in Deo A Holy Man is never so like a Holy Angel as when he rejoyces in God Have thy set times for solemn Consideration of these things sc How God is Pleased and Honoured by Joy so Hallowed How he Praiseth it and Rewardeth it How much it honours him more than pining querulous Sorrow doth How certain it is that the most pious and penitent Sorrow is nothing but a Purge prescribed by him for cleansing us and making us to relish the fat things of the Feast that I speak of How excellently this Joy strengthens the Soul sweetens Duty lightens Trouble graceth Religion suits the Gospel and an adopted state Yea and serves to subdue the sins that most easily beset us and most extreamly pester us Even incomparably more than all the self-disquieting distraction that goes under the name of Humiliation In a word How desirable a temper the Apostles was As sorrowful yet always rejoycing 2 Cor. 6.10 Sorrowing alway yet never as men without hope 1. Thess 4.13 Reader I must hope if thou dost thus thy following Life shall be a perpetual labour for abiding and abounding Joy And that if Bodily Maladies and Satanical Illusions have made Grief and Fear a second nature to thee thou wilt be perswadable Perswadable to make so necessary a rupture and try to tear thy self from thy self for the possession of this under Heaven The God of Hope fill thee with all Joy and Peace in believing and expecting thy perfected published Reconciliation Amen My next undertaking is to evince the truth of my Doctrine thus explained To demonstrate that every Man hath this to do and no Man hath any more to do in the World but to believe and consider Gods Purpose Christs Purchase and the Holy Ghosts Proof of their purposed and purchased Reconciliation To Pray and Labour for the possession for the perswasion and for the practical improvement of it And to Hope and rejoyce in the Hope of the perfection and publication of it in the day of Jugment I dare not decline it knowing that many do need it Nor shall I be prolix in it They that cannot see by the Light of the one Sun in the Firmament would not see if there were a thousand shining thence Their Conviction I despair of whomsoever these three Considerations shall not convince But I propose them with an humble confidence that they shall be made Eye-salve unto some Souls And mighty through God against Infidelity as very Spittle and Clay as they shall appear in any wanton Eyes They are but three C. 1. The sure word of Prophesie sets us this to do and no more Acknowledge the Scripture to be Gods Word and a perfect Revelation of his Will and a compleat Rule of our Duty and you acknowledge the truth of my Doctrine I am content that no man believe it ever the more for my Ministry of it if I do not shew that the Scripture sets us to do all I say Or if it can be shewn that it sets us any one thing more than I say Reader Rouze up thy Soul and read not with ordinary care what follows I will not overwhelm thee with many Texts but be careful to set very plain and pertinent ones before thee The Belief and Consideration of Gods Love and Gracious Purpose to Reconcile Sinners is set us Psalm 130.4 There are forgivenesses with thee that thou mayst be feared That is q. d. Lord shouldst thou deal with the best Man alive according unto thy Laws strictness and his own Souls frequent fears Hell must have him But O thou hast Eternal and Unalterable Purposes of forgiving Sins and Reconciling Sinners unto thy self And this is believed and considered of by thy Blessed Command And if it were not there were no manner of foundation for Religion in the World All our encouragement to all our Worship of thee is taken from this Joh. 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting Life Who sees not here the Fountain of all good Gods Love that is his Eternal Will and Purpose to Reconcile Sinners This is set to be seen and considered first Then the Conduit through which all the good must flow from that Fountain even Christ the Purchaser of purposed Reconciliation Then the Vessels which must receive all good from the Fountain through the Conduit Namely Believers on Christ entire Consenters to be his in the Bond of the Gospel Covenant Then the streams of good by those Vessels to be received through the Conduit from the Fountain Even Deliverance from ruining Enmity and Possession of blessed Friendship with God for ever To name no more 2 Pet. 1.10 we are commanded to make our Election sure Our Election passively is Gods actively Gods eternal purpose to Reconeile us But how should this be made sure unto our hearts without their believing and considering that God has Eternal Purposes about that matter The Belief and Consideration of Christs Purchase of Reconcilement is set us 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the World to save sinners 'T is the true and great Fundamental Article of Christian Faith Worthy of all reception into Consideration and Improvement that Christ came to save Sinners from Enmity and reconcile them unto God Everlastingly Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son When we did hate and were hated of God Jesus Christ paid a valuable or rather invaluable price to buy our Reconciliation and bought it leaving us as little need as we had ability to bring any Meritory price for it And how plainly do all the Texts that command our Faith in Christs Blood whereby it is Purchased suppose our Belief and Consideration of it to precede The Belief and Consideration of the Holy Ghosts proof of this is set us That it is in especial manner the work of the Glorious Spirit to Reveal and to Communicate all Purposed by the Father and all Purchased by the Son is foreshewn in this our Discourse well known to the Church of Christ and admirably well shewn by him whom I use to call John the Divine I mean our Learned Dr. Owen in his Pneumatologie or Discourse of the Holy Spirit worthy to be wrote in Cedar and Marble That we are required to believe and to consider his testimony of this matter this single Text would brightly evince if we had no other Mat. 12.31 The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto mer. Observe here our Saviour had Preached Gods Purpose and his Errand into the World to make a Purchase of the Reconciliation of Sinners The Proof hereof was made by many Testimonies of the Holy Ghost Principally by Miracles wrought by his Power which indeed are the utmost proofs possible These themselves some would not believe and consider unto due purpose No but as it is Mar. 3.30 They said it was an unclean or untrue Spirit that
