another expression there is I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I streightned till it be accomplished Christ was streightned in his heart til the work was done You may see how much the heart of Christ was in it to be reconciled unto sinners when became to do the thing indeed when the wrath of God was even just comming upon him then though nature had some kind of reluctancy he saieh if it be possible let this cup pass from me to shew how sensible his humane nature was of it yet presently Not my wil but thy wil but thy wil be done And the scriptue tells us that he did make his soul an offering for sin and that he layd down his life And further after that Christ had layed down his life and risen again mark one expression more that shews how willing Christ is to have sinners reconciled and brought in unto the Father and to be at peace with him and that is very remarkable in Luke 24. verse 46. And so on note what was that first preaching of Christ repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand So here in this world in his bodily presence this may seem to be his last sermon What was it he said unto them Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer Wel in vers 47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name amongst al nations begining at Jerusalem and ye are witnesses of these things and then by and by he was caught up into heaven That which I note this scripture for is this that after Christ had been so notoriously abused in his sufferings yet this did not hinder his earnest thirsting after reconciliation of those that had put him to death and had so abused him saith he it is written that it behoved Christ to suffer c. To begin at Jerusalem and that is that that I would have done The repentance should be preached to al nations but begin at Jerusalem Why begin at Jerusalem Because Jerusalem was the place where Christ was put to death immediately befâ—â—â— he was crowned with Thorns mockt a Reed put into his hands spit upon The Children of Barrabas rather than him yea and they cryed Away with him they carried him to the Cross and there nailed him til he was dead and thus they dealt with Christ there yet Christ would have repetance preacht to al Nations but saith he above al think of Jerusalem and begin at Jerusalem let them have it in the first place Jerusalem that took away my life that killed me If any thing in the world could take of the heart of Christ from being reconciled to sinners one would have thought that that which he had done to him at Jerusalem should have taken of his heart but he would have them begin at Jerusalem It is a notable Text of Scripture to us and you shal find it the most remarkable conversion and bringing in of sinners was at that Sermon of Peter when Peter charged them that they had crucified Christ the most famous conversion that ever was made of those people that put Christ to death the most famous work of Gods reconcling sinners to himself of Christ bringing in of sinners by the preaching of the Gospel it was by bringing in of those sinners and therefore in the last Sermon that Christ preached from Heaven as the first Sermon upon Earth and the last Sermon upon Earth and the most solemn Sermon that was at the dedication of the Temple is altogether about bringing in sinners to be reconciled to God So the last Sermon that he preacht from Heaven or that ever he wil preach til he comes again so in Revel 22.17 And the spirit the Bride said come let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst say Come and whosoever wil let him take the water of life freely These are the last words in effect that are at the conclusion of the book that ever Christ would speak til he came to Judgment never would he speak more in that way to the children of men until he came in a new world But in this word here is the last in this expression Let him that is athirst and whosoever wil let him come and take of the water of life freely Now the Objections they wil come in as first CHAP. 78. Objections Answered concerning the willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners OBject You wil say Why should God do al this and Christ do al this you tel us that God is so willing to be reconciled and hath so exprest himself and Christ so willing to be reconciled and hath so exprest himself by entreating and beseeching but both God and Christ knows we can do nothing of our selves and therefore to what end is al this that you have spoken as if we should go into Golgothus or burial places and entreat the dead to rise out of their graves To what purpose would it be we are dead in sins and trespasses and now if we can do nothing al that you have spoken is but to little purpose To that purpose I answer First though it is true we are dead in sins and trespases and are not able to performe any true saving work by our own strength yet first al those expressions of God and Christ in his word and so of the ministers of God in their names it may be of this use to stir up common gifts and graces of the spirit of God in us and that is for to have them stirred up to the utmost that possible may be people must not think that because they cannot do any worke that is indeed saving in it self any work of spiritual life that therefore there is nothing to be done by them we are to know that though the saving works of God be more rare yet there are common workes of the spirit that God doth dispence to many yea to most and in some degree or other to al especially to those that live under the sound of the Gospel there are none that live under the sound of the Gospel but they have some common gifts of the Spirit of God in one degree or other Now the Lord would have these stirred up to the utmost though it cannot be in a sanctified way and these expressions of God Christ to sinners have a great deal of efficacy in them to stir up what common gifts of Gods Spirit you have and if sinners do not this they cannot expect that God should do much towards them Consider what power God hath given them and what common gifts they have already and let that be acted to the utmost and then they may wait stil for more from God This is a truth that there are none that do perish but God hath this to charge them with that they did not stir up the common gifts of Gods spirit Secondly though we cannot do any thing of our selves yet God knows
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
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
God upon thee You are afraid of souldiers why have you not all this while been afraid of the Host of the Almighty God God hath Souldiers enough even in your own house which he can raise up against you he can raise the very dog that is in your family to tear out your throat if he once give him a Commission for there is an enmity between every Creature and a sinful soul and it must be so If there be an enmity against the Generall and Commander in chief of the Army there must needs be then the like enmity against the souldiers Thou that art a sinful soul thou walkest up and down in the midst of Gods Host that are ready every moment to destroy thee and that stands waiting for a Commission from God the Lord of Host to revenge his quarrell upon thee But now being once reconciled unto God all this Host all the whol Creation is reconciled unto thee All the good Creatures the Angels they are now for thy good whereas before they stood ready waiting for a Commission from God to strike thee to the heart for the Angels do wait when God wil give them a command to execute upon those that offend him and they are gone pesently to put the same in execution and so it is with every other Creature But now being reconciled these Angels are become ministring spirits unto thee It is a great matter to have the Angels reconciled by being at peace with God they come to be Reconciled also unto thee and instead of being thy enemies they are as so many fair chariots to guard thee from whatsoever may hurt thee The same I may say of all evil Creatures too they are al so far reconciled to thee as that they shal do thee no hurt or prejudice But The Second Consequence Secondly A Second fruit that follows is Peace of Conscience whereas before thy Conscience terrified thee struck fear and dread in thy heart continually accused thee before God and was as Gods Officer to fill thy Soul with poysoned Arrows and to rend and tear thee But now thou being at peace with God thy Conscience is at peace too Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ then follows those most sweet and comâ—ortable effects which we are afterwards to treat of But this is the fruit of Reconciliation Peace of Conscience which is worth ten thousand worlds For one to have his Conscience his enemy to have his Conscience continually to terrifie him it is a greater judgment than to have al the wild Beasts in the world to come and tear and rent his flesh Third Consequence Thirdly there is in the soul a Peace in all other faculties As thus Before the work of Reconciliation between God and man was done the Scripture saith there is no Peace to the wicked in regard of tumultuous workings of the many lusts that are in their hearts the one continally fighting against the other the Conscience telling one thing and the will of a man that opposeth Conscience and the affections they are all in a tumult one against another one lust opposeth another fighteth against another there is a disorder and a confusion and a tumult in the heart of a wicked man he goes against the light and the light against him and there is nothing but warring and combustion in his heart Your lusts saith the Apostle war one against another within you and you may easily find it to be so if you observe your selves that when your lusts are once up they breed such a woful disturbance in your heart that you are like the Sea that casts up nothing but mire and dirt Take a wicked man that hath but some darting in of any light telling him what the mind of God is his heart fights against this light and the light fights against his heart so that there are nothing but woful disturbances in his Soul and he is never at Peace No not when he seems to be most serene and quiet But now when we come to be at Peace wih God there is a blessed calme comes into the Spirit of a man the Conscience the wil and the affections are brought into a sweet and Comly order and things are in a great measure more quiet than ever they were The fourth Consequence 4. The fourth fruit is Joy in the Holy Ghost for God being at Peace with a soul the Holy Spirit comes and sheddeth abroad the love of God It is true somtimes we are not sensible of this joy but when once we come to know that we are Reconciled unto God then we come to feele the joy of the Holy Spirit shed abroad in our hearts This you have in Rom. 5. Having Peace with God we rejoyce in tribulation And more especially in Rom. 14.17 The Kingdom of God is nor meat and drink but Righteousness and Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit Joy in the Holy Spirit followes our Peace or our Reconciliation with God That is a fourth particular The fift Consequence 5. There is likewise this fruit of it Hence the soul comes to have free access into Gods presence with boldness Indeed when I look upon God as an enemy unto me and upon my self as an enemy unto God how can I come into Gods presence with boldness But being Reconciled I come to have access to God Adam could not stand in Gods presence when once he had broken his Peace with God but our Peace being made through Jesus Christ we may come into the presence of God and comfortably look upon his face and see no hatred no revenging wrath in it The sixt Consequence 6. Hence there may be a sweet and blessed trade between Heaven and Earth between God and the soul Reconciled As in Countries that are at Warr one with another there cannot be any traffique or trading between those Countries But if once there come to be a League and a Peace made up between the one and the other then trade is open So it is between God and the soul And the truth is there is no free trade made between Heaven and us till Peace be made we cannot trade to Heaven and fetch Commodities from thence we may speak to Heaven and Cry and say our Prayers as the phrase is but to fetch from thence the rich Commodities that are in that Country we cannot til there be a Peace Concluded Indeed a gracious heart that is Reconciled to God never sends up a prayer unto God but he doth as a rich man that sendeth a Ship to the Indies nay it is far more better for you may loose your Ship and your adventure that you send may miscarry But when a gracious soul trades with God and sendeth his Ship of prayer to Heaven he never fails of having a sweet and rich return The seventh Consequence 7. Now we come to injoy all the good we have in this world as upon a new right it is setled upon us and comes
hearts this Angel shall pass away from us This is another fruit of our Peace with God namely protection from the wrath of God when it spreads abroad as Lightning in the world The twelfth Consequence 12. Again Hence all that is in Gods word speaks Peace to us both the Law and the Gospel the very Law it self comes to speak Peace to us because it is now fully satisfied there is nothing in the word of God but is at Peace with those that are at Peace with him The threats that are in the word of God bring no evill at all to him that is reconciled to God every part of Gods word doth do good to them that walk uprightly according to that in Mic. 2.7 Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly When thou readest any part of the word of God though never so terrible if thou art Reconciled to God thou mayest read it with comfort Many people dare not read somwhat of Gods word they scarce dare come to hear somwhat of Gods word but if thou beest at peace with God thou needest not fear the reading or the hearing of any part of Gods word What is the Reason that many people when there is an argument preached that hath any terror in it they will come no more to hear it It is whatsoevever their pretences be a sign that there is some guilt in their hearts they look upon the word of God as if it were their enemy and it is a sad thing for a man to look upon any part of Gods word as his enemy Certainly if any part of Gods word be thy enemy God is thy enemy for there is no part of the word of God but there is Gods mind and Gods heart in it and therefore if thou beest at peace with God there is nothing in that word of God which is thine enemy Indeed a man that is on the Sea if storms and Tempests arise he may peradventure be afraid to look out he may not dare to stir out of his Cabbin But if he be on shore he can stand and look upon all the waves of the Sea and upon all the boysterousnesse of it without any trouble to him So when men are in their natural Condition when they are not converted unto God then when they come to hear of the terrors of the Law alas they cannot enter into Consideration of that wrath of God which the Law threatneth and which they apprehend is due unto them because of sin but their very hearts shake they do even shut their eyes against those truths But when they are once got upon the shore when there is a Peace made between God and them then they may look upon al the terrors of the Law and upon al that wrath that is threatned therein with joy and Comfort and bless the name of God for ever that they are freed and delivered from them These are the blessed and happy fruits of our Peace and Reconciliation with God And now before we go any further we must abide a while in the Application of what hath been thus far opened unto you concerning the excellencies and glorious fruits of this Peace and Reconciliation CAHP. 6. VSE 1. Wherefore in the first Place From hence it must needs follow that if there be such a blessed peace between God and a true Christian as hath been opened Then he must needs be very peaceable in the world he must needs be of a very peaceable disposition before men You wil say How doth this follow Thus. There is so much sweeteness in this Peace with God that it must needs so quiet the spirit of that man in whom it is that whatsoever is without shal never be able to make any great disturbance in his Spirit so great and so excellent is the sweetness of this Peace A Merchant that hath al his estate in one Bottom he is upon every stirring of the winds or upon the hearing of any storme afraid that all is cast away But if he hear news that the Ship is safe and that al is come securely into the Haven his Spirit that was afraid before wil be now so quieted and sattisfied with this newes that it wil not be a very easie matter at such a time to anger such a man There is nothing that is more able to keep the heart of a man from passion and frowardness and disturbance than a ful sattisfaction within ones own spirit Now if there be any thing in the world that is able to sattisfy the spirit of a man surely it is the Peace with God it is Reconciliation which is made between a man and God The Scripture saith that a good man shal be satisfied from himself Prov. 14.14 Ex sese at Mercerus expresseth it i. e. from himself Although he meeteth with those without that are troublesome and wil not sattisfy him that he hath so much within that he sattisfies and quieteth his own spirit Therefore a Christian needs not be beholding to the world for Peace for he hath Peace enough within his own bosome That which is the greatest Jewel in the world a Christian hath the ful pofession of within his own heart Al the Storms and tempests that are abroad in the world can never make an Earthquake if there be not some vapors within to do it So that which doth shake the hearts of men and make a Combustion in their Spirits it is more the inward disturbances that are there than any thing from without We may Complaine of outward things and of this matter and of this occasion and the like But the truth is if al be examined and the true ground of our disquietness searched into we shal find that the Cause of al our disturbance is rather from within than from without and if al were wel within we should never be troubled with any thing which doth befal us from without Now then if any thing in the world wil make al quiet within if any thing in the world wil beget a serenity and Calmness in the spirits of men it is this Reconciliation with God No marvel then that the Gospel speakes so much of the peaceable disposition of those that entertaine it that it tells us of the Wolses dwelling with the Lamb of the Lyons eating straw with the Oxe that is though men were formerly of such Wolfish and Lyon-like natures yet having received the Gospel and accepted of the tearmes of Reconciliation with God they shal be as Lambs they shal agree one with another And the reason is because there is so much in the Peace of the Gospel as wil quiet the heart so that a man may wonder when he Considers of the excellency of the Peace that is between God and man how it is possible for a Christian to be put into a passion You Complaine of the troubles you meet withal in your world that your Husband is froward or that the Wife is froward that you have perverse Neighbours but
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
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
the Oyle of joy for mourning the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called Trees of Righteousness the Planting of the Lord that he might be glorified that is in effect the same with this the Ministery of Reconciliation that is but a large expression of the Ministery of Reconciliation and as you see here it is a prophecy of Christ that first Christ is annoyinted this Christ is appointed by God the Father and the Holy Spirit for the Spirit of God is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted â—e there is the holy Spirit in it God the Father appoints him he only may be said to be the appointer and the Holy Spirit going to annoint Jesus Christ to be a preacher of the Gospel and he being the prime and the cheif Prophet of the Church he doth appoint others to exercise as it were some work of his prophetical office that is to preach the great Doctrine of Reconciliation hath committed unto us the Ministery of Reconciliation this you shal see is the commission that Christ gives in the last of Mark 15.16 verses And he said unto them go yee into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleeveth is baptised shal be saved and he that beleiveth not shal be damned Go ye saith he and preach to every creature he that beleiveth and is baptised shal be saved but he that beleiveth not shal be damned this is the Gospel the doctrine of Reconciliation by Christ he doth not give them a bare commission but he joyns his own power together to this commission and tells them that his power doth go along with them in it Math. 28.18 And Jesus came and speak unto them saying All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth What followes in vers 19. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptising them in the name of the Father Son and holy-Holy-Spirit What a commission is here what a preamble to the commissions is here I have received all power both in Heaven and in Earth And than he tells them Go and teach al nations as if Christ should say you are going about the greatest work that ever any creature hath been implyed in in this world for so it is certainly The Ministery of Reconciliation is next to the work of Redemption that Christ was employed about is the greatest work that any creature in this world was employed about whatsoever the world thinks of it no Angel in heaven was ever employed about a greater work then this and therefore being of so great consequence Christ makes this preface Al power is given unto me in heaven and in earth go ye therefore as if Christ should say Be it knowen to you now that the power that is given to me by the Father shal go along with you and therefore be encouraged but they might wel have said who is sufficient for these great things But be not discouraged saith Christ my power shal go along with you to assist you to comfort you to encourage you it shal go along with you to make your Ministery proffitable unto them that do belong unto my election It shal go along with you to defend you from al adversaries The world wil be enraged against you When you come to preach this Doctrine But now my power shal go along with you to defend you from them al to strengthen you against al oppositions in the world and to enable you to suffer whatsoever shal be brought upon you and further saith Christ I am with you Alwayes even to the end of the world One would have thought that that should have been sufficient that Christ should have said I am with you to the end of the world But there is something more in this I am with you Alwayes even to the end of the world that is I wil not be only with you so as not wholly to leave you but there shal be no one moment of time to the end of the world but in it I wil be with you I wil not only overshadow you and send my presence with you but every moment every day every sermon you preach and then I wil be with you to the end of the world those were dead above 1500. Yeares agoe and yet Christ saith he wil be with them to the end of the world that is with those that should succeed them in the Minnistery of Reconciliation This is the commission And when they come to any house they are to begin thus You shal say Peace be to you when they come to any place that is the peace of God in Christ Now this doctrine of Reconciliation is that that must be understood by preaching We can read but very little of it scarce one letter in all the book of the creature we cannot come to understand it by any knowledg of our own but it must be taught us no nor by the creature But thus much may be understood by the creatures Gods continuing to the world and shining upon the just as wel as upon the unjust and abundance of Mercy heer doth this declare with a loude voice that there is some possibility for men to be reconciled unto God there is mercy for mankind there doth seem to be a loude voice in the goodness of God in the creature to sound out in the eares of al the world that man is in a better condition than the Devills for certainly if God had no intention to do good unto mankind he would not continue so many Mercies as he doth But now this cannot shew us what is Christ but it may shew us thus much that God hath a way of mercy for the Children of men and I think in part that text may be meant of this that we have in Rom. 10.18 Where the Appostle speaks concerning the Gospel but I say have they not heard Yes verily their sound went into al the world have they not heard of the Gospel that is here spoken of Hath not Israel heard the Gospel Yes verily their sound went into all the Earth and their words unto the end of the world And this text if you compare it with the 19. Psal We may have cause to wonder much at the quotation of it and there you have it a little different as in the vers 4. their Line that is the great characcter of the Grace of God that is written in the book of the creature as it were in a line that is gone out throught the earth and hath a kind of sound in it at least we may see it written but hence you see in the 19. Psalm It is clerly spoken concerning the works of God In the Sun and in the Heavens The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmant shews his handy work The creature hath a loude voice to cal us to God by repentance now there can be no calling of us to Repentance but it is a voice of the Gospel And the
