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A32722
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A sermon preached by the late eminent Mr. Steph. Charnock on 2 Cor. V. XIX.
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Charnock, Stephen, 1628-1680.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing C3710; ESTC R13260
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12,455
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38
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us change any unworthy Opinions of God that we harbour in our Breasts If the Father hath Contrived the Son hath Effected the Spirit stands ready to Apply it to every Believer The Refusal of it puts a Scorn upon all As soon as Adam sinned the same Day God applies the Plaister of a Redeemer Not a Day did slip for ought we know not an Hour before he made it known to him His Heart was in Travel and he long'd to be Delivered of this Gracious Promise of a Mediator He arm'd him with this Cordial before he subjected him to those standing Miseries What Heart he had then the same he hath still His Kindness made him desirous to Publish this Promise and Can his Truth be less zealous to perform it The same Kindness that moved him to Assure it he hath still to Effect it He is still willing to apply it to every one that seeks it through his Son The Wrath that we were under is over-come by his Love through the Mediation of his Son who hath honoured him more than Sin dishonoured him By our Accepting of this we Glorifie God and Honour him as much by our Faith as we have Dishonour'd him by our Sin Thereby we own that Satisfaction that was as grateful to him as Sin is Hateful As he honoured himself by the Death of his Son so he doth Christ by giving forth the Fruits of that Death also He Delighteth in honouring Christ and seeing us honour him It contributes to God's Delight when we approach with Faith in his Blood If he made this Provision contrived this Expiatory Offering before the World was made Will he not also Communicate it Can there be a greater Motive to overcome the Fears of Rebels extinguish the Rebellion hasten our Approach and quicken our Confidence Secondly The Terms on which it is offered are Just and Reasonable Nothing can be objected against the Conditions required Can any Malefactor expect a Peace with Arms in his Hand Is it not a fit Condition that we should Justifie God since we are guilty Offenders Can any thing less be required than to cast away our VVeapons to bewail our Crime to receive his Son as our Mediatour to serve him in Newness of Life All which are desirable Priviledges 'T was in his Power to appoint what Terms he pleased because he was a free Benefactor What could he appoint less than Believing and Receiving this Reconciliation It is impossible we should receive any Benefit without it 'T is not fit it should be confer'd upon us except we ask it There 's no reason any should enjoy a Benefit that doth not think it to be so All the Self-Love of Men could not have framed any reasonable Terms They would have thought of Rivers of Oyl and a Thousand of Rams impossible things to Appease God But he commands us to lie humbly at his Feet to reach out our Hands to receive the Assurance he gives us VVhat can be more easie than this If Faith be difficult 't is not in regard of it self but from our Natural Enmity against God and the Pride of our own Wills Faith is hard only as the Law is weak through the Flesh But nothing could be more reasonable nothing more easie in it self Ingenuous Amazement at this unexpected Kindness should make us run more swiftly to Embrace God than ever we ran from him We should subscribe to the Articles as God strives and presses us in the Method he hath enjoyned Thirdly There is an absolute Necessity of this Complyance for our Happiness If you have not a Peace of God's Ordaining never look for One of your own Inventing There can be no Fellowship with God without it And therefore we can't be Happy because we can't Enjoy him wherein all our Felicity doth consist Guilt and Purity cannot Converse together What Society can Stubble have with Fire but to its own Destruction We can't see God's Face without it and if a Sight of God's Face be wanting Felicity is at a distance The greatest part of Evil remains though there be no positive Evil. How can Two walk together except they be agreed What Intercourse can there be between a Guilty Rebel and a Frowning Judge a Sinful Creature and a Provoked God When he hides his Face who can behold him Job 34.29 But when an Agreement is made there are Mutual Endearments We are Enemies to God by Birth He is an Enemy to us by his Law The Enmity will remain on God's Part if it remain on ours Strike up therefore a Treaty with God since there is a Necessity for it and you can't be Happy without it Shall not God's Love melt us and our own Necessities move us Fourthly Wrath is unavoidable without our Complyance with God If we will not enter into these Terms of Reconciliation the Heart of God which before was incensed by Sin cannot but rise higher in Indignation If we are resolv'd to resist it abused Love will be kindled into the hottest Wrath. When Man after his Creation grew Perfidious unto God then there rose a War between them which can be ended only by Him that hath put an end to Sin We must all have endured what Christ suffered had he not stood in our stead And those that refuse the Grace proffer'd them by the Great God must endure the same for ever If we do not receive him as a Friend we cannot avoid him as an Enemy His Eye will behold us his Hand will pass through the thickest Covering of Darkness VVhere he is not received as the Author of Reconciliation in his own way he will be the Author of Judgment in his own way If the Satisfaction to his Justice that he hath provided be slighted then his Justice will be satisfied on our own Persons If we deny him the Honour of the Sufferings of Christ he will vindicate it by the Sufferings of our selves His Law is in full Force against us and God is obliged to inflict Death upon the Sinners The Law is on Record The Gospel also will be the Author of Damnation to every one that believes not There 's no Discovery out of Christ but of Wrath prepared against the Day of Wrath Rom. 2.5 The Day wherein God is unreconciled to his Enemies is called not only the Day of Wrath but Wrath against the Day of Wrath. His Feet will be as Pillars of Fire to consume those that refuse his Peace Revel 10.1 Consider then that we are sunk under Infinite Guilt and can't rise up without an Almighty Hand We are drowned in an Universal Filth and cannot be cleans'd without an Infinite Purity Sin is strong in its Accusations our Righteousness is imperfect to effect a Compensation for the VVrongs we have done our Duties are bespotted and not fitted for a pure Eye VVhat VVrath is due to all There is but one way of Escaping but one City of Refuge to escape the Edge of the Avenging Sword Divine Justice will seize on all that are without this