Mans whole Duty AND Gods wonderful Intreaty Of him thereunto Set forth from 2 Cor. 5.20 and Published at the Request of some Hearers By DANIEL BVRGESS Minister of the Word of Reconciliation Licensed according to Order LONDON Printed by J. Richardson for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside and John Lawrance at the Angel in the Poultry 1690. To my Excellent Friends Mrs. Joan Wood. Mrs. Anne Hook Mrs. Abigail Vanittern Mrs. Martha Brown OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL Gentlewomen THese Lines do not vainly design to adorn your Names but are very uprightly meant to defend my own from one of the blackest Reproaches Even loathsome Ingratitude I have bid them tell all they meet that You were for some black years together my noblest Gaia's And your Houses my sweet Homes That I am not Unthankful though I am Insolvent That I am not Insolvent neither if Prayers do discharge Debts I do continue my pleasant Hope of your Persons Reconciliation unto God And my Prayers for your Dearest Relatives Beseeching the Father of Glory to make his own Love the Reward of Yours unto me And if it he his blessed pleasure to make these very Leaves bear some Fruit unto your Souls Be it freely said as far as I know my self I am neither Proud nor Ashamed of them Not Proud for I am aware how my imperfections do Blemish them Not Ashamed for I am told God hath Blessed them and I am made to believe that he will Bless them That as they are not Beautiful so neither shall they be Barren as Rachel But Fruitful though Blear-Eyed as Leah I have told you some Years ago that I Preached for the Salvation of Plow-Boys and Milk-Maids as well as Lords and Ladies And if I did not I should never expect to do so much upon them by Rhetorical Politeness as by Gospel Plainness Honey Dews be sweet to the Tast but they miserably blast the Corn. Delights of Fancy hinder Wounds of Heart This is still my Thought And if you are still the Christians that I once knew you I am sure you will welcome Plainest Gospel 'T is Gospel I do present you and in Dress as homely as I heretofore used among you I am not now first to crave a Blessing upon it but shall ever continue craving it And particularly a Blessing to your selves and to the Olive-Plants about your Tables Clare-House in Drury-Lane London Dec. 11. 1689. Your Affectionate Orator unto your Heavenly Father D. Burgess Man's whole Duty and God's wonderful Intreaty of him thereunto II COR. V. 20. Be ye Reconciled to God OUR Being is our least and lowest Honour and Pleasure The end of all Essence is Action But neither is that its own End or our Perfection Action is for the advancement of our Being as our Being is for our employment in Action Work designs Reward and that together perfecteth our Action and Being The Reward that doth this is the Jewel inestimable which should be bought at any rate but sold at none And this whether blind men see it or no is Love I am sure Divels and Damned ghosts do feel it They are weary of their Beings and have no Action but in unallayed torments because they neither Love nor are Loved They are still uneasie and in degrees of pain proportioned to their Enmity Holy Angels and the Spirits of the Just above do also feel it Their Essence and Action are as sweet as they wish because their Love is as great as they can desire Their Love is an Ocean and therefore is their Joy not a drop less This middle Worlds Inhabitants as far as they have their Senses do feel it too The dead in sin do prefer their impurest Loves above their Lives And all that are alive unto God do set their Seals unto that Glorious Truth and most memorable He that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 Jo. 4.16 With profoundest Reverence be it writ and read The Divine Blessedness it self which hath no limits doth consist in Love The Persons of the Glorious Trinity are blessed infinitely Their Being and Working are as much sweeter unto them as they are greater then any Creatures And this because they Love and are Beloved mutually no less then infinitely Were their Love of each other but finite their Delight and Pleasure must be as imperfect The reason is most plain Loving and being Loved is all the Pleasure of an intelligent Nature Wherefore to seek our Happyness any where but in Love its very Element is to leave the Waters and go fish in the Woods And to doubt whether we shall find Felicity in Love is to make a question whether when we come to Sea we shall find any Water there I am by sad Experience cured of my hasty Confidence as truly as ever great Melanchton was Nor do I presume I shall win all my Readers of this Essay I expect not to take and hold all the Fish that come to this Gospel-net it self But I must have leave to say I do expect a very good Draught For I shall propose a word that will cost Men hard service to resist You that are farthest from the Kingdom of God will have much ado to get away Unconvert And you that stand nigher must fight with all your might and main if you be not led captive to Christ this time So extraordinary a portion of Holy Scripture is that which I here offer A Text call it if you please I do account it and call it all the Bible in eight Syllables The sum and substance of all God thinks fit to Speak and that we need to Hear Three things are obvious in it 1. Mans miserable condition He is an Enemy to God He could not otherwise be advised to Reconcilement 2. Gods merciful Condeseention To Prepare and Offer a Reconciliation Yea and beseech our Acceptation of it 3. Mans dutiful Religion No hard task nothing of brick and bondage Only to be friends and Reconciled to God Or if you like see you now and never look off again while you live see here two particulars 1. The Richest Feast that Grace it self can prepare Very Reconciliation unto God 2. The Sweetest Invitation that it can make unto the same Even Obsecration and Intreaty by Ministers by Christ and by the blessed God By King Prince and Embassadors Now close your Ears if you can against this Doctrine Reconciliation to God is the whole Duty of Man and sinful Man is intreated thereto by God The Heads of Discourse that offer themselves are I. Mans Duty Of which in our Doctrinal part II. Gods Intreaty Of which in our Application The first shall have its Explication in five orderly Positions And its Proof by as many demonstrative Arguments as shall appear needful Position 1. God and Man were once entire Friends Likeness to God qualified for such Friendship And Gods blessed Love both necessarily and freely followed that likeness Till Sin entred Man was as like to God as
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