common wealth Look what right you have to your Houses Lands and Estates you have the same right to your practice of Religion This is the mercy of God towards England rather than to other Countries Now we take up Arms to defend our civil right and let it be in what it wil be either to our Estates or Houses or Religion or whatsoever it be stil it is a civil right this is that that justifies this quarrel and this is enough to stop the Mouths of any in this point and to answer that argument about the primitive times But I let this pass and come unto the next verse CHAP. 45. Verse 20. Opened and Five Doctrines propounded VERSE 20. Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you reconciled to God NOW we are Embassadors Mark what rise the holy Apostle takes saith he God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us this word of Reconciliation Now then we are Embassadors His spirit seems to be much moved in this What God reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them Now then we we are Embassadors for Christ now then we have a great trust now then we have a great charge now then we are Embassadors not from any earthly great Prince but from Jesus Christ himself So that in these words you have these several points of Doctrine I might cast them into these several conclusions Doct. First That the Ministers of the Gospel are Embassadors of Christ Secondly What they do in this their Embassage It is as if God and Christ did it as though God did beseech you by us so we pray you in Christs stead Thirdly The Consideration of the Excellency of their Commission and Embassage makes them wonderful careful to do what they are sent about and very earnest in plying the work they are sent to do Now we are Embassadors and as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled Fourthly That God and Jesus Christ are exceeding willing to be reconciled unto Sinners And that is the Fourth thing which is indeed the principal thing in the Text that is recorded Now as the very ground of al that is intended in the Text. That God and Christ is exceeding willing that sinners should come in to be reconciled to him for they do pray and beseech you Fiftly That the work of the Ministery of the Gospel it is by al the means they can to labor to draw a people by entreating and beseeching them and to take no nay of the hearts of the people until they do get them to come in to be reconciled unto God These are the five things of the 20. verse Now then we are Embassadors for Christ c. I shal but briefly treat of the first three for indeed the two latter are the cheif which I chose this text for To shew you the willingness of God that sinners should come in and be reconciled to him and the work of the Ministery is to draw the hearts of the people But the other three I shal speak of but by way of preface unto these CHAP. 46. The Ministers of the Gospel Are Embassadors of Christ Opened in six particulars First That the Ministers of the Gospel are the Embassadors of Christ Not Embassadors for Belial or for Antichrist as many Ministers have been to plead the cause of Antichrist as if they were sent as Legates from Rome and to plead for superstitious vanities we are not Embassadors for Belial for sin for wickedness for many times you heare pleading against Godliness and for wickedness No we are Embassadors for Christ we are sent Embassadors this is something more than messengers this is a higher degree than to be a bare messenger an Embasdor is more than a steward in 1. Cor. 4. Therefore let a man so account of us as the Ministers of Christ and dispencers of the misteries of Salvation I only wil shew you a scripture for that and a little open it and soon pass by this point We have it often in scripture this word Embassador In Eph. 6.2 There you have it to the same purpose as it is here For which I am an Embassador and he is in bonds He was not used like an Embassador you know Embassadors First they are such as are sent from Princes and States to other Princes and States it is not a private man If any of you send a messenger about a business he is not said to be an Embassador but one that comes from a Prince or State from other countries he is said to be an Embassador So the Minister of the Gospel he is not sent to deale between man and man but between God and man in matters that concern the great God of Heaven and Earth and sent from him though designed to it by men yet their calling depends upon God upon Christ only here is the difference when Princes and States send their Embassadors they send them to other Princes and to other States But now God sends Embassadors to poor wretched sinful men and herein he doth honor man that he wil send a messenger from himselfe to them to be an Embassador When a Prince doth send a messenger to a person you do not say that the Prince doth send an Embassador to them that are in prison that he may execute when he pleases rather an Executioner than an Embassador So we might al have expected rather that there should an Executioner have been sent but God is pleased for his elect ones to send an Embassador And besides Embassadors are not sent about every trivial business but when an Embassador is sent it is about a publique business a State business of some great consequence so when you hear that God sends his Embassadors to the world you must know that it is about a great and a weighty business about a State business it is about that that doth concerne the very state of Heaven the God of Heaven it is that that concerns God himself more neerly than any thing in â—â—â—s world concerns him It concerns God next unto his own beeing and unto his Son the neerest of any thing that is without that belongs to a God therefore we are called Embassadors Thirdly They are called Embassadors because they must look to this that they do not the least thing but by Commission it is as much as his life is worth to go beyond his Commission in any thing so the ministers of the Gospel they must keep close to the Commission which they receive from Jesus Christ Fourthly when he goes to any place he doth represent the person of the King himself from whom he came and what wrong is done to him is done to the Kings person Let the Embassadors be never so meane so al the Ministers of the Gospel they come to you in the
preaching to you How do you think that Christ himself would preach if he were here upon the Earth That which comes neerest to what Christ would preach that you must favor cerrainly Christ would not preach to defend superstitious vanities for Christ when he came to preach preached so as the people many times derided him and scorned him One time when he had done his Sermon they carryed him to the brow of the hil of the City and would presently have broken his Neck Do but read that Sermon of Christ in the 5 6 7. Math. What preachers would you think your Courtiers to be if Christ were preaching to you that that comes nearest to that that Christ would preach that you must most favor and affect Secondly That kind of preaching you think in your consciences doth most prevaile in the authority of the word hath humbled most hearts and converted most souls that Christ hath set his seal unto I appeal unto you what kind of preaching hath humbled most souls and done most good Hath not some poor country preacher that hath preached in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit converted more souls unto God than an hundered Bishops so that he may be able to say at the great day of judgment according to his measure as our blessed Savior said Here am I and those whom thou hast given me Thirdly Examine of what side you be those that be of Gods side they know his voice my sheep hear my voice but a stranger they wil not follow take any town and divide the people and see how the Minister is liked some are for and some against him But now look into the difference of their lives of both these kinds of men of those that are for and those that are against the Minister see their different walkings come into such a place as this Because they say there is a thousand ale-houses belonging to this place of Stepny I think there be hardly five that do savor the Ministery of the word and al your prophane ones generally they speak against the Ministers Now I appeal to your consciences if you were to stand before God at the day of judgment of which side would you be either of the side of those that are drunkards swearers uncleane persons and raylers at the Ministery of the word or of the side of those that are willing to take paines to heare the word of God and bless God for the Ministery of his word Certainly that preaching hath most of Christ in it that those that have most of the Spirit of Christ do most savour fot they know the voice of Christ and a stranger they wil not hear they can understand it though wicked and ungodly ones cannot That is the Second use CHAP. 53. USE 3. We should delight in the Word A Third Use of the point is this Is the ministry of the word such as hath God and Christ speaking in it Oh then How should we delight in it How should we bless God for it With what greediness should we come to hear at any time What is not the voice of Jesus Christ sweet unto us We have Christ wooing of us Christ exhorting of us and Christ comforting of us When we come to the Word O! with what readiness and cheerfulness should we come to hear the voice of Christ If you be Godly