwswer it I but saith God the blood of my son cryes for mercy and though there be need of an infinite Ocean of mercy for to clense the soul of such a sinner it must needs be granted because the blood of my son cryes for it When you finde God manifesting himselfe to your souls in waies of mercy it comes from the blood of Jesus Christ that cries to God the father for mercy to be bestowed on you and this is the sum and substance of al these expressions of Gods grace toward sinners We thinke that so be very strange that ever such an infinite God should condescend to sinners but when we come to examin the reason we need not wonder at it we see now from whence it al coms it springs al from the ever living fountaine of the unsearchable rich grace of God in Christ though at the very reading we may wonder that ever God should do so and perhaps some men may think these are but the straynes of ministers to make it so but when we come to understand the bottom the ground of al then we must acknowledge the reality of it no wonder God shews mercy to such souls so unworthy and so vild why Because the blood of his son cryes for mercy CHAP. 55. Christs willingness to be Reconciled to sinners further Opened NOW before we come to answer the Objections or to any application there is yet somthing more to be opened unto you as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in CHRIST'S stead as the heart of God is so set upon it to be reconciled unto sinners so is Jesus Christ it is true Christ is God but Christ and God are here spoken of severally Christ is the same God with the father but he is God and man God incarnate God the mediator between the father and us so that it wil be exceeding useful to shew how the heart of CHRIST is set upon Reconciliation of sinners to God for the Apostle doth come in the name of Christ as wel as of God the father now that the heart of Christ is in it that appears in the understanding of the great worke of Reconciliation That he hath undertaken it and that so willingly as he hath done Certainly if Christ had not been much set upon this work to bring sinners to be reconciled unto the Father he would never have undertaken such a work which he knew would prove so difficult to him and he knew what it would cost him but yet he took it willingly and delightfully and for that compare those two Scriptures the first in Psal 40.7 Then said I Lo I come in the Volume of thy book it is written of me It begins in ver 6. Sacrifice and offerring thou didst not desire mine ears thou didst open burnt offerring and sin offering thou didst not require then said I Lo I come in the Volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy will Oh God It is a Psalm of Christ and a Prophecy of him and that it is of him it appears plainly if you compare the Scripture in Heb. 10. at the beginning and so on there you have the Apostle quoting this very Text only with a little difference in the word Now there are three or four things that are here to be observed of Christ in his willingness to come and undertake the great work of making Attonement between God and sinners Mine Ears hast
are entreated to be reconciled to deliver your Souls from that depth of misery and to be brought unto happiness and glory Secondly Consider who you are that are intreated Were there any great worth in you Then you might expect to be entreated as men that are of great estates they must be entreated But who are you wretched Caitiffes in your selves damned Dust and Ashes fire-brands of hel such as have made your selves fuel for the everlasting wrath of the eternal God to burne upon such as deserve to be cast out as an everlasting curse enemies to God you are intreated And by whom are you intreated Even by God himself and Christ that is God blessed for ever Even that infinite glory before whom Angels adore before whom they cover their faces even him who by one word of his mouth is able to send you al presently down to Hell even this God commeth to entreat and that Christ whom Angels do Adore even that Christ comes to entreate For the Servant to entreate his Master for the subject to entreate the prince is not so much but for the Maister to entreate the Servant for the prince to entreate the subject this is that that should fil our Souls with a spirit of admiration at the unspeakable condescentions of the most blessed Majesty Thirdly what need hath God of you though you should perish and die eternally it is no great matter to him God might have his glory out of your eternal ruine But to that end that he might break your Hearts therefore he doth entreate and beseech Oh admire at the riches of his Grace and give him the glory that is due unto him begin to do that here that you must do to al eternities when you come into his glorious presence in Heaven CHAP. 80. VSE 2. And 3. SEcondly The more God doth manifest this his grace the more desperatly wicked is the heart of man to stand out against God Oh! wretched cursed heart that can stand out against God that can stand out against the the offer of grace in the Gospel I say this is a cursed heart to stand out against the offer of grace though it were no more If this should be but declared that Christ is come into the world to save sinners God expects that al those to whom Christ is so revealed that they should come flocking unto him and cry mightily unto God for mercy in Christ but when God doth not only offer his son but comes by the Ministry of his word and by the work of his spirit to draw your hearts unto him and ye thou dost stand out against God against al these gracious beginings drawings and melting expressions of God thou dost stand out Oh! Cursed stubborn hard heart that should stand