Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 74
CHAP. 74. The Fourteenth Argument: manifeſting the exceeding willingneſs of God to be reconciled to ſinners.
ANother evidence is this; when yet ſiners do not come, yet the lord leaves them not; but he doth then appeal to the very conſcinces of ſinners, and deales with them that way; and that is very powerful; he deals with ſinners that way to breake their hearts: (when after al his arguments they com not in) then the lord appeals to their own conſciences, & then wil plead with them in a way of appealing to their conſciences, why they ſhould not come in and yeild unto him; and this way is verry powerful to prevail with ſinners. If you would go, and prevail with any one for a thing that you have a deſire to accompliſh, what courſe do you take? either you ſend to them, or go to them, and then you open the caſe to them, and yet they are not moved & then you bring powerful arguments to perſwad them, and yet they do not move them then you take away al their objections, and yet that doth not prevail upon them; then you do importune them, and if that do not overcome them, what is the next way you take? then you appeal to their owne conſciences, then ſay you, nay, I appeal to your own conſcience, whether I have ſaid it or no; I wil even leave it to your conſcience, and judg of it in the preſence of God let your own conſcience be your judg, and ſomtimes this prevailes more than al the arguments in the world. When you appeal to a mans one conſcience, that he doth deal unequally, and very il; that he doth not yeild: but God doth thus he doth apeal unto mens conſciences I wil give yo ſuome ſcripture for it in the 43. Eſa. 26. Put me in rememberance; let us plead together; declare thou that thou muſt be juſtified; come (ſaith God) let us hear what you can ſay; let us plead together; Declare thou that thou mayeſt be juſtified; declare it, ſay what thou canſt, try whether you or I be in the right way, I wil even be contented to leave it to you (only let us plead, and declare what we can) But that place ſeemes yet to be more ful that you have in Jerem. 2, 3, you have often expreſſions of Gods pleading with his people in the ninth verſe, and then you have it again at leaſt three times in this Chapter that the lord ſaith he wil plead in v. 23. you have it again, wherefore wil you plead with me? &c. and then in the 35. verſ. Behold I wil plead with thee ſaith God, but now God pleads thus in his pleading, he wil leave it, he wil appeal to the very conſciences of men, and that you have in Exek. 18.25. verſ. yet you ſay, the way of the lord is not equal, hear O! houſe of Iſrael, (as if he ſhould ſay) conſcience anſwer, Is not my way equal? wil not your owne conſciences anſwer you thus? that his waies are equal? the lord is content to plead with his people, & the concluſion of his pleading is a leaving it to their conſciences, to the people, (as if God ſhould ſay thus) as he doth often) God comes by his ſpirit in the miniſtry of his word. I appeal to you, (hath he not often done ſo)? and ſaith, do you think in your very conſciences that theſe waies that you walk in are right? & my waies are they good? is it any way equal that wretched ſinful creatures ſhould take their liberty to go on al their daies and pleaſe themſelves in the luſts of their own vaine hearts, and now, when they can ſin no more nor longer, that then they ſhould cry to God for mercy, and that then he ſhould pardon them, and accept them unto his favour? Is this equal? is not the lord infinitly more worthy of al the ſtrength thou haſt if it were ten thouſand times more than it is, than that thou ſhouldeſt have given it up to thy luſts and vanities? Conſcience, ſpeak whether God be not moſt worthy of al? and what wert thou made for? no other end but meerly to eat and drink and ſatisfie thy fleſh, and have thy luſts heere for a while? doſt thou thinke in thy concience that God did intend no other end for thee when he ſent thee into the world? you have been upon your ſick bedds and cried to God, and have promiſed to God better obedience, now are your waies equal to take your liberty to ſin after God hath thus delivered you, and after God hath preſerved your life when you were at the very brinke of death, and that death was ready to deliver you up into the hands of eternal miſery; and do you think that this was Gods end in preſerving your life that you might have more time to ſin againſt him, and might ſpend the latter part of your ſtrength in bringing diſhonor to his Name? was this Gods end in preſerving your life? God might have ſtruck you one blow more, and ſent you down to eternal miſery, and then God ſhould have had no more diſhonor of you, but ſhould have had the Glory of his Juſtice upon you: Now do you think that this is the end why God did preſerve you, that you ſhould have more years added to your life, that you ſhould have more time to ſin againſt him? This argues Gods willingneſs to be reconciled, that the Lord is thus pleaſing with you: and let me ſpeak to every one in this place that hath felt God pleading thus with them, know, that the Lord by this work of his, doth ſtrive with thee to bring thee to be reconciled unto him. This is no other thing than the ſtriving of the Spirit of God himſelf with you, though perhaps you think this is troubleſom to you. Many men and women when they have their conſciences pleading thus, they think it is troubleſom. Oh wretched man or woman that thou art, this work of Conſcience is nothing but God pleading with thee to ſave thy Soul: Thou haſt ſtood againſt his Word that hath been preached to thee, and now God ſeeks to thee the other way by his Spirit to ſtrive in thy Conſcience, he appeals to thy own Conſcience, that ſo thou mayeſt be brought in to be reconciled unto him. But when God hath no mind to be reconciled, then ſaith God to Conſcience, let him alone; and then the ſinner goes on with a hard heart, and bleſſes himſelf that his Conſcience is quiet: Oh no, no, Conſcience is quiet, but God hath left laboring any more with thee.