if thou thinkest that this is an argument of Reconciliation No the bottom of Reconciliation is non imputation Hast thou an evidence to thy Soul that God hath revealed Christ to thee and that in his Son he hath imputed thy sin to thee and do'st thou build thy peace upon that This wil hold Many build their peace upon this that their sins are not so and so great as others are What of that if it be but one sin that thou art guilty of though it be of the least nature yet if it be imputed to thee it is enough to make thy Soul and God eternally enemies Others there are whose sins were committed a great while ago and they have worne out the trouble of them now they are quiet and at peace But O! let them know there is stil the debt remaining upon the score it is not taken of And as a man that may stay a long while before he cals for his debt may cal for it when he pleaseth and first or last wil do it So thou hast gotten thy selfe into a kind of peace and worne out the trouble of thy conscience yet know that so long as thy sins are upon the score and are not wiped off God wil cal for payment sooner or latter therefore pleace not thy self in any things in the world as the ground of thy peace but thy being reconciled unto God in Christ he not imputing thy sins unto thee CHAP. 39 The Ministers Commission to Preach Reconciliation to the World We now pass on to the next thing And that is the Commission for declaration of this Doctine of Reconciliation with God in Chrst in the last words of the 19. verse And hath committed unto us the word of Reconcilation God hath committed unto us I find the words in the Original different from that they are read in your English Bibles the word Committed is and put into us so the words are put in this word of Reconciliation so if you read it word for word according to the Original Text it is thus And he hath put in us the word of Reconciliation But because this kind of reading would seem to be somthing harsh in our English phrase therefore the Translators have translated it thus And hath committed to us but the Original exprsses it in this manner to shew what it is that is needful to a Minister of the Gospel that he should have the Doctrine of Reconciliation to sink deep into his own heart first that so when he comes to speak to the hearts of other men he may speak from the heart and so to the heart the word that comes from heart we say goes to the heart therefore it is of great use that one that is a Minister of the Gospel should have the word of Reconciliation the mysteries of the Gospel deeply rooted in his heart that when he comes to speak to the people he may speak it not meerly from his tongue and head but from his heart eâ—perimentally that his heart may be in his ministry that so it may be more effectuall to go to the heart of the people to whom he speaks and that expression is somwhat like to this 1. Gal. 16. verse in the 15. verse it is said But when it pleased God who seperated me from my Mothers Womb and called me by his Grace to reveal his Son in me To reveal his Son in me he doth not say to reveal his Son to me but in me so the words are so that indeed it doth befit a Minister of the Gospel to be a profitable Minister when Jesus Christ comes to be revealed in him And so much for the expression hath committed unto us that is put in us the word of reconciliation As if the Apastle should say whereas the Lord hath been from al eternity plotting as it were the great work of reconciling the world unto himself in that great mistery of godliness doing of it in Christ and this is the work that above al things concerns the glory of God and the good of Soules and the Lord hath been pleased to appoint some select messengers for to carry this his name about the world and to shew unto the world what those glorious counsels of his wil hath been from al eternity concerning the Children of men this great Doctrine of reconciling the world unto himself in Christ is the very buisness that we are sent about the world for and are as the Embassadors of Christ to come and in his name to treat with the world about Reconciliation with God about making up their peace with God so that here you have the work of the Ministers of the Gospel what great things are committed to the Ministers of the Gospel He hath committed unto us the ministery of Reconciliation that is the work so that from hence the point is this according to the words of the text Doct That the Ministery of Reconciliation with God is committed unto the Ministers of God to preach unto the World The Ministers of God have a comission both from the Father Son and Holy Spirit to preach the Doctrine of Reconciliation to the people for here we have it in the very words which follow We are Embassadors of Christ as if God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you Reconciled to God for Father Son and Holy Spirit is likewise in the commission of Gods Ministers when they come to preach in the name of God and that you have in Nehem. 9.20 Thou gavest thy good spirit It was the Prophet that came to instruct them it was the Spirit of God in the Prophet that did instruct them So that the Ministers of God have their commission from the Father from the Son and from the Holy Spirit to come to the people and to reveale the great counsels of God unto them they are sent by the whole Trinity unto the people here is their commission you have it clearly But the commission is more imediately from Christ though there is the Father Son and Holy Spirit in it yet it is more imediatly from Christ because Christ is the great Prophet of the Church it is part of the prophetical office of Christ to have the great counsel of God his Father in the mistery of our Reconcilliation to be opened to the people Christ was first annointed and then he doth as it were annoint other officers to this great work in Isa 61. There you shal find the great Prophet he is first annointed The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath annointed me To what To Preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken heart to proclaim liberty to captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable yeare of the Lord and the day of Vengence of our God to comfort all that mourne to appoint unto them that mourne in Sion to give unto them beauty for ashes
it I have done great things brought you out of the land of Egypt open your mouth wide that I may fil it Certainly God he hath dilivered us from the Egyptian bondage let us open our mouths and our hearts and our Arms and our hands wide and the Lord wil fil them and now the Lord grant to every one of you as he did to Lidia the text saith the Lord opened her heart and so the Lord open your hearts And as ye read there was an effectual door of faith opened to the Gentiles so let this be the conclusion of al I pray that at the last there may be a door of faith opened to this Congriation to receive these truths that have bin delivered by faith OLD AGE IS A Crown of Glory Especially When found in waies OF RIGHTEOVSNESS Preached before the Company of Mercers at their Chappel May 20. 1641 Proverbs 16 31. The hoary Head is a Crown of Glory if it be found in the Way of Righteousness I Have lately in this City Preached unto Young men and at this time supposing this auditory to be intended chiefly for grave Citizens though others come in I have prepared to speak suitable unto them Psal 148.12 Young men and Old men are called to praise the name of the Lord as it was a blessed time when the children cried Hosannah upon Christs comming to purge the Temple for that was the occasion so it shal be and is a blessed time when Old men are coming into God in the praise of his great works when God shal reign Gloriously before the ancients of Israel we have such a prophesie in Isa 24. verse the last When the Lord of Hosts shal reign in mount Zion in Jerusalem before the antients Gloriously A blessed time when the ancients shal behold the Glorious reign of Christ and be joyful in it and in Revela 4. It is prophecied again of the Elders in the latter end of the chapter that the Elders fel down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and cast down their crownes before him This text of mine it is a proverbial sentence setting out of the Glory of Old men in the waies of righteousness we may spare dependance for the proverbs are not as jewels linked in a Bracelet together but as so many several Diamonds lying one by another and some of them several Diamonds lying as it were in a box together Now this proverb hath in it two Diamonds set upon the crown of Old men one below it and the other a top of it that below it is the Hoary Head and a top of it is found in the way of righteousness The hoarie head is a crown to Old men if it be found in the way of righteousness Two doctrinal points we have in the words the First is Doct. 1. That Old Age is an honorable thing it is a Crown of Glory Doct. 2. But then especially honorable when it is found in the way of righteousness For it is not wholly limmited to the way of righteousness the word IF is not in the original it is honorable howsoever but then most honorable when found in the way of rigoteousness I shal first prosecute the first Doctrine It is a high expression of the Holy Ghost here The Hoary head is Glory and it is a Crown of Glory Corona ornatissima saith one Interpreter a Glorious Crown Corona exaltationis a Crown of exaltation saith another Corona pulchritudinis a crowne of beauty saith another The hoary head is a glorious crown a crown of exaltation a crown of beauty 1. God honors Old Age as by speaking honorably of it in Proverbs 20.29 Gray hairs are the beauty of Old men 2. God honors it by promising Old Age to the keeping of the commandements in Deut. 4.40 And you know that first commandement with promise the fift Commandement honor thy Father and thy Mother that thy daies may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee 3. God honors it by preferring it before al riches and before al other kindes of honors Proverbs 3.16 It is said that in the right hand of wisdom is length of daies in her left hand is riches and honors riches and honor is but in the left hand of wisdom and length of daies is in the right hand thus God honors Old Age. 4. God honors it by giveing a charge unto others to honor it in Leviti 19.32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the Old man and feare thy God I am the Lord It is one of the most solemnest charges that we have in the scripture mark with what gravity and solemnity the charge goes thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the Old man and fare thy God I am the Lord your feare of God is layed upon this And because I see many young ones here I shal somewhat direct my speech to you to you that make any profession of Religion you must manifest it in this would you make it appear that you fear the Lord Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and honor the face of the Old man and feare the Lord this is one worke of fearing of God to do this in obedience to God and if you be bold and impudent before the Aged know this is an argument that the feare of God is not upon you The beauty and glory of religion is to be shewen in the duties of our relations as between Father and Child Servant and Master inferior and superior young and old except religion doth manifest it self in our relations it is al in vain Thou shalt honor the face of the Old man and feare the Lord God laies the feare of his name upon this and this is a great honor that God putts upon Old Age. Secondly It is honored by all good men Job 32.5.6 And so Elihu there honors the Aged in diverse verses and when Paul writ to Phylemon in verse 9. of that Epistle he maketh it as an argument and Paul the aged knowing it was a powerful argument indeed with Phylemon Thirdly Old Age is honored by the heathen themselves I remember I have read of the Lacedemonians when their Embassadors were at Athens upon a time they were in a Theatre where abundance of people were gathered together there cometh a grave Old man in and presently the Lacedemonian Embassadors in reverance to the Aged man they rose up to make the Aged man roome and place upon this al the Athenians gave a great shoute in applauding this their work that they being strangers would shew such respect to age and this was when they came into a Theater This is a good rule when they come not into Theaters but into places of Gods assemblies when Aged men come not into Theaters to see plaies but when they come to worship God and hear his word that young men should rise up before them and reverance their Age and shew reverance and respect to
