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

CHAP. 63. The third Argument: Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be Reconciled to sinners.

AND then thirdly, after this work of God sending his Son, mark how God doth express himself to the Children of men! he doth profess that there is nothing wherein he doth more glory than he doth in this; to show mercy to sinners: he doth make account that the chefest glory he hath in the world it is to show mercy unto sinners. Certainly that that his soul is so well pleased with, & that that he accounts himself most honoured by, is; when sinners shall come in unto him to repent, that he may be reconciled unto them. If a man should do thus that hath an enemy, and should manifest this to some of his friends that sit at his table, as to say, such an one is an enemy to me: but O! how fain would I have him come in, that there might be peace between him and I, and I would count it as great an honour as ever I had in my life; would not any one say, this man were willing to be reconciled; certainly God doth so, and therefore in Exod. 30. the place you know about the 6. verse, the Lord, when he was proclaiming his glory that Moses desired, and the Lord promised, he promised Moses in the Latter end of the 33. Chap. that his glory should pass by him, and he caused his glory to pass by him, as in Chap. 34 and what was that glory? The Lord, the Lord God, merciful, and precious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness, and mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; as if God should say, Moses, wouldest thou see my glory? this is it, that I am merciful and forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; here is the height of my glory; in this is my magnificence ⟨p. 321⟩made known. And another most remarkable place, we have in Esa. 30.1•. I shall make use of the beginning of the place: And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious, and therefore will he be exalted. How will God be exalted? That he may have mercy upon you: Therefore he will be exalted that he may have mercy upon you; and so he goes on, For the Lord is a God of Judgment, Blessed are all they that wait for him: so that God accounts himself an exalted God, when he hath mercy upon a sinner. Surely he is very willing to be reconciled to a sinner when he counts himself an exalted God, when a sinner comes in, and believes in his on. Now am I exalted, saith God, this is that my soul glories in; this I account to be a happiness to me;