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how few have been brought to this? Alas! if a few poor, cold, heartless, ineffectual confeflions of fin, may pafs for a due conviction, and ferious repentance, then have we been convinced, then have we repented; but you will find, if ever the Lord intend to reconcile you to himfelf, your convictions and humiliations for fin, will be other manner of things; and will coft you more than a few cheap words againft fin, 2 Cor. vii. 11. "In that ye forrowed af❝ter a godly fort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what "clearing of yourfelves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, "yea, what vehement defire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge?

2. Evidence. Many of us never treated feriously with the Lord about peace, and how then are we reconciled to him? What, a peace without a treaty? Reconciliation without any confideration about it? It can never be. When was the time, and where was the place, that you were found in fecret upon your knees, mourning over the fin of your nature, and the evils of your ways? Certainly you must be brought to this; you must with a broken heart bewail your fin and mifery.

Friend, That stony heart of thine muft feel remorse and anguish for fin, it will coft thee fome fad days and forrowful nights, or ever thou canst have peace with God: it will coft thee many a groan, many a tear, many a hearty cry to heaven. If ever peace be made betwixt God and thec, thou must take with thee words, and "turn to the Lord, faying, Take away all iniquity and receive ❝me gracioufly." O for one finile, one token of love, one hint of favour! The child of peace is not born without pangs and agonies of foul.

3. Evidence. Many of us are not reconciled to the duties of religion, and ways of holinefs, and how then is it poffible we should be reconciled to God? What, reconciled to God, and unreconciled to the ways of God? By reconciliation we are made nigh : in duties of communion we draw nigh; and can we be made nigh to God, and have no heart to draw nigh to God? It can never be.

Examine your hearts, and fay, Is not the way of strictness a bondage to you? Had you not rather be at liberty to fulfil the defires of the flcfh, and of the mind? Could you not with that the fcriptures had not made fome things elfe your fins, and other things your duties: do you delight in the law of God after the inner man, and esteem his judgments, concerning all things to be right? Do you love fecret prayer, and delight in duties of communion with God; or rather, are they not an ungrateful burden, and irkfome impofition? Give confcience leave to fpeak plain.

4. Evidence. Many of us are not enemies to fin, and how then are we reconciled to God? What, friends with God, and our lufts too? It cannot be. Pfal. xcvii. 10. "Ye that love the Lord

"hate evil." The fame hour our reconciliation is made with God, there is an everlasting breach made with fin: this is one of the articles or conditions of our peace with God, Ifa. Iv. 7. "Let "the wicked forfake his ways, and the unrighteous man his "thoughts, and let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mer"cy on him; and to our God, and he will abundantly pardon."

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But it is manifeft in many of us, that we are no enemies to fin; we fecretly indulge it, what bad names foever we call it. We will commit ten fins to cover one: we cannot endure the most serious, faithful, feafonable, private, tender, and neceflary reproofs for fin, but our hearts fwell and rife at it; fure we are not reconciled to God, whilst we embrace his enemy in our bofoms.

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5. Evidence. We love not the children of God, nor are we reconciled to them that bear his image, and how then can we be reconciled to God? John v. 1. "He that loveth him that begat, "loveth them alfo that are begotten." What, at peace with the Father, and at war with the children? It cannot be. Do not fome that hope they have made their peace with God, hate, revile, and perfecute the children of God? Surely, in that day we are reconciled to the Lord, we are reconciled to all his people: we all then love Chriftian as a Chriftian, and by this we may know that we are paffed from death to life.

6. Evidence. Laftly, How can any man think himself to be reconciled to God, who never clofed heartily with Jefus Chrift by faith, who is the only days-man, and peace-maker: the alone Mediator of reconciliation betwixt God and man.

This is a fure truth, that all whom God accepts into favour, are "made accepted in the Beloved," Eph. i. 6. If any man will make peace with God, he must take hold of his strength, accept and clole with Chrift who is the power of God, or he can never make peace, Ifa. xxvii. He must be made "nigh by the blood of "Chrift," Eph. ii. 13. But alas! both Christ and faith are strangers to many fouls, who yet perfuade themselves they are at peace with God: O fatal mistake!

3. Ufe of exhortation.

Laftly, This point deferves a clofe, vigorous application in a threefold exhortation.

Firft, To Chrift's ambaffadors, who treat with fouls in order to their reconciliation with God.

Secondly, To those that are yet in their enmity and unreconciled itate.

Thirdly, To thofe that have embraced the terms of peace, and fubmitted to the gospel-overtures.

First, To the ambassadors of reconciliation. God hath put a great VOL. II.

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deal of honour upon you in this high and noble employment great is the dignity of your office; to fome you are "the favour of "death unto death, and to others a favour of life unto life; and who is fufficient for these things? 2 Cor. ii. 16. But yet the duty is no less than the dignity. O what manner of men fhould we be for judgment, ferioufnefs, affections, patience, and examplary holinefs, to whom the management of so great a concern betwixt God and man is committed.

Fir, For judgment and prudence, how neceffary are these in fo weighty and difficult a business as this! He had need be a man of wisdom that is to inform the ignorant of the nature and neceffity of this great work, and win over their hearts to confent to the articles of peace propounded in the gofpel; that hath fo many fubtle temptations to anfwer, and fo many intricate caufes of confcience to refolve: there are many strong holds of Satan to be battered, and many stout and obftinate refiftances made by the hearts of finners, which must be overcome; and he had need be no novice in religion, to whom fo difficult a province is committed.

Secondly, Let us be ferious in our work as well as judicious. Remember, O ye ambaffadors of Chrift, you bring a meffage from the God of heaven, of everlafting confequence to the fouls of men. The eternal decrees are executed upon them in your miniftry: to fome you are "the favour of life unto life, and to fome the favour of "death unto death," 2 Cor. ii. 16. Heaven and hell are matters of moft awful and folemn confideration. O, what an account have we alfo fhortly to give unto him that fent us!

Thefe are matters of fuch deep concernment, as should swallow up our very fpirits; the leaft they can do, is to compofe our hearts unto feriousness in the management of them.

Thirdly, Be filled with tender affections toward the souls of men, with whom you treat for reconciliation: you had need be men of bowels, as well as men of brains*: you fee a multitude of poor fouls upon the brink of eternal mifery, and they know it not, but promifc themfelves peace, and fill themselves with vain hopes of heaven and is there a more moving, melting fpectacle in the world than this! O think with what bowels of commifferation Mofes and Paul were filled, when the one defired rather to be blotted out of God's book, and the other to be accurfed from Chrift, than that Ifrael should not be faved, Exod. xxxii. 33. and Rom. ix. 3. Think how the bowels of Chrift yearned over Jerufalem, Mat. xxiii. 37. And over the multitude, Mat. ix. 36. "Let the fame mind "be in you, which alfo was in Chrift Jefus."

Fourthly, Be patient and long-fuffering toward finners: fuch is

• See Bowle's Paftor, Evang. p. 136.

the value of one foul, that it is worth waiting all our days to fave it at laft: "The fervant of the Lord muft not ftrive, but be gentle ! "unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meeknefs inftructing them. "that oppose themfelves, if God peradventure will give them re"pentance," 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. The Lord waits with patience upon finners, and well may you. Confider yourfelves, how long was God treating with you, ere you were won to him? Be not difcouraged, if your fuccefs prefently answer not your expectation.

Fifthly, and laftly, Be fure to back your exhortations with drawing examples; elfe you may preach out your last breath before you gain one foul to God. The devil, and the carnal hearts of your hearers, will put hindrances enough in the way of your labours; do not you put the greatest of all yourfelves. O ftudy not only to preach exactly, but to live exactly; let the mifplacing of one action in your lives, trouble you more than the misplacing of words in your discourses: this is the way to fucceed in your embaffy, and give up your account with joy.

