Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 9 – Chapter 10
CHAP. 9.
Uſe. 3. To ſeek to make our Peace with God: five helps thereunto. 1. Keep from the outward Acts of ſin. 2. Labor to ſet God continully before you. 3. Reſolve not to be at Peace with your ſelves till you be at Peace with God. 4. Seek Peace with God on his own Conditions. 5. Prize Peace with God now, as you wil value it at the day of Judgment.
THat we may conclude this particular of the excellency of our Reconciliation with God: there is yet another Uſe which we may make of it. And that is this.
Uſe 3.
If it be of ſuch a great excellency to be at peace with God: O that you would al be in love with it, that you would al ſeek to make your peace with him who is the great Reconciler.
You wil ſay, Can we make our peace with God?
No, you cannot do it, but it is in a great part done to your hands if you have but hearts to ſeek after it. It is true, there is another point (but that wil fal in afterward) to ſhew how it is done to the hand of ſome already. But for the preſent, you muſt know, that you can have no evidence to your own Conſcience, til you ſeek after this peace: and the truth is if we either knew the need of it, or the excellency of the injoyment of it, we would never be at reſt in any thing til we come to be aſſured that it is ours.
You wil ſay, What ſhal we do?
I Anſwer; though we know that it is the great work of Chriſt to make our peace with God; yet God requires this, and in requiring it (if you belong to him) he wil convey ſome ſecret influences of his grace into you to inable you to do it; be wil give you a heart to labor for it, which indeed is one ſigne of our peace.
Help 1.
And therefore let me perſwade you to do what you can, do but keep (for the preſent) from the outward acts of ſin; and do not willfully give way to the inward or outward acts of ſin, labor to get your hearts to this, that may you ſay, the Lord knows I do not wilfully yield to any known ſin, convince your hearts, poſſeſs your hearts throughly with this, that it is the great work that you have to do in the world, that this is that one thing that is neceſſary for your ſouls, and you ſhal find, that even this wil be a mighty thing to help you on.
Help 2.
Again, Labor to ſet God Continually before you; the greatneſs of God, the Majeſty of God, the power of God, the goodneſs of God, labor to ſet theſe before you, thereby to draw your hearts to ſeek after your making your peace with God. There is an excellent Scripture in Iſa. 27.5. That hath ſome difficulty for the underſtanding of it, but it is very ſweet if rightly underſtood. Let him take hold of my ſtrength that he may make peace with me, and he ſhal make Peace with me: it is a ſtrange kind of Phraſe, and I find a great deal of difference amongſt Interpreters about this text. I find Mr. Calvin, that uſually hits as right as moſt, carrying of it by way of interogation, and ſo he ſaith you may read it thus. Wil he take hold of my ſtrength that he may make peace with me? as if he ſhould have ſaid, what wil he do? wil he ſtay ſo long till he come to be made ſenſible of my power upon him, and of my ſtrength to bring him down? and then it may be he wil make peace with me. Thus many do, they ſtay til God comes to make them ſenſible of his power, and of his ſtrength, and then they wil make their peace with God. But I can hardly think this to be the ſcope, only it is a very good meditation to ſet God before you in his power, & in his ſtrength, & in his glory, and to meditate with your ſelves thus: O, if the Lord ſhould come now, and make me apprehenſive, and ſenſible of that power, and ſtrength of his, indeed this wil ſtir up my heart to ſeek to make my peace with him. What is the reaſon that there comes ſo many ſhreiks, and cryings from ſouls when they are ſenſible of Gods power, and ſtrength? O! they well know what a mighty God they have to do withal: the truth is the reaſon why men do not make it their work now to ſeek Reconciliation and peace with God; it is becauſe they are not apprehenſive of the power, and majeſty, and glory that is in God, how God is above them, and can bring them under, and make them vile, and baſe when he pleaſeth. Therefore it is a good interpretation of the words, Wil he take hold, or apprehend my ſtrength, (ſo the word ſignifies) that he may make peace with me? But to me, the meaning is rather this, wil he rather make uſe of my goodneſs, and my mercy, and ſo make peace with me? For that is the ſtrength that is here meant, and that I ſhal ſhew you from the dependance; only firſt let me tel you, that in Scripture [Strength] is often uſed for Gods goodneſs, and mercy, his power to do good, as wel as his power to inflict miſery, and judgment. I wil give you but a ſcripture or two for that. Num. 14.17. And now I beſeech thee let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou haſt ſpoken, ſaying, the Lord is of long Suffering, & of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and trangreſſion, &c. And in verſ, 19. Pardon I beſeech thee, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatneſs of thy mercy. When Moſes is pleading with God for a pacification between him and his people, he makes uſe of Gods power, O Lord (ſaith he) according to the greatneſs of thy power, or according to the greatneſs of thy ſtrength (for it is all one) do this. So Pſal. 27. The Lord is the ſtrength of my life; where Gods power, and ſtrength are tearmes uſed to ſet out the way of God towards David. And here the word doth ſignifie ſuch a kind of ſtrength as is to help a thing that is very weak, that as the Vine being very weak, and being left to itſelf, fals down, and therefore you uſe to put props under your Vines which have more ſtrength in them than the Vines have in themſelves to keep them up, and that is the very word in the Original which is tranſlated [Strength] as if God ſhould have ſaid, wil he take hold on me, as on a prop? And that this is the meaning of it, appeares by the dependence of the words, for the Prophet in that Chapter was ſpeaking of the goodneſs of God to his Vinyard, verſ. 2. In that day Sing you unto her a Vinyard of Red wine, I the Lord do keep it, I wil water it every moment, leaſt any hurt it, I wil keep it night and day: what a ſweet promiſe is this of God to his Church: Are there a great many enemies abroad that are ſtrong and powerful, and of ſwift feet, ready to ſhed blood? mark, in one verſe you ſhal read three I's, I, I, I, ſaith God; I oppoſe my ſelf to al the enemies of my Church: I do keep it, I wil water it every moment, I wil keep it: but what ſhal become of it in the night? I wil keep it ſaith he, night and day. We have here a promiſe to help us to ſleep quietly. Wel, he goes on, verſe 4. Fury is not in me; though it is true, I may come againſt you in ſuch waies that you may think I am provoked, but ſaith he, fuiry is not in me, I am not provoked in a revenging way towards my people. Who would ſet the Briers, and Thorns againſt me in Battail? there are a Company of wicked and ungodly men that may ſet themſelves againſt me like Briers, and Thorns; But ſaith he, I wil go through them if they come in my way, I wil conſume them, I wil burn them together. But my people, they are my Vinyard, I wil deal gently with them, I wil be a prop, and a ſupport to them. And then he comes in with this, let them take hold of my ſtrength that they may make peace with me: as if he ſhould ſay, you are pore weak creatures, you are indeed my Vinyard, and my Vine, but you are weak, and when a ſtorm comes, you are ready to bow down, and ly quaſh upon the ground; yea, but ſaith God, though you think that my wrath is abroad in the world, yet my power and my wrath is againſt mine enemies, and al my power, and my ſtrength, are for you, it is no otherwiſe but as the ſeting of a prop under a Vine in a time of tempeſt when a ſtorme would beat the Vine to the ground, my power ſhal be ſet under to keep it up. Now you ſhould (ſaith he) take hold of this my ſtrength, as the Vine claſpeth about the prop, and ſo make peace with me. This is an excellent text to put you on in theſe dangerous times to be ſure to make peace with God. You that are godly, and have ſome hopes that God is at peace with you, it may be you are troubled with fears of danger, know that God puts under his power, and his ſtrength, and he would have you take hold of it, take hold of my ſtrength ſaith he, even as the Vine takes hold of the prop, and ſo by renewing the act of Faith upon my power, and goodneſs, thereby you ſhal renew your peace with me, that whatſoever fury is abroad to burn the Briers, and Thorns, yet you ſhal have peace with me, and that power of mine that is put forth to deſtroy them, ſhal be a prop to uphold you. So that this Scripture, as it makes much for the openning of what I ſaid before, ſo it ſeems to put you on to a laboring, and indeavouring to make your peace with God in troubleſome times. Set therefore before your eyes the power of God, the greatneſs of God: That is one interpretation. Then ſet before your eyes the goodneſs, and the mercy of God, that your hearts may come and twiſt themſelves about this God, as the Vine doth about the prop, or the hop about the pole.
Help 3.
