Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

Use. 1

Ʋse. 1

First, Let us learn to admire the goodness of God to wretched man, his goodness that he should be pleased to begin this work of Reconciliation with us, for do but consider the infinite distance that is between God, and us. O! infinite goodness, that so great a God should begin with such a poor vild Creature as man is. Amongst men if one be but a little inferior to an other, and if he be fallen out with him that is beneath him, he takes it in scorn for him to begin to make peace: No, saith he let him come to me, and seek me, if he will. If God had stood upon such terms, all the Children of men would have been damned eternally. When God saw that we would perish for ever, and that we would never so much as have thought of being reconciled to him: O, then the bowels of his Compassion earned towards us; and saith he, I will begin with them first, for I see they will not begin. They indeed began to make the Breach, they began to sin against me and that will be a second Consideration which makes the grace of God so much the more, that the breach is made on mans part: that all the wrong that is done, is on mans part. Amongst men, if one be great though he himself hath done the wrong, yet he expecteth his inferior should come and crouch unto him; but if his inferior have begun the quarrel, and have done the wrong he will be sure then to stand it out, and expect that his inferior should seek after a Reconciliation with him. But here; behold, though we began the quarrel, though we had done all the wrong, and God never had done us any; yet so infinitely gracious is the Lord, that he begins first. God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself.

First, Let us learn to admire the goodness of God to wreatched man, his goodness that he should be pleased to begin this work of Reconciliation with us, for do but consider the infinite distance that is between God, and us. O! infinite gondness, that so great a God should begin with such a poor vild Creature as man is. Amongst men if one be but a little inferior to an other, and if he be fallen out with him that is beneath him, he takes it in scorne for him to begin to make peace: No, saith he let him come to me, and seek me, if he wil. If God had stood upon such tearms, all the Children of men would have been damned eternally. When God saw that we would perish for ever, and that we would never so much as have thought of being reconciled to him: O, then the bowels of his Compassion earned towards us; and saith he, I wil begin with them first, for I see they wilnot begin. They indeed began to make the Breach, they began to sin against me and that wil be a second Consideration which makes the grace of God so much the more, that the breach is made on mans part: that all the wrong that is done, is on mans part. Amongst men, if one be great though he himself hath done the wrong, yet he expecteth his inferior should come and crouch unto him; but if his inferior have begun the quarrel, and have done the wrong he wil be sure then to stand it out, and expect that his inferior should seek after a Reconciliation with him. But here; behold, though we began the quarrel, though we had done all the wrong, and God never had done us any; yet so infintly gratious is the Lord, that he begins first. God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself.