Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 28 – Chapter 29
CHAP. 28.
Uſe. 7. To love Chriſt, And do or ſuffer for him.
AGain. Is it in Chriſt that we are reconciled unto God? O! let Chriſt be beloved by us. Let us ſay with the bleſſed Martyr Lambert; None but Chriſt, None but Chriſt, which he ſpake too when he came to the ſtake to be burnt for Chriſt: a good Leſſen for us by the way to take out, that may come to ſuffer very hard things for that which we have undertaken to do in obedience to God; yet for us to rejoyce when we come to ſuffer baniſhment, or loſs of goods, or life; to rejoyce that ever our hearts were ingaged in the waies of God; It is a ſign of grace indeed. Many men when things proſper can go on, and rejoyce that they were ingaged in ſuch a buſineſs, but if they find that it ſhal not proſper by outward ſucceſs, and that there are many miſcarriages, they repent of what they have done; and that is the reaſon why we have ſo many run away now, and have withdrawn themſelves from that which before they would ſpend their lives, and deareſt blood in, and not only withdraw themſelves when they ſee the work a little hot, but betray the cauſe: But here is a tryal of godlineſs; that if I have engaged my ſelf in the waies of God; and God by his providence caſts me into ſuch waies as bring trouble unto me, yet I can rejoyce that ever I was ingaged in them. Thus it was with the bleſed Martyr that cried out none but Chriſt, even then when he was at the ſtake for Chriſt. It may be a Carnal heart might ſay. Yea, Lambert before you rejoyced in Chriſt, and talked of Chriſt, but what ſay you now? that you are come to be burnt for Chriſt; had you kept Chriſt within your ſelf, you might have preſerved this Body of yours: O! no, Chriſt was even then, ſweet unto this man, when he was going to ſuffer for him, and even then, none but Chriſt. And indeed there is cauſe ſufficient for Chriſt to be dear, and ſweet unto us even in the midſt of al ſufferings. It is true, it may cauſe us to have the world to be our enemy; but what of that, when Chriſt hath made peace between us, and God the father; this ſatisfies the ſoul of a man to the ful, and therefore the ſoul wil love him, and will rejoyce in him, and bleſs God that ever he was ingaged in any cauſe for the ſake of Chriſt; becauſe Chriſt is his bleſſed Reconciler, and becauſe Chriſt hath made a peace between God, and his heart; although men are his enemies, yet he knows that through Chriſt God is his friend. Chriſt hath made men our enemies indeed but it is accidentally, but he hath made God our friend; and he himſelf ſaith; Do you think I come to bring Peace? No, I come to bring a ſword: through the profeſſion of the Goſpel there is a great deal of enmity amongſt men and I beleeve this rage, and enmity that is on root here in England, Chriſt himſelf accidentally is the cauſe of it. On the one ſide, the deſire of Gods people is for a through Reformation; and on the other ſide the hatred of mens ſpirits againſt Chriſt, and his Ordinances, wil rather undo themſeleves then Chriſt ſhal have any Glory, they wil rather put their Necks under an Antichriſtian yoak, yea, under the yoak of ſlavery, and make themſelves, and their poſterity ſlaves, then to be under the yoak of Chriſt; and this is the very bottom of that bitter mallice and rage that is now in the hearts of men, for there was never the like example of a people, that ſhould be enraged one againſt another for their own mind. We might have peace, and we might have liberry if we would but unite our ſelves as one man againſt Papiſts, and others that are notorious, and abominably wicked to ſubdue them. But now becauſe that peace, and liberty would bring in Reformation with it, and men ſhould not have that liberty for their luſts as heretofore they have had, upon that they will have no peace at all; and they will rather be ſlaves to the wills and luſts of men, and to the Devil, then come under Chriſts yoak. Thus the Goſpel is in great part, the cauſe of the ſword by accident. What though? Shal we not love therefore, Shall we ſay? ſince there was ſo much preaching, and profeſſion, we have had ſuch and ſuch wars, and ſtrifes, and troubles: would men be quiet, and contented, they might be at peace. O! what is this, but to be contented to be without Chriſt, without truth, without peace of Conſcience? ſo that becauſe we would fain have theſe; that is, we would fain have Chriſt, and fain have the Goſpel, and truth, and peace of Conſcience, we can have no peace with men, but yet bleſſed be God for Chriſt; for although Chriſt be as a bundle of mirth, that hath much bitterneſs in it, yet let him lie between your breaſts, let us rejoyce in him, let us love him, let us bleſs God for him, and be glad that ever we were engaged in his Cauſe. O! that great Peace-maker between God and us, how dear ſhould he be to our hearts? And as that Martyr ſaid when he was to ſuffer for him. What have I but one life to lay down for Chriſt? O! that I had many; So ſhould we ſay; what, is our life in danger for Chriſt? O! that we had many lives that might be al in danger for him. I heard a credible relation of a yong man that was in the buſineſs that was in Kent, & had a ſhot through the ſhoulder, and fel down as dead, and for a while lay as dead, but recovering and getting up, and having ſtrengh enough to diſcharg a musket; ſaid, wel, I wil ſpend one life more for this Cauſe. The truth is, had we one, yea an hundred, a thouſand lives, we might very wel beſtow them in a cauſe wherein we might teſtifie our love to Chriſt, and bleſs God that ever we were engaged therin though it hath brought ſuch a diſturbance between man, and man. And let this be one particular wherein you are to manifeſt your love to Jeſus Chriſt as the great Reconciler; namly, that you are willing to be reconciled one to another, to be reconciled to your Brethren for his ſake: this is one good way to manifeſt your love to Chriſt. It may be ſuch, and ſuch have wronged you, and there is a great breach between ſuch a neighbor and you. A natural man may be willing to be reconciled upon natural grounds; it is a troubleſome thing to be in Contention, and it is more comfortable to be at peace with my Neighbor; and ſo through a natural love unto peace ſome wil be contented there ſhould be peace made between them, and the others they are fallen out withal; and it is good to go ſo far: But when you can bring your ſelves to this; not onelyonly out of love to peace, becauſe it is good for neighbors to be reconciled; but when you can think thus. Chriſt hath reconciled my ſoul when I was an enemy unto God; he hath come down from the boſom of his Father, and laid down his life for me: and Chriſt is diſhonored when there are ſuch breaches between friend, and friend; therefore out of love to Jeſus Chriſt who hath reconciled my ſoul unto the Father I am willing out of that very principle to be at peace with others.
CAHP. 29.
Uſe, 8. In Seeking Reconciliation by Chriſt.
LAſtly; if it be in Chriſt that we are reconciled unto God. Let us al learne in ſeeking Reconciliation to eye Chriſt, and carry him in our armes. If there be any of you that now begin to have your conſciences ſtirred, and to be made ſenſible of the breach that is between God, and you, do not reſt in ſeeking peace in a natural way, but eye Jeſus Chriſt; and when you look up unto God for peace; look unto him in Chriſt. Look upon Chriſt as the ſecond perſon in Trinity, takeing our nature upon him. Look upon Chriſt as the head of the Covenant of Grace. Look upon Chriſt as the Lamb ſlayn from the begi… …f the world, and having made peace with his bloo… Look upon Chriſt as ſitting at the right hand of the Father makeing interceſſion.
Thus you ſhould act your faith upon God in Chriſt when you are ſeeking peace with God. The reaſon why many people ly under the ſpirit of bondage for many years together, is this. Becauſe they look upon God meerly as he is in himſelfe, and do not look upon God through Chriſt, and ſo do not ſanctifie the name of God in this great work of Reconciliation