Christ doth delight in your voice when you are gotten alone in your Closets and can speak but brokenly O then your voice is delightful to him Therefore the voice of Christ should be very delightful unto you I wil give you a Text or two for proof of this Cant. 2.14 It is a speech of Christ to the Church O my dove that are in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comly O! let me hear thy voice my dove O! thou that art in the secret places of the stairs Art thou got alone into a hole to prayer got alone behind the dore in the secret places for it is spoken here of the estate of the Church in times of persecution that they dare not come together openly howsoever wicked men wil raile at them and say they get into corners to do thus and thus but saith Christ thou that art in the clefts of the rocks in the secret places of the stairs let me hear thy voice for thy voice is sweet and thy countenance is comely Against in the 4. Cant. 11. Thy lips drop as the hony-combe O my Spouse When the Saints speak of Christ or speak to Christ their lips do drop before Christ as the hony-comb Now what an argument is this Shal thy lips be so sweet to Christ and shal not Christs lips be as sweet to thee the Ministry of the word is as if Christ did entreat thee and beseech thee O! how sweet should it be to thee if thou hast the Spirit of Christ the Church of Christ doth answer what Christ said of her lips and of her Voice and of her Mouth so the Church doth answer to Christ in the 5. Cant. mark what the Church saith of his Mouth what an Eccho is here and an answer to prayer saith Christ to the Church Thy lips O my Spouse are as the hony-comb And thy mouth O my Saviour is most sweet In John 3.29 he saith there That the friend of the Bridegroom which stands and hears the Bridegroomes voice rejoiceth greatly If thou be the spouse of Christ thou wilt rejoice to hear the voice of the Brdegroom and every time thou comest to hear a conscionable Sermon thou do'st come to hear the very Voyce of the Bridegroom and thou canst not but rejoyce in it O! how sweet is one word of Christ to a gracious heart and the spiritual communion with Christ here upon earth it is in his ordinances we shal hereafter be alwaies in his presence and see his face But if he would have any evidence that we shal have communion with him in heaven we must Rejoyce in the hearing of his word CHAP. 54 VES 4. If God and Christ speak in the word how dreadful ought it to be to the Neglectors Disobayers and Contemners of the word IF God and Christ do speak in the ministry of his word Then O! what a dreadful point is this to al the neglecters disobeyers and contemners of the ministry of the word Thou neglectest the word O! what dost thou do when thou neglectest the word thou turnest thy backe upon Jesus Christ and wilt not hear him and therefore I suppose you know the place He that turns away his ear from hearing the law his prayers shal be abominable what dost thou turn away thine ear from hearing the word God professes that he wil turn away his ear from hearing thy prayers and thy prayers shal be abominable for thou turnest away thine eare from hearing of Christ speake to thy soul For
Objection cannot hinder Obj. O! but there may lie another Objection Thus it may be the Lord wil require though he requires nothing that I shal do before hand but wil grant his mercy freely but when I am come then perhaps things that are hard wil be required at my hands O! the waies of God they are hard waies and then I must live so strictly then I must make Conscience of my waies and so abandon al my sins and Lusts and whaâ— saith the Devil to a corrupt heart What wil you leave al such pleasant waies and be so streightly bound Then you must do nothing but according to the word of God and of Conscience farewel al the Comforts and Joyes of your life iâ— you come once to be religious and godly these are the tentations that do keep of the hearts of men I appeal to you have not some of your hearts been kept off from Jesus Christ and the waies of God meerly upon some such temptations as these and indeed perhaps at first it may be so til the nature of a man is changed But mark how this objection is taken away when sinners are called to Christ I suppose you know the place Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden and I wil give you rest But that concerns the former and then afterwards when Christ had said so come to me ye that are weary heavy laden and I wil give you rest take my yoak upon you my burthen c. It seems then we must be yoaked and burthened But marke what follows in vers 30. For my yoak is easy and my burthen is light as if Christ should say never harken to such a tentation of any difficulties in my wayes I assure you beforehand you wil find that the Devil doth but gul you deceive and cozen you I wil warrant you that beforehand that I wil lay no yoak upon you but you shal say when you come to beare it it is an easy yoak and though it be a burthen yet you shal acknowledg it is a light burthen This I dare say in the name of God unto al come in al you that stand off from the waies of God though the waies of God may seem hard to you at first yet I dare say from God unto you that you wil find the wayes of God more easy to you at last than ever you did in the waies of sin For certainly there is more trouble in the waies of sin than can be in the waies of God And when God cals upon you to come in to be reconciled he doth profess this to you that he wil require nothing of you but that which shal be more pleasant to you than any wayes of sin that you lived in before there be more comforts and joy and that for the present than ever you had in the waies of sin do but ask any one that hath made tryal of this and desire them to speak their consciences to thee I meane those that have had any apprehension of the love of Christ to them yea have you began to walk in wisdomes wayes which are pleasantness and to tread in those paths which are strowed with roses and paved with peace pray then speak plainly how do you find your self is it not better now than it was before do you not find more ease more comfort and joy in these waies of God than you did before in any way of Sin Oh such a one wil profess unto you that they find more comfort than ever they did before they find more sweetness in communion with God in his wayes in one day than they found in the waies of sin in al their lives before the Holy Spirit in pleading with the hearts of men saith the same Prov. 3.17 Her waies are waies of pleasantness and her paths are peace If you wil beleeve the spirit of God the waies of Godliness are waies of pleasantness and al her paths are paths of peace What should hinder you then It is neither your unworthiness that can be any hinderance nor the hardship of the way These are the two great blocks that lie in the way and God doth fully take away these in scripture and if there be any other objection I dare undertake bring what objections you can give me but a litle time to find out some manifest word or other in the scripture that shal meet with the very objection Then how doth this argue Gods exceeding willingness to be reconciled to sinners If a man send his messenger to such a one to offer peace and he thinks beforehand Oh! but he wil have this and this objection against me but saith he to his servant that is imployed in the business you shal answer this objection thus and the other objection thus CHAP. 73. The thirtenth argument Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God to be reconciled to sinners ANother evidence of Gods willingness to be reconciled is this that God is so importunate with sinners he uses such strong arguments that he first takes away objections and then he is so importunate he doth not meerly satisfy himself with offering of mercy but he is very importunate in the work and the importunity of God appeares First in this that the scripture expresses God crying out after sinners not only seeking out after sinners but calling and crying so the words in the Original are of Gods beseeching to be reconciled of God calling to sinners in Prov. 1. It is said of wisdom that it cries the Lord cryes out and that in Isa 55. When he makes a proclamation he begins first with Oh! yes Oh! every one that thirsteth come to the waters and he that hath no mony and there is the offer of Christ with a proclamation Further Gods importunity is manifest in this that he comes over again with a thing and is not content with the expressing of himself But he doth it again and again and again he is at it as in Isa 55. vers the first Se how many times there is crying in one verse Ho! every one that thirsteth come ye and he that hath no mony come and come the third time three times in one verse saith God come to sinners and then in the third verse Incline your eare and come unto mee saith God and hear and your souls shal live and I wil make an everlasting Covenant with you there is another promise Even the sure mercies of David so hear in one short scripture four times come saith God O! how importunate is God with sinners God doth not do with us as commonly wee do with him God seeks after sinners more earnestly than sinners seek after God thus we seek to God for mercy we pray to God for mercy we content our selves with praying once and seldome looke after our prayers what becoms of them but God he cries to us to come and if we do not come the first time then he crys come come come four times together we are ready to think
are entreated to be reconciled to deliver your Souls from that depth of misery and to be brought unto happiness and glory Secondly Consider who you are that are intreated Were there any great worth in you Then you might expect to be entreated as men that are of great estates they must be entreated But who are you wretched Caitiffes in your selves damned Dust and Ashes fire-brands of hel such as have made your selves fuel for the everlasting wrath of the eternal God to burne upon such as deserve to be cast out as an everlasting curse enemies to God you are intreated And by whom are you intreated Even by God himself and Christ that is God blessed for ever Even that infinite glory before whom Angels adore before whom they cover their faces even him who by one word of his mouth is able to send you al presently down to Hell even this God commeth to entreat and that Christ whom Angels do Adore even that Christ comes to entreate For the Servant to entreate his Master for the subject to entreate the prince is not so much but for the Maister to entreate the Servant for the prince to entreate the subject this is that that should fil our Souls with a spirit of admiration at the unspeakable condescentions of the most blessed Majesty Thirdly what need hath God of you though you should perish and die eternally it is no great matter to him God might have his glory out of your eternal ruine But to that end that he might break your Hearts therefore he doth entreate and beseech Oh admire at the riches of his Grace and give him the glory that is due unto him begin to do that here that you must do to al eternities when you come into his glorious presence in Heaven CHAP. 80. VSE 2. And 3. SEcondly The more God doth manifest this his grace the more desperatly wicked is the heart of man to stand out against God Oh! wretched cursed heart that can stand out against God that can stand out against the the offer of grace in the Gospel I say this is a cursed heart to stand out against the offer of grace though it were no more If this should be but declared that Christ is come into the world to save sinners God expects that al those to whom Christ is so revealed that they should come flocking unto him and cry mightily unto God for mercy in Christ but when God doth not only offer his son but comes by the Ministry of his word and by the work of his spirit to draw your hearts unto him and ye thou dost stand out against God against al these gracious beginings drawings and melting expressions of God thou dost stand out Oh! Cursed stubborn hard heart that should stand out against al these Thou canst not now pleade Oh! tentation was strong to draw my heart from God to such and such sinful waies Was tentation strong Why did ever tentation draw more alluringly than God hath drawn alluringly by his gospel It is impossible that the Devil and al the world should draw more alluringly to any sin than God doth draw unto him Oh! these entreatings of God this gratious way toward sinners is that that wil be the greatest aggravation of the sins of men that ever was or can be imagined Only for the present know thus much that the mercies of God that shal be the subject of the Saints rejoycing and blessing of his name to al eternity that mercy wil be thy greatest misery and that is a sad thing for any sinner to think on that that mercy that the Saints shal be eternally admiring and blessing God for that that should be my misery and secret wound and my greatest terror and that is the second thing VSE 3. Oh! rebuke thine own wretched heart that hath stood out so long against God as thou hast done al thy daies Certainly the consideration of this of standing out against any command of God when God comes to enlighten a mans Conscience and the Soul doth come to understand with whom he hath to deal it hath a mighty power to break the heart of man That when I come to see that I have stood out against al those loving drawings al those woings of the Gospel it is that that wil rent your hearts Rent your hearts and not your garments for the Lord is merciful that is not only a breaking of the heart but a rending of the heart when the Grace of God doth appear to it CHAP. 81. Use 4. To strengthen our Faith if God were reconciled when we were enemies he wil not cast us off for every infirmity Objections Answered FOurthly The Consideration of this may be a mighty strength to the Faith of those sinners that have in some measure been wrought upon by the Grace of God Thus if the Lord hath manifested such abundance of strength of Spirit in seeking to sinners to be reconciled then certainly when sinners are reconciled the heart of God wil forever be with them he wil not lose the fruit of such Grace as this if once he hath brought in and that in such a way of mercy Christ having brought it it cannot be any easie thing that shal take off Gods heart from thee there was the goodness of God towards Adam in Paradice I but it was not so much goodness of God unto him as could not admit of any breach beween God and him But the heart of God is so much in this work in bringing sinners to be reconciled unto him as it is impossible that ever there should be such a breach between them and him again that ever they should prove to be enemies Therefore let this strengthen thy heart when at any time thou begin'st to have jelous thoughts of God have recourse to thy first calling to God I went on not many years ago in a wreatched sinful way but God came to me and shewed me my evil way and shewed me his Grace Yea when I stood out against his Grace he followed me and would not let me be at quiet but manifested it more and more and hath overcome my heart unto himself How can I think that God that hath done so before that now he should take advantage upon every infirmity that now every sin that he sees in me should make such breaches between him and my soul that he should cast me from him Can I think it Certainly it is a wrong to the Grace of God in the Gospel Object I but you wil say here is the evil That upon my loose walking I cannot think that ever things were in truth that I was truly converted Answ To that I answer but these two things First that if thou canst but be able to say thus in the presence of God the Lord knows that there is no weapon of enmity in my heart that is against God that God reveals unto me to be a sin but I know my heart is against it I can appeal to God so and
there is no duty that God requires of me but I know my heart is with it if the Lord wil but reveal to me Now in this case having before felt the work of God drawing thee to Christ and if thy heart be thus kept to God this is one good Argument that certainly God and thou are not enemies Secondly if thou canst but say thus there is no Argument that is so prevalent with me to make me not sin as this for fear of breaking peace between God and me this is the thing that makes my sin sting my Soul indeed because by that I come to lose some of that sweeness of the assurance of my peace with God Canst thou say so keep thy heart but in such a frame though thou hast many weaknesses that thou canst say whatsoever sin the Lord reveals to me yet my heart is against it and whatsoever duty the Lord requires of me yet I know my heart is with it and if there be any thing that I do not know Oh! that I knew it more and more and there is nothing that I fear sin for so much as this because that I see it breaks the peace between God and my Soul Is it so with thy poor soul I pronounce in the name of God Peace be unto thee Though thy heart be not as thou would'st have it thou maist conclude this certainly God that hath manifested such Grace in drawing thy heart unto himself at the first wil not cast thee off Certainly God had some greater end in working so wonderfully towards thee than to throw thee off except the Lord had some great thoughts of heart in glorifying himself in thee and to do thee good he would never have wrought so upon thy heart as he hath done There are others that live under the light of the Gospel but