Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 35
CHAP. 35. Why Gods Reconciling to himſelfe is expreſſed in ſo large a terme as the [World.] Six Reaſons thereof.
BUt you wil ſay; If this be ſo, that God hath made ſuch a difference; that there are ſome that he hath been from al eternity reconcileing himſelf unto, and not al; what is the reaſon of this phraſe? why doth he ſay that he loved the world? and that he was reconciling himſelf unto the world without any diſtinction? One would think, God ſhould rather have expreſſed it thus: That he Reconciling himſelf to ſome in the world, and that he loved ſome in the world, and not the world in general. No, God would rather expreſs it in this general phraſe upon theſe Six Reaſons.
Reaſon, 1.
Firſt, He would ſay, the World, to exclude Angells that are not ſo properly of this world. But this doth not come up ſo fully to the Reaſon; why God would rather ſay the world, than this, or that man in the world. And therefore.
Reaſon, 2.
In the Second place; another Reaſon is this. Becauſe he would ſhew the ſufficiency of the death of Chriſt, and of the work of Redemption; that there is enough in it, if it were to ſave never ſo many worlds.
Reaſon. 3.
Thirdly, Another Reaſon of it is this. That God might ſhew, that in the Miniſtery of the Goſpel, none ſhal be excluded, No, not the worſt of ſinners that are in the world; and therefore God doth not ſay in the Miniſtery of the Goſpel; this, or that particular man or woman Chriſt died for; but generally, he died for the world. Becauſe he would hereby ſhew, that he hath not excluded the worſt, and vildeſt ſinner in the world; and that thoſe that are the moſt notorious, and the greateſt ſinners in the world may come in and be Reconciled. If God had expreſſed it thus; There are ſome in the world that I have been reconciling my ſelf unto from al eternity: Then may a ſinner ſay; ſurely, if there be but ſome, God never intended me that have been ſo wicked a wretch, ſo notorious a ſinner. But therefore God would not expreſs it ſo, but in the moſt general tearmes, to the end that there ſhould not be any one ſinner in the world have this plea: Lord, I was excluded. No, ſaith God, I wil have the Miniſtery of my Goſpel go in ſuch generall tearmes, as that every ſinner ſhal have incouragement to come in, and receive mercy. Therefore you ſhal find in that laſt of Mark. 15. where Chriſt gives his Commiſſion to his diſciples to preach. He ſaith; go in to al the world, and …each the Goſpel to every Ceature; that is, to man, who is a little world, an Epitome of every creature. To the Gentiles alſo, who had been denyed this favor of the Goſpel, as if they had been none of Gods creatures. If thou beeſt a creature, the Goſpel is to be preached to thee. There is to be a general tender of Grace, and mercy to every Creature throughout the whole world, to the greateſt ſinners that live upon the face of the Earth. Great ſinners, and ſmal ſinners, al of them are to have the offer of Reconciliation with God; And the Miniſters of the Goſpel are to preach in the name of God, that the Lord doth tender unto every one, this offer of mercy and Salvation. This to be done miniſterially to every Creature we ſhal come preach to; not only great ſinners, but thoſe that are of the meaneſt condition in the world. For ſome may ſay; If God wil ſhew mercy to ſome in the world, ſure it muſt be to ſome great ones in the world, thoſe that are eminent, and may do him a great deal of ſervice; alas, what ſervice can God have from me a poor creature that lives al day long in a poor dark hole, that can do him no work, or ſervice; wil ever God have any thought of me? Yes, if thou be a creature of God, and liveſt in the world, thou art no more excluded from Reconciliation with God, than the Kings, and Emperors of the Earth; and it may be God may think of thee in that poor hole of thine a thatched cottage when he neglecteth, and paſſeth by the great Monarks of the world. Therefore this expreſſion is ſo large; that thoſe that are the pooreſt people in the world, and the greateſt ſinners in the world, may know, they are not excluded from the offers of grace in the Goſpel. This is a third Reaſon. And then.
Reaſon. 4.
