when we are told it is to be through a full satisfaction made by his Son and price invaluable paid by him By him who though the infinite God became a finite Man Tho' Gods equal became his Servant Though the Blessed God yet was made a Curse for us We cannot but persist asking How can these things be It nothing repents me that I have often said We do now as much need to have the Spirit of God Live in us as ever we did need the Son of God to Dye for us And as the Purchase of Reconciliation did require a Divine Person the Proof of it doth require no less God deals with Man as Man In a way of Reason suited unto his Reasonable Nature Which cannot Believe any thing without a Reason for Belief of it Of all the great and marvellous things that God commands our Faith he first giveth sufficient grounds for our Faith of them Particularly of his foresaid Purpose to reconcile Sinners and of his Sons Purchase foresaid things of greatest worth and weight and of Concernment to as many as do need Reconciliation Of these extraordinary things God hath provided extraordinary Proof Even the Testimony of a Person no less than the Father himself or the Son Of the Glorious Spirit coessential and coequal with both This Divine Infallible Person who cannot be deceiv'd himself or deceive us is sent by the Father and his Son to certifie us of the Purpose and the Purchase which we speak of To inform us of both to conquer and drive away the Objections of our Minds against both to give us a certain kind of presence and sight of both A sight sufficient to move our Wills and make our Hearts to relye and rest upon both as really true And to draw our Affections in necessary degrees causing us to Love and long for the possession of the Reconcilement so purposed and so purchased And to over-rule our Lives and make them nothing so much as a course of Contemplation Prayer and Action for this said Reconciliation For be it deeply considered The Holy Ghost is declared in the Word to be sent for this end To be a Witness unto Jesus Christ and an Agent for him It would be very vain to object that the Holy Spirit was given under the Old Testament long before Jesus Christ came to Reconcile us by his Death For he was so upon Christs interposing as our Reconciler straight-way after sins entrance and that with respect to Christs future Oblation and Intercession for our Reconcilement And then as for degrees there is no comparison The Spirit drop'd but Dews in the Old Testament In the New he rained down Showers So that comparately he is said not to be given till Christ was Glorified He our Redeemer comes into the World and proclaims Gods Love unto it and purpose to reconcile and save sinners As also his own undertaking according to a contract made between the Father and himself to effect that Reconciliation by his Oblation and Intercession This the guilty graceless World could not believe nor have the patience to hear from the reputed Son of a Carpenter Jews as well as Gentiles made light of it yea rose in arms against it all save a handful and those better taught by him whom we are next to speak of The Holy Spirit as was agreed on between the Divine Persons now cometh and what does he Why he guides Souls into the Vnderstanding and Faith of all the Truth by Christ preach'd He Glorifies Jesus Christ convinceth Unbelievers that Christ is no Impostor but a Glorious Person come with a Glorious Commission to pursue Gods Glorious Purpose and to make the Glorious Purchase foresaid He receiveth Christs Spiritual things and shews them unto Men that could not see them before even his Truth and his Grace He receiveth them from Christ as the Lord Treasurer of them and shews them abroad that it may be seen what they are and in whose hand they are That Glory may be brought unto Christ That he may be owned and honoured as the Purchaser of the purposed Reconciliation Jo. 16.13 14 15. c. This did the blessed Spirit effectually causing the Church in all Ages to exalt the Father as the Original Purposer the Son as the Meritorious Purchaser the Holy Ghost as the convincing Proof-maker of our Reconciliation Without which Proof no Soul had ever believed it or found an Heart to look after a portion in it Which is the next great Consideration concerning it For if God has Purposed and Christ has Purchased Reconciliation and the Holy Ghost has proved it so fully that there is no just place for the least doubt but they have so done the very next thing to be looked after must be 4. The Sinners possession of it For whatever be the proportion of a good it avails not me without propriety Let this Reconciliation be thought as it is in truth a good no less than infinite If it be not made mine own if I am not Reconciled the sound of its Doctrine is to me but as the speech of Bread to a Man starving for want of it Or as words of a Pardon to a Man going up the Ladder when he hath it not O what Pillows do they sleep on who lay their Eyes together without this Reconciliation attained One would think it should be more easie to rest on the points of swords and spears then upon one thought of God unreconciled I will say with my dear and now blessed Friend Mr. Richard Alleyn of Somerset-shire If all the Kings of the Earth would give me all they are worth I would not lie down on my bed any night with one sin Vnrepented and without some hope of God Reconciled to me But I return The Holy Spirit in his Word testifyeth a purpose of Reconciliation that is Eternal As also a Reconciliation at the Death of Jesus Christ that is Fundamental But he doth as clearly deny any actual Reconciliation before Conversion Before our Understanding and sincere Consent unto the Covenant of Grace How should Divine Wifdom throw the richest Pearl to the vilest Swine Or Holiness forgive and embrace Creatures contrary to it There is no Law above God but God is a Law to himself And though he can do what he will he cannot will what is Unwise or Unholy Elect or not Elect he that believeth not on the Son the wrath of God abideth on him Jo. 3.36 He that hath not the Son of God to wit in Marriage-Covenant he hath not Life to wit the Life of Peace with God or of Hope from him or of Holiness toward him 1 Joh. 5.12 In a word Look at what time God teacheth and you learn at what time God draws and you run after him at what time you unfeignedly say Lord I do rely on the promises and I do consent to the demands of the Gospel-Covenant at that time in that very punct of time your Pardon is seal'd in Heaven 'T is published in the Gospel
and declared so to be For you are told He that hath the Son of God hath Life 1 Joh. 5.12 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 And being justified by Faith you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 Come Reader come take Eternal Life from these Lines Hold thy self not a minute longer in Hell-fire for Gods wrath is not a jod less Down with my Book and down fall thou on thy Knees and utter the few words which will make God and thy Soul everlasting Friends No longer dare to live Damned Venture to strike the Gospel-Covenant and be saved Say to Jesus Christ Lord I will stay no longer I am thine upon thy Gospel-terms for ever From this instant to Eternity I will be thine Say to thy self Heart bid an eternal adieu unto Vnrighteousness and unto trust in self-righteousness as satisfactory or meritory Say unto vain Company Sirs I take my leave of you I must travel no farther with you that are not for the strait gate and narrow way If you will not be Reconciled to God with me I will not any longer sight against God with you But whither do I break Be it known unto every Reader this is Gospel God is not Reconciled to us FOR our Repentance and Faith The most penitent Believers are but unprofitable servants unto him But he is never to be Reconciled WITHOVT Repentance and Faith Both are as necessary as tho' they were Meritory though they are infinitely far from it Yea and upon the first penitent and faithful consenting to the Gospel-Covenant God and Sinners become as true Friends as God and Holy Angels And as Eternally inseparable ones Rom. 8.38 39. 'T is not to be denyed or concealed The grant of Peace is one thing and the sense of it is another And these two are separable God may be Reconciled to a Covenant-servant of his for months and years and the servant be in fear and doubt of it Those sins that hinder not Gods grant of Peace to us do often hinder our sense and assurance of it Wherefore we are to consider another particular concerning Reconciliation To wit 5. The Believers perswasion of it For though Reconciliation be the greatest good though it be Eternally purposed for me and by Christs Death purchased for me and be by the Holy Spirit proved to me that it is for some Purposed and Purchased Yea though through Grace I am possessed of it what then Until I know that I am possessed of it I am but like a Child in the Womb Living indeed in a bag of water but not knowing my own Life I have a Life that is only in degree inferiour to the Life of Angels But yet I live in doubts and fears that I am like unto Divels and that I shall lodge for ever in their unquenchable fire Now be it carefully heeded The Holy Spirit who is given to work Grace in us he is also given to witness Grace unto us and to make us know the things that are freely given to us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 He is a free and soveraign Agent indeed and he works and witnesses in them in whom he worketh as he pleaseth He giveth assurance of Peace with God as much as he pleaseth and as soon and no more and no sooner than he pleaseth 1 Cor. 12.11 At the first Plantation of the Gospel-Church he used together to convert Souls and to assure them of their Reconciliation unto God But now we see he doth not ordinarily so do And as commanded 2 Pet. 2.10 most Converts do give great diligence before their Election and Reconciliation are made sure I contemn the Roman Synagogue that measures all Cloth by its own Ell and denyeth the attainableness of that assurance which they neither duly seek or ever attain Our Divines have confuted and shamed them so much that there needs not any thing to be said unto their blasphemous Dreams Let the desirous Reader see but that one most excellent Sermon of Mr. Samuel Fairclough on 2 Pet. 1.10 in the Morning Lectures against Popery The Churches of Christ do believe and teach that the blessed Spirit doth ordinarily sooner or later witness unto true Converts their Reconciliation And seal them to the day of Redemption And this either mediately or immediately Immediately by a sort of spiritual words Such as pass between God and the Blessed Spirits above By these the Holy Ghost testifieth unto humble diligent Believers that they are Gods Reconciled and Adopted Children And when he doth so he doth it with a clearness and sweetness that carry their own evidence with them For there is no Rule beyond it by which it may be tryed as there is no other visible besides the Light it self whereby you may try it Rom. 8.16 He is said therefore to witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God And Eph. 1.13 with Eph. 4.30 He is said to seal us But how so Unless he doth set some print and stamp upon us distinguishing our state and Relation Again mediately the Spirit perswadeth us also of our Reconciliation To wit by enabling us to see our Graces truth and sincerity and from thence to infer our certain Reconciliation Both wayes he is ordinarily the Comforter of sound Believers I have read of a Woman that would say she had born eight or nine Children and with as much pain as other Women used to undergo But she would be content to bear all that pain over again for this comfort of the Spirit O that the same mind were in all that profess a value of it But well what if you had sought and found it too There 's another very material particular concerning Reconciliation to God that would ask for your thoughts and cares To wit 6. The practical improvement of it I mean of his Reconciliation and of his perswasion or assurance of it Hear the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.2 Having these promises to wit of Reconciliation and all Grace chap. 6. latter end what use are we to make of them Why Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God q. d. Let us live as far as we can without sin Let us do Gods will on Earth as 't is done in Heaven unto our utmost ability Let us do all we are able to make our Reconciliation more honourable to God then our Damnation would have been Assurance is a special priviledge Scarce any Childs portion at all times And 't is possible that some of Gods Children may live and dye without it However when it is bestow'd extraordinary Aids of Grace and Advantages for Duty are bestowed with it The helps which School-Men call necessary are given to all that are Converted But those which they call liberal are given but to them that are Assured In Conversion all Gods Children do receive strength sufficient to walk acceptably with him But when they are sealed by the Holy Spirit
they receive additional strength to walk more serviceably Now as more is given to them proportionably more is required from them more than from other Converts that are not yet assured of their Peace with God Luk. 12.48 Every Israelite owed God much but the Nazarite owed him much more If I were asked Who of all the living were deepest Debtors unto God and had most work set them to do I would say assured Christians Yea and I verily think that next unto Saints Glorified none are so painful and so humble as the assured True it is in many things they themselves do offend And 't is not in Perfection attained but expected that the best of them dare to glory Wherefore their Eye is at least it ought to be ever kept upon the last particular concerning our Reconciliation unto God And that is 7. The Judgment days publication and perfection of it Acts. 3.19 Sins shall be in open Court blotted out when that day of refreshment cometh from the presence of the Lord. Reconciliation shall be published to purpose when in the audience of Men and Angels God the Judge of all shall pronounce it with his Mouth And so that he will be admired in his Saints and all that believe To wit for the heights whereto he exalteth them 2 Thess 1.10 Hear but one Apostle more 1 Joh. 3.2 When he shall appear we shall be like him That is when God displays his own Glory in the Son of his Love who comes at the last day in the Glory of his Father we shall be as like him as shall be fit for Children to be like a Father There shall be no sign of any variance ever being betwixt us But all the Blessedness possible shall speak his perfect Reconciliation to us and all the Holiness possible shall speak our like Reconciliation unto him Whether the sins of Believers shall be all of them published in the general Judgment is a Question Learned Alting brings five Reasons for the Affirmative and as many for the Negative But it is most undoubted that the blessed Friendship betwixt God and them shall be then shewn abroad through the whole Creation and be exalted beyond the reach of our present words or thoughts St. Austins Mother hearing a Sermon of Heaven is reported to have cryed out O what do I here in this World Methinks Reader thou shouldst imitate her And here exclaim O what have I to do all my days but provide for this Judgment-day Wouldst thou know what course to take for this provision I beseech thee attend unto the fifth and last Position that I offer for explicating my Doctrine Pos 5. Mans business touching his Reconciliation unto God falls into three particular exercises Attention Reader Attention give here thy best Attention and the greatest thou ever gavest to the things that best deserve it These Exercises must be thine if ever the war between God and thee do come to an end The war lies in this which of you shall have their will Fain thou wouldst have thy own will as bad an one as it is As mad a Mind as 't is led by I mean as void as 't is of Truth and as possessed as 't is with Error Self-will is the sin of sin It lives longest and dyes last in every sinner Fain wouldst thou live as thou listest Think speak and act as thou pleasest have thy Thoughts and Works also free Fain wouldst thou be thy own Man yea and God too Making to thy self no God but thy self and observing no Law but thy Lust I and after this done thou wouldst not be undone Thou wouldst gain this in the World and not lose thy Soul take the Hell in sin and miss the Hell prepared for it Thou wouldst Temporally and Eternally disjoyn the evil of Suffering from the evil of Doing And escape that though thy Life be spent to the last breath of it in this But God saith thee nay and sends forth Proclamations to the contrary From him I have Commission to tell thee and I do by these Presents give thee to know God will tear Heaven and Earth in pieces and if it could be he would himself dye in the fight rather than thou shouldst have that will of thine Rather then thou thy self shouldst escape the misery of Divels if thou wilt hold their enmity and keep unreconciled as they Yea and rather than he will ever afford thee Reconciliation in any way but that of his Gospel-Revelation If therefore thou learn'st not and fallest not unto these Gospel-Exercises that I am commending thou plainly thus speakest To Hell my Soul get thee going to Hell O extremity of torment I will venture thee O eternity of anguish I fear thee not O Worm that ever livest and O Fire that never dyest I will bear you both And O you exercises that are the Chariots of Grace and Eternal Glory I tell you all three I scorn you Frightful words and not to be heard without amazement and a quaking Heart Reader were I to beg but one Blessing for my own Soul and for those that are dearest unto me it should be this That we might happily begin and hold on these three Exercises Whereof I shall treat as plainly and fully though as briefly as I am able Take them together first thus They are 1. Of Believing and Considering Reconciliation in respect to the three first particulars That is as purposed as purchased and as proved to be so 2. Of praying and labouring for Reconciliation in respect to the three next particulars That is as possessed as perswaded or assured of and as practically improved 3. Of hoping for Reconciliation and rejoycing in it in respect to the last particular That is as published and perfected And here observe thou well how far it is from brick and bondage whereto thou art called Idleness is of the worst wracks that an Humane Soul can be set on and thou art called to employment right honourable Thy Labour is not desired till admirable encouragements unto it are known and well considered first by thee No nor till superabundant aids from Heaven are invoked Thou art not set to Labour but in Hope and for or with Joy unspeakable and full of glory The World deals quite contrary with its Vassals In the ways of sin Men know not whither they go and are not suffered to consider what they are like to have for their Labour And indeed their Labour is to sow in much pain what they reap in Eternal Torment In their Lives and Labours as in their Deaths they have no Hope or what is worse than none They are far from Joy the Spirit of God assures us there is no Peace to them And their Mirth is nothing in the world but light-headedness Their going to Play-houses is but sending themselves to Bedlam Come on then and learn the way and enter into the joy of the Lord. The Lord that sends me to invite thee and thus direct thee First Thou must believe and
said it was an unclean or untrue Spirit that Christ had to witness these things And this their Blasphemous Unbelief and Inconsideracy is declared unpardonable even so as no other sin is Reader Canst thou think of this without horrour But see also how are we warned not to resist not to quench not to grieve the Holy Spirit Acts 7.51 1 Thess 5.19 Eph. 4.30 Not to resist him in the Ordinances of his Word testifying unto us Gods foresaid Purpose and Christs Purchase in order to draw us to a due pursuit of our Reconcilement Not to grieve him that is not to provoke him to leave us as our Friends use to do when we offend them by Unbelief and Inconsideracy of his foresaid Testimony Not to quench him that is not to oppose and put out the Light and Evidence he giveth us of the things foresaid preferring our Darkness above his Light chusing rather to be ignorant than to know Gods Purpose and Christs Purchase of the said Reconciliation Not to Believe and to Consider the Holy Spirits foresaid Proof is to Resist and Quench and Grieve him if any thing be so to do Prayer and Labour for the possession of this reconciliation is set us Acts 8.28 Repent saith Peter to Simon Magus and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee That is Pray if