est longitudo sed honestum The measure of life is not the length of it but Godliness is the great honor we are to measure our life by I suppose you have heard the speech of him that said I have been long but I have not lived long Old men except they be righteous they are long but they can scarce be said to live long If it be found in the way of righteousness that is supposing that you have been Godly from your youth and so grow up to be Godly while you are then that honors indeed for though it be good for men to begin to come into the waies of Godliness at any time and it is never to late to come in yet to be Elementarius Senex that is rather a dishonor to be a beginner when you are Old in the great work you should be treading in al your daies rather a dishonor I mean that you do but then begin therefore surely the text means this If it be found that is if you have gone on in the course of your life in righteousness and so your Old Age doth not begin righteousness in you but findeth you in the way of righteousness you are in the way of righteousness then it honors It is spoken to the honor of that disciple Manason in Acts 21.16 There went with us also certaine of the Disciples of Cesaria and brought with them one Manason of Cyprus an Old Disciple with whom we should lodg An Old Disciple it is a mark of honor unto him that he was an Old Desciple and so Obadiah 1 Kings 18.12 I have feared God from my youth saith Obadiah and he speaketh of it and the Holy Ghost records it as a great honor unto him I have feared God from my youth If any of you for at that time Obadiah was growen ancient if any of you can say so with Obadiah The Lord hath now given me length of daies and I bless his name that though in weakness yet I have feared God from my youth Oh! this is honorable As it is reported of Policarpus Policarpus when he was about to die by Martyrdome they would have him to renounce the truth Oh! saith he these eighty six years I have served Christ and found him a good master shal I leave him now What an honorable speech was this for him to be able to say these eighty six yeares have I served Christ and found him a good Master Wil you appeale whether you can say these sixty these seventy years or forty years I have served Christ and found him a good Master if you can this is honorable if you be found in the way of righteousness 1. This is a great evidence of the deep rooting of your Grace and so puts a greater honor upon you it is an argument Grace had a very deep root in that it hath held out al this while and flourished al this while You know the seed that was sown in the stony ground it came up a little for the present but vanished away but that that was sowen in the good ground it came up and flourished though in the heate of the Sun Many have a good beginning as Nero â—hough he were an abominable wretch afterwards yet his first five years were very eminent for forwardness in Godliness but afterwards fel off But now if you shal go on and hold out til you be aged Oh! it is a blessed evidence of the deepness of the root of Grace in your hearts That is the first 2. Those that are Old in the waies of righteousness they cannot but be supposed to be very eminent in Grace and Godliness they have gotten much in the waies of Godliness they have growen to some excellency in holy waies John he began young and continued Old in Godliness for so he was he was neare a hundered years Old he could not be less for his banishment was in Domitians time which was eighty years after Christ that he was banished into the Isle of Pathmos and then he could not be less than above a hundred years Old and then he had divine revealations revealed unto him Those that have continued long in Godliness grow to a great eminency in Godliness Obadiah as some think was that prophet Obadiah afterwards that had continued long in the waies of Godliness It is not with Grace as with nature nature cometh to a period and then decayes but Grace groweth and flourisheth though the body grow downward yet Grace wil grow upward It is the promise of God in Psal 92.14 That those that are planted in the house of God they shal flourish in the courts of God Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shal flourish in the courts of God they shal stil bring forth fruit in Old Age they shal be fat and flourishing that is the promise of God and therefore it cannot but be imagined that there is a great deal of eminency in such and therefore to be honored haveing a crown of Glory upon them And thirdly 3. Those that have continued long in the waies of righteousness they have had many experiences of God wonderful experiences of the waies of God the faithfulness of God the mercies of God the truth of God in the course of his providence unto his Churches and this is an honorable thing David in Psal 25.6 he speakes of Gods mercies of Old and in Psal 74.12 there you have been speaking of God he was a King of Old and in Psal 44. And the begning there our Fathers have told us things of Old what thou hast done Psal 119.152 I have knowen thy testimonies of Old To have the experiences of Gods wil and of Gods waies in the passages of his providence of Old is a glorious thing and so they that are Old in the waies of righteousness they come to know exceeding much of Gods minde in that regard and this is a crown of Glory And Fourthly 4. They that are Old in the waies of righteousness that they give a good testimony to the waies of righteousness that they are good An Old Servant that wil not leave his master gives a good testimony of the goodness of his Master The Bee that sticks long at the flower and wil not go away gives a testimony that there is a great deal of honor to be sucked out there As Apostates that fal from Gods service disgrace it and as much as in them lies tel to the world that there is not that good in the service of God as others beare them in hand there is but those that are Old and can say as Policarpus I have found him a good master al this while they honor Gods waies 5. It is honorable because there are so few that continue til they be Old in the waies of Godliness If we set many plants and most of them vanish and come to nothing but there is one or two that flourish and come to be trees and so prosper we love them the better and
here is the first sound of the Trumpet of the Gospel and blessed are they that hear this joyful sound namly that there is a possiblity of being reconciled that the Lord is content to enter into parly with his enemies for God might have cast them off forever and never so much as parly with them as he hath done the Angels that sinned against whom he was so provoked that he resolved within himself and he hath kept his resolution since the beginning of the world and he will keep it unto all eternity that he wil not so much as enter into parly with those Creatures or be reconciled with them upon any tearms As when a man is so fallen out with an another as that if one should come to speak about terms of peace he cannot endure to hear of them no saith he I will never enter into treaty with him so long as I live about it So God wil never enter into treaty with the Angels he wil not hear of any terms of Reconciliation but is resolved to revenge himself upon them to al eternity therefore the Apostle saith they are reserved in chains to the judgmtnt of the great day But now Lord what shal become of man poor man might well fear when he hears what God hath resolved upon against the Angels he hath cause enough to shake at that for indeed man is a far more poore and mean and wretched Creature than those Angels are If it be so between man and man that when a great Prince is offended with some Noble man in his Court and so offended with him yea for his first offence as that all the men in the world cannot perswade that Prince so much as to vouchsafe to hearken to any terms of reconciliation and if some meaner officer some poore Groom shal have offended the King and provoked his wrath and hears of this that his Cheif favorite one that was neer unto him that was alwaies in his presence did but offend him once and yet the King should never hearken to any means of pacification surely this man would soon think with himself Lord what wil become of me Is there any hope that there shal be a parly between the King and me Certainly this poor man wil even be ready to have his heart sink within him and sit down altogether overwhelmed with fear and dispaire And so indeed should we all have done upon our reasoning within our selves concerning Gods dealing with the fallen Angels had we not had this glorious and blessed sound of the Gospel and hopes of Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ we would all have sunk down into the battomlesse Gulf of dispaire and concluded certainly against our selves that there can be no peace between God and us we being such enemies unto him as we are by nature But though this be beyond our thoughts as farr as the Heaven is above the Earth and though this could never enter into the heart of man that ever God would parly with poor falen man after so great an emnity begot by sin yet know this is the message that is come from Heaven even from God himself that he is contented to parly with you yea so Contented as that he himself hath sent ambassadors to us to intreat us be reconciled But of that hereafter God I say is Content to enter into treaty with man concerning a Reconciliation and the making up of a peace between him and their souls for that indeed is the very scope of the Gospel If I should a