A fourth Reaſon why it goes in ſuch tearmes as theſe. That herby the Lord may ſhew; that thoſe that ſhal actually come in to be reconciled unto him, they muſt come in while they are in this world. That thoſe perſons that are capable of Reconciliation, are only ſuch perſons as live in the world: If they be not reconciled before they are gone out of the world, they are never to be reconciled: therefore is this phraſe, God is Reconcileing the world to himſelf. As if he ſhould ſay: If once you are gone out of the world, and are not reconcilied unto God before you are gone, you are loſt for ever. The object of this my grace, is only thoſe people that live in the world, if they paſs away this time, and be not reconciled unto me while they live here, they ſhal never be reconciled; for God was not reconciling himſelf to men that are in Hell, for they are not of this world, they are gone out of the world; they were ſuffered by Gods patience to live a great while in the world, and here they filled the world with ſin as much as in them lay; Now they are gone out of the world, and are gone from the ſhine of Gods grace, which ſhal never come to ſhine upon them more; they ſhal never come to hear any offer of the Goſpel more. This is a fourth Reaſon.
Reaſon. 5.
A Fifth Reaſon is this. Hereby God wil ſhew his wonderful love, and free Grace to wretched Creatures; that he ſhould regard ſuch vild Creatures as thoſe that live in the world; for the world, alas, what is it? It is a dunghil of filth; and as the Apoſtle ſaith, 1. John 5.19. The whole world lies in wickedneſs; it lies as a dead Dog or Carkaſs that lies in a Common Sewer,Nil mundum in mundo, nihil aliud eſt totus mundus ante converſionem, niſi aut hara porcorum aut collovie, rapidorum canum. Auſt. As a filthy hogſty or kennel of mad Dogs. in a ditch, al in ſlime, and filth; Now that God ſhould ſet his heart upon the world, what an infinite, and wonderful love, and free grace is this? The truth is, before our Converſion, we do al lie in wickedneſs, as a Carrion, or a dead Dog that lies in a Cart-way, al in gore, & mire; So are we in our natural Condition, and yet that the great God of Heaven ſhould ſend his own Son into the world to die for ſuch a one; that he ſhould make ſuch a one an heir of Heaven, and of eternal life; that ſuch a one ſhould become a member of his Son, and ſo have everlaſting Communion with himſelf; & that this ſhould be plotted by God from al eternity; What an infinite love of God is this? And again; that the world lies in wickedneſs; the world that is ſo vile, and ſo unworthy a thing; that yet the Lord ſhould be thus reconciling the World to himſelf; What an infinite, and unconceivable, free Grace of God is this?
Reaſon, 6.
The Sixt Reaſon is this. They that ſhal live in the world ſhal generally come in to God; and indeed be actually reconciled in time. Though the world for the preſent be not ſo generally reconciled unto God: yet the Lord hath his time when the Jews ſhal be called, and the fulneſs of the Gentiles ſhall come in, and we ſhal ſee further Reaſon of the generality of this expreſſion. God hath promiſed that Chriſt ſhal poſſeſs the utmoſt parts of the Earth, and that the Heirs of the promiſe ſhal inherit the World. I underſtand it litterally. Rom. 4.23. God made a promiſe to Abraham, and to his Seed, that he ſhould be the Heir of the World. And this Promiſe is yet to be fulfiled in a literal ſence. In ſome ſpiritual ſence the Saints may be ſaid to be Heirs of the world: for indeed the right eſpecially belongs to them (I do not ſay but ungodly men have right by guift, he giveth the Earth to the Children of men) but not by inheritance (as the Saints have) as Servants have a right to their meat, and drink, and what is given them: but the Children have a right by inheritance, ſo the Saints have a right to this world as wel as to Heaven, and there is a time a comming when they wil be poſſeſt with their inheritance. Then the Text wil be true literally.
And thus you have had the Reaſons given you of this Phraſe; and this may ſuffice for the opening of the Point. That it is the World that God was reconciling himſelf unto.