In your making your peace with God, obſerve this rule: To reſolve with your own hearts, that you wil never be at peace with your ſelves til you be at peace with God, that you wil never have any peace in your own hearts, til you have gotten true peace with God. I do not ſay, that you ſhould reſolve never to have peace with others, but I ſay, reſolve never to be at peace with your ſelves: and it is a good controverſy when men are at contention with their evil hearts. Say within your ſelves, ſhal I be at peace with this wretched heart that is an enemy unto God? God forbid, this heart of mine ſhal be brought down, and be at peace with God before ever I wil be at peace with it. It is that which deſtroyes many a ſoul, that they are ſo indulgent to their own hearts, they are loth to fal out with them. And the truth is, many keep on in waies of enmity againſt God, becauſe they are loth to fal out with their own hearts, we ſhould be willing our hearts ſhould be troubled al our dayes, that the foundation of our peace, and quiet might by this be layd, and accompliſhed.
Help 4.
And then another way is this. Come in before God, even with a Rope about thy neck, and with Sackcloath upon thy loynes, caſt thy ſelf down before the Lord, and beſeech him to write his own tearms, give up thy heart unto God as it were a Blanck, and pray the Lord to write his own Conditions, only that God might be at peace with thee. And if thou do'ſt ſo indeed, then manifeſt the truth of it thus. That if afterwards any temptation to any ſin comes, or if thou beeſt caſt upon any duty, and findeſt thy heart backward thereto, make uſe then of the diſpoſition of thy heart: think thus: Was there not a time when I did ſeek to make my peace with God? was there not a time when I did caſt my ſelf before the Lord, and did then give up my ſelf as a blank to God, and intreated him to write his own conditions? and now God requires this duty of me, and I am loth to come to it, O, I do not do now ſo as I ſaid I would do when I was ſeeking for peace. Here is ſuch a temptation to ſin; O how oppoſite is this to that which I promiſed to God when I gave up my heart unto him. My Bretheren, I put this to you, either you have come into Gods preſence, and as poor humbled ſouls have given up your hearts to God as Blanks for him to write his own tearms upon; or you have not: If you have not; then you are not at peace with God, and ſo you may go away aſſured that you have nor done that great work which concerns you ten thouſand times more than your breathing in the Ayre.
But you wil ſay, I hope I have done this, I have been in my Cloſet giving up my heart as a Blank to God to write what Conditions he pleaſeth, and I have profeſſed to yield unto any tearms.
Have you done ſo? Examine then the courſe of your lives, how anſwerable your actions are to ſuch a thing.
You ſhould do this at every faſt, for every faſt is either to make peace, or to renew your peace. Now this is one work of a day of Attonement, to come in before the Lord and to yield your ſelves up unto him; and at the latter end of a day of faſting, to enter into Covenant with God, to give up your hearts unto God as a blank to write what he pleaſeth. Either this muſt be done, or elſe you take Gods name in vaine. Now if you do this, or have done this in the uprightneſs of your hearts; then make uſe of this when any temptation comes, and ſay within your ſelves; O! this is ſuitable for one that hath given up his heart to God.
Help. 5.
