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

Use. 7. To love Christ, And do or suffer for him.

Again. Is it in Christ that we are reconciled unto God? O! let Christ be beloved by us. Let us say with the blessed Martyr Lambert; None but Christ, None but Christ, which he spake too when he came to the stake to be burnt for Christ: a good Lessen for us by the way to take out, that may come to suffer very hard things for that which we have undertaken to do in obedience to God; yet for us to rejoice when we come to suffer banishment, or loss of goods, or life; to rejoice that ever our hearts were engaged in the ways of God; It is a sign of grace indeed. Many men when things prosper can go on, and rejoice that they were engaged in such a business, but if they find that it shall not prosper by outward success, and that there are many miscarriages, they repent of what they have done; and that is the reason why we have so many run away now, and have withdrawn themselves from that which before they would spend their lives, and dearest blood in, and not only withdraw themselves when they see the work a little hot, but betray the cause: But here is a trial of godliness; that if I have engaged my self in the ways of God; and God by his providence casts me into such ways as bring trouble unto me, yet I can rejoice that ever I was engaged in them. Thus it was with the blessed Martyr that cried out none but Christ, even then when he was at the stake for Christ. It may be a Carnal heart might say. Yea, Lambert before you rejoiced in Christ, and talked of Christ, but what say you now? that you are come to be burnt for Christ; had you kept Christ within your self, you might have preserved this Body of yours: O! no, Christ was even then, sweet unto this ⟨p. 138⟩man, when he was going to suffer for him, and even then, none but Christ. And indeed there is cause sufficient for Christ to be dear, and sweet unto us even in the midst of all sufferings. It is true, it may cause us to have the world to be our enemy; but what of that, when Christ hath made peace between us, and God the father; this satisfies the soul of a man to the full, and therefore the soul will love him, and will rejoice in him, and bless God that ever he was engaged in any cause for the sake of Christ; because Christ is his blessed Reconciler, and because Christ hath made a peace between God, and his heart; although men are his enemies, yet he knows that through Christ God is his friend.