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 see a multitude of poor souls upon the brink of eternal misery, and they know it not, but promise themselves peace, and fill themselves with vain hopes of heaven : and is there a more moving, melting spectacle in the world than this ! O think with what bowels of commisseration Moses and Paul were filled, when the one desired rather to be blotted out of God's book, and the other to be accursed from Christ, than that Israel should not be saved, Exod. xxxii. 33. and Rom. ix. 3. Think how the bowels of Christ yearned over Jerusalem, Mat. xxiii. 37. And over the multitude, Mat. ix. 36. " Let the same mind " be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus."
Fourthly, Be patient and long-suffering towards sinners : such is
* See Bowie's Pastor, Evang. p. 156.
S»EM. III. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 6£
the value of one soul, that it is worth waiting all our days to save it at last : " The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle " unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing them " that oppose themselves, if God peradventurc will give them re- " pentance," 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. The Lord waits with patience upon sinners, and well may you. Consider yourselves, how long was God treating with you, ere you were won to him ? Be not dis- couraged, if your success presently answer not your expectation.
Fifthly, and lastly, Be sure to back your exhortations with draw- ing examples ; else you may preach out your last breath before you gain one soul 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 yourselves. O study not only to preach exactly, but to live exactly ; let the misplacing of one ac- tion in your lives, trouble you more than the misplacing of words in your discourses ; this is the way to succeed in your embassy, and give up your account with joy.
Secondly, The exhortation speaks to all those 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 Master of the house is not yet risen up, nor the door of mercy and hope finally shut : hitherto God hath waited to be gracious ; O that the long-suffering of God might be your salvation : a day is hasting when God will treat with you no more, when a gulph shall be fixed betwixt him and you for ever, Luke xvi. 26. 0 what will you do when the season of mercv, and all hopes of mercy shall end together ! When God shall be- come inaccessible, inexorable, and irreconcileable to you for ever- more.
O, what wilt thou do, when thou shalt find thyself shut up under eternal wrath ! when thou shalt feel that misery thou art warned of! Is this the place where I must be ! Are these the torments I must endure ! What, for ever ! yea, for ever : Will not God be satisfied Math the sufferings of a thousand years ? no, nor millions of years ? Ah, sinners, did you but clearly see the present and fu- ture misery 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 for your eternal enemy