the Lord doth never come to their hearts to speak to them as inwardly to draw their hearts and that by his own Spirit as he hath done to thee the Lord hath not had so great thoughts of heart to glorifie his name upon them in the day of his Grace as towards thee in the working of his Grace So certainly to thee the Lord is about to do great things that grace of his that hath been so strong upon thee as it hath been it wil carry thee through al difficulties Certainly the Grace of God hath been strong and it wil be strong and therefore build upon it If thou hast an hard heart do not say thou hast an hard heart and therefore Gods heart is not towards thee No but rather say thou hast an hard heart and therefore thou wilt look towards God to break thy hard heart and bring thy frozen and cold heart to these Beams of Gods Grace and stand under these Heavenly influences If thou beest sensible of the hardness of thy heart and then to sit down sullenly and heavily and think because of this God wil reject thee this is not the way to get thy heart softened but rather cal to mind what the grace of God hath been towards thee and how the heart of God is towards sinners to be reconciled unto them and what he hath done for the like such sinners as thou art and so keep thy heart under the warme beams of the Gospel and thereby thou wilt gain a great deal more than sitting down in a sullen way Those kind of Herbs that grow under the warm Sun grow the better and the Fruit ripens better than those that grow out of the Sunne So the Heart that can keep it self continually in the Sunne of this mercy and goodness of God thus expressing himself in the Gospel willing to be reconciled to sinners this heart wil thrive more abundantly than those that shal ly down sullenly and discontentedly This is a mighty encouragement for al sinners to come to be reconciled a mighty strong encouragement to them the Lord invites and beseeches in the Gospel and sends his ministers to do it and requires them that they should do it in his name What should hinder them but that any sinner none excepted should come and be reconciled We cannot tel who they are that shal not be reconciled and therefore we may say concerning any particular sinner What should hinder thee but that thou shouldest come in to be reconciled And if God entreates and Christ entreates and Ministers entreate and thou entreatest What letts thee but that thou maist be reconciled As the Eunuch said Here is Water enough why may I not be baptised So here is mercy enough why maist thou not be reconciled Hast thou such thoughts as these are See that God is willing to be reconciled to sinners wel when I get home I am resolved to throw my self before the Lord Christ and I am able to cry to him for reconciliation for I am damned and undone for ever else and and I heare that there is a way to be reconciled to him wel this shal be my work now I wil set upon it presently I wil never leave crying to God til I have found Gods Grace comming to me Art thou resolved upon this Wel go on and fal down in thy crying to God for mercy make this point part of thy petition Lord I have heard that thou art willing to be reconciled now Lord here is a wretched sinner comes in to be reconciled to thee what hinders now when both shal entreate Suppose two were fallen out one with the other but now when both sides are wrought upon and one he professes himself not only willing but earnestly desirous to be reconciled and the other he comes and expresses himself so too surely both these wil agree Now it is true many times between man and man their expressions are but very slight and there is not that at the bottom of their hearts that they express with their mouthes When two are fallen out and one comes to them and saith why wil you not be at peace with such a man Oh! yes saith he I am willing So come to the other and he saies the same he is willing and yet their hearts are not right perhapps one to the other But now in this case between God and thy poor soul be confident that on Gods side it is most real and do thou but make it out that thy heart is real in desiring after peace with God and fully understand what thou dost when thou dost desire peace with God So that thou wilt not be at peace with any sin and desire it fully and then when thou shalt get it then thy heart shal be praising God and say I shal live to the praise of God for ever and that shal be my endeavor I would faine have at but wil God be at peace Yes God shal get as much as thou shalt by it he shal thereby get that that he did especially intend and aime at in making the world The great designe that God had in making the world was to magnify the
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
reconciled unto God and an other that is not One that is not reconciled unto God in Christ is so under the Law as every sin he commits be it little or great doth put him under the sentence and curse of eternal death the neglect of any duty be it never so smal doth it But now here is the priviledg of a Beleiver when thou art once a Beleiver and so art in Jesus Christ then the sins thou committest those should indeed be for thy humiliation but there is none of them that do put thee under the sentence of eternal death neither upon this ground art thou to keep the Law that is to keep it so as to think that if thou do it not or that every breach of the Law should put thee under the sentence of eternal death Indeed others that are under the Law they must looke to keep the Law whether they be able or not but the Law hath no power over thee that way and thou art not upon that ground to keep it and therefore thy sins which thou committest do not put thee under the sententence of eternal death as the sins of others do there is no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ it is true of every moment and instant of time that there is no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ I wil give you another scripture for this that is as cleer as the other though not perhaps so much taken notice of It is in Rom. 7.5 For when we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did worke in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Note the Motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members What did they do they brought forth fruite and fruite unto death this the blessed Apostle saith was when we were in the flesh But now being Beleevers though we have the remainings the motions of sin yet they are not such as bring forth fruit unto death None of the sins of Beleivers bring forth fruite unto death for they are delivered from that power of the Law that the Law cannot come with the sentence of death upon them This is an high priviledg of Beleevers and the right knowledg of this would help us that we should not think that our peace with God is so broken that God is our enemy through every sin which through humane frailty is committed Object You wil say what need then Beleevers to be careful to avoid sin may they not take liberty to walke as they list O! No there are other arguments besides this Indeed had they a slaveish spirit had they no other arguments to perswade them from sin but this that sin would make God and them enemies it were somewhat Men that object and say that Beleivers may do what they list because their peace with God cannot be broken The truth is they themselves have slavish hearts and they do not know the strength of other arguments to keep them from sin I deare boldly affirme this that a Beleever should not upon the Commission of sin think that therefore he is now under the sentence of death if so be it be such a sin as may stand with the state of Grace as many weaknesses and frailties may for there are some sins as liveing after the flesh which the scripture speakes of which if Beleivers live in they shal die You wil say what can they perish eternally yet this is made as a means to keep them from living after the flesh But if they should come to live after the flesh which Gods grace wil keep them from doing in a constant way they shal die and so far they may apprehend eternal death were due unto them if it were possible for them to fal into that condition to live after the flesh But it is not true that a Beleiver upon every sin he committs should be under the sentence of death for being once Beleevers we are freed from the Law And therefore the Apostle after he had spoken of the Law of God to the same purpose in Rom. 5. He answers this Objection What shal we say then shal we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shal we that are dead to sin live any longer therein and then follows Even as sin hath raigned unto death so grace must raigne through righteousness to eternal life The Grace of God raigns domineers over al