of the first person in trinity for Creation is attributed to the first person and man sining against that work of Creation hence it comes to pass that the first is more directly and immediatly offended Now therfore the second Person in the Trinity he comes next in Order and therefore it is he that is fit to be a Reconciler between the father and us because we having sinned against the work of Creation God the father unto whom that worke is attributed is more especially offended 2 But not only so for if he had been but only the second person if he had been but only the Son of God he could not have been the reconciler of us unto God and therefore there must be somwhat else When we ask you what Christ is you Ordinarily answer the Son of God but if that had been al if he had been only the Son of God and the Second Person in Trinity he could not according to that way which God hath revealed in his word that he wil be reconciled unto Sinners by have been a fit mediator for us Therefore in the Second place that he might be a fit mediator to make our peace and to reconcile God and us together he comes and takes our nature upon him and is made a very man so that the same Person is now God and man he having taken up the nature into a personal union with the Son of God so that he pertakes of both those natures which is to be reconciled observe it wel Christ who is to be the Reconciler his business is to reconcile God and man between whom there was so vast a Breach Now to the end that he might be fit for this work and reconcile these two God and man he partakes of both natures and is become by uniting the nature of man which he tooke to himselfe into Personal union with the Godhead both God and man and having the nature of them both he hath interest in them both he hath interest in God the father as being the same God coequal with the father though not the same in a Personal regard but the same God with the Father and he hath interest likewise in man as he hath the same nature with him and thus he partaking of God and partaking of man comes to have interest in both and in that regard becomes a fit mediator between God and us Here is the great work of God to reconcile man to himself and in this God must do a work that is far greater than the making of Heaven and the Earth It had not been so great a work for God to have made ten thousand worlds over again as for God to make a mediator to become God and man in one Person The union of the two natures of Christ is the greatest work that ever God did from al eternity or ever shal be done and yet this was required to reconcile us to himself and surely you may wel conclude that the work of reconciliation of a sinner to God is a greater business seeing that Heaven and Earth must be moved about it and that the greatest work that ever was done or ever shal be done must be done about this or else it had never been effected The Second person in Trinity must come and take our Nature and be made in the form of a Servant that so he might be a fit peace-maker or Mediator between God the Father and us And then Thirdly Christ is a fil Mediator in this That he knows fully the mind of the Father and throughly understands even to the utmost what wrong the Father hath received by our sin If one should come to Mediate between one Man and another and should desire the party offended to be at peace He wil say you speak thus unto me but do you know what wrong such a one hath done me if you understood the wrong he hath done me surely you would not think it so easie a matter for me to be at peace and the truth is if al the Angels in Heaven and al the men in the world should come to interpose and to make peace between God and any sinner for any one sin God would presently Answer them and say what do you do to come to undertake this work of making peace with me and a sinner alas you do not understand what wrong is done unto me by his sin you know not what injury I have received by his sin therefore you are not a fit party to be a Mediator And in this regard no Angel in Heaven could possibly be a fit Peace-maker between God and Man for they know not what wrong sin hath done unto God But Jesus Christ knows to the utmost he understands throughly and fully al the wrong and injury that is done unto the Father by the sin of Man he knows what prejudice his Father susteined by al the sins of al the men of the world which no Creature else Angels nor Men could ever do Nay they are so far from knowing the wrong that is done to God by the sins of the world as they are not able to understand the wrong that is done unto God by one of the least sins that can be committed Fourthly Christ is a fit Mediator because he fully knew what would please and satisfie his father If a man should come to be a mediator to reconcile two that are at difference if indeed he knew the mind of the Party offended fully and throughly we would rather chuse such a man to make up the Breach such a man indeed that doth understand to a hair what wil satisfie the offended Party is fit to be a Mediator All the Angels in Heaven do not know like unto Jesus Christ fully and throughly the mind of God or what it is that wil satisfie him it is onely Jesus Christ who was with the father and lay in his very bosom from all eternity that knows fully what wil satisfie the wrong that is done to the father and therefore he alone was fittest to undertake this work Fifthly Christ is a fit Mediator in this That God the father doth infinitly love him that he is infinitely dear to the father and you know that it is a special ingredient for those to have that are to be Reconcilers that they should be dear one to another especially dear to the party that is offended If a poor man hath offended a rich man in a Town and he saith within himself O! that I were reconciled unto such a one If he can get one that is the intimate friend that that rich man hath in all the world to speak unto him in his behalf he wil conclude that certainly the business shal have good success and that this friend wil prevail Thus it is with our Mediator he who is our Reconciler unto God is infinitely dear unto the father God the father doth infinitely delight in him and therefore whatsoever he shal say or do must needs infinitely please God the
