Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 19
CHAP. 19 Three Reaſons why God would be Reconciled to the world in Chriſt and no otherway. 1. Becauſe God the Son is moſt glorified this way. 2. Becauſe God the Father is moſt glorified this way. 3. Becauſe there was no ſuch way as this to melt the hearts of ſinners. Or to encourage them to come to God.
BUt there yet remains to ſhew you the Reaſons Why God would Reconcile himſelf to the world this way in Chriſt, and no other way. And for that I ſhal only give you theſe Three Reaſons.
Reaſon. 1.
Firſt, Becauſe in this way the Father glorified his Son; had it not been for this way of Attonement, we had but little underſtood the glory of the ſecond Perſon in Trinity. No, nor indeed of the Third Perſon; nor the diſtinction of the Perſons: and therefore, before the Goſpel came to be made known to the Sons of men, the diſtinction of the Perſons in Trinity was very little made known: And in thoſe places wherein the Goſpel is not revealed, and made known; there is nothing fully known of the diſtinction of the Perſons in the Trinity. Now for the glory of the Trinity, and more eſpecially for the glory of the ſecond Perſon, the Son of God (who is the ſpecial Perſon in the work of Reconciation) hath God choſen this way of Reonciliation. It is true indeed, the Third Perſon, and the Spirit, is ſent by Chriſt and in the Conſummation of the work of Reconciliation, the glory of that Perſon appears; but the main weight of the work lies upon the Son, and for the glory of the Son of God hath he appointed this way to be Reconciled to the world. And indeed it is ſuch a work, as the Son himſelf doth exceedingly glory in, and accounts this to be a great part of his glory, that he is appointed by God the Father to be the Mediator, to reconcile God and man together. I beſech you obſerve this; this work of Reconcilation betweene God and us, it is that which Chriſt himſelf doth glory in, and it is that; which he counteth next unto the glory that he hath Perſonally with the Father, as he is generated of him from all Eternity: next unto that, Jeſus Chriſt glories in this; that he is appointed to be a Mediator between the Father, & ſinful man. And that Chriſt himſelf doth glory in this work, I wil give you a Scripture, or two to prove it. That place which we have in the 13. John, 31. is remarkable for this. Therefore when he was gone out, Jeſus ſaid; Now is the Son of man Glorified & God is glorified in him. Glorified now, When? It was when Judas betrayed him. and when he was going to ſhed his blood, and to die for the ſin of man, and to Compleat and Perfect this work of Attonement, or Reconciliation; Now (ſaith he) is the Son of man Glorified: as if ſo be he ſhould have ſaid; I was indeed deſigned by the Father from all Eternity to undertake this work of Reconciliation, and I came into the world for this very end, that I might do it, and all this while I have been a doing of it in a way of preparation, but the main work is ſtil behind for me to accompliſh, and perfect this work of Reconciliotion; but now it is at hand; Now I am going to die, and this my death wil bring an end to the work, and now (ſaith he) is the Son of man glorified; yea, here is the glory that I expected from al Eternity; this is the glory that I rejoyced in when I was in the Boſome of the Father; for then I knew of this; I knew I was appointed to be a Mediator; I knew it would coſt me my Blood when I ſhould come to compleat that work, and now the time is come when it is to be performed: and therefore now the Son of man is glorified. I ſay, Jeſus Chriſt accounteth it his glory that he is appointed to ſtand as a Mediator between God, and us. And therefore you ſhal find, that when the Scripture ſpeaks of Chriſts being appointed for this work by God; that he rejoyced in it exceedingly. Pſal. 40.6. Sacrifices, and Offerings thou dideſt not deſire, mine eares haſt thou opened: burnt Offerings, and Sin Offerings thou haſt not required; then ſaid I, Lo I come, mine eares (ſaith he) haſt thou opened: what is that which God ſpak to him, unto which his eare was opened? That which God the Father ſpake to him, was this: Son; the work of Reconciliation between my ſelfe, and ſinful man, I have appointed, and deſigned you to it; I have appointed you to go to be a Mediator between us, and to undertake to make Satisfaction; and ſuch ſatisfaction, as that ſinful man, and I may be at peace; as that Mercy, and Juſtice may be Reconciled together. For let me tel you, (as I have hinted before) God, and we could never have been reconciled, except Mercy, and Juſtice had been reconciled. Now God the Father tells Jeſus Chriſt, that he hath appointed him to this work. And ſaith Chriſt; my eare haſt thou opened: O, I do entertaine this worke and entertaine this gladly; yea, though I know that I muſt be made a Sacrifice for the ſin of man. And obſerve what follows in verſ, 7. then ſaid I; Lo I come; I am ready, and willing to do this work, for in the volum of the Book it is written, that I ſhould do thy wil: that is; in the Scriptures it was written before ever Chriſt came into the world, that he ſhould come to perfect this great work. And verſe 8. I delight to do thy wil O Lord yea, thy Law is in my heart. What was this wil of God? Certainly this wil of God here ſpoken of; was that Chriſt ſhould be a Mediator between God and man; and to make up this Reconciliation; and O, ſaith he, I do even delight to do this wil of thine, though it be a wil which wil coſt me deare. And ſaith he, thy Law; this Law that requires of me to come thus to be a Sacrifice, and to ſhed my blood to the end that I may be a Mediator between man, and God; even this Law, it is with in my heart. This is one Reaſon why God Choſe this way of Reconciling himſelf to the world; becauſe it tended to the glorifying of his Son, and his Son acknowledgeth it, that it was his glory: and therefore juſt when he was going to die, he breaketh out into th…ſe words; with deſire have I deſired, to eate this Paſſover; becauſe that was to make way for his death, which was the accompliſhment of this work of Reconciliation.