O that we could now prize and make as preſent before us, what this peace wil be to us at the day of Judgment, when the glorious appearing of the great God ſhal be; then you think it will be worth ſomwhat, labor now to make it to your hearts of as much worth as it wil be then, endevour to realize it now as it will be then. Certainly that is the reaſon there is no more ſtirrings of the hearts of me… after their making up of peace with God, becauſe they do not apprehend really what that peace wil be worth another day. You have a precious Scripture in the 2 Pet. 3.14. Wherefore Beloved ſeeing we look for ſuch things, be diligent that you be found of him in Peace. Do you not beleeve that there wil be a manifeſting of the glorious God one day in another manner than ever he was manifeſted here in the world? Do you not look for ſuch things? If you do, certainly you will be glad to be at peace with God, Seeing you look for ſuch things (ſaith the Apoſtle) be diligent that you may be found of him in Peace; let this take up your thoughts as the greateſt buſineſs that your hearts can be ſet upon, that you may be found of him in peace. Woe be to you if you be then found enemies to God; what wil become of you, if you be not found of him in peace? it had been better for you, that you had never been born. But how found of him in peace? mark what follows, without ſpot and blameleſs; this is the way to be at peace with God. But you will ſay, O Lord, if this be required as a way to be found of him in peace, that we ſhould be without ſpot, and blameleſs, then we are undone, for who can be found of God without ſpot, and blameleſs? Yet you ſee, this is the word of God, and this is the truth of God, and truth muſt ſtand, it is a certain truth, that whoſoever ſhal be found of God in peace when that glorious appearance of his ſhal be, he muſt be without ſpot, & blameleſs. If God find any one ſpot upon you, he wil proceed againſt you as an enemy. But you will ſay, How is that? Firſt in Chriſt, there the ſoul ſtands before the Lord without ſpot, cleer in the point of Juſtification: and likewiſe Evangelically it may be found ſo in Gods eſteem, for God cals the uprightneſs of a mans heart perfection in other Scriptures. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, and let us perfect holineſs in the fear of God. God looks ſo upon it, becauſe God pardoneth al in Chriſt, & accepteth of beleevers in Chriſt; & ſo they are peſented before him ſpotleſs, and blameleſs, and he gives them a heart too, to endeavor to waſh away their ſpot, and blame, and ſo to walk blameleſs before the Lord, and before men. This is the way of coming to make your peace with God. And O! that the reading this Book might be a means that ſome ſoul might be reconciled unto God, that was an enemy to him before: O! that this ſcripture might be fulfilled in the boſomes of ſome ſouls. And thus, though but very briefly I have paſſed over the opening of this point of Reconciliation: with the excellencies, and the bleſſed fruits of it.
CHAP. 10. God begins the work of Reconciliation with man.
Now the thing which I thought to have finiſhed in this Chapter (but ſhal not until the following Chapter) is this. That God is aforehand with his people in Reconciling himſelf, he begins the work. To wit (ſaith the text) that God was in Chriſt Reconciling the world &c. It is God that begins the work of Reconciliation, and if God did not begin it, certainly we ſhould never be reconciled unto him. It is God firſt that begins to have any thoughts about Reconciliation, and if he ſhould not have done it, we would never have thought on it, but have gone on deſperate enemies to him al our lives.
Secondly, It is God that finds the way of Reconcilation, we could never think of a way, or if we did, we could never have found out a way.
Thirdly, It is God that begins to offer tearms of Reconciliation, we would never go unto God, except God came unto us, ſuch is the ſtoutneſs of our hearts.
Fourthly, It is God that muſt not only come once, but againe, and againe; after we have refuſed, God muſt begin again. Indeed a mong'ſt men, when an Inferior hath offended one that is above him, he wil ſay, let him come to me, if he wil. God doth not ſtand upon ſuch tearms, God doth not ſay, let man come unto me firſt, No, ſaith God, I wil go unto him. A man wil ſay, if he be the ſuperior, I wil never trouble my thoughts about it; it ſhal come from him firſt. But God doth not ſay ſo, his thoughts hath been towards us, & that from eternity; the Lord from eternity hath had thoughts of peace towards us, and he hath found out waies for it; and he comes firſt to offer it. But faith one that is offended with another; I have been content to yeild ſo far as to come to him, and to offer him Peace; but I wil never do it more; if ever there be any Reconciliation between us, I warrant you, he ſhal come to me the next time. God doth not ſay ſo to us; we were undone if he ſhould; if God ſhould come once, and offer peace to us, and upon our refuſal ſhould ſtand upon ſuch tearms as men do, and ſay, wel, I have offered peace once; but they ſhal begin next, or elſe there ſhal be no peace between us. No, ſaith God; though I have offered it once, and it hath been refuſed, I will offer it again.
Help. 5.
Yea further; God is fain firſt to yield to his poor Creature. It may be man may be wrought ſo far as to ſay; I wil ſend to ſuch a man the ſecond time; but when they are at parly, and are together, you ſhall ſee them, (if one of them be ſuperior to the other) ſtand upon this; who ſhal yield firſt, and it wil be hard to bring the Superior to yeild. But God is not ſo. When we come to treat with God about our peace, and Reconciliation with him, though our hearts ſtand againſt it, yet God yeilds firſt. And for that you have a notable Text Rom. 5.10. If when we were enemies we were Reconciled unto God; which Phraſe doth plainly note, that God is firſt contented to yield on his part: this is the infinite grace, and goodneſs towards man thus to begin with man in the point of Reconciliation.