things that come to oppose it even over al our infirmities over al our sins over whatsoever may seem to contradict it the grace of God raigns there is a domineering power in the grace of God over al things that would contradict it but this is through Righteousness Thou hast sin in thee that would oppose Gods reconciling Grace but it â—aigns notwithstanding that sin of thine and it raigns to eternal life it hath a raigning power to carry thee through al difficulties and hinderances to eternal life and al through the righteousness of Christ Therefore Beleevers that they may keep their peace with God are to look upon al duties required in the Law as bound to do them and that they are not freed from the duties the Law requires their relation unto God redeeming of them doth not take away their relation unto God as a Creator stil they are bound to God as a Creator as wel as a Redemer But they should look upon the Law as comeing to them in the hand of Christ It is an excellent speech which Luther hath for this O! how sweet saith he are the commandements of God unto us when we receive them not as they are in the Book but as they are in the wounds of Christ When we reade the Commandements of God in the wounds of Chrst And receive them there O! how sweet are they then then we obey them out of sweet principles not out of Legal respects as if upon every Breach we should be brought under the sentence of eternal death as we did before This I take to be the meaning of that place in Rom. 8.15 For you have not received the spirit of Bondage againe to feare What is the spirit of Bondage The spirit of Bondage that causeth feare at first before one is a Beleever is this either perfectly obey the Law or Perish saith the spirit even the spirit of God whether able or no you must obey every thing or die and if thou hast sinned against the Law thou art now accursed notwithstanding al the duties that thou hast done the spirit of God saith so to al unbeleivers and this causeth feare but saith the Apostle you have not received the spirit of Bondage to feare again though perhaps thou mayest feare upon thy weakness that God wil turne thine enemy upon every Breach but the spirit of God saith not so that thou art therefore accursed but that spirit inableth thee to go to God as a Father to heale thy weakness and to give thee power against them and the Contrary
is such a mistake as indeed is a great dishonor to the work of God reconciliation of God in Christ We must put much upon that great work which God puts so much upon and if we did we might go up and down in the world with a world of comfort and it would increase sanctification Indeed to deny al kind of obleigment of the Law to God and to say that men are not bound to keep it as God being their Creator c there is an exstream vanity in it but to give the Law that which is its due and to give the Beleever his due too to shew how farr we are bound to it and how far delivered from it this is a great mistery of the Gospel and people should labor to understand it aright and take heed least out of a desire to apprehend the grace of God in Christ we do not go too farr in ovrthrowing our obligations to God by the Law One would think that this which I have delivered if mens spirits were not very wanton were enough namely that we are not under the sentence of condemnation though we are not freed from the Law and the duties thereof as God is our Creator and we should think the grace of God magnified in this and therefore thus far take hold and make use of this Grace of God in Christ as not to loose the comfort of it This is the first weakness that hinders men from preserveing the comfortable assurance of their peace with God Weakness 2. The second Weakness is this When men that are godly are ready to judg of Gods works through their weakness as works of enmity against them not only of their waies towards God as an argument that God and they are at enmity but they are ready to judg al the administrations of Gods providence as if they were the works of an enemy to them as if God were in them walking contrary to them This is a great weakness and dishonor unto God Let the wicked and ungodly judg so if they Wil. As God saith fury is not in me who would set the briars and the Thorns before him he wil go through them When God comes in outward waies of misery ungodly ones may look upon them as God walking in them contrary unto them they may look upon al his works as the works of an enimy and as one that intends their ruine and destruction they are to look upon every trouble if it be but the least distemper of their body as the beginnings of eternal wrath and a making way for eternal misery for ought they know But they that are reconciled to God it is their weakness if they should look upon the greatest affliction they meet withal as a work of Gods coming towards them as an enimy No you must know that there is this power in your reconciliation with God in Christ as First That there is nothing that ever God doth towards you that doth tend to everlasting wrath nothing whatever it be Here is thy comfort that thou mayest build upon this though thy affliction be sore and though they be long upon thy body or estate perhaps thou loosest al that thou hast and it may be God delivers thee up into the hand of thine enemies and they trample upon thee as dirt yet nothing of al this tends to eternal wrath As on the contrary though a wicked man may have a great many favors from God and fruits of his patience yet no wicked man hath ground to make such an interpretation of any good thing he injoyes from God as to think that this doth tend to his eternal good So those that are beleevers though they meet with never so great afflictions yet they have not sufficient ground to make this interpretation of those afflictions that they tend to their utter undoing And one would think that this were enough on the other side for men to beleeve that whatsoever afflictions they meet withal in this world the wrath of God in al those afflictions is taken away they shal not tend to their ruine and eeternal misery that though the afflictions themselves may remaine yet the poyson of every affliction which is the wrath of God is taken away by Christ Nay whatsoever befals us in this world is so far from tending to eternal misery that it is through the love of God tending to thy good that which doth seem to be most cross to thy desires yet it is such as tends to thy everlasting good in Christ And this one would think is enough for the sattisfaction of mens hearts in the point of afflictions As what was delivered before may be enough concerning our freedome from the Law So what I have now writ in being chastened for our sins Take but these two things that no evil no chastisement that shal befal us shal tend to our everlasting misery nay nothing shal befal us but it is out of love and tends to our eternal good These two being granted one would thing one might grant any thing else that God may shew a fatherly displeasure against us for our sins though not as a revenging judg that God may exercise his wisdom that way to mannifest his holiness and how he disliks sin c. One would think this might safely be granted granting the other two And indeed these two and the other concerning the Law al our divines that are Orthrodax grant and these are enough to satisfie us about the free grace of God in Christ and beleevers be throughly revited and grounded in this they may come to keep the assurance of their peace with God for what shal hinder either their sins or Gods afflictions now neither of these should hinder a beleevers peace but that he may be able stil to preserve it looking upon God through Christ This is concerning the loosing of the assurance of our peace through weakness CHAP. 26. We may loose the asserance of our Peace with God by our sinful walking SEcondly we may come to loose our peace the assurance of our peace with God through sinfulnes through our loose and carnal walking with God by this means we may come to fear that such walking cannot stand with the condition of a Beleever and then indeed a beleever is put to a nonplus and it wil be a great while before he can be satisfied In the other when it is but a dayly infirmity and when it is such as he strivs against he is easily satisfied but when it comes to that that it is very like walking after the flesh as indeed many fal so fouly as you can scarcly perceive any difference between one that works after the flesh and him his exceedingly clouds the light of Gods favour and exceedingly hinders the Comfort of his peace with God And O how justly may the Lord abraid thee and say what did I set that infinit wisdome of mine a work to find out such a way of Reconciliation with thee and is it worth no