Reaſon, 2.
A ſecond Reaſon why God would have this way of Reconciling man to himſelf, is. Becauſe, in this way the Father himſelf is moſt glorified; the Attributes of God do ſhine in a greater luſter in this way of Reconciliation, then if ſo be God had been reconciled unto man only in paſſing by the offence, and ſo no more to do; for now ſhines forth the glory of his Wiſdom, of his power, and of his Juſtice, as wel as of his mercy; not only mercy, but the other divine Attributes of God ſhine in this way of Reconciliation exceedingly bright; and there is no ſuch Glaſs to behold the glory of God in as the glory of the Goſpel in the Miſtery of Reconciliation. We indeed behold and ſee the glory of God in the Glaſs of the Creatures; But in the Goſpel, in the work of Reconciliation in Chriſt, there is the bright Glaſs wherein al the beams of the glory of Gods Attributes are vnited together, and ſhine with a Tranſcendent luſter. Yea, there is not only a luſter, and a ſhining forth of them, but a heat, and a warmth that is reflected in the beholding of them. In this way of Reconciliation God himſelf is glorified; and therefore that Text which I named John, 13.31. You have this likewiſe ſaid; that as Chriſt acknowledged himſelf to be glorified by this work; ſo ſaith he, my Father is glorified in me; and therefore in Chapter, 17. About the beginning; Father (ſaith Chriſt) the hour is come, glorifie thy Son, that the Son may glorifie thee. And verſe, 4. I have glorified thee on Earth; how hath he glorified God? I have finniſhed the work that thou gaveſt me to do; that work of Mediation; that work of Reconciliation between thy ſelf and ſinful man; that work I have finniſhed, and in that work I have g…orified thee upon Earth. And the truth is; this is the glory that God expecteth from the Children of men even to be admired, and magnified in this great work of Reconciling the world to himſelf in his Son. And that is the ſecond Reaſon.
Reaſon, 3.
A third Reaſon is this: Becauſe the Lord ſaw that there was no ſuch way to melt the heart of ſinful Creatures, and to draw them to come, and cloſe with himſelf, as this way; no ſuch way to incorrage the hearts of poor ſinners to come in to be reconciled unto God as this; even the Conſideration of the great things that the Lord hath done to make peace and Reconciliation between himſelf and ſinners. God (I ſay) foreſaw this; and becauſe he would have a way to break the hardeſt heart in the world, and to draw the moſt ſtout, and ſtubbarne ſinner unto himſelf; therefore he hath choſen this way above al others of Reconciliation. This the Goſpel tels us in that parrable wherein you have the letting out of the Vineyard unto Husbandmen; and it tels you when the Maſter ſent one ſervant and they beat him; and he ſent an other, and they beate him; and at length he ſaid within himſelf, I wil ſend my Son, ſurely they wil reverence him; as if he ſhould have ſaid; Here are a company of hard hearted, ſtubbarn, ſtout, wicked creatures in this world, and they have had this argument, and the other argument to work upon theire hearts to perſwade them to come unto me, but ſo hard are their hearts, as that they give a rebound to al the arguments that they have; and there is nothing ſtrikes into their hard hearts, there is nothing melts them, nothing perſwades them to come unto me, But I have one argument more, and that ſhal break the ſtouteſt, and hardeſt heart that is; and that argument ſhal be a prevailing argument if they be thoſe that are appointed to life; if they be ſuch as are not loſt Creatures for ever, and what is that argument? even this; that I am reconciling my ſelf to the world in my ſon; I wil ſend my Son into the world to work out this reconciliation; and there I wil reveale ſo much of my glory, that when they come to ſee this, O, their hearts ſhal be fil'd with admiration; they ſhal ſtand and wonder at the goodnes and riches of my grace, and their hearts ſhal melt before me, and ſhal at length be gained unto me. when they come to heare thereof Certaynly it is the moſt Dangerous thing in the world for the hearts of men not to be melted not to be gained upon with this Doctrin of our Reconciliation with God in Chriſt. And remember it; if your hearts when you come to hear of this Doctine be not gained upon, be not drawn unto God; it is a ſhrew'd argument that you are loſt Creatures; for God himſelfe looks upon this way of reconciliation as the moſt gaining and prevaling argument that poſibly he can uſe to gaine the heart of any man. And except you finde your hearts gained upon by this, you may take it as an argument of a moſt dangerous Condition in which you are. I dare appeal to thoſe whoſe harts God hath gained to himſelfe, let them Say, what was it that gained their hearts, what was it that broke their hearts moſt kindly at firſt and Cauſed them to fly unto God; was it not the opening of this miſtery of Reconciliation in Chriſt, was it not Gods tender of his mercy to the ſouls of poore ſinful creatures in Chriſt, And woe to thoſe Perſons that ſhal Sit under the miniſtry of the Goſpel the droppings of heaven and here the bleſed tidings of Reconciliation in Chriſt, and yet not find their hearts gained by this argument; for this was one ſpecial end why God thoſe this way of Reconciling himſelf to the world, that he might by this gaine the hearts of the Children of men to himſelfe for ever.
So that now you have had al theſe things opened in the point beſides the proof of it in Scripture. firſt you have had ſhewed unto you, that there cold be no Reconciliation but in Chriſt. ſecondly; That Chriſt was a fit mediator to reconcile God and us together; and in what particular. thirdly what Chriſt hath undertook to do for the Reconciliation of us to God, and what he doth to this very day. Fourthly how we com to have Intereſt in what he hath done for our Reconciliation. fiftly the ſeveral properties, or conſequences of this Reconciliation which doth diſcover to us what a kinde of Reconciliation it is. And then the Reaſons why God would reconcile the world to himſelf in this way rather then in any other way.