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

Reason, 3.

A third Reason is this: Because the Lord saw that there was no such way to melt the heart of sinful Creatures, and to draw them to come, and close with himself, as this way; no such way to encourage the hearts of poor sinners to come in to be reconciled unto God as this; even the Consideration of the great things that the Lord hath done to make peace and Reconciliation between himself and sinners. God (I say) foresaw this; and because he would have a way to break the hardest heart in the world, and to draw the most stout, and stubborn sinner unto himself; therefore he hath chosen this way above all others of Reconciliation. This the Gospel tells us in that parable wherein you have the letting out of the Vineyard unto Husbandmen; and it tells you when the Master sent one servant and they beat him; and he sent an other, and they beat him; and at length he said within himself, I will send my Son, ⟨p. 105⟩surely they will reverence him; as if he should have said; Here are a company of hard hearted, stubborn, stout, wicked creatures in this world, and they have had this argument, and the other argument to work upon their hearts to persuade them to come unto me, but so hard are their hearts, as that they give a rebound to all the arguments that they have; and there is nothing strikes into their hard hearts, there is nothing melts them, nothing persuades them to come unto me, But I have one argument more, and that shall break the stoutest, and hardest heart that is; and that argument shall be a prevailing argument if they be those that are appointed to life; if they be such as are not lost Creatures for ever, and what is that argument? even this; that I am reconciling my self to the world in my son; I will send my Son into the world to work out this reconciliation; and there I will reveal so much of my glory, that when they come to see this, O, their hearts shall be filled with admiration; they shall stand and wonder at the goodness and riches of my grace, and their hearts shall melt before me, and shall at length be gained unto me. when they come to hear thereof Certainly it is the most Dangerous thing in the world for the hearts of men not to be melted not to be gained upon with this Doctrine of our Reconciliation with God in Christ. And remember it; if your hearts when you come to hear of this Doctrine be not gained upon, be not drawn unto God;