A30581:139
Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world wherein is showed (besides many other gospel truth) ... that there was a breach made between God and man ... to which is added two sermons / by Jeremiah Burroughs.Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world wherein is shewed (besides many other gospel truth) ... that there was a breach made between God and man ... to which is added two sermons / by Jeremiah Burroughs.
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1657
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Use 3.
If it be of such a great excellency to be at peace with God: O that you would all be in love with it, that you would all seek to make your peace with him who is the great Reconciler.
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 will say, Can we make our peace with God?
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 will fall in afterward) to show 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, till you seek after this peace: and the truth is if we either knew the need of it, or the excellency of the enjoyment of it, we would never be at rest in any thing till we come to be assured that it is ours.
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 will say, What shall we do?
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 will convey some secret influences of his grace into you to enable you to do it; be will give you a heart to labour for it, which indeed is one sign of our peace.
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.
And therefore let me persuade you to do what you can, do but keep (for the present) from the outward acts of sin; and do not wilfully give way to the inward or outward acts of sin, labour 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 shall find, that even this will be a mighty thing to help you on.
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.
Again, Labour to set God Continually before you; ⟨p. 52⟩the greatness of God, the Majesty of God, the power of God, the goodness of God, labour 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 shall 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 interrogation, and so he saith you may read it thus. Will he take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me? as if he should have said, what will he do? will 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 will make peace with me. Thus many do, they stay till God comes to make them sensible of his power, and of his strength, and then they will 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 will stir up my heart to seek to make my peace with him. What is the reason that there comes so many shrieks, 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, Will he take hold, or apprehend my strength, ⟨p. 53⟩(so the word signifies) that he may make peace with me? But to me, the meaning is rather this, will 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 shall show you from the dependence;
only first let me tell you, that in Scripture [Strength] is often used for Gods goodness, and mercy, his power to do good, as well as his power to inflict misery, and judgment. I will 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 transgression, &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 terms used to set out the way of God towards David. And here the word doth signify 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, falls 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, will he take hold on me, as on a prop? And that this is the meaning of it, appears by the dependence of the words, for the Prophet in that Chapter was speaking of the goodness of God to his Vineyard, vers. 2. In that day Sing you unto her a Vineyard of Red wine, I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment, least any hurt it, I will keep it night and day: what a sweet promise is this of God to his Church: Are there a great many enemies ⟨p. 54⟩abroad that are strong and powerful, and of swift feet, ready to shed blood? mark, in one verse you shall read three I's, I, I, I, saith God; I oppose my self to all the enemies of my Church: I do keep it, I will water it every moment, I will keep it: but what shall become of it in the night? I will keep it saith he, night and day. We have here a promise to help us to sleep quietly. Well, he goes on, verse 4. Fury is not in me; though it is true, I may come against you in such ways that you may think I am provoked, but saith he, fury 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 Battle? there are a Company of wicked and ungodly men that may set themselves against me like Briers, and Thorns; But saith he, I will go through them if they come in my way, I will consume them, I will burn them together. But my people, they are my Vineyard, I will deal gently with them, I will 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 Vineyard, and my Vine, but you are weak, and when a storm comes, you are ready to bow down, and lie 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 all my power, and my strength, are for you, it is no otherwise but as the setting of a prop under a Vine in a time of tempest when a storm would beat the Vine to the ground, my power shall 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 ⟨p. 55⟩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 shall renew your peace with me, that whatsoever fury is abroad to burn the Briers, and Thorns, yet you shall have peace with me, and that power of mine that is put forth to destroy them, shall be a prop to uphold you. So that this Scripture, as it makes much for the opening of what I said before, so it seems to put you on to a labouring, and endeavouring 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.
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
In your making your peace with God, observe this rule: To resolve with your own hearts, that you will never be at peace with your selves till you be at peace with God, that you will never have any peace in your own hearts, till 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, shall I be at peace with this wretched heart that is an enemy unto God? God forbid, this heart of mine shall be brought down, and be at peace with God before ever I will be at peace with it. It is that which destroys many a soul, that they are so indulgent to their own hearts, they are loth to fall out with them. And the truth is, many keep on in ways of enmity against God, because they are loth to fall out with their own hearts, we should be willing our hearts should be troubled all our days, that the foundation of our peace, and quiet ⟨p. 56⟩might by this be laid, and accomplished.
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 ⟨p. 56⟩might by this be layd, and accomplished.
And then another way is this. Come in before God, even with a Rope about thy neck, and with Sackcloth upon thy loins, cast thy self down before the Lord, and beseech him to write his own terms, give up thy heart unto God as it were a Blank, and pray the Lord to write his own Conditions, only that God might be at peace with thee. And if thou dost 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 entreated 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 Brethren, 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 terms 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 Air.
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.
