The Best Treasure, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
The Improvement of the Pity of Chriſt, by way of Terrour, Encouragement, and Advice.
ARE there ſuch deep, and large Bowels of Pity in Jeſus Chriſt, not only towards his Friends, but his very Enemies? Then here is,
Firſt, Terrour to Impenitent Sinners. Ah, Souls! hovv fearfully great is your Sin, being a plain defiance to the Mercy and pity of Chriſt: Every Tranſgreſſion of yours is a kicking the very Bovvels of Mercy, and a ſtab at the Heart of Divine Pity: O! hovv vile are your Iniquities, vvhilſt vvithout Chriſt! They are no leſs than a deſpiſing of the Riches of the Mercy and Goodneſs of God, which would have led you to Repentance, and a treaſuring up of Wrath againſt the day of Wrath, Rom. 2. 4, 5. O Sinners! you run on ſcore in abuſing of the higheſt Mercy that ever was, you provoke your beſt Friend againſt you: Alas! Who can help you if Mercy it ſelf becomes your Enemy? The Bowels of Chriſt are your laſt Aſylum, if this door be ſhut againſt you, Farewel Souls; and can you hope that Mercy will plead for you, when rejected by you, or will not God hear the Complaint of deſpiſed Mercy think you? Sinners, the Compaſſion of Chriſt ſhall come forth at the laſt day, and ſay, I would have ſaved that Soul, but it would not, how often would I have gathered it, but it reſiſted? Mat. 23. 37. I offered to pay it's Debts, and to get him an Acquittance in the Court of Heaven, but he refuſed it; I would have ranſom'd him from Death to Life, and adopted him to an Inheritance in Glory, but he would not; I would have ſtamp'd the divine Nature on him, and brought him into the Likeneſs of the Lord of Glory, but he would not; I would have put down his Name in the book of Life, and ſecur'd his Title to Heaven, but he would not; I called, he would not anſwer; I perſwaded, he refuſed; I beſeeched, he deſpiſed, I ſtrived, he reſiſted; and now Juſtice, into thy hands do I deliver theſe rebellious Souls, to be dealt with according to the Threatnings of the Goſpel and Severity of the Law, that my Wrongs may be avenged. O! what a terrible Complaint will this be? Sinners, tremble then at the Thoughts of your abuſing divine M…rcy.
Ʋſe 2. Of Encouragement to dejected Souls. If there be ſuch tender pity in the Lord Jeſus, O then take Courage hence to hope for Mercy; theſe Mercies of Chriſt are infinite, boundleſs and bottomleſs; O what a ſtock of Mercy is in him, for troubled Souls to trade upon, what unfathomed Deeps are there in divine Compaſſions, enough to ſerve all thy Turns and Neceſſities; have thy Sins been many? The free Gift is of many Offences to Juſtification, Rom. 5. 6. Of the Offences of many perſons, be they never ſo many, or the many Offences of one perſon, there is vertue enough in this free Gift of the Blood of Chriſt for the pardoning them all, if ſuch return: he (ſaith one) that had love enough to give us Chriſt, hath Bowels enough to give us pardon: believing Souls ſhall never dye for Debt, if the Bowels of Chriſt hath wherewithal to pay it; O! what Shifts will tender Parents make to keep their indebted Children out of Priſon? They will beg and borrow of others, pinch themſelves, and ſpare what they can, rather than their Children ſhall be undone: and ſurely the Mercy of Chriſt muſt needs make the moſt of his Blood and Obedience, of his Interceſſion and Satisfaction, for the Pardon of his People. And therefore Daniel joyns Mercies and Forgiveneſs together, Dan. 9. 9. Is thy Unworthineſs great, and deſerveſt thou nothing but Wrath from God, O bear up thy Sinking Spirit on the Arm of Mercy, Mercy is in vain, and ſignifies nothing, if Juſtice only muſt take place: haſt thou abuſed Mercy and ſinn'd away the Favour of thy God? Thou haſt loſt his Gift, but he hath not loſt his giving, the Child ſpils his Water and goes to the Well to fill his Pitcher again: there is more Mercy (O troubled Soul) in the deep Wells of Salvation, for thoſe that ſeek it. Obj. But I have provoked God to withhold Mercy. Anſ. Let me tell thee, O diſtreſſed Believer, there are Forgivings as well as Givings in the Bowels of Chriſt, and I know not which are greater: Are thy Wants many? Be of good chear, Mercy hath enough to ſupply them all, and is as free to give as able, and take this for they Encouragement: Mercy never gives where there are Deſervings. Are thy Griefs, Labours, Fears, Troubles, and Burdens great? Yet comfort thy ſelf, Miſery and Mercy are a Kin, Mercy lives in the …lymate of Miſery, and never thrives better than in Miſery's Ground; to do good to miſerable Creatures, is Meat and Drink to Mercy, John 4. 32. I have Meat to eat that you know not of.
