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

Use, 2. Discovering of Mistakes about Reconciliation.

2 IF God hath reconciled himself to the world in Christ. Hence we are to take notice of the great mistakes there are in the world in the point of Reconciliation with God. Certainly if this be a truth; that the only way of making up our peace with God is in Christ; then the world doth generally mistake in the great matter of Reconciliation with God; and a mistake, in this, is an undoing mistake, a damning mistake; a Soul may perish eternally merely through a mistake in the matter of Reconciliation. A man may be troubled for sin, and cry out of his sin, and may break off the practice of his sin, and cry unto God in Prayer that he would pardon him, and be reconciled unto him, and yet mistaking here, and not understanding that it must be God, in, and through Christ that reconcileth himself: the mistake in this may prove an undoing mistake to that Soul; and although they should be Crying out of their sins all their days, they may perish at last if they do not know, and rightly understand how to close with Gods mercy as it is in Christ: if they do not understand, that it is God in Christ that reconcileth himself to the world. We know the greatest part of people look for their Reconciliation with God merely in a natural way; they have sinned against him, and they will cry unto him for mercy, and for pardon, and so they think all may be made up between God and them. I remember Luther hath a notable speech concerning this in his meditation about the way which God hath appointed for reconciling of man to himself, that it is in Christ. It is intolerable ⟨p. 112⟩and horrible blasphemy (saith he) to feign any work by which thou mayest presume to please God; and he gives the reason of it. It is therefore intolerable, and horrible blasphemy for any to feign any work by which they shall presume to pacify God, when they shall see, and hear that God cannot be pacified any other way, but by such a way, as the blood of his Son one drop where of is more precious then the whole Creation. And upon this ground being meditating of Gods reconciling the world to himself, and that it was by such a way as the blood of his Son, and that one drop of his blood is of more value then all the Creatures in Heaven, and Earth; hence it was that he affirms is to be horrible, and intolerable blasphemy for any man to think to pacify God any other way.