out against al these Thou canst not now pleade Oh! tentation was strong to draw my heart from God to such and such sinful waies Was tentation strong Why did ever tentation draw more alluringly than God hath drawn alluringly by his gospel It is impossible that the Devil and al the world should draw more alluringly to any sin than God doth draw unto him Oh! these entreatings of God this gratious way toward sinners is that that wil be the greatest aggravation of the sins of men that ever was or can be imagined Only for the present know thus much that the mercies of God that shal be the subject of the Saints rejoycing and blessing of his name to al eternity that mercy wil be thy greatest misery and that is a sad thing for any sinner to think on that that mercy that the Saints shal be eternally admiring and blessing God for that that should be my misery and secret wound and my greatest terror and that is the second thing VSE 3. Oh! rebuke thine own wretched heart that hath stood out so long against God as thou hast done al thy daies Certainly the consideration of this of standing out against any command of God when God comes to enlighten a mans Conscience and the Soul doth come to understand with whom he hath to deal it hath a mighty power to break the heart of man That when I come to see that I have stood out against al those loving drawings al those woings of the Gospel it is that that wil rent your hearts Rent your hearts and not your garments for the Lord is merciful that is not only a breaking of the heart but a rending of the heart when the Grace of God doth appear to it CHAP. 81. Use 4. To strengthen our Faith if God were reconciled when we were enemies he wil not cast us off for every infirmity Objections Answered FOurthly The Consideration of this may be a mighty strength to the Faith of those sinners that have in some measure been wrought upon by the Grace of God Thus if the Lord hath manifested such abundance of strength of Spirit in seeking to sinners to be reconciled then certainly when sinners are reconciled the heart of God wil forever be with them he wil not lose the fruit of such Grace as this if once he hath brought in and that in such a way of mercy Christ having brought it it cannot be any easie thing that shal take off Gods heart from thee there was the goodness of God towards Adam in Paradice I but it was not so much goodness of God unto him as could not admit of any breach beween God and him But the heart of God is so much in this work in bringing sinners to be reconciled unto him as it is impossible that ever there should be such a breach between them and him again that ever they should prove to be enemies Therefore let this strengthen thy heart when at any time thou begin'st to have jelous thoughts of God have recourse to thy first calling to God I went on not many years ago in a wreatched sinful way but God came to me and shewed me my evil way and shewed me his Grace Yea when I stood out against his Grace he followed me and would not let me be at quiet but manifested it more and more and hath overcome my heart unto himself How can I think that God that hath done so before that now he should take advantage upon every infirmity that now every sin that he sees in me should make such breaches between him and my soul that he should cast me from him Can I think it Certainly it is a wrong to the Grace of God in the Gospel Object I but you wil say here is the evil That upon my loose walking I cannot think that ever things were in truth that I was truly converted Answ To that I answer but these two things First that if thou canst but be able to say thus in the presence of God the Lord knows that there is no weapon of enmity in my heart that is against God that God reveals unto me to be a sin but I know my heart is against it I can appeal to God so and
there is no duty that God requires of me but I know my heart is with it if the Lord wil but reveal to me Now in this case having before felt the work of God drawing thee to Christ and if thy heart be thus kept to God this is one good Argument that certainly God and thou are not enemies Secondly if thou canst but say thus there is no Argument that is so prevalent with me to make me not sin as this for fear of breaking peace between God and me this is the thing that makes my sin sting my Soul indeed because by that I come to lose some of that sweeness of the assurance of my peace with God Canst thou say so keep thy heart but in such a frame though thou hast many weaknesses that thou canst say whatsoever sin the Lord reveals to me yet my heart is against it and whatsoever duty the Lord requires of me yet I know my heart is with it and if there be any thing that I do not know Oh! that I knew it more and more and there is nothing that I fear sin for so much as this because that I see it breaks the peace between God and my Soul Is it so with thy poor soul I pronounce in the name of God Peace be unto thee Though thy heart be not as thou would'st have it thou maist conclude this certainly God that hath manifested such Grace in drawing thy heart unto himself at the first wil not cast thee off Certainly God had some greater end in working so wonderfully towards thee than to throw thee off except the Lord had some great thoughts of heart in glorifying himself in thee and to do thee good he would never have wrought so upon thy heart as he hath done There are others that live under the light of the Gospel but the Lord doth never come to their hearts to speak to them as inwardly to draw their hearts and that by his own Spirit as he hath done to thee the Lord hath not had so great thoughts of heart to glorifie his name upon them in the day of his Grace as towards thee in the working of his Grace So certainly to thee the Lord is about to do great things that grace of his that hath been so strong upon thee as it hath been it wil carry thee through al difficulties Certainly the Grace of God hath been strong and it wil be strong and therefore build upon it If thou hast an hard heart do not say thou hast an hard heart and therefore Gods heart is not towards thee No but rather say thou hast an hard heart and therefore thou wilt look towards God to break thy hard heart and bring thy frozen and cold heart to these Beams of Gods Grace and stand under these Heavenly influences If thou beest sensible of the hardness of thy heart and then to sit down sullenly and heavily and think because of this God wil reject thee this is not the way to get thy heart softened but rather cal to mind what the grace of God hath been towards thee and how the heart of God is towards sinners to be reconciled unto them and what he hath done for the like such sinners as thou art and so keep thy heart under the warme beams of the Gospel and thereby thou wilt gain a great deal more than sitting down in a sullen way Those kind of Herbs that grow under the warm Sun grow the better and the Fruit ripens better than those that grow out of the Sunne So the Heart that can keep it self continually in the Sunne of this mercy and goodness of God thus expressing himself in the Gospel willing to be reconciled to sinners this heart wil thrive more abundantly than those that shal ly down sullenly and discontentedly This is a mighty encouragement for al sinners to come to be reconciled a mighty strong encouragement to them the Lord invites and beseeches in the Gospel and sends his ministers to do it and requires them that they should do it in his name What should hinder them but that any sinner none excepted should come and be reconciled We cannot tel who they are that shal not be reconciled and therefore we may say concerning any particular sinner What should hinder thee but that thou shouldest come in to be reconciled And if God entreates and Christ entreates and Ministers entreate and thou entreatest What letts thee but that thou maist be reconciled As the Eunuch said Here is Water enough why may I not be baptised So here is mercy enough why maist thou not be reconciled Hast thou such thoughts as these are See that God is willing to be reconciled to sinners wel when I get home I am resolved to throw my self before the Lord Christ and I am able to cry to him for reconciliation for I am damned and undone for ever else and and I heare that there is a way to be reconciled to him wel this shal be my work now I wil set upon it presently I wil never leave crying to God til I have found Gods Grace comming to me Art thou resolved upon this Wel go on and fal down in thy crying to God for mercy make this point part of thy petition Lord I have heard that thou art willing to be reconciled now Lord here is a wretched sinner comes in to be reconciled to thee what hinders now when both shal entreate Suppose two were fallen out one with the other but now when both sides are wrought upon and one he professes himself not only willing but earnestly desirous to be reconciled and the other he comes and expresses himself so too surely both these wil agree Now it is true many times between man and man their expressions are but very slight and there is not that at the bottom of their hearts that they express with their mouthes When two are fallen out and one comes to them and saith why wil you not be at peace with such a man Oh! yes saith he I am willing So come to the other and he saies the same he is willing and yet their hearts are not right perhapps one to the other But now in this case between God and thy poor soul be confident that on Gods side it is most real and do thou but make it out that thy heart is real in desiring after peace with God and fully understand what thou dost when thou dost desire peace with God So that thou wilt not be at peace with any sin and desire it fully and then when thou shalt get it then thy heart shal be praising God and say I shal live to the praise of God for ever and that shal be my endeavor I would faine have at but wil God be at peace Yes God shal get as much as thou shalt by it he shal thereby get that that he did especially intend and aime at in making the world The great designe that God had in making the world was to magnify the
Gods intentions in his Goodness to his saints it is to raise up to himselfe an eternal name of praise and honor in the world and not only here but in heaven in the highest heavens eternally that is Gods scope not only in some mercies but observe it in every mercy that God bestowes upon a saint upon his children I say every mercy every outward mercy God hath this end in it to raise up him self a name of eternal praise by it and therefore despise no mercy though it be never so little for Gods end in the least mercy thou hast in every crum of bread thou eatest it is to raise up himself an eternal name of praise even from that mercy but take the greatest mercy that God bestowes upon the veriest worldling through his general bounty God hath not such an end in it as he hath in this God may take notice of them for a while and there is an end of them but in his Goodness towards his people there God intendeth a glorious edifice to raise up a building that shal be to his eternal praise and therefore when as one layeth a stone to raise up a high building he laies it so as he fitteth it for another stone to be laid upon it if I lay some ruins of a building but only a heap of stones I care not how I lay them but if I intende to rais up a building then I lay one stone as it may prepare for another So doth God in his dealing with the wiked he heaps his mercies upon them let them come as they wil but when he dispenseth his mercy to his people then he intendeth a building and he laies them in that order and in that ranke first one and then another so as when he hath laid one if we understand what that mercy is one may see an empression in that mercy for another as it were caling for another mercy to be laid upon it These are the special grounds why Gods mercies to his people are but preparations for further and further mercies but because I would not be hindered especially in the close of this I wil pass by any thing that may be further spoken concerning the grounds Obj. But you wil say we see it otherwise and we find it otherwise that there are usually interruptions in Gods mercies even to his peopel when God cometh to deal in a way of mercy to his Church he goes a little way and then he stoppeth and then there cometh heavy Judgments after them heavy afflictions presently Ans Now for the answering of that 1. We are to know that we must of necessity grant that there may be some interruptions for the present in Gods mercies to his people but there is a difference between interruption and cutting off it may seem for the present to be interrupted but it runs under ground stil and hath it's course as they say there is a river that runs fifty miles under the ground and there cometh up again so it may be with Gods mercies towards his people though they see them not His Children have their portions in his Judgments many times God cometh in a Judgment and then he lets the wicked prosper I but his Justice hath it's course under ground and runs out of sight and comes up again that is very observable and may concerne our present occasion for our instruction in Gods dealing with his peopel in bringing of them out off captivity and repairing the wal and the Temple God had made many glorious promises to his people what he would do for them in returning them from captivity and building of their city again wel after the seventy yeares came God did begin to worke wonderfully gloriously for them but if you observe a little and read the story you may finde that between their begining to returne from the captivity and the finishing of Gods mercy in building the Temple and the wal they were as long a time as they were in their captivity That was seventy years they were seaenty years in captivity and from the beginning of the worke of their restoring to the end of it they were seventy years more but stil the goodness of God ran along there was an eye of mercy and goodness upon them though it seemed to cease for the present yet it caried it through at the last It may much concerne us now we are ready to be discontented and troubled when God is in a way of reformation because we have not al presently al is not come now just when we would have it we are ready to complain O! How long hath the parliament bin set and litle hath bin done why it was Gods way with his own people though they had such particular promises of that glorious deliverance yet it was seventy years before it was fully accomplished and if God be but in a way of mercy towards us but a going on you have but a little now now and a litle another time yet we are not to repine at this for stil mercy is going on though there may be interruption for the present But further 2. Many times we thinke there is an interruption when indeed there is none at al but our mistake if we did but understand things we should see a most beautiful concatination of mercyes and connection of mercies there is no interruption yea further 3. The very interruption that we think there is may be one of our greatest mercies Gods ceasing in comunicating one kind of mercy may be but a preperation for another kind of mercy for a greater mercy and therefore we are not to be discouraged 4. We are to consider that though this be the goodness of God to his people yet he doth expect that his people should go on with him in the way of his goodness should close with him in the way of his mercy or otherwise there may be a great interruption for the present in Hosea 7.1 God complaineth thereof his people saith he when I would have healed Israel then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered when I would have healed them God many times is in a way just of healing his people and when he would have healed them when he is in a way of mercy and he expects that they should follow him in this way of Mercy why then their iniquity is discovered and then they break out into notorious iniquities and sins and they come and make a stop and shut the door of mercy against them so that I say as we are to be warned in regard of our publique sins now God is in a gratious way of publique mercies there was never a time wherein we had need of more warning to be watchful to take heed what we do that our iniquity may not be discovered for now God is about to heal us he is thinking to heal us Oh! let us now take heed of our lives and so it should be particularly the care of every soul Is God about to heale is
from conscience oppression and to grant us bread again to grant bread to us not only so but it opens to this treasure too it opens to the treasure of the purity of Gods ordinances and deliverance of us from those burthens If I should name but this one burthen that is upon the Ministers of God and that woful burthen that is not upon their shoulders only if it were only so it were enough but upon the consciences of men and that is the admitting of so many prophane wretched creatures to the Sacrament it is an insupportable burthen to any conscientious man that hath to do in such a thing as that was those that are opposite to God in the way of prophanness that we must come and tel them here take the body of Jesus Christ that was given for thee no conscientious man but was oppressed by this and not only this but for you also for certainly bretheren there should be an excluding of such from those holy things and to whom hath God committed the trust of this great ordinance of his certainly he hath committed the trust to the Church wheresoever there is a true Church there this trust is committed that if you wil own your selves for a true Church certainly you are trusted with it But you wil say we have no power to do it pleade not so you have a power Christ hath given a power to every Church to do it to purge out the old leaven therfore know when there is nothing between your power the the excercise of your power but only suffering and affliction your power is no power if you excercise not that power that Christ hath given you the sin wil lie upon you and this is no plea that there is a suffering between your power and the excercise of it Now if God open a door this way and we see some light to deliver our consciences from snares and from these burthens Oh! it is a blessing and mercy it maketh a door to open to al Gods mercies for this is the reason many seperate from your congregations not because they judg your Church a false Church or your Ministery a false Ministery But 1. Because they have not al the ordinances of God in the purity of them there are such corruptions that they cannot medle with al. 2. They cannot enjoy al Gods Ordinances though the Church be true and the Ministry true yet certainly those that are consciencious and look upon them they cannnot but be afraid therefore if there be a door of hope to let in our brethren the out-casts of Israel and to joyn with them in communion certainly every gracious heart cannot but think this a precious mercy that God should open the door of hope and this should be your prayer and endeavour to the utmost you can that this door of hope may be so wide that your Brethren may come and enter in with the peace of their Consciences As heretofore it hath been the honor of England that others have come out of other Countries for their Consciences and have been sheltered here that now it be not the dishonor of England that her own children should be driven out from her because they cannot have liberty of Conscience and that in things which some think they are but of an indifferent nature if I say that now it should be dishonored by casting out and contemning your Brethren because they cannot have peace of Conscience Oh! what a dishonor wil it be if it continue therefore if God be opening his door this ought to be your endevor to seek God and to endevor that it may be so wide that those that you Judge in your Consciences to be faithful and godly may come in and enter in at this door and enjoy peaceable communion with you 10. This door it may further the setting up of Christ in his Kingdome of Glory Christ hath been set up much in England in his prophetical and Kingly and Priestly Office now that Christ may be set up in the Church to rule upon his Throne to have a door of hope to open to that that shal have an influence to the general reformation of al the Christian Churches in the world for the beating down the Kingdom of Antichrist such a door of Hope have we opened to us Yea and further besides this 11. Consider what a dreadful thing it will be if this door of Hope should be shut though it is true we have some comfortable Evidence it shal not as I shal speak more by and by yet who knows but that through our wretchedness and want of preparation of the hearts of the People of this Land but that this door may be shut again Oh! the dismal darkness if once it shut again Oh! the contempt that wil be upon al the Saints of God! Oh! the pride and Rage and Insolency of the Instruments of Antichrist against them if this door be shut again Oh then if we should once again say We looked for light but behold darkness Oh! it would be blackness of darkness then what Flies would come out of the Land of Egypt then How would all Superstition and Idolatry flow in upon us what would become of your Posterity and little ones How would they ever be nourished up in the Knowledg of God and Christ And you are not likely to enjoy your outward Estates neither if any of you think you have back doors to get out from Religion to keep your Estates you may be mistaken if this door be shut therefore you have need to follow God all you can in this way to keep it open 12. Had we hearts but to be faithful with God though it be not much we can do yet there is a Promise God made to the Church of Philadelphia in Revel 3.7 To the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia write these things saith he that is Holy he that is True he that hath the Key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth I know thy works and behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it surely these are an excellent people and mark what follows For thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my Name Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lye Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee God opens a door and saith that no man shal shut this door and yet truly bretheren it is very observable that we have from that famous instrument of God that brought a great deal of light unto this book namely Mr. Brightman that I name for honours sake you that are acquainted with his writings upon this book shal find that he applies every one of these Churches unto the Churches that should follow after to the end of the world and the estate of them maketh