little dwell here to inquire the Reason of this why the Lord should be willing to enter into this treaty with man-kind the truth is it is an unsearchable depth we cannot imagine any Reason why the Lord should rather chuse to parly with us and to treat concerning terms of peace with us than with the Angels There is something indeed which we may have in our thoughts As thus If God did not Reconcile himself to man and save him he should loose his whole Creature he did not loose all the Angels when they fell but if God should not provide a way to be Reconciled to man the whole kind of that Creature would be utterly lost now the Lord wil not cast away the whole kind of such an excellent Creature as man is But the truth is these are but guesses at this Reason in chusing to treat with us about salvation and not with the Angels But the main thing is God hath waies to glorifie himself that we know not of in reconciling himself to man-kind We know this that there are glorious intentions that God hath in this work but what these are we shal never know througbly til we come to Heaven and that indeed wil be the very work of Heaven it self to be praising of God to all eternity for that great act of his namely his willingnesse to be reconciled to lost man rather than to the fallen Angels We shal know some Reasons of that afterward for God doth things according to the Counsel of his wil and there is nothing he doth but he hath a great deal of Reason for which we must adore though we cannot now fully understand Only for the present let me hint this unto you let the Consideration of but thus much affect your hearts O should we be sent to preach to the Devils such a point as this is or to the Angels in Hell and say the Lord hath kept this Councel from you almost this six thousand years and his waies towards you have been â—o as if he would never enter parly with you but now God hath revealed his wil towards you that he is content to enter into a Treaty with you about the things that concern your peace and the reconciling of you unto himself what a message would this be to them think you but this never was nor never shal be preached unto them If God should send this message to the damned in Hel and say to them the Lord is content to enter into a parly with you about the reconciling of himself unto you what a message would this be to them but this cannot be this is only a message to those that are alive here in this world to that part of the children of men that are living upon the earth unto them only can this be preached that there is a possibility of Reconciliation between God and them Truly the consideration of a possibility is that which may satisfie the heart of man let the terms be what they wil. O! is it possible that God may be reconciled I wil never inquire about the terms out of fear that the hardnesse of them should discourage me O! let the terms be what they will this is the most acceptable news this is the best tidings to my soul more acceptable than it I were told that I had a thousand worlds given unto me even this that I hear that there is a possiblity of reconciliation betwixt God and my self
is God at Peace with thee is not he froward towards thee and shal your spirits be disturbed with those things when you are at Peace with God is there not enough in this peace to swallow up all those disturbances I have observed that it is a frequent complaint of those that are taken to be godly men they wil say such a one is a very good man but he is very passionate and froward truly it is a an extream blot to professors and the truth is if we duly consider all things a man would think there should be nothing more opposite to the spirit of a Christian than frowardness and passion is nothing more opposite to true grace for when grace comes when Faith in Christ comes it breedeth such abundance of peace in our hearts that one would think that frowardness and passion with any in the world should be inconsistent with the Reconciliation here spoken of with true grace and with Faith in Christ When men are of such spirits that they are soon put into a passion and being in a passion cannot be Reconciled it is a dangerous sign that there is not that peace made between God and your souls that you speake of And Certainly this is the reason why many Christians are so passionate as they are because they do not maintain their peace with God there is usually some breach in their peace with God which makes them so froward and so passionate as they are with men And to shew that the more our peace with God is broken the more froward wil our spirits be You have a notable example for that in Saul Saul when he came first to the Crown he seemed to be of a very low and meek spirit he counteth his family to be the least of the Tribes and himself to be of the least of that family And when there were some Children of Belial that spaek against him and said Shal this man be King over us The scripture tels us that he held his peace and when some would have had those that spake against him before to be put to death no saith Saul there shal not any man be put to death this day At first you see Saul was of a quiet spirit of a very meek disposition but after Saul had departed from God and God was departed from him he was then of a very froward and surly and rugged and harsh disposition and he that was before of a peaceable and quiet disposition to his enemies yet afterwards he was of a froward and cross disposition even to his own Son to Jonathan who was a good Son a gracious and godly Son a Son of a sweet nature and yet even to him how harsh was he O thou child of a perverse woman saith he and he would have slaine him in that passion if the people had not prevented him And how froward was he likewise when he was but crossed of his wil when he heard that the Priests had but let David pass away with some smal supplies they must be al put to death man woman and Child and fourscore and five of the Priests of the Lord that wore a sinnen Ephod must al be presently murdred such a froward cross rugged and harsh nature was Saul of and what was the reason of this Because he had departed from God and God was departed from him You therefore that are of froward and passionate Spirits have cause to look into your own hearts and examine your selves wel whether this be not the ground of it even that you have broke your peace with God and now you are at peace with no body not with Husband nor with Wife nor with Neighbors whereas if you did keep close with God and maintained but the sweetness of your hearts in the injoyment of peace with him it would not be easy for you to be disturbed with any thing that befals you from without This is the first thing that followeth from the sweetness of our Reconciliation with God that a gracious heart who knows what that meaneth must needs be of a sweet and lovely and meek disposition towards others CHAP. 7. VSE 2. Secondly O! the blessed estate of a Beleever of one that hath imbraced the Gospel he is Reconciled to God he is at peace with God and that hath a great deal in it as you have have heard The Jews were wont to expresse all kind of prosperity and happpinesse by this word Peace Peace be to you and in saying so they did wish all manner of good for indeed the word is a comprehensive word and therefore God accounteth it his glory to be called the God of Peace and the very God of Peace c. And the Son of God it is his glory to be the Prince of Peace And the spirit of God it is his glory to have the fruits of the spirit to be Joy and Peace And it is the honor of the Gospel to be the Gospel of Peace And it is the glory of the Kingdom of God to consist in righteousnesse and Peace And it is the Evangelical benediction Grace peace It is the glory of the Covenant of Life to be a Covenant of Peace Peace it is a most amiable thing But Peace with God how lovely and amiable and glorious is it Ask a wounded Conscience that apprehends and is sensible of that enmity that sin hath put between God and it what it would give for peace with God Ask Ask a dying man that apprehends what God is one who hath no peace with God what he would give for Peace with God If you could possibly ask those damned spirits that are now in Hell what they think of peace with God O! what a Commendation would they set on this peace Well may we be willing to endure some trouble in seeking after this peace with God well may we be contented to lie under the stroak of the Law as long as God pleaseth for this peace wil at last make up all Those that have endured the greatest terrors of the Law when the Lord hath come in with manifestations of this peace and Reconciliation to them in Jesus Christ they have thought all well recompenced and if it had been to endure a thousand times more than they have done they would have thought all to have been made up in this blessed peace This is a blessing indeed in these troublesom times wherein we hear of nothing but of wars and of rumors of wars and we are taught by what we now hear and feel and know to prize outward peace But if we think outward peace be so great a mercy what is this Reconciliation and peace with God the Soul blessings Yea yoâ— wil say there is a great deal of Blessing indeed in this Reconciliation with God which we have read of and happy is the soul that is at peace with him But how shal we know that we are those that are Reconciled to God that so we may injoy those blessed fruits of
let me tel you that in Scripture Strength is often used for Gods goodness and mercy his power to do good as wel as his power to inflict misery and judgment I wil give you but a scripture or two for that Num. 14.17 And now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying the Lord is of long Suffering of great mercy forgiving iniquity and trangression c. And in vers 19. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy When Moses is pleading with God for a pacification between him and his people he makes use of Gods power O Lord saith he according to the greatness of thy power or according to the greatness of thy strength for it is all one do this So Psal 27. The Lord is the strength of my life where Gods power and strength are tearmes used to set out the way of God towards David And here the word doth signifie such a kind of strength as is to help a thing that is very weak that as the Vine being very weak and being left to itself fals down and therefore you use to put props under your Vines which have more strength in them than the Vines have in themselves to keep them up and that is the very word in the Original which is translated Strength as if God should have said wil he take hold on me as on a prop And that this is the meaning of it appeares by the dependence of the words for the Prophet in that Chapter was speaking of the goodness of God to his Vinyard vers 2. In that day Sing you unto her a Vinyard of Red wine I the Lord do keep it I wil water it every moment least any hurt it I wil keep it night and day what a sweet promise is this of God to his Church Are there a great many enemies abroad that are strong and powerful and of swift feet ready to shed blood mark in one verse you shal read three I's I I I saith God I oppose my self to al the enemies of my Church I do keep it I wil water it every moment I wil keep it but what shal become of it in the night I wil keep it saith he night and day We have here a promise to help us to sleep quietly Wel he goes on verse 4. Fury is not in me though it is true I may come against you in such waies that you may think I am provoked but saith he fuiry is not in me I am not provoked in a revenging way towards my people Who would set the Briers and Thorns against me in Battail there are a Company of wicked and ungodly men that may set themselves against me like Briers and Thorns But saith he I wil go through them if they come in my way I wil consume them I wil burn them together But my people they are my Vinyard I wil deal gently with them I wil be a prop and a support to them And then he comes in with this let them take hold of my strength that they may make peace with me as if he should say you are pore weak creatures you are indeed my Vinyard and my Vine but you are weak and when a storm comes you are ready to bow down and ly quash upon the ground yea but saith God though you think that my wrath is abroad in the world yet my power and my wrath is against mine enemies and al my power and my strength are for you it is no otherwise but as the seting of a prop under a Vine in a time of tempest when a storme would beat the Vine to the ground my power shal be set under to keep it up Now you should saith he take hold of this my strength as the Vine claspeth about the prop and so make peace with me This is an excellent text to put you on in these dangerous times to be sure to make peace with God You that are godly and have some hopes that God is at peace with you it may be you are troubled with fears of danger know that God puts under his power and his strength and he would have you take hold of it take hold of my strength saith he even as the Vine takes hold of the prop and so by renewing the act of Faith upon my power and goodness thereby you shal renew your peace with me that whatsoever fury is abroad to burn the Briers and Thorns yet you shal have peace with me and that power of mine that is put forth to destroy them shal be a prop to uphold you So that this Scripture as it makes much for the openning of what I said before so it seems to put you on to a laboring and indeavouring to make your peace with God in troublesome times Set therefore before your eyes the power of God the greatness of God That is one interpretation Then set before your eyes the goodness and the mercy of God that your hearts may come and twist themselves about this God as the Vine doth about the prop or the hop about the pole Help 3. In your making your peace with God observe this rule To resolve with your own hearts that you wil never be at peace with your selves til you be at peace with God that you wil never have any peace in your own hearts til you have gotten true peace with God I do not say that you should resolve never to have peace with others but I say resolve never to be at peace with your selves and it is a good controversy when men are at contention with their evil hearts Say within your selves shal I be at peace with this wretched heart that is an enemy unto God God forbid this heart of mine shal be brought down and be at peace with God before ever I wil be at peace with it It is that which destroyes many a soul that they are so indulgent to their own hearts they are loth to fal out with them And the truth is many keep on in waies of enmity against God because they are loth to fal out with their own hearts we should be willing our hearts should be troubled al our dayes that the foundation of our peace and quiet might by this be layd and accomplished Help 4. And then another way is this Come in before God even with a Rope about thy neck and with Sackcloath upon thy loynes cast thy self down before the Lord and beseech him to write his own tearms give up thy heart unto God as it were a Blanck and pray the Lord to write his own Conditions only that God might be at peace with thee And if thou do'st so indeed then manifest the truth of it thus That if afterwards any temptation to any sin comes or if thou beest cast upon any duty and findest thy heart backward thereto make use then of the disposition of thy heart think thus Was there not a time when I
to himself by him I say so that the Apostle would put an emphasis on this that we are reconciled by Christ By him Saith he and he was not satisfied in saying of it once but he repeateth it again by him I Say whether they be things on Earth or things in Heaven There are two difficulties in this Scripture first in that it is said God hath reconciled al things to himself in Christ how doth God reconcile all things to himself in Christ we are now speaking of reconciling those that shal be Saved eternally but here the Apostle speaks of reconciling of all things God may be said to reconcile not only Saints but al things unto himself in this regard In that al things were lyable to distruction through mans Sin and it is in Christ and through Christ that any thing in the world is preserved in a good Condition When you behold the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and al these things and see the preservation of them in any good Condition you must know it is al through Christ and had it not been in regard of Christ al things would have come to ruine and confusion presenly and so God reconcileth al things to himself in Christ Further Al things are reconciled in Christ too in this regard In that now al things are through him come to be made Serviceable to those that are his Saints and reconciled ones and in that regard al things may be said to be reconciled to God because they are reconciled to Gods friends whereas before al Creatures were enemies tâ— us through Sin and now through Christ they come to be made useful to us and so unto God by us A Second difficulty in this text is How God hath by Christ reconciled al things in heaven what things are there in Heaven that are Reconciled to God by Christ We must understand that the things in Heaven that are said to be reconciled are especially to be meant of the Angels But you wil say How can the angels be reconciled to Christ there was never a falling out never an enmity between God and them I Answer That though in a proper sence as reconciliation Concerns man there is no reconciling of Angels unto God yet because there is a neerer and a further and a more firm union made between God and the Angels through Jesus Christ than ever there was before or than ever there should have been for ought we know if Christ hade not been in that regard reconciliation may be said to be of things in Heaven God and them being now by Christ more firmly made one than ever they were before And again though the Angels had never Sinned against God and so were no actual enemies unto God yet they were in a capacity of sinning for they being but Creatures they could not but be frail in themselves and so lyable to fal from God and to sin against him as wel as those that did fal therefore in regard of the establishment which they have now through Jesus Christ because they are now confirmed in such a condition that they are in an impossibility of falling from God God having so taken them to himself and they being so one with God that they can never fal from him in this regard also they may be said to be reconciled For notwithstanding al the perfection of their Creation they might have fallen into the same condition that those did that are now reserved in Chaynes to the Judgment of the great day But now God hath so reconciled al things in Heaven by Jesus Christ that the Angels themselves are more firmly made one with God than they were before And further the Lord doth receive them into a more intire affection of love in and by Jesus Christ than he did before the Lord looking upon the Angels in and through Christ there is a more through firme intimate intire affection of God towards them to establish them and to accept of them in Jesus Christ And besides they are reconciled to God or unto us rather because they are come to be our friends whereas at first they were our enemies so that in that regard there is a kind of Reconciliation but because I conceive the text doth not so much intend that we shal let it pass Thus you see how God was in Christ reconciling to himself even in some sense the very Angels themselves This then is the first thing the very thoughts that God had of entering into any tearmes or parly with man about peace is by Christ that the Lords heart was inclined to man it is from Christ that the Lord would be willing to accept of any satisfaction it is through Christ that we have an access to God any way it is through Christ There is nothing from the one end of the work of Reconciliation to the other but it is al through Christ For further opening of this great point there are these things to be propounded First Briefly to shew you the necessity of Christs coming in in order to our Reconciliation with God and likewise that it could be no other way but by Christ Secondly How Chirst comes to be a fit Reconciler Thirdly What it is that Christ hath ingaged himself to and performed according to his ingagement for our Reconciliation Fourthly How that which Christ hath done comes to be made over to us and that we come to have the fruit of it for our Reconciliation with God Fiftly The Consequences that flow from this Namely that our Reconciliation comes through Christ Sixtly The reasons why God wil be reconciled to us through his Son rather than any other way And Lastly To make some Application of al. These particulars might hold us some time but because we often meet with much of this Doctrine of Reconciliation and have divers times before and are likely if God lengthen out opportunities stil to do it therefore I intend to present al these seven particulars before you in a very short view CHAP. 13. The necessity of Christs coming in for our Reconciliation FOr the first The necessity of Christs coming in for our Reconciliation and surely this is that which is to be in culcated and beaten upon you again again for you neither know God nor Christ nor your own estates except you know the necessity of Christs coming in to undertake in the work of Reconciliation I suppose if we should ask any of you how you hope to be saved you wil presently answer by Jesus Christ But the understanding of the absolute necessity that there was of Christs coming in to reconcile us and God together is not so ordinary therefore I beseech you seriously weigh it The necessity of it in a word is this There was such a distance made between God and his Creatures through sin as did put a necessity upon a Mediator to come between the distance was so great for God being the infinite first being and we being his Creatures the distance must
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
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
his folly that a man should think that the Breach between God and him is a matter of no greater moment No my Brethren you must know that the Breach between God and you by sin is a matter of another manner of Consequence then can be made up by prayers or feares or any thing else that you can do al this is untempred Morter It is true when there is Repennance and turning unto God it is a good signe that God is at work with your hearts but that cannot do the deed it is in Christ it is the blood of the Son of God that must make Satisfaction for sin it is that which must make the Reconciliation This is that which is indeed the great doctrine of the Gospel and til you receive this into your understandings into your hearts al other things that we preach are to no purpose at al it wil never do you good till you have imbraced this you wil never Sanctify Gods name nor gloryfy God in your Conversations nor have any true peace within your doores til you come to receive this point into your hearts that God is in Christ Reconciling the world to himselfe Take heed therefore of any mistakes in this point That is the second Use CHAP. 22. Use 3. To encourage sinners to come to God for Reconciliation And discouragements removed The Third is a Use of incouragement to sinners to come for Reconciliation with God You may remember that one Reason why God did on purpose appoint this way to Reconcile himself to the world was that he might break the hearts of sinners and that it might be an encouragement to sinners to come in Is this Gods End O! that then God might have this end in your souls This hath bin our endeavor to open what we could this Doctrine of the Gospel namely of Gods Reconciling of himself in Christ and we have not done this only from this Text but from others and though divers other things have been spoken yet you cannot but know that the drift of al hath bin to this purpose that God may have this glory of gaining our hearts to himself and that it might be an incouragement unto you to come in to be reconciled unto God Are there any that are apprehensive of the Breach that sin hath made between God and their souls I suppose there are many You put up papers of complaints of the hardness of your hearts and that you cannot be sensible of sin as you desire it is a sign that there is some sensibleness therefore of the breach between God and you Now the Lord in opening of this Doctrine propounds the way of Reconciliation and he would fain draw your hearts to come in and to be reconciled unto him what is it that hinders These two things are the Only hinderance First The great distance that is between God and a Creature I am a poor vile worm and the Lord is an infinite glorious dreadful God O! but that I might take off this dreadfulness from you that that might not skare and hinder you therefore he propounds himself to you in his Son If God should indeed speak from Heaven by thundring and lightening and call in sinners to come in and humble your selves and seek to make your peace with him that might skare you and upon the sight of the distance between God and you you might not dare to come in But saith God I call you now in my Son my Son that came to be like one of you and to be made sensible of your infirmites it is in him that I offer you Reconciliation This takes away the dreadfulness of God from sinners and therefore a mighty incouragement And though there be such a distance between God and us yet there is a Christ between God the Father and us Though we be the poorest worms in the world though we are mean and vile Creatures yet if we were ten thousand times meaner then we are seeing there is such a Mediator between God and us this makes up the distance Christ is such a Mediator as there is enough in him to make up all the distance that can be between God and man Another hinderance or discouragement is sin either the greatness of our sin or the multitude of our sins or the long continuance in our sins is that which hinders us from comming O! saith the soul I have been so vile a sinner and I have continued so long and I have multiplied sin one after another and is it possible for such a one as I am to be Reconciled It is true had'st thou to deal only with God as he is in himself thou mightest despaire But know O! sinner that it is God Reconciling of himself in Christ therefore though thou beest a great sinner a sinner of a long continuance yet there being a Reconciliation with God in his Son seeing that Christ hath undertaken such a work as to make up a peace between God and sinners and to mediate for them thou may'st be encouraged to come in and to lay hold upon this grace of God in Christ If thou sayest thou art unworthy and that there is no worthines in thee for God to regard the for Al this is stil answered with this It is God that is reconciling the world to himselfe in Christ Indeed were it so that there were nothing but God and thee to deal together and if thou wert to deal only with God himselfe thou mightest be afraid but thou hast to deal with God not in himself win his Son for so he hath Set forth himselfe the to world he is reconciled to the world in his son and herefore that may incorage thee notwithstanding al thy unworthines And what Further hast thou to discorage thee O! thou wilt say God is infinitly Just to punish sin Stil this point wil be Sufficient to remove al discoragements that he is Reconciling the world to himselfe Though he is Holy his Holines is pleased in Christ Though he is Just his Justice is satisfied in Christ So that there is enough in this point to take away al objections to remove al discouragments that any Sinner in the world hath And therefore as God doth propound this on purpose to draw sinners to himselfe that they may be reconciled unto him So let them know that the more grace here is received for the taking away of al objections and discoragments the more wil sinners be left without excuse another day if they do not come in and lay hold upon this grace of God in Christ God wil have his glory that way if he cannot have it the other God primarily intends his glory in reconciling the world to himselfe and therefore takes away al discouragments from siners that they may come in and venture their souls upon his rich grace and mercy in Christ But if God cannot have his glory from that point then the more this is preached in any congregation the more wil God have his glory
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
in case men beleeve he hath left it to them to beleeve or not beleeve and so al the great councels of God must depend upon mans wil No certainly Christ hath not left it so but those that he hath reconciled unto God he hath so reconciled them to him as that they shal beleeve and this is not al the world 3. Further If this were so that Christ hath payed a price and left it to mans free will to beleeve or not beleeve the truth is Judas would have been as much beholding to Christ for Salvation as Peter But you wil say Judas was never saved Peter was But according to these men Christ did as much for Judas as for Peter for he shed his blood for Judas as wel as for Peter only Peter by the act of his free wil beleeved and the other did not So that the truth is according to the doctrine of these men Peter shal be no more beholding to Christ at the day of judgment than Judas was Peter indeed must acknowledg that he was saved by Christ but if their doctrine be true he may wel say Lord thou hast done no more for me than for Judas and what was more I did that my selfe thou shedest thy blood a like for us but I beleeved and he did not if he had beleeved he might have been saved as wel as I so hereby the grace of God is exceedingly dishonored by these men that hold universal Redemption by Christ and make it to include al the world There are many arguments that might be used which because they are not so cleer to the ordinary capacities of people we shal leave further mentioning of them at this time and shal only ad that it is Arminian doctrine to teach that there is a price payed by Christ for al the world and it is left unto men to beleeve or not to beleeve And that is true evangelical doctrine That there is a price payed by Christ and God hath resolved upon such and such particular ones in the world that he wil be reconciled unto and that they shal beleeve and be everlastingly saved CHAP. 35. Why Gods Reconciling to himselfe is expressed in so large a terme as the World Six Reasons thereof BUt you wil say If this be so that God hath made such a difference that there are some that he hath been from al eternity reconcileing himself unto and not al what is the reason of this phrase why doth he say that he loved the world and that he was reconciling himself unto the world without any distinction One would think God should rather have expressed it thus That he Reconciling himself to some in the world and that he loved some in the world and not the world in general No God would rather express it in this general phrase upon these Six Reasons Reason 1. First He would say the World to exclude Angells that are not so properly of this world But this doth not come up so fully to the Reason why God would rather say the world than this or that man in the world And therefore Reason 2. In the Second place another Reason is this Because he would shew the sufficiency of the death of Christ and of the work of Redemption that there is enough in it if it were to save never so many worlds Reason 3. Thirdly Another Reason of it is this That God might shew that in the Ministery of the Gospel none shal be excluded No not the worst of sinners that are in the world and therefore God doth not say in the Ministery of the Gospel this or that particular man or woman Christ died for but generally he died for the world Because he would hereby shew that he hath not excluded the worst and vildest sinner in the world and that those that are the most notorious and the greatest sinners in the world may come in and be Reconciled If God had expressed it thus There are some in the world that I have been reconciling my self unto from al eternity Then may a sinner say surely if there be but some God never intended me that have been so wicked a wretch so notorious a sinner But therefore God would not express it so but in the most general tearmes to the end that there should not be any one sinner in the world have this plea Lord I was excluded No saith God I wil have the Ministery of my Gospel go in such generall tearmes as that every sinner shal have incouragement to come in and receive mercy Therefore you shal find in that last of Mark. 15. where Christ gives his Commission to his disciples to preach He saith go in to al the world and â—â—each the Gospel to every Ceature that is to man who is a little world an Epitome of every creature To the Gentiles also who had been denyed this favor of the Gospel as if they had been none of Gods creatures If thou beest a creature the Gospel is to be preached to thee There is to be a general tender of Grace and mercy to every Creature throughout the whole world to the greatest sinners that live upon the face of the Earth Great sinners and smal sinners al of them are to have the offer of Reconciliation with God And the Ministers of the Gospel are to preach in the name of God that the Lord doth tender unto every one this offer of mercy and Salvation This to be done ministerially to every Creature we shal come preach to not only great sinners but those that are of the meanest condition in the world For some may say If God wil shew mercy to some in the world sure it must be to some great ones in the world those that are eminent and may do him a great deal of service alas what service can God have from me a poor creature that lives al day long in a poor dark hole that can do him no work or service wil ever God have any thought of me Yes if thou be a creature of God and livest in the world thou art no more excluded from Reconciliation with God than the Kings and Emperors of the Earth and it may be God may think of thee in that poor hole of thine a thatched cottage when he neglecteth and passeth by the great Monarks of the world Therefore this expression is so large that those that are the poorest people in the world and the greatest sinners in the world may know they are not excluded from the offers of grace in the Gospel This is a third Reason And then Reason 4. A fourth Reason why it goes in such tearmes as these That herby the Lord may shew that those that shal actually come in to be reconciled unto him they must come in while they are in this world That those persons that are capable of Reconciliation are only such persons as live in the world If they be not reconciled before they are gone out of the world they are never to be reconciled
unsavory thing But it is made manifest to the Saints to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this Mystery amongst the Gentiles Now then mark how our point comes in in the 28. ver the Apostle would fain gain every man he is loth to lose any one of his Auditors every man every man every man three times in one verse Whereunto also I labor striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily What Phrases are here heapt one upon another I do not make the work of the ministry an idle work as if I went about al the day from one company to another from Tavern to Tavern al the week and then think to come and preach upon the Lords day to you and so make it an idle business but it is my labor and not only so but I strive and how doth he strive not meerly according to humane strength he strives beyond that I labor striving according to his working It is the word of God I confess and my labor and striving it is according to his working Yet stil this is not enough according to his working which worketh in me Which worketh in me mightily The work of God that worketh in me mightily according to that I labor so again writing to the Thessalonians in the first Epistle 2.2.4 O! this is the trust that is committed unto us we are allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so we speak not as pleasing men but God we are upright in that we dare not be but faithful in so great a trust which is committed to us and then upon this he tels them in verse 8. we were willing to impart our own souls because this Gospel we knew it would be to excellent We might be very large in this I wil give you the ground of it in a very few words CHAP. 57. Reasons of Faithful Ministers earnestness 1 their love to God 2 their love to Jesus Christ 3 their love to their souls to whom they Preach 4 a kind of love to themselves FIrst those that have committed to them the Ministry of Reconciliation as it is of the Appostles having it put into us the Ministry of Reconciliation Reason 1. First that that makes them so earnest it is the love they have to God for they know that this is the great glory of God this that shines in the Ministry of Reconcilliation in that that they go to declare to the world except that the Lord have his glory in that the truth is he hath his glory in nothing in Comparison and theâ—eâ—ore that they might testifie their love to God that the God whom their Souls love may have his glory in that which is indeed his glory and his Master-piece of al his works O! this it is that makes them earnest they thinke if the lord hath not his glory here where shal he have his glory O! it is infinite pitty that so great a work wherein so much of the glory of God doth appear that the Lord should have no glory in that work Reason 2. And again their dear love to Jesus Christ every faithful Minister of Christ doth bear a deer affection towards Jesus Christ and their soules would faine that Jesus Christ might be lift up in the world now there is nothing that lifts up Jesus Christ in the world so much as the Ministry of the Gospel those that have any love to Christ that know what Christ hath done for them they desire to lift up his name and besides the honor the work puts them upon it is the Ministry of Reconciliation and an honorable worke it is and therefore the Apostle Paul Rom. 15. hath a notable expression for that purpose honor of the work it is the Ministry of the gospel in verse 20. the word in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to love the honor of it those that understand the language it is a word that signifies to love the honor of a thing I was ambitious to preach the gospel that is the phrase and so it may be translated I was ambitious to preach the gospel So that Paul was not ambitious for a great living or to be brave or in power or a Justice of peace or a Lord and the like as many ministers of late have been but his ambition was to preach the gospel looking upon that as the greatest preferment that any of the sons of men were capable of or that he could desire in the world Reason 3 And then again besides the Consideration of the Ministry of the Gospel makes them earnest in love unto their Bretheren and to the souls of the people to whom they preâ—ch for they know that souls are utterly undon except they come to know God in Jesus Christ except they come to have the mistery of the Gospel revealed whatsoever excellencys they have in this world what parts of nature they have yet they are lost undone miserable creatures for ever and better they had never been born better they had never breathed in the aire except Jesus Christ be revealed unto them Now it is impossible for any man that knows the necessity of the Revelation of Christ but that if the Ministry of the gospel be committed to him he must needs be earnest and faithful in the work of the ministry Reason 4. And there may be some argument from love to themselves those that have the Ministry of the gospel Committed to them some way God gives them leave to love themselves they cannot love themselves any way so as to be earnest in the Ministry First If they be faithful in the Ministery of the Gospel and God go along with them as he wil if they be faithful then Oh! how many souls should bless them if at any one Sermon if perhaps they go into a strange place and work upon a few souls they shal hear their souls blessing God for them every time they go into Gods presence Now what a wonderful encouragement is it for a Minister to be painful in the work of the Ministery of the Gospel This is a greater matter than to have a Bishopprick to have but one soul bless God for one that God hath been pleased to work upon and this is no other than we challenge to be our due if we by any means may be poor instruments of God to reveal Christ to any of your souls This is due in justice that you should ever mention us before the throne of Grace and that the blessing of your prayers should be upon us and this is a mighty encouragement to make them earnest not only to make a Sermon but to be striving to reveal the misteries of Christ to their souls and as they wil be blessing of Christ here so by this meanes those that are faithful they should give a good account at the day of Jesus Christ and they shal be able to behold the face of Christ when he shal appear who is
he clapt his chains upon them and reserves them in chains of darkness there is no such patience of God towards them as to be any argument to draw them to repentance therefore they cannot draw any encourageing conclusion from any work of Gods patience as to bring them towards God again But al sinners may do it that are the sons of men Hath God spared thy life at such and such a time know that in that work of his he doth manifest his willingness to be reconciled unto thy Soul as if a man hath an enemy at an advantage and he wil not take it Doth not this signifie that he is willing to be at peace with him And that is the first thing CHAP. 62. The Second Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners SEcondly God hath manifested himself very willing to be reconciled unto sinners in this that he hath made it to be the great Master-piece of al his works to provide a way for Reconciliation of thee unto him The Lord hath wrought so wonderfully for the children of men rather than for Angels in sending his Son making of him a curse for our sins In this the Lord proclaims a loud voice to al the world O! be it known to al you sinners that I am willing to be reconciled to you We need not name Scripture for this for the whole Doctrine of the Gospel is ful of this O! the heart of God is much in this work of Reconciliation al the arguments in the world al the expressions that possible could have been could never have held forth this so much as meerly this proclaimation that God hath sent his Son into the world to die for mans sin this holds it forth and proclaims it with the loudest voice that possible can be that God is infinitly willing to be reconciled unto sinners CHAP. 63. The third Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be Reconciled to sinners AND then thirdly after this work of God sending his Son mark how God doth express himselfe to the Children of men he doth profess that there is nothing wherein he doth more glory than he doth in this to shew mercy to sinners he doth make account that the chefest glory he hath in the world it is to shew mercy unto siners Certainly that that his soule is so wel pleased with that that he accounts himself most honored by is when sinners shal come in unto him to repent that he may be reconciled unto them If a man should do thus that hath an enemy and should manifest this to some of his friends that sit at his table as to say such an one is an enemy to me but O! how fain would I have him come in that there might be peace between him and I and I would count it as great an honor as ever I had in my life would not any one say this man were willing to be reconciled certainly God doth so and therefore in Exod. 30. the place you know about the 6. verse the Lord when he was proclamming his glory that Moses desired and the Lord promised he promised Moses in the Latter end of the 33. Chap. that his glory should passe by him and he caused his glory to passe by him as in Chap. 34 and what was that glory The Lord the Lord God merciful and pretious long sufering and abundant in goodness and mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgrossion and sin as if God should say Moses wouldest thou see my glory this is it that I am merciful and forgiving iniquity transgression and sin here is the height of my glory in this is my magnificence made known And another most remarkable place we have in Esa 30 1â— I shal make use of the begining of the place And therefore wil the Lord wait that he may be gracious and therefore wil he be exalted How wil God be exhalted That he may have mercy upon you Therfore he wil be exsalted that he may have mercy upon you and so he goes on For the Lord is a God of Judgment Blessed are al they that wait for him so that God accounts himself an exalted God when he hath mercy upon a sinner Surely he is very willing to be reconciled to a sinner when he counts himself an exalted God when a sinner comes in and beleevs in his on Now am I exalted saith God this is that my soule glories in this I account to be a happiness to mee God is exalted in shewing mercy and that is the conclusion of this argument CHAP. 64. The fourth Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconcilled to sinners FOurthly the Lord expresses this his willingness to be reconciled to sinners with a sigh as when he expresses his desire after sinners with a sigh which is a note of earnestness of desire and that you have in Deut. 5. and 24. verse O! that there were such a heart in them When we express our desires we say I would there were such a thing But when we express our most earnest desire then we express it with an O! O! that there were so saith God O! that they had such an heart that they would fear me and walke in my waies and why doth God expresse this It is that it might be wel with them and with their children for ever therefore O! that there were such an heart It is observable if you turne your eyes to the former part of the Chapter you shal find that this people did say that whatsoever God had spoken that they would do But the lord saw that there was not a through comming off of their hearts unto him to resigne up themselves wholly to him and therefore the Lord doth as it were fetch a sigh in the earnestness of his desire O! that there were such an heart in them If a man that were fallen out with another when he were in his Bed-chamber or at his Table he should fetch a sigh and say O! that such an one would come in and be Reconciled to me how glad would I be to be Reconciled to him how doth my soul long after him would not every one say that this man earnestly desiers Reconciliation with that person But thus doth God he sits as it were and saith O! that there were such an heart CHAP. 65. The Fift Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners Fiftly the Lord doth not only express his desire by a sigh but by an Oath he takes a solemn Oath upon it how willing he is that sinners should come in be reconciled unto him and it is the greatest Oath that ever God took it is about sinners coming in to profess his willingness that sinners should not die but they should come in and be reconciled to him and that you have in the 33. Ezek. 11. Say to them As I live saith the Lord God I have no
the sinner that so it might allure the sinner to come in so God speaks of his people in the 2 Hosea the 14. There was a great breach between Israel and God at the time and God to make up the breach when he would be pacified towards Israel he expresses it in this manner Therefore behold I wil allure her and in the 11. of Hos 4. mark I draw them with the cords of a man and with the coards of love I delt with them in a suitable way because that mans Nature had rather be drawn than driven and cannot so wel bear to be driven with violence as to be drawn by love Therefore saith God I wil deal with them according to their own Nature and in a suiteable way I draw them with the coards of a man and with bonds of Love here are the gracious expressions of God unto wretched sinners to break their hearts that they may come in and be reconciled to him God takes away the terror of his greatness and comes in loving and sweet waies to draw the hearts of sinners I appeal unto your consciences have not you that know what it is to be reconciled unto God had the Lord setting the riches of his Grace before your Soules have not you seen the alluring attributes of God presented before you to gain your hearts unto himself CHAP. 69. The Ninth Argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners ANother is this that the Lord is willing to yeild unto his creatures as farr as may be to yeild to the creature I say as farr as he can with honor for such is the way of the Gospel in bringing sinners to God that God hath yeilded to his creatureâ— as farr as can be conceived to be done with honor he cannot deny himself and his Glory But take it thus farr that God must have his Glory it is impossible that God should yeild further to the creature than he hath done Whereas God might have required satisfaction in our own persons he hath yeilded to this I wil take it in another this is the condition of the Covenant of Grace from that of the Covenant of works the covenant of works required perfect obedience in our own persons so that if we did not obey it required saitsfaction of us Now in the covenant of Grace there is a high consideration as it were God is content to take it in a suerty He wil be content for our parts if there be uprightness if there be but endeavors if there be but willingness of heart though he sees that we do provoake him day by day wel saith God whereas I stood upon perfect obedience in the Covenant of works now saith God I wil he satisfied with the wil for the deed if there be but uprightness of heart though there be many weaknesses yet I wil be willing and content with that Now doth not a man shew himself willing to be reconciled unto another when he shal say wel let there be any terms propounded that can be I wil yeild to any tearms so far as I can with honor I must not dishonor my self but so farr as can be I yeild God hath done thus he professes to the world that so far as he can he hath yielded to us Now if we should not except of the termes that he requires for they are such tearms so reasonoble so equal that cannot be imagined less there cannot be less required of the Creature then is by the Creator Object You say beleeving is a great matter But consider it in its selfe it is not such a great matter but only in relation unto Christ in its own nature it is but as a poor begger that puts forth his hand to take the almes and it is God that gives it to us two Now if we do any thing what can we do less then receive espeâ—ially when we have a hand given us by God wherewith to receive as if a begger had an alms promised him if he would come and take it Oh! but saith the begger I am lame I cannot go and my hand is withered I cannot stretch it forth Wel he that would give the alms saith he wil help the beggar thither he wil help him to legs to go and he wil heal his hand and give it strength whereby he shal put it forth to receive the alms only do not strugle against me do not resist me I wil be with you you shal leane upon mee I wil give you stilts Is not here as much consideration as can be and so it is in the work of reconciliation of sinners unto God he gives alms and he gives the hand wherewith to receive it CHAP. 70. The tenth argument Manifesting the exceeding wilingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners And then the Lord manifests his willingness to be reconciled unto sinners in this he doth profess unto sinners that the greatest sins that ever they have committed shal not be a hinderance to bear of this work of reconciliation The Lord I say professes this to sinners he sends his messengers to tel them that though perhaps they may be conscious to themselves of some vile thing that they have committed whereby they may think that God wil never pass by that sin But God to take away the objection that they shal never be able to say so he doth make that as cleer as any thing in this world that there is not the greatest sin that ever thou hast committed except that one against the Holy Spirit no other sin shal barre or hinder the work of thy reconciliation and certainly where that sin is committed the heart wil never desire to come in to be reconciled to God but flies in the face of God to revenge himself upon God But if thou hast a heart that desires to come in to God that is an infallible argument that thou hast not committed that sin I might give you a great many Scriptures for this to shew that God professes that there is not any sin that shal make the bar in the way between him and thee in Isa 1 18. Come now let us reason together saith the Lord c. Yea come now let us reason together Thus God deals in a familiar way with sinners as if a Malefactor were before the Prince shaking quivering and trembling fearing that the Prince would have his life being conscious to himself of abundance of evil that he hath been guilty of and the Prince should go and take him by the hand and say Come let us rise up let us reason together though your offences be great yet that shal not be a bar between you and me This is that we have authority to proclaime even in the name of the Lord God of Heaven and to every poor soul and to the worst of sinners and to the greatest of sinners that are here or can be heer now before the Lord in his name this we say there is nothing past
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
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
of Achor as the enterance at the door of Hope unto that Mercy that they should injoy from him in the Land of Canaan That this Valley of Achor was a delightful fruitful Valley it appears evidently from that Text in Esa 65.10 And Sharon shal be a Field of flocks and the Valley of Achor a place for the Heards to lie down in for my people that have sought me Here God promises the Valley of Achor as a blessing to the people that did seek him and the Heards should lie down in it it was a very fruitful place and therefore God maketh such a promise Now though it hath the name of trouble yet we find that God promiseth it to his people as a token of his Mercy and so it is to be understood in these words therefore having the meaning of it now we come to the Doctrinal Conclusion that is to be grounded upon this Scripture thus opened unto you the Doctrine then is this Doct. That the Mercies that God bestows upon his Church and his people are doors of hope to future Mercies Present Mercies that God grants unto his people are doors of hope to future Mercies Al Gods Mercies to his Saints are inlets unto further Mercies This is the high priviledge of the Saints of God it belongs not to every one The wicked indeed when they receive any thing from God they may write their Ne plus ultra upon it this is like to be their PORTION and they may wonder that they have any thing at al but the Mercies of God unto his people may be al called doors of hope the name of Joseph may be written upon them as we may read in Genesis 30.24 When Rachel had once conceived and did bear a Son shee called his name Joseph and said The Lord shal add another when she had one she made it a pledge of another the Lord shal another So it is with Gods mercies to his people they are Josephs may conclude that God shal add another when God delivered his people out of Egypt Exod. 13.15 saith Moses Thou hast guided them unto thy holy habitation thou hast guided them that deliverance Moses tooke as a certain Argument of Gods further Mercy toward them thou hast guided them When God did but begin with David in 2 Sam. 5.12 to shew but a little Mercy an outward Mercy to him David did conclude that God had established him in the Kingdome How so God had shewed a great favor outwardly unto David and David could conclude that that favor he did receive was bur an inlet unto more an argument of establishment of him in his Kingdome God hath delivered and he wil deliver saith the Apostle As God maketh way in his wrath by lesser judgements upon the wicked in Psal 78.45 so God maketh way for his Mercy by present lesser Mercies unto his Children But now in the prosecution of this point we shal discover to you 1. The Reasons of it how this cometh to pass 2. We shal answer a question about Gods interuption of his Mercies 3 Discover unto you how we shal come to know when Gods present Mercies are but preparations unto future Mercies what kinds of Mercies those are and how to be known that are but inlets unto other Mercies And then 4. Come to the Uses of the Doctrine that Gods Mercies to his pâ—ople are but in-lets unto greater Reason 1. That cometh hence because of the fulness of mercy that is in God there is such an infinite Ocean and stream and treasure of Mercy in the Lord that hence it is that when it cometh and beginneth to run unto the Saints to the people of God that the beginnings of it are but preparations to let out more the Scripture saith that God doth delight in mercy in Micah 7.18 now that that a man delighteth in if he once begin that that he doth is but to draw on more Gods Mercies are called his Riches God is rich in Mercy the Wisdome of God the Power of God and the Justice of God are not called Gods Riches they are called his Glory I wil make my Glory to passe by and God proclaims his Mercy now then because the Mercies of God are his delight his Riches his Glory when he hath fit subjects to let out these upon when he beginneth once to let them out these beginnings are Testimonies of a Fountain that is to be communicated Reason 2. Al Gods Mercies to his people they come out of love Amor nescit nimium Love knows not too much it knows not any such expression as too much there is nothing too much for Love Love it must not be limited if Love begin to be shewn that that cometh out of Love wâ—l have no bounds Now al the goodnesse that God shews to his people it cometh out of Love out of infinite Love and therefore one Fruit of goodness is but a drawing on of another Indeed when Gods goodness cometh out of general bounty then it is in another manner it stops soon but when it comerh out of intire Love the infinite Love of God it stoppeth not But Thirdly There is another Argument that added to these two maketh it strong indeed and that is Reason 3. That the goodness of God unto his peopel is a fruit of the covenant it cometh not only out of love but it cometh unto them as the fruit of an everlasting covenant that God hath made with them a sure covenant now in the covenant of grace that God hath made with his people there is a connection of al mercies a concatination of al the goodness of God there the treasure of mercy is in the covenant and an exceeding strength of mercy in the covenant to bear down al hindrances and oppositions there mercy is tied unto them by truth and as we read of the covenant between Jonathan and david in 1 Sam 20 15. That David made a covenant with Johnathan that he would never cut off his loving kindness from him nor from his house after him such a covenant hath God made with al his people that he wil never cut off his loving kindness from them he hath made no such covenant with the wicked no God may shew them some favour for the present yet he hath not made a covenant that he wil never cut off his mercy from them you may have abundance of favours this day but you may have them eternally cut off from you but the saints of God are in such a blessed condition as God doth not only shew them mercy for the present but he hath made a covenant with them never to cut off his loving kindness from them and upon this covenant though there he many weaknesses and many distempers in them frailties and infirmities yet God wil never cut off his loving kindness from them Reason 4. Because that the Goodness of God to his people as it cometh from an eternal fountain so it is let out for the accomplishments of eternal ends
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
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
old ones have you that are fit to instruct young ones and to come incourage them in the waies of Righteousness and to tel them what they have found in Gods waies and so to provoke them on to the wais of righteousness 3. How few old ones have you that can delight to see God yet appearing more gloriously in his waies in his truth and ordinances than he hath done nay are not many vexed and think to cast off al with an apprehension of novelty new things that we have and so upon that vex and fret and wish that things were as they were formerly of Old 4. How many have we that are ancient that are spiritual and heavenly that can say with Paul Now I have finished my course and have fought the sight of faith and henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Glory Come Lord Jesus come quickly Certainly if old age be found in the way of sin it is as dishonorable as it is glorious when it is found in the waies of righteousness 95 Isaiah 20. a sinner a hundred years old shal be accursed saith God a siner a hundred years old we read in Exe. 8.12 When God would shew the superstitious idolatry of his people there he brought Ezekiel and shewed him what the ancients of Israel did O! it is a sore and heavy thing when as the ancients of Israel shal any waies countenance the waies of superstition and Idolatry and therefore in 9 Ezek. 6. when God would come against his people in the waies of his Iudgments then God had the destroying Angel begin at those that were old first and strike them first I it is a blessed thing when the Hoary head is found in the waies of righteousness but when we have white hairs and black consciences that is a grievous thing Instead of being old in the waies of righteousness to be old in adulteries in Ezek. 23.43 it is said there she was old in adultry that is an aggravation of her sin that shee was old in adultery yea to have the wantonness of their youth that be now come to their old age to have their old age be a sinke to the diseases of their youth Those that are old in sin they shal have old wrath heaped up for them Ezek. 25.15 it is an agravation of wrath that it is said to be old wrath there is old wrath as wel as old sins An old enemy of God is a most dreadful thing for him and his forefathers to have bin old enemies to God an old earthy muckworme to be old and yet ignorant and superstitious to be an example to draw others to that that is evil through the venerableness of their age this is a sore and a very grievous and an evil thing the Lord speak to the hearts of those that are so because they have so little time to make provision for their souls to make up their peace with God and it is hard for them to do it they that have bin in captivity seventy years as we read of the children of Isarael that they had bin in captivity seventy years together and so there are many men and women that have bin in captivity under satan for these seventy years perhaps for eighty years together O! how hard is it to work upon them as if a candle lay a longe time in the wet it is hard to light that candel it is as hard to worke the work of Grace upon any that have layne soaking a long time in their corruptions I wil not say it is impossible but give me an example of one man that hath bin converted when he was old only one seemeth to have fom probability of it and that was Manasseh but except that I know no example of any not that it is impossible only this I speak to cause those that yet have not made up their peace with God and yet they have one foot in the grave to look about them while there is time it is possible but we must make account of it as a mighty great thing God must magnifie his free grace towards you for how shal God have his ende in working upon you what service shal God have from you when you have given away your former time in the waies of sin the Lord speak to your consciences and humble them before him at this day for their condition is sad and it is a most dreadful object As it is a most glorious object to behold one righteous in his old age so it is a dreadful object to se an old drunkard an old swearer an old prophane man is a most dreadful and fearful object to behold but we hope that the Lord hath some objects among us that cal for much reverence and respect and to them I desire rather to speake VSE 2 By way of incouragement and by way of exhortation much peace and comfort is due unto such the Lord and saints look upon them as honorable Thou art a Father in Israel and God remembers al that thou hast done for him these forâ—y these sixty years I remember Luther saith That one gracious action is more excellent than heaven and earth Millies quam caelum et terra saith he one gracious action and there is a truth in it there is no gracious action but hath more excellency in it than the frame of heaven and earth Then those that have continued long in the waies of God and have grown Old in them Oh! how excellent are they that have performed so many gracious actions and al are treasured up with the Lord know the Lord hath Old mercies for thee who hast been an Old disciple and he wil not forsake thee when thou art Old Psal 71.9 Cast me not off in the time of Old age forsake me not when my strength faileth And in verse 18. now also when I am Old and gray headed Oh God! forsake me not If thy conscience tells thee thaâ—â—hou hast indeavored to serve God from thy youth to do good in the place God hath set thee in thou mayest now go with comfort unto God Oh Lord now forsake me not wheâ— am Old leave me not when I am Old Now thou â—ast the blessings of the people of God upon thee and whensoever thou goest out of the world Oh! the sweet savor that thou wilt leave behind thee thou art a glory and honor to all thy children and shalt be after thou art dead and gone in Proverbs 17.6 Childrens children are the crown of Old men and the Glory of children are their fathers The glory of children are their Fahers I when their Fathers are gracious and Godly then â—â—ey are the glory of their children As now what an honor is it that a child came of such an one Oh! this young man he had a very gracious Father an ancient grave Citizen he did worthily in his time he did God a great deal of service he was a man of excellent guifts in the place where God had set him surely