Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 11
CHAP. 11 Ʋſes of Gods beginning with man to be Reconciled. Uſe. 1. Admire his goodneſs in beginning, ſeeing he had no need of us; and had ſo great advantage againſt us. Uſe. 2. Begin to ſeek peace even with our inferiors. Uſe. 3. The cetrainty of our ſalvation being reconciled. Uſe. 4. Not to be backward and hang off when God calls to duty.
A Fourth Particular propounded at the beginning of this treatiſe in the firſt chapter, is this. That God begins firſt with man to be reconciled unto him. In this great work of making peace, it is God that begins it. God was in Chriſt Reconciling the world to himſelf. In which part of the verſe there are theſe four things further to be handled.
Firſt, That God begins the work. Secondly, That it is in Chriſt. Thirdly, That God was a doing of this, even from eternity. And Laſtly. That the Subject of this is the World.
There was a word or two, hinted of the firſt of theſe in the laſt chapter. It is God that begins the work of our Reconciliation; and if he had not begun, we would never have had thoughts of it, we would never have known how to have gone about to have reconciled our ſelves unto him, and although we could have known how to have done it, yet our ſtout, and ſtubborn hearts would never have yeilded unto God; it is God that muſt begin the work. And he doth not onelyonly begin with us, but indeed he continueth too: although he hath begun, yet if he do not go on, and after our rejecting being reconciled unto him the firſt, and ſecond, and third, and fourth time; if he ſhould not ſtil himſelf begin the work a new, again, and again, and again; we would never come to be reconciled unto him. I wil but only give you two or three paſſages by way of application; having treated ſomwhat of this already; and ſo paſs on.
Ʋſe. 1
Firſt, Let us learn to admire the goodneſs of God to wreatched man, his goodneſs that he ſhould be pleaſed to begin this work of Reconciliation with us, for do but conſider the infinite diſtance that is between God, and us. O! infinite gondneſs, that ſo great a God ſhould begin with ſuch a poor vild Creature as man is. Amongſt men if one be but a little inferior to an other, and if he be fallen out with him that is beneath him, he takes it in ſcorne for him to begin to make peace: No, ſaith he let him come to me, and ſeek me, if he wil. If God had ſtood upon ſuch tearms, all the Children of men would have been damned eternally. When God ſaw that we would periſh for ever, and that we would never ſo much as have thought of being reconciled to him: O, then the bowels of his Compaſſion earned towards us; and ſaith he, I wil begin with them firſt, for I ſee they wilnot begin. They indeed began to make the Breach, they began to ſin againſt me and that wil be a ſecond Conſideration which makes the grace of God ſo much the more, that the breach is made on mans part: that all the wrong that is done, is on mans part. Amongſt men, if one be great though he himſelf hath done the wrong, yet he expecteth his inferior ſhould come and crouch unto him; but if his inferior have begun the quarrel, and have done the wrong he wil be ſure then to ſtand it out, and expect that his inferior ſhould ſeek after a Reconciliation with him. But here; behold, though we began the quarrel, though we had done all the wrong, and God never had done us any; yet ſo infintly gratious is the Lord, that he begins firſt. God was in Chriſt Reconciling the world to himſelf.
Yea, further; the Lord hath no need of us. Among men; if one fals out with another, he may happily ſay, wel, I ſee I ſhall have uſe of this man, I ſhall have need of him, for this and that buſineſs, or for ſuch and ſuch an imployment, and upon this accoumpt, though he be his inferior (for ſuperiors may have need of their inferiors) he is willing to be reconciled unto him; but God hath no ſuch need of us, God can tel how to glorifie his own name, though we do al periſh eternally: it is not for any uſe that God hath of us that he comes to begin the work of Reconciliation with us.
Beſides, God hath us at infinite advantage to do with us what he pleaſeth. Indeed a man perhaps wil be willing to be reconciled with his enemy, becauſe he ſees it wil coſt him much to make his party good againſt him, it wil put him to much trouble. But there is no ſuch cauſe between God and us, for God hath us under his feet; for a man that hath gotten his enemy under his feet, and hath him at al the advantages that can be, for him to ſue to him to be reconcinciled, you wil ſay it is a rare thing, and where is there ſuch a thing in the world? But behold, God doth this with us, though he have us at infinite advantage to do with us whatſoever he pleaſeth, and can fetch out his glory from our ruine, and eternal miſery; yet he begins the work of Reconciliation with us. Oh! admire the infinit grace of God toward wretched and ſinfull man. This wil be the work of the Angels in Heaven to all eternity, to admire at Gods rich grace even in this one branch of the Goſpel; his beginning the work of Reconciliation.
Ʋſe. 2.
And then, Another Uſe of it may be this. To teach us not to think much, but to begin to ſeek peace even with our inferiors; learn we by the example of God; that if there be falling out between one neighbor and another, or between one friend and another, not to think much to begin the work of peace. We think it would be a diſhonor for us to yeild ſo far; we ſay, what is he not my inferior, ſhal I ſend to him? Why, it is Gods glory to do it; God doth not only do it to us, but he accounts it his glory ſo to do. It is a great part of the glory of God that he is willing to yeild to us, and to ſend to us about tearms of Reconciliation. And ſhal that which makes God to be glorious be accounted a diſhonor to thee; ſhal it make thee unglorious, when it makes God to be glorious? If it be an excellency in God, ſuerly it is no baſeneſs, no diſhonour in thee. What a proud heart haſt thou that thou ſhouldeſt think that that doth debaſe thee too much which makes God to be a glorious God, that that which doth ſet ſo much glory upon God, ſhould in thy thoughts put diſhonor upon thee, as if thy honor were to be higher than the honor of God himſelf: Certainly thoſe men that are of ſuch implacable diſpoſitions at leaſt they wil never yeild to begin to make up their peace with others, but they wil ſtand it out to the uttermoſt, though their conſciences tell them, that they themſelves have done a great deal of wrong, and that they could be willing there were a peace, only they wil not begin. This proud and ſtout ſpirit in men, is an argument that they have not been accquainted with Gods reconciling of himſelf unto them; for Gods beginning to be reconciled unto thee, wil make thee to begin reconciliation with thy inferior. You wil ſay, why ſhould not he begin firſt? It is true why ſhould he not, it is his duty indeed, and ſo it is our duty to begin with God: but ſuppoſe he doth not begin; thou ſhouldeſt rather pitty him, and look upon him in ſo much the more miſerable Condition: and know that though thou haſt the advantage of him, yet thou art to be like unto God in this particular.
USE 3.
Thirdly, A third Uſe of Gods beginning the work of Reconciliation with us; is the Uſe that the Apoſtle himſelf makes in Rom. 5.10. If when we were enimies to God we were reconciled unto him by the death of his Son; how much more being reconciled we ſhal be ſaved by his life: here you ſee the Apoſtles inference upon Gods gratiouſneſs in himſelf; he being willing to be reconciled, when we were enimies; much more being reconciled we ſhal be ſaved: as if he ſhould have ſaid; al the goodneſs of God towards poor wretched ſinful Creatures, when we were deſperate enemes to him, and never thought of coming in to be reconciled unto him, yet the Lord himſelf finds out a way; and begins the work of making peace between him and our ſouls: ſurely then, being reconciled unto him, we ſhal be ſaved: What, ſhal God when we were a going on in a deſperate way of enmity againſt him, ſhal this God come then to us, and have thoughts of peace and Love, and mercy to us? ſurely when we are reconciled, when we have hearts in ſome meaſure to love this God, and to ſerve, and fear him, he wil not caſt us off; certainly no, it is better with us now than before. When we were enemies unto him, and deſperate enemies, it had been then no wonder if God had caſt us off, and ſent us to our own places to lie for ever under the infinite burden of his wrath; but the Lord had then thoughts of peace towards us, it is therefore now far otherwiſe with us; though it is true, we have many corruptions in us, but we can appeal unto God that our Souls love him, and that the deſire of our hearts are to fear, and ſerve him; we can in ſome meaſure be able to ſay; Lord, thou that knoweſt al things, knoweſt, that there is nothing in the world our Souls deſire more than to overcome theſe Corruptions; there is no burden in al the world like unto the burden of ſin; there is nothing ſo grievous to us as this, that we have ſuch vile hearts and natures that can ſerve him no better than we do; and if God ſhould ask us what we would have from him, we can ſay in the ſincerity of our ſouls; Lord thou knoweſt we would not ask Riches, or Honors, to be Kings, and Princes in the world; but Oh, that we might be delivered from the remayner of the corruption that is in our hearts, from ſuch, and ſuch diſtempers of our Souls whereby we diſhonor thy name continually: Certainly if the hearts of men be in this diſpoſition, they may gather a comfortable argument to themſelves, and conclude thus: There was a time that I went on as a dſperate enemy unto God, and I lived without God in the world, and never minded the power, and the majeſty, and the Dominion of God over me, but as if I were born to nothing elſe but to ſin againſt God; I followed my own luſts with al manner of greedineſs, but behold then, even at that time the Lord had thoughts of mercy towards me, and he took me perhaps when I came to the hearing of the word with a purpoſe to contemne, and deſpiſe it, and to ieer at it; yet at that very time he took me, and ſpake to my heart, and ſhewed me Jeſus Chriſt, and his mercy, and then he broke my heart: now the Lord knows though when I come to the word I profit not as I ſhould, yet I come with a heart deſiring to profit; and I would fain know the mind of God in it; and before I come, I go to God, and deſire him to ſhew me ſome part of his wil; Wil God now caſt me off when being a diſperate enemy to him he had thoughts of mercy towards me? wil he caſt me off for thoſe infirmities that I have now? I know I have not a heart oppoſite to that Grace, though I have a heartful of diſtempers: I am not an enemy unto God as I was before, and an enemy to his people, and ordinances; No, my heart is towards him, my heart is towards his people, and towards his Ordinances; and was God reconciled to me then, even whil'ſt I was an enemy, and wil he now caſt me off for weakneſſes; and infirmities? Certainly it cannot be. O make much of that place of the Apoſtle. If when we were enemies unto God we were reconciled unto him; much more, ſaith he; certainly now God wil not caſt us off, but we ſhal be ſaved. That is a third uſe that we may make of Gods begining the work of Reconciliation.
USE, 4.
A Fourth is this; Was God beginning with us, and did he ſo begin with us? then let not us be backward with God, let us not hang off in any duty when God cals us to do it, but preſently come in; let it not be long before we perform any duty, let us not ſtand out, and defer with God, and ſay, I wil, and I wil hereafter: certainly that Soul that comes to underſtand the goodneſs of God, how God began with us in making of peace before ever we had thoughts of it; it wil be a mighty argument to put the Soul on to make haſt to the doing of any duty which God calls for, and to be ſpeedy in the Service of God, becauſe he was pleaſed at firſt to begin. But we paſs that of Gods beginning to be reconciled unto us, and come to that which is indeed the main in this point of Reconciliation in the Text; and even the principal of al the Doctrines that are in the Goſpel; To wit, That God was in, Chriſt Reconcileing the world to himſelf.