possibly thou mayest get possest of God's Peace and reconciliation Luke 13 24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto ye will seek to enter in and will not be able That is do your utmost to enter into the Christian state to get joyned to the Lord in the Gospel-Covenant of reconciling Grace For many faint chill luke-warm souls will seek but ineffectually But put ye your utmost power into act Prayer and Labour for the certain perswasion of this reconciliation is set us Prayer Psal 4 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance on us David 's example is obliging in this case Labour 2 Pet. 1.10 Brethren give diligence to make your Calling that is into the state of reconciliation with God and Election sure Prayer and Labour for the practical improvement of this reconciliation is set us Psal 119.65 66. Thou hast dealt well with thy Servant O Lord and what follows Teach me good Judgment and Knowledge That is holily to improve thy love Eph. 4.32 compare with Eph. 5.1 God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you or been reconciled to you And what then is inferred Be ye therefore followers or as in the Original Imitators of God as dear Children That is as those that think they can never do enough to express their Love and Thankfulness Hope and Joy in the Hope of the perfection and publication of reconciliation to God in the day of Judgment is also set us Hope Tit. 2 11 12 13. The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness c. and live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Joy Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway And again I say Rejoyce 1 Thess 5 16. Rejoyce evermore To conclude He that doth these things is certainly acceptable unto God and approved of Men. All that do fear God Nor can any answer be made to his shame if such a one ask What lack I yet If any do dream otherwise and sear that this is not the whole Duty of man let them shew but one thing more and I will bear the shame C. 2. The Nature of Religion requires this and no more I must be understood of Postlapsarian Religion Religion as since Man's Fall it has been modelled Be it considered that Religion as so considered is nothing else but a restored Friendship or a Reconciliation between God and Man And this made in a way prescribed by the VVisdom and VVill of God whose revealed VVill is to deal with man in a way agreeable to the Nature whereof he hath made him and yet in every respect suited to the Soveraignty he hath over him Plainly thus in all his wayes with us God will himself so act that the Power and Praise shall be as visibly as truly his own Yet so that there shall be room and place for our acting by and under him And Duty shall still be truly and visibly ours In this Reconciliation each person of the blessed Trinity hath his Gracious Part. The Father Reconciles us to wit as the Primary Cause purposing of it 2 Cor. 5.19 The Son Reconciles us to wit as the Meritorious Purchaser Eph. 2.16 The Blessed Spirit Reconciles us as the Efficient VVorker and VVitnesser of the Grace by which we are made Partakers of the Reconciliation and are assured thereof Joh. 3 5. Rom. 5.5 So that the Kingdom Power and Glory is here illustriously and equally to be ascribed unto the Father Son and Spirit In the mean time we also have our part left us We are bid in my Text our selves to Reconcile our selves That is to do our part toward it So Ezek. 33.11 Turn ye turn ye that is Reconcile Reconcile your selves q.d. No longer turn your backs on God as Enemies turn about your Faces toward him as Friends Now what I affirm is this Namely that this part to be done by us toward our Reconciliation consists in the things foresaid and no more Of these we are capable by the aids of Divine Grace And so proper are all these to be done by us that the Neglect must needs incense Divine Justice Of doing ought more we have no Capacity as blessed be God we have no Commandment in his Word which hath been fore-asserted Of Believing and Considering the parts done by the Divine Persons we have Capacity Natural I mean Though impotent and perverse our Faculties be till Grace give them strength and inclination unto good They were created in us by God for this Noble use And should he admit our Reconciliation without their being used thereto an unsufferable spot would fall upon his infinite Wisdom It would be said he had made noble Powers for no use or but vile Yea and upon his Truth also For it would be said His wrath came not down upon the very children of Vnbelief Contrary to Eph. 5. Of Praying and Labouring for our Possession Perswasion and Practick improvement of Reconciliation unto God the same is to be said We have Natural and surely English people may be supposed to have some Acquired Abilities too If not gracious and supernatural And alas what did God give us these for What a Blemish would it be unto his Wisdom and Government if he should require no use of them unto their chiefest ends But grant us Reconciliation and Assurance and Spiritual Prosperity without them And let it be told through the Earth that he was no Condemner of slothful servants Nor Enemy to such as call not upon his name He bids us pray and labor