Secondly, The exhortation fpeaks to all thofe that are yet in a state of enmity, and unreconciled to God unto this day. O that. my words might prevail, and that you would now be entreated to be reconciled to God! The ambassadors of peace are yet with you, the treaty is not yet ended, the Mafter of the houfe is not yet rifen up, nor the door of mercy and hope finally fhut: hitherto God hath waited to be gracious; O that the long-suffering of God might be your falvation: a day is hafting when God will treat with you no more, when a gulph fhall be fixed betwixt him and you for ever, Luke xvi. 26. O what will you do when the feafon of mercy, and all hopes of mercy fhall end together! When God fhall become inacceffible, inexorable, and irreconcilable to you for ever

more.

O, what wilt thou do, when thou fhalt find thyfelf fhut up under eternal wrath! when thou fhalt feel that mifery thou art warned of! Is this the place where I muft be! Are thefe the torments I muft endure! What, for ever! yea, for ever: Will not God be fatisfied with the fufferings of a thoufand years? no, nor millions of years! Ah finners, did you but clearly fee the present and future mifery of unreconciled ones, and what that wrath of the great and terrible God is, which is coming as fast as the wings of time can bring it upon you, it would certainly drive you to Christ, or drive you out of your wits. O it is a dreadful thing to have God.

your eternal enemy: to have the great and terrible God caufing his infinite power to avenge the abufe of his grace and mercy.

Believe it, friends, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: knowing the terrors of the Lord we perfuade men: an eternal weight hangs upon an inch of time. O that you

did but know the time of your vifitation! that you would not dare to adventure, and run the hazard of one day more in an unreconciled ftate.

Thirdly, and lastly, This point speaks to those who have believed our report, who have taken hold of God's ftrength, and made peace with him: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy: who once were afar off, but now are made nigh by the blood of Chrift: with you I would leave a few words of ex, hortation, and I have done.

Firft, Admire and ftand amazed at this mercy. << I will praise "thee, O Lord, (faith the church, Ifa. xii. 1.) Though thou waft "angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfort"eft me." O how overwhelming a mercy is here before you! God is at peace, at peace with you that were "enemies in your "minds by wicked works," Col. i. 21. At peace with you, and at enmity with millions as good by nature as you: at peace with you that fought it not: at peace for ever; no diffolving this friendship for evermore. O let this confideration melt your hearts before the Lord, and make you cry, What am I, Lord, that mercy fhould take in me, and fhut out fallen angels, and millions of men and women as capable of mercy as myfelf! O the riches! O the d depths of the mercy and goodnefs of God!

Secondly, Beware of new breaches with God: God will speak "peace to his people and to his faints, but let them not turn "again to folly," Pfal. lxxxv. 8. What though this ftate of friendfhip can never be diffolved, yet it is a dreadful thing to have it clouded: You may lofe the fenfe of peace, and with it all the joy of your hearts, and the comforts of your lives in this world.

Thirdly, Labour to reconcile others to God: efpecially thofe that are endeared to you by the bonds of natural relation: When Paul was reconciled to God himself, his heart was full of heaviness for others that were not reconciled; for his "brethren and kinfmen "according to the flesh," Rom. ix. 2, 3. When Abraham was become God's friend himself, then, "O that Ifhmael might live "before thee!" Gen. xvii. 18.

Fourthly, and lastly, "Let your reconciliation with God relieve "you under all burdens of affliction you fhall meet with in your "way to heaven" Let them that are at enmity with God droop under croffes and afflictions; but do not you do fo. Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia, Rom. v. 1, 2, 3. Let the peace of God keep your hearts and minds. As nothing can comfort a man that muft go to hell at laft; fo nothing fhould deject a man that fhall, through many troubles, at laft reach heaven.

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