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
more then so but that thou castest of the comfort of it that thou mightest give liberty to thy loosnes and negligence and to have the flesh have satisfaction And so Christ himself may abraid the what shal I come from the bosom of my father and take upon me the form of a servant and be made a curse that I might make peace between my father and thee and is it worth no more but this that thou castest away the Comfort of thy assurance for such a sinful distemper of heart to give thy liberty to live after the flesh Yea the Holy spirit may come and a braid thee and say What shal I come and reveal the deep councells of God towards thee and shew thee what those things were that God from all eternity hath done for thee shal I open the misteries of Christ unto thee and draw thy heart unto him and shal I speak peace unto thee and yet when al is done thou shouldest regard this so little as for the sattisfaction of some base distemper of heart loose that which I have thus brought to thee loose the comfort of al that I have done for thee both Father Son and Holy Spirit may abraid thy negligence and the loosness of thy heart and life Yea and thine own Conscience may tell thee and say did not I often hint unto thee that if thou didst give liberty to thy selfe to walk thus and thus loosely thou shalt loose thy comfort and thou shouldst ' come to apprehend God to be a terror to thee and wilt thou even in these dayes of troble when men crie out of feares and dangers take such a foolish course to loose thy peace with God Is there any thing in the base distemper of thy heart that can countervail this loss Look upon those that walk holylie and closs with God and let their Conversations abraid thee they keep their hearts cleane and maintaine their peace with God and when they lie down they lie down in peace and they awake in the comfortable assurance of their peace and when thy heare of warrs and rumors of warrs yet so long as they can look up to God as their reconciled Father their hearts are fixed and stable and though they suffer the spoyleing of their goods and â—he loss of all that is deare unto them yet they know that within their bosom there is that which wil afford comfort enough unto them And yet thou through the giveing sattisfaction to some base and sinful distemper or lust canst not think upon God without terror can'st not apprehend him but as an enemy O! unworthy soul how shouldest thou be confounded in thy own thoughts for the loosness and negligence of heart in preserving that peace which Christ hath wrought between the Father and thee so strangly and so wonderfully Work these things my Brethren upon your hearts any ground all upon this that we are reconciled to God in Christ our Reconciliation was wrought by such a strang way as by Christ and it cost his blood to work it therefore if we have any hope of our peace with God we had need looke to it to preserve it CHAP. 27. Use 6. Give God the glory of our Reconciliation Againe we have yet a further Use here If God be reconciled to us in Christ it teacheth us to give God the glory of this great worke adore the infinite wisdome and mercy and goodnes of God in this work of his towards us reconciling us to himselfe in Jesus Christ When Christ was born the Angels Sang glory to God on high peace on earth and it was upon that ground that they Sang it as if they should have said O Lord what a way is here for thee to make peace upon earth that thou shouldest send thy Son here we looke upon a poore Infant in a manger and this Infant is the eternal God the second person in Trinity that hath thus taken mans nature upon him and here he lyes in the cratch even the same person that made the world What a strang work of God is this to bring peace upon Earth peace after such a way as this glory be to God on high And this is the thing we should spend our dayes in to adore the infinite wisdom and goodnes of God in this way of his in reconciling the world to himselfe in Christ God expects that al the children of men to whom Christ comes to be made known to should even fal upon their faces and spend their days in adoring and praysing and magnifying this great work of God God expects that we should have mighty high thoughts of this work and if our thoughts be not high of this work and be nor lift up above al Creatures we do but take the name of God in vaine God doth not care for any other glory we give him except we give him the glory of this work It is true when we see the works of God in the Earth and in the Seas we should glorifie Gods power and Gods wisdom c. But except your heart be taken with this master peece as I may so terme it with this great work of God of Reconciling himselfe to the world in Christ God wil rject al your other gloryfyings of him I mean so reject them as he wil not accept of them in comparison therefore