Works of Joseph Hall, Section 5
SECT. V.
THere can be therefore no peace without reconciliation,The remedy of an vnquiet Conſcience. thou canſt not be friends with thy ſelfe, till with God: for thy conſcience (which is thy beſt friend while thou ſinneſt not) like an honeſt ſeruant takes his Maſters part againſt thee when thou haſt ſinned; and will not looke ſtraight vponupon thee, till thou vponupon God; not daring to be ſo kinde to thee, as to be vnfaithfull to his Maker: There can be no reconciliation without remiſſion. God can neither forget the iniury of ſin, nor diſſemble hatred. It is for men and thoſe of hollow hearts, to make pretences contrary to their affections: ſoothings and ſmiles, and imbracements where we meane not louelove, are from weakneſſe: Either for that we feare our inſufficiency of preſent reuenge, or hope for a fitter opportunitie afterwards, or for that we deſire to make our further aduantage of him to whom we meane euill. Theſe courſes are not incident into an Almighty power; who hauing the command of all vengeance, can ſmite were he lift without all doubtings or delaies. There can be no remiſſion without ſatisfaction; neither dealeth God with vsus as we men with ſome deſperate debters, whom after long dilations of payments, and many daies broken, we altogether let goe for diſabilitie, or at leaſt diſmiſſe them vponupon an eaſie compoſition. All ſinnes are debts; all Gods debts muſt be diſcharged. It is a bold word, but a true; God ſhould not be iuſt, if any of his debts ſhould paſſe vnſatisfied. The conceit of the profane vulgar, makes him a God of all mercies; and thereupon hopes for pardon without paiment. Fond and ignorant preſumption, to diſioyne mercy and iuſtice in him to whom they are both eſſentiall; to make mercy exceede iuſtice in him, in whom both are infinite. Dareſt thou hope God can be ſo kinde to thee, as to be vniuſt to himſelfe? God will be iuſt: goe thou on to preſume and periſh. There can be no ſatisfaction by any recompence of ours: an infinite iuſtice is offended, an infinite puniſhment is deſerued by eueryevery ſinne, and eueryevery mans ſinnes are as neere to infinite, as number can make them. Our beſt endeuour is worſe than finite, imperfect, and faulty. If it could be perfect, we owe it all in preſent; what wee are bound to doe in preſent, cannot make amends for what we hauehave not done in time paſt: which while we offer to God as good payment, we doe with the profane traueller thinke to pleaſe him with empty Date-ſhells in lieu of preſeruation. Where ſhall we then finde a paiment of infinite value, but in him which is onelyonly and all infinite? The dignitie of whoſe perſon being infinite, gaue ſuch worth to his ſatisfaction, that what hee ſuffered in ſhort time, was proportianable to what wee ſhould hauehave ſuffered beyond all times. He did all, ſuffered all, payed all, be did it for vsus, we in him. Where ſhall I begin to wonder at thee, O thou diuine and eternall Peacemaker, the Sauiour of men, the Anointed of God, Mediator betweene God and man, in whom there is nothing which doth not exceed not onelyonly the conceit, but the very wonder of Angels, who ſaw thee in thy humiliation with ſilence, and adore thee in thy glory with perpetuall praiſes and reioycings? Thou waſt for euer of thy ſelfe as God, of the Father, as tne Sonne; the eternall Son of an eternall Father; not later in being, not leſſe in dignity, not other in ſubſtance. Begotten without diminution of him that be got thee, while he communicated that wholly to thee, which he retained wholly in himſelfe, becauſe both were infinite without inequality of nature, without diuiſion of eſſence; when being in this eſtate, thine infinite louelove and mercy to deſperate mankinde, cauſed thee, O Sauiour, to empty thy ſelfe of thy glory, that thou mighteſt put on our ſhame and miſery. Wherefore not ceaſing to be God as thou wert, thou beganſt to be what thou wert not, Man; to the end that thou mighteſt be a perfect Mediator betwixt God and man, which wert both in one perſon; God, that thou mightſt ſatisfie; man, that thou mightſt ſuffer; that ſince man had ſinned, and God was offended, thou which wert God and man, mightſt ſatisfie God for man. None but thy ſelfe, which are the eternall Word, can expreſſe the depth of this myſterie, that God ſhould be clothed with fleſh, come downe to men, and become man, that man might be exalted into the higheſt heauens; and that our nature might be taken into the fellowſhip of the Deitie. That he to whom all powers in heauen bowed, and thought it their honour to be ſeruiceable, ſhould come downe to be a ſeruant to his ſlaues, a ranſome for his enemies; together with our nature taking vp our very infirmities, our ſhame, our torments, and bearing our ſinnes without ſinne. That thou whom the heauens were too ſtrait to containe, ſhouldſt lay thy ſelfe in an obſcure cratch: thou which wert attended of Angels, ſhouldſt be derided of men, reiected of thine owne, perſecuted by Tyrants, tempted with Deuils, betrayed of thy ſeruant, crucified among theeues, and (which was worſe than all theſe) in thine owne apprehenſion, for the time as forſaken of thy Father; That thou whom our ſinnes had pierced, ſhouldſt for our ſinnes both ſweat drops of bloud in the Garden, and powre out ſtreames of bloud vponupon the Croſſe. O the inualuable purchaſe of our peace! O ranſome enough for moe worlds! Thou which wert in the counſell of thy Father, the Lambe ſlaine from the beginning of time, cam'ſt now in fulneſſe of time to bee ſlaine by man, for man; being at once the Sacrifice offered, the Prieſt that did offer, and the God to whom it was offered. How graciouſly diddeſt thou both proclaime our peace as a Prophet in the time of thy life vponupon earth, and purchaſe it by thy bloud as a Prieſt at thy death, and now confirmeſt and applieſt it as a King in heauen! By thee onelyonly it was procured, by thee it is proffered. O mercy without example, without meaſure! God offers peace to man, the holy ſeekes to the vniuſt, the Potter to the clay, the King to the traitor. Wee are vnworthy that we ſhould be receiued to peace though wee deſired it; what are wee then that we ſhould hauehave peace offered for the receiuing? An eaſie condition of ſo great a benefit; he requires vsus not to earne it, but to accept it of him: what could he giuegive more? what could he require leſſe of vsus?