Ʋſe 3. Of Exhortation. Firſt, to periſhing Sinners; make uſe of the Mercy of Chriſt whilſt you have it; now is the acceptable time, the day of Grace, the Seaſon of Viſitation; now the Sun ſhines not only in Sion but on Sodom; nay it hath ſtood ſtill on your Gibeon for a Seaſon, Joſh. 10. 12. 13. O let not Mercy go, and leave you in your blood, and let you lye in your Graves; let not the Sun of the Goſpel ſet on you, and leave you in inner Darkneſs, leſt outer Darkneſs ſhortly ſeize upon you: believe it, Mercy ſeems to be near a Departure, it looks as it were, about to change Houſes, to go from Gentiles to Jews, from Weſt to Eaſt, it ſeems near ſetting in England, in theſe Weſtern parts of the World. Who knows how ſoon it may ariſe in the Eaſt? O Sinners, don't you lye a bed in your Security, and let Mercy give you the ſlip. O then you that are yet in your blood, under Wrath, in Danger of Judgment; be adviſed to ſtrike in with Mercy, while 'tis to be had, Iſa. 55. 6. while divine Bowels yearn towards you, weep over you, and wait for you, O turn in, and cloſe with Mercy, whiles it's face is unveil'd to you, it's Arms open'd to you, and before it hath breath'd it's laſt Breath to you; believe the Warnings and Treatnings of Mercy, bow and ſtoop to the Convictions of Mercy, receive the Tenders thereof, obey it's Counſel, and perſevere it it's way; be perſwaded Sinners this day, it may be the laſt time, I may beſeech you for Mercies ſake, to turn and live: and Oh! how doleful will it be to out-live the day of Mercy, and poſſibility of obtaining Salvation, when the Angel of the Lord ſhall proclaim, Time ſhall be no more, Time was, but now is paſt.
Secondly, to all Souls, both changed and unchanged, if the Lord Jeſus be ſo pityful to you, O then be not cruel to your own Souls, do not rob, cheat, and cozen your own Souls, deprive them not of your own Mercies, Jonah. 2. 8. Don't conſent to thoſe ways that will rob you of all the Poſſibilities and Hopes of Salvation; O! the ſweet Comforts and Pleaſures that now you looſe for a few dirty Delights, Prov. 3. 17. Think on the Subſtance, the tryed Gold, the rich Attire that you deprive your Souls of by refuſing to hearken to the Counſel of Chriſt, Rev. 3. 18. Don't ſtarve your Souls by feeding on Husks, while the bread of Life lies before you, this is Cruelty to them indeed, Luke 15. 16. 17. Do not wound, rend, and tare your Souls by cruel Luſts: he that ſins hateth his own Soul, Prov. 15. 32. chap. 29. 24. Math. 16. 26. O the ſad Bruiſes that Sin gives, and the deſperate Gaſhes it makes in the Sinners own Soul; Iſa. 1. 6. Prov. 8. 36. Every Sin of thine (O carnal wretch) is a deadly blow on thy own Soul: all thy carnal Pleaſures, thy merry jeſting Words, thy Swearing, Lying, Cheating, Oppreſſing, and Covetouſneſs gives new Stabs to thy Heart; it would be a barbarous ſight to behold one unmercifully wounding another, much more to ſee a perſon torturing his own Soul; do not ſell thy immortal Soul for a Lie, for that which is not, which will not profit in the day of Wrath, Rom. 6. 21. Jer. 16. 19. Thus Elijah told Ahab, 1 Kings 21. 20. That he ſold himſelf to work Wickedneſs, that is, he gave himſelf wholly to the Service of Sin, as a Servant that binds himſelf over to anothers Buſineſs, Rom. 6. 16.
Thirdly, To the Children of Mercy, whom the Lord Jeſus hath loved and waſhed in his own Blood: you that are choſen, called, juſtified, ſanctified and adopted unto Glory, be exhorted.
Firſt, be not hard-hearted to Chriſt, requite not his Pity with Cruelty, grieve not his Spirit, ſadden not his Heart with your ſinful and unſutable Walkings before him: no Sins make greater Wounds on the Heart of Chriſt, than the Sins of his own Children, Eph. 4. 30. O be not cruel to him who is ſo tender of you, do not feed him with Wormwood and Gall who hath feaſted you with Joy and Gladneſs, yea with his own Heart blood.
Secondly, Put on Bowels of Pity towards others, Col. 3. 12. They that are cruel to others, ſhall find God cruel to them, Jam. 2. 13.
Thirdly, Adventure for God in the way of Duty, Pſal. 5. 7. Pſal. 23. 6. Pſal. 25. 10.
Fourthly, Then let the Conſideration of Chriſt's Mercy comfort you under the World's Cruelty, and your greateſt Sufferings for Chriſt, Pſal. 57. 3. Pſal. 32. 7. 10. Pſal. 59. 17.