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

CHAP. 70. The tenth argument: Manifesting the exceeding willingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners.

CHAP. 70. The tenth argument: Manifesting the exceeding wilingness of God and Christ to be reconciled to sinners.

And then, the Lord manifests his willingness to be reconciled unto sinners in this; he doth profess unto sinners, that the greatest sins that ever they have committed shall not be a hinderance to bear of this work of reconciliation: The Lord I say professes this to sinners; he sends his messengers to tell them; that though (perhaps) they may be conscious to themselves of some vile thing that they have committed, whereby they may think that God will never pass by that sin: But God to take away the objection that they shall never be able to say so; he doth make that as clear as any thing in this world; that there is not the greatest sin that ever thou hast committed (except that one against the Holy Spirit) no other sin shall bar or hinder the work of thy reconciliation: and certainly where that sin is committed, the heart will never desire to come in to be reconciled to God, but flies in the face of God to revenge himself upon God. But if thou hast a heart that desires to come in to God, that ⟨p. 330⟩is an infallible argument that thou hast not committed that sin. I might give you a great many Scriptures for this; to show that God professes that there is not any sin that shall make the bar in the way between him and thee; in Isa. 1, 18. Come now let us reason together saith the Lord &c. Yea, come now let us reason together. Thus God deals in a familiar way with sinners, as if a Malefactor were before the Prince shaking, quivering, and trembling, fearing that the Prince would have his life; being conscious to himself of abundance of evil that he hath been guilty of, and the Prince should go and take him by the hand, and say, Come let us rise up; let us reason together; though your offences be great; yet that shall not be a bar between you and me. This is that we have authority to proclaim even in the name of the Lord God of Heaven; and to every poor soul, and to the worst of sinners, and to the greatest of sinners that are here, or can be here now, before the Lord, in his name, this we say, there is nothing past between God and you; no sin that is yet past that shall be your undoing, and the eternal destruction of your souls: But it will be some sin that is yet to come; somewhat that is yet to come will be the eternal destruction of every sinner in this Congregation. Its true, if God smite thee now it will be the sin that is past: