Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 79 – Chapter 80
CHAP. 79.
Uſe, 1. Admire Gods infinite Grace in enterating to be reconciled to ſinners. Conſidering. 1. What it is God intreats for. 2. Who are intreated. 3. By whom you are intreated. 4. What need hath God of you?
USE.
IN the firſt place upon al what hath been ſaid of the willingneſs of God, and Chriſt to be reconciled unto ſinners, that they thus do entreate ſinners we are taught; Firſt, to ſtand and admire at the infinite riches of the …ace of God, and eſpeically you who have felt this work of God effectually upon your Hearts; You who have found God wooing, and ſuing to your hearts: give God the glory of his Grace, and admire at it. It were mercy for the Lord once to offer upon any terms to be reconciled unto ſinners, or to ſhew them any favor. Meerly to offer it, that is grace; that is to be admired, and that is more than God hath done to the Angels; he would not do ſo much to them: But now that God ſhould, not only offer: but ſend to feek after thee; to cry after you again, and again; to be importunate with you, to entreate, and beſeech, not only by his Miniſters: but by this own ſpirit (for there is the work of that) the ſpirit of God comes and woos, and beſeeches ſinners to come in and be reconciled) Oh ſtand and admire at this forever: Let it take up your hearts to give glory to him and the rather if you conſider theſe four things.
Firſt, What it is that God doth entreate and beſeech for? What is it that you are entreated to do? That that ſhal deliver you from the greateſt evil that any creature is capable of, and that whereby you would receive the greateſt good that any creature is capable of; you are entreated not to be miſerable: but to be happy, and not only that you ſhould ſerve God, and not ſin againſt God, and do the works that God requires of you for his glory: but you are entreated to be reconciled, to deliver your Souls from that depth of miſery, and to be brought unto happineſs, and glory.
Secondly, Conſider who you are that are intreated. Were there any great worth in you; Then you might expect to be entreated, as men that are of great eſtates, they muſt be entreated: But who are you wretched Caitiffes? in your ſelves damned Duſt and Aſhes, fire-brands of hel, ſuch as have made your ſelves fuel for the everlaſting wrath of the eternal God to burne upon; ſuch as deſerve to be caſt out as an everlaſting curſe; enemies to God: you are intreated.
And by whom are you intreated? Even by God himſelf, and Chriſt that is God bleſſed for ever. Even that infinite glory before whom Angels adore; before whom they cover their faces: even him, who by one word of his mouth is able to ſend you al preſently down to Hell; even this God commeth to entreat, and that Chriſt whom Angels do Adore, even that Chriſt comes to entreate. For the Servant to entreate his Maſter, for the ſubject to entreate the prince, is not ſo much: but for the Maiſter to entreate the Servant, for the prince to entreate the ſubject, this is that that ſhould fil our Souls with a ſpirit of admiration, at the unſpeakable condeſcentions of the moſt bleſſed Majeſty.
Thirdly, what need hath God of you? though you ſhould periſh, and die eternally, it is no great matter to him; God might have his glory out of your eternal ruine: But to that end that he might break your Hearts, therefore he doth entreate and beſeech. Oh admire! at the riches of his Grace, and give him the glory that is due unto him; begin to do that here that you muſt do to al eternities when you come into his glorious preſence in Heaven.
CHAP. 80.
ƲSE, 2. And 3.
SEcondly, The more God doth manifeſt this his grace, the more deſperatly wicked is the heart of man to ſtand out againſt God. Oh! wretched, curſed heart that can ſtand out againſt God; that can ſtand out againſt the the offer of grace in the Goſpel; I ſay, this is a curſed heart to ſtand out againſt the offer of grace though it were no more. If this ſhould be but declared; that Chriſt is come into the world to ſave ſinners: God expects, that al thoſe to whom Chriſt is ſo revealed, that they ſhould come flocking unto him, and cry mightily unto God for mercy in Chriſt: but when God doth not only offer his ſon; but comes by the Miniſtry of his word, and by the work of his ſpirit to draw your hearts unto him, and ye thou doſt ſtand out againſt God; againſt al theſe gracious beginings, drawings, and melting expreſſions of God; thou doſt ſtand out; Oh! Curſed ſtubborn hard heart, that ſhould ſtand out againſt al theſe. Thou canſt not now pleade; Oh! tentation was ſtrong to draw my heart from God to ſuch and ſuch ſinful waies. Was tentation ſtrong? Why did ever tentation draw more alluringly than God hath drawn alluringly by his goſpel? It is impoſſible that the Devil, and al the world ſhould draw more alluringly to any ſin, than God doth draw unto him. Oh! theſe entreatings of God, this gratious way toward ſinners, is that that wil be the greateſt aggravation of the ſins of men that ever was or can be imagined. Only (for the preſent) know thus much; that the mercies of God, that ſhal be the ſubject of the Saints rejoycing, and bleſſing of his name to al eternity; that mercy wil be thy greateſt miſery, and that is a ſad thing for any ſinner to think on, that that mercy that the Saints ſhal be eternally admiring, and bleſſing God for, that that ſhould be my miſery, and ſecret wound, and my greateſt terror, and that is the ſecond thing.
ƲSE. 3.
Oh! rebuke thine own wretched heart that hath ſtood out ſo long againſt God as thou haſt done al thy daies. Certainly the conſideration of this; of ſtanding out againſt any command of God when God comes to enlighten a mans Conſcience, and the Soul doth come to underſtand with whom he hath to deal, it hath a mighty power to break the heart of man. That when I come to ſee that I have ſtood out againſt al thoſe loving drawings, al thoſe woings of the Goſpel, it is that that wil rent your hearts; Rent your hearts and not your garments, for the Lord is merciful; that is not only a breaking of the heart but a rending of the heart when the Grace of God doth appear to it.