this is the thing that God accepteth above al and this is the comandement of God that we should beleeve in his son and that we should give the Father the glory due unto him for reconciling himselfe to the world in his Son This is the worke that shal be done in Heaven to al eternity This is the thing that God himselfe delights in above al that ever he hath done that takes up his heart above al. And if it do not take up your hearts but you look upon it as an ordinary thing and so indeed count the blood of Christ as a comon thing O! know it is a high indignity in that thing in which he doth expect most glory from And let me say this Hath God revealed this work of his Son unto thee and is thy heart taken with this great work that God hath done and art thou continualy adoring of the greatness of that work of God peace be unto thee for this is as Good an evidence that thou art reconciled unto God in Christ as any I know But I must hasten CHAP. 28. Use 7. To love Christ And do or suffer for him AGain Is it in Christ that we are reconciled unto God O! let Christ be beloved by us Let us say with the blessed Martyr Lambert None but Christ None but Christ which he spake too when he came to the stake to be burnt for Christ a good Lessen for us by the way to take out that may come to suffer very hard things for that which we have undertaken to do in obedience to God yet for us to rejoyce when we come to suffer banishment or loss of goods or
strengthening Grace in the Rock of Ages Christ Iesus 4 The strength of the Saints to make Iesus Christ their strength 5 The Best and Worst of Paul 6 Gods Eternal preparation for his Dying Saints A Commemoration of King Charls his Inauguration In a Sermon By William Land then Bishop of Canterbury Abrahams Offer Gods Offering Being a Sermon by Mr. Herle before the Lord Major of London Mr. Spurstows Sermon being a Pattern of Repentance Englands Deliverance from the Northern Presbitery compared with its Deliverance from the Roman Papicy In a Sermon on the 5 of Nov. 1651. before the Parliament By Peter Sterry The Way of God with his People in these Nations Opened in a Thanksgiving Sermon preached on the 5 of Novemb. 1656 before the Right Honorable the High Court of Parliament By Peter Sterry Mr. Sympsons Sermon at Westminster Mr. Feaks Sermon before the Lord Major The Best and Worst Magistrate By Obadiah Sedgwick A Sermon A Sacred Panegyrick By Stephen Martial A Sermon The Crasâ— and Cruelty of the Churches Adversaries By Matthew Newcomin A Sermon Mr. Owens stedfastness of the Promises A Sermon A Vindication of Free Grace Endeavoring to prove 1. That we are not elected as holy but that we should be holy and that Election is not of kinds but persons 2. that Christ did not by his death intend to save all men and touching those whom he intended to save that he did not die for them only if they would beleeve but that they might beleeve 3. that we are not justified properly by our beleeving in Christ but by our Christ beleeving in him 4. that which differenceth one man from another is not the improvement of a common ability restored through Christ to al men in general but a principle of Grace wrought by the Spirit of God in the Elect. By John Pawson A Sermon The Magistrates Support and Burden By Mr. John Cordel A Sermon Eaton on the Oath of Allegiance and Covenant shewing that they oblige not A Relation of the Barbadoes A Relation of the Repentance and Conversion of the Indians in New-England by Mr. Eliot and Mr. Mayhew The Institutes of the Laws of England by John Cowel Octavo A Description of the Grand Signiors Scraglio or the Turkish Emperors Court By John Greaves Octavo The reigning Error arraigned at the Bar of Scripture and Reason By Francis Fulwood Octavo The state of future Life By Thomas White twelves Mr. Phillips Treatise of Hell of Christs Genealogy The Cause of our Divisions discovered and the Cure propounded Mr. Brightman on the Revelation Clows Chyrurgery Marks of Salvation Christians Engagement for the Gospel by John Goodwin Great Church Ordinance of Baptism Mr. Loves Case containing his Petitions Narrative and Speech A Congregational Church is a Catholick Visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England A Treatise of Politick Powers wherein seven Questions are answered 1 Whereof Power is made and for what ordained 2 Whether Kings and Governors have an Absolute Power over the People 3 Whther Kings and Governors be subject to the Laws of God or the Laws of their Country 4 How far the People are to obey their Governors 5 Whether al the People have be their Governors 6 Whether it be Lawful to depose an evil Governor 7 What Confidence is to be given to Princes The Compassionate Samaritan Dr. Sibbs on the Philippians Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr. Prestons Saints submission and Satans Overthrow Pious Mans Practice in Parliament time Barriff's Military Discipline The Immortality of Mans Soul The Anatomist Anatomized The Bishop of Canterbury's Speech on the Scaffold The King's Speech on the Scaffold A Looking-Glass for the Anabaptists Woodwards Sacred Ballance Dr. Owen against Mr. Baxter King Charls his Case or an Appeal to al Rational men concerning his tryal De Corpore Politico Or the Elements of Law Moral and Politick By Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury The Copy-holders Plea against the excess of Fines uncertain exacted of them by their Lords upon their Admittance A Trumpeter sent by God to all Europe Woodwards Antidote against the Plague-sores in Mr. Edwards his Gangraena Baptism Breaking Bread or the Lords Supper briefly discussed The Army Vindicated The Contents CHAP. 1. Page 1 Chap. 2. That there was a breach made between God and man after a blessed Vnion Page 5 Chap. 3. That there is away to make up a Peace between God and Sinful Man Page 11 Chap. 4. Reconciliation Opened 1. By it Gods enmity is taken away 2. The enmity on the souls part is taken away 3. God taketh into intire Love 4. By it thou comest to be in League and Covenant with God 5. The soul is perfectly Reconciled 6. This Reconciliation its everlasting 7. It continues notwithstanding al thy sins 8. The Devils accusations shal never make God thy Enemy again Page 17 Chap. 5. Twelve Blessed Consequences of our Reconciliation Page 25 Chap. 6. Vse 1. Page 34 Chap. 7. Vse 2. Page 38 Chap. 8. How to know whether a mans Peace be made with God opened in in seven Particulars 1. Every weapon of war against God is laid down 2. There hath been treaties of Peace between God and that soul 3. Peace with God wil make thee abhor thy self for thy former cursed waies 4. It wil make thee on Gods side 5. It wil preserve from evil 6. It wil enable thee to suffer much 7. It wil make thee highly prise it Page 41 Chap. 9. Vse 3. To seek to make our Peace with God five helps thereunto 1. Keep from the outward Acts of sin 2. Labor to set God continually before you 3. Resolve not to be at Peace with your selves til you be at Peace with God 4. Seek Peace with God on his own Conditions 5. Prize Peace with God now as you wil value it at the day of iudgment Page 50 Chap. 10. God begins the work of Reconciliation with man Page 59 Chap. 11. Vses of Gods beginning with man to be Reconciled Use 1. Admire his goodness in beginning seeing he had no need of us and had so great advantage against us Use 2. Begin to seek peace even with our inferiors Use 3. The certainty of our salvation being reconciled Use 4. Not to be backward and hang off when God calls to duty Page 61 Chap. 12. Doct. Our Reconciliation with God is made in Christ Seven things propounded for opening the Doctrin Page 67 Chap. 13. The necessity of Christs coming in for our Reconciliation Page 73 Chap. 14. How Christ comes to be a sit Reconciler Opened in seven Particularrs 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 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 Page 76 Chap. 15. What Christ hath undertaken and performed in our Reconciliation 1. To satisfy Gods Justice
himself and the Father must look upon him as the Head of a Covenant to which we belong likwise So that his obedience and sufferring is to be looked upon now not as done by a private person But looked upon as the obedience and suffering of a publick Person of one that Bears our Names before God the Father And herein there is a further mistery of godlines The reconciliation between man and man is only when one that is a stranger comes and stands between and mediateth there is not required such a union between him that he mediateth for and himselfe But Christ comes not in meerly as a third person between God and us but he comes to take our very natures upon him and we are made one in the covenant of grace he as the Head and we as the members That look as Adam stood before God as the Head of the first Covenant of works and so we were al looked upon at first in him and dyed in him So Christ who is called the Second Adam stands before the Lord as the Head of the Second Covenant and al those that he doth mediate for and whom he doth seek to reconcile to the father stand al before the father in him so that his work is imputed to be theirs and the Lord looketh upon them in their Head fulfiling that Second Covenant of life and peace that he hath made with poor creatures in him So that you must not only look upon Christ to be a Saviour as the Son of God in Heaven but if you would look upon him with comfort you must look upon him as the head of a second Covenant and upon your selves joyned with him as members of him and so presented unto the father through him Thus God was in Christ reconciling himself to the world God looking upon Christ and through Christ as the head of the Covenant of grace upon al those that Christ did undertake for as Covenanters Joyned together with him comes to be reconciled to al those which shal be everlastingly Saved This is the mistery of the Gospel God in Christ reconciling the world to himself What Christ was hath been opened And what Christ hath undertaken and how God looks upon us through this mediator These things you must search into and cry unto God that by his Spirit he whuld open these misteries of the Gospel unto you and then you shal see much of the mistery of grace and of the minde of god and so come to have abundance of peace with God notwithstanding al the present remainders of uncleannes that are in your hearts CHAP. 17. How we come to have intrest in what Christ hath done is further opened WE have shewed in the former chapter what Christ doth for the Continuance of this peace between God and us that he is at the right hand of God there making intercession for the Saints continualy so that if ther be any thing that might in its own nature break the peace between God and us this our mediator sits at the right hand of the Father and there by his intercession he continually presents himself for the removing of it and for the continuance of the peace between God and us that there may no Breach fal out for the time to come this I say Christ undertakes to do and this is a special work of his Mediation namly his being Continually at the right hand of the Father and there presenting himselfe unto God for the keping and mantaining of this peace which he hath made between the Father and us Again if it be demanded how we come to have an Intrest in this that Christ doth which was the fourth thing propounded in the twelfth chapter in his Satisfaction in al that he undertakes The Answeer was this That Christ is made the Head of a second Covenant for as the foundation of the Breach that was between God and us at the first came by the first man Adam who was the Head of the first Covenant in whom we al Sinned and so turned enimies unto God So Jesus Christ is made a Second Adam and the head of a Second Covenant and al those that are looked upon as the posterity of the Second Adam for so it must be they are looked upon as one in him As al that were of the posterity of the first Adam were looked upon as one man in him and so the Breach was made and enmity came between God and al that one mans posterity so al that are to be of the Posterity of the Second Adam that are either actually of him or are to be born of him by a Spiritual generation which in the Scripture is tearmed Regeneration al those are looked upon as one with him and hence it is that in the 1. Cor. 15.47 the Apostle speakes of the first and second Adam as if there were no more but two men in the world for indeed ther are no more in that sense nor ever were The first man saith the apostle is of the Earth Earthly the second man is the Lord from Heaven Heavenly here is the first man and the Second man Why you wil say are there but two men in the world No not in that sense that is there were never but two men that did represent al others and under those two men are al other men in the world represented before God Al the children of men that fel from God the are represented in the first Adam who was the Head of the first Covenant and they stand under that covenant And al those that God intends to be reconciled unto and to glorifie they are represented before God in the second Adam who is the Head of the Second Covenant It is true if we speake properly Caine was in order the second man in the world but Christ is the Second man that is the Head of a second Covenant the Second man that God did enter into the Covenant withal for other men and in that sense he alone was the second man As in the same sense Adam is Called the first man so that God is Reconciled to the world in Christ that is as in the first Adam the Breach was made between God and man so in the second Adam Reconciliation is made between God and man And as God imputeth that which the first Adam did to his Posterity for Condemnation so that which the Second Adam did he doth impute to the Posterity of that Second Adam for life and Reconciliation And that you have more largly discussed in the most part of the fift Chapter of the Rom. especially from the middle of the Chapter to the end CHAP. 18. Eight Consequences of Our Reconciliation being made in Christ 1. It is a deep Mystery 2. It is very free 3. It is sure and certain 4. It is full 5. It is an honorable way 6. Yet in such a way as doth debase man 7. It is firm and everlasting 8. This Reconciliation was a very difficult work THere are yet
seeking Reconciliation to eye Christ and carry him in our armes If there be any of you that now begin to have your consciences stirred and to be made sensible of the breach that is between God and you do not rest in seeking peace in a natural way but eye Jesus Christ and when you look up unto God for peace look unto him in Christ Look upon Christ as the second person in Trinity takeing our nature upon him Look upon Christ as the head of the Covenant of Grace Look upon Christ as the Lamb slayn from the begiâ—â—â—f the world and having made peace with his blooâ— Look upon Christ as sitting at the right hand of the Father makeing intercession Thus you should act your faith upon God in Christ when you are seeking peace with God The reason why many people ly under the spirit of bondage for many years together is this Because they look upon God meerly as he is in himselfe and do not look upon God through Christ and so do not sanctifie the name of God in this great work of Reconciliation CHAP. 30 God was reconciling the world to himself from all eternity opened ANd thus we have gone through that point of Gods being reconciled to us in Christ There is another Namely The Sixt thing propounded in the first Chapter viz. That God was reconcileing the world to himself in his son The work of our Reconciliation is not a work of yesterday it is a work that God was doing from all eternity for the point is from that particle he was this work for God to reconcile us to himself in his son hath taken up the heart of God from al eternity That place in Titus 1.2 Is most remarkable for this In hope of eternal Life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began he not onely promised it now but he promised it before the world began who was there before the world began to whom God made this promise There was his Son Jesus Christ So then that is the meaning when he saith God was reconcileing himself to the world that there was from al eternity a transaction as it were between God the Father and God the son about our Reconciliation there was not only a purpose in 〈◊〉 â—â—om al eternity that he would reconcile the world to â—elf but there was a real and actual transaction between the Father and Son about it an agreement between God the Father and God the Son about it Gods Wisdom from al eternity was exercised to find out a way Secondly Gods purpose was from al eternity to do it And Thirdly There was a transaction between God the Father and God the Son from al Eternity for to do it they did covenant one with the other God the Father told his Son what he required of him and God the Son promised to the Father to do it there was such a transaction as this and therefore the scripture saith it was promised before the world began God the Father did promise to his Son before the world began what he would do for those that he would dy for as if he should have said Thou art content to lay down thy life and to shed thy blood Yea saith the Son I am wel saith the Father I wil be reconciled unto them and I wil save their souls they shal have eternal life for their portion this I promise thee and so it was promised to Christ first It is true the promises of the Gospel are sweet and they should rejoyce our hearts I had perished in my affliction saith David had I not had ragard unto thy word nothing more sweet to a soul then the promises are but though the promises that are made to us in the Gospel are sweet yet the promise that was made to the Son of God is infinitly more sweet And this is the thing that I should have shewed you not only how this was promised unto Christ but the excellent comfort that this is unto the Saints that they are now to look upon al that is done unto them and upon all the works of Gods grace to them not as a new thing not as an accidental thing that comes As if we should have peace here in the Commonwealth it would be pretiouse to us if it should be upon these tearms and we would al rejoyce much in what should befall us in a way of a safe peace But our peace with God is not wrought with God so as if we were perishing and then Gods providence came and turned all about againe No our peace with God is a thing plotted from al eternity God did as it were contrive it in Heaven before any world was made God thought of this work of Reconcileing himselfe unto the world yea unto thee in particular if thou beest a Beleever a broken hearted sinner before even the Havens or the Earth were made God had actual thoughts of thee stil and there was a Covenant between God the Father and the Son for thy soul in particular and though God foresaw thou wouldest sin against him and turne enemy to him yet there was a consultation between the Father and the Son from al eternity to bring thy soul home unto God and to pardon thy sin So that thou art to look upon al the works of Gods grace towards thee here in bringing thee to his Son and upon all the comforts thou hast from his Son as the fruit of Gods eternal plot of Gods eternal councel with his Son and that although it doth but now break forth yet it was that which was in the bosom of the Father and the Son from al eternity and this indeed wil sweeten our Reconciliation with God and al means tending thereunto As doth God send but the word of Reconciliation to bring you home unto Christ this was that which there was a Contrivance of in the heart of God from al eternity That in such a time such a man should live in such a place and such a Minister should be sent amongst them and such a text of scripture should be opened and such truths should be preached and if thou findest God bringing of these truths home to thy soul know it is a fruit of that eternal counsel that was between the Father and the Son before the world began and a branch of the promise that God made to his Son from al eternity Do'st thou when thou comest to the word begin to feel thy mind inlightned to know Jesus Christ doth thy heart begin to be melted is thy soul drawing after Christ do not look upon this as a meer accidental thing do not say only What a providence of God is it that called me to such a Sermon at such time I went for company sake to such a place but when I came I felt the Spirit of God stirring in my Soul yea I find a beginning of that which I hope I shal have cause to bless God for for ever Do not look upon this as a
text Saith and so the Point is That God hath been reconciling the World to himselfe This which we have in the text heer it is the very same in effect with that we have in John 3.16 So God loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeved in him should not perish but have Everlasting life The world you wil say how is that did God reconcile al the world to himselfe No we are therefore to understand this saying here as an indifinite Proposition and not as if it were an universal Proposition and the right understanding of this difference between an universal and an indefinite proposition is of great use to us both in this and many other points of divinity An Universal Proposition is that that speaketh so of the general as it includes every particuler under it An indefinite Proposition doth but speake of the general and not include every particuler under it but only many As thus If one should say that such a man teacheth al the Children in such a Towne we do not mean that there is no perticuler Child that is not thaught for there are infants there and there are perhaps some that are not taught at al but we mean thus that he teacheth those Children that are taught there is none that he excepteth but if they come to him he wil teach them he is there ready and stands prepared to teach them and in this senss he may be said to teach al the Children in the Town that is there is a genneral proposition without a particuler restriction though every individual is not contayned in it This now is an Indefinit proposition or speech But when we Say a general proposition then we speek of al particulers none at al can be excepted But must come under that proposition and this wil help us much in other Points of divinity As in the promise I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed We must understand this Promise by the way of an indefinite proposition and so al understand it that understand it aright Many that understand not the difference between these two think they have a strong objection and say This promise cannot be made of the godly for then the Children of the Godly would be godly too No it is not an Universal proposition that includeth every particular but an indefinite one that is thus God promiseth to be the God of his people and of their seed that is he wil shew mercy to their Seed rather then to the Seed of others and he wil rather draw the line of Election through their Loyns then through the Loyns of others he wil take them not every particular of them but take them indefinitly and not reveal which of them he wil take whether this Person or that Person individually But he speaks indifinitly and his meaning is that those that are the Seed of his people shall be brought into a neerer Pale into a neerer limit of Gods Grace then the Seed of others and he wil be gratious to their Seed rather then to others And so here God saved the World and reconciled the World the propositions are to be understood alike indefinitely not that he loveth or reconcileth every individual Person in the world Even as he is the God of the Seed of the Saints It is not to be understood that he is the God of every particular one of them he is pleased to express himself thus indefinitly and not generally CHAP. 34. Gods reconciling the World to himself cannot be meant of every individual man proved by Scripture And Three Reasons BUt for the opening of this That God is reconciling himself unto the world that is unto man-kind to humane nature though not to every individuall person that is in humane nature I shal shew you First That it cannot be meant of every individual And then Secondly Why it is expressed in such a large tearm as the World First I shal make it appear That it cannot be meant of every particular man or woman in the world Nay indeed the truth is that there is a great part in the world and such a part as the world may receive denomination from too that Christ hath rejected shal never be reconciled to and that is cleer in John 17. where Christ saith That he prayed not for the World surely then he died not for the world there are some in the world that Christ did not so much as pray for How was God reconciling himself to the world then when as Christ professeth he did not pray for the world It appears by this that we are not to understand it of every particular man or woman in the world there are some that are in the world that God was never reconciling himself unto 1. And besides this Text it appears from hence Because if God were reconciling himself to al the world then al should certainly beleeve and be saved Why Because that Christ should lay down a price for al and the blood of Christ doth as wel pardon the sin of unbelief as any other sin If there be any one that Christ hath laid down his life for he hath purchased at the hands of God the Father that this Soul should be delivered from the power of unbelief and Faith it is a blessing that comes unto us by Christ as wel as any other blessing I appeal to you Is not Faith a spiritual blessing as wel as any other Grace Eph. 1.3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ So that al spiritual blessings are in Christ if they are in Christ then Faith is in Christ for Faith is a spiritual blessing and then Christ hath purchased Faith for whosoever Christ hath died for they must beleeve in time Christ hath not left the work of our salvation loose upon this adventure I wil lay down my life and in case men beleeve they shal be reconciled No Christ laid down his Life to purchase of God the Father that men should beleeve as wel as he hath purchased eternal life it self and therefore if thou beleevest know it is the fruit of the purchase of Christ as wel as Heaven it self is So then if God were reconciled to all the world al should come and be actually Beleevers But in that they do not it is apparent that Christ never intended it That is one Reason 2. And then Another argument may be this If this were so that Christ had laid down a price for the world in general and only those that are left to themselves to beleeve or not beleeve should come to be saved Then the great things that are conteined in these great Mysteries of godliness and the great works of God both in Election Redemption Justification Glorification must rather depend upon mans wil than upon any work of God for say they God indeed hath wrought al this but it is
Apostle saith plainly in the 2 of Rom. That the patience of God calls us to Repentance in verse 4. whatsoever leades to Repentance hath something of the Gospel in it Patience and goodness though we never come to heare of the Ministery of the Gospel yet it is that that calls us to repentance and it is cleare in this because that is spoken of in the creature the loude voice in the creature in the 19 Psalm it is applied to the Gospel in Rom. 10. and except you understand it so we cannot tel you that the sound of the Gospel hath gon to the utmost parts of the earth We cannot understand in the Apostles time how the Gospel went to the utmost parts of the world for there are many places that are not found out yet but this kind of sound of the Gospel goes throughout the earth that by the voice of the creatures men ought to come to know thus much that surely there is some way for God to be pacified towards sinful men though they cannot tell which way or what way suerly there is some way and many of the Jewes knew no other way but this they knew there was a Messiah to come but what he was or who he was they know very little of him Now the Devills have no such work of God towards them nor such bounty and patience and goodness towards them whereby they can conclude that God hath any thoughts to be reconciled to them Though its true they are not yet fully under the torment that they shal be yet they are under so much torment as they are said to be reserved to the great day in chains of darkness whereas wicked and ungodly men are preserved by the bounty and patience of God and the cords of Gods bounty and mercy is towards them and therefore they are not reserved in chaines of darkness as the Devil and damned are So that by the bounty of God in the creature we may gather such a conclusion that surely God hath some way to shew mercy unto mankind But we can never have any thoughts by any works of God in his creature that God should send the second person in Trinity to take mans nature upon him to die to suffer for mans sin to tender up satisfaction to divine Justice and then al must be brought into this Covenant then he must be the head of the second Covenant and they must be made Members of his body now the Creature hath no such misttry as this and therefore in the 3 Eph. 8. verse saith the Apostle speaking what his ministery was unto me who am the least of al Saints is the grace given that I should preach amongst the gentils the unsearchable riches of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 investigabiles divitias not to be paced or traced out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of α and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vestigium qui nullis vestigiis indagari potest It is used also Rom. 11.33 they are unsearchable speaking of the riches of Christ as they are of Christ they are unsearchable the word is there the Riches that are without footsteps there is no foot steps of the riches of Christ if we speak of the Doctrine of Christ the Mediator as it is indeed in the Gospel there are no foot steps of them in the Creature therefore though there be some kind of sound in the Creature that it is sure that God hath some kind of way to be reconciled but now the sound of the Gospel this is committed to Ministers to Preach therefore in the. 1 Cor. 1.21 the Apostle saith That in the Wisdome of God the World by Wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that beleeve Mark the world by Wisdome knew not God certainly the world did know there was a God and that he was infinite in power and goodness but the Text saith they know not God that is they knew not God savingly in Christ they might know that God had some kind of way to shew mercy to sinners but what way they knew not and by Wisdome that is by al the Wisdome that was revealed by God in the Creature and by al the Wisdome they received from God they knew not God by Wisdome true there is an abundance of the Wisdome of God in the Creature several acts are no other then several beames of Gods Wisdome shining in the Creature and the knowledg of these acts are no other but the several beames of Gods Wisdome shining into mens understandings take either of both them and by both these it could not know God in a saving way but by the Foolishness of preaching that is by the preaching that the Men of this world do account foolishness the Lord is pleased to save those that beleeve so that it is evident that the Ministery of Reconciliation is committed to the preachers of the Gospel CHAP. 40. Why God chose Men rather than Angels to dispence the Mystery of Reconciliation The Reasons thereof NOw it is to be enquired after First why God would choose men rather to be the dispencers of of the great Mystery of Reconciliation then the Angels God hath not committed unto them this word of Reconciliation though it is true the Angels they do go about and they somtimes witness to the Gospel as you may read afterwards But they are not chosen by way of office to the Ministery of the Gospel that is not the office they are appointed to so as the Ministers of the Gospel are God hath not chosen Angels in an ordinary way to come and dispence those great and glorious things unto the Children of Men. Object You wil say had it not been better that God should have chosen the Angels to come in and preach Jesus Christ than men for they are poor weak Creatures and like our selves and now when they come to stand up and Preach Jesus Christ the great things about reconciling men to God should we think that they know more then we ourselves Answ You must not think that there is no good to be done till one comes and tels you that you never heard of But you must know that it is by vertue of the ordinance of Christ because he hath appointed a Minister of the Gospel to come and in such a way to preach though the instrument be like your selves and perhaps may not have a deeper understanding then some of you yet you are to look upon it beyond the matter that he speaks you are to look upon it as the ordinance of Christ and so to expect and look at al means whatsoever But now the great standing ordinance in the Church of God is the Ministery of the Gospel It is this that is committed to us to Preach and this therefore is to be looked upon as the power of God to salvation in those that God intends Salvation to God hath not chosen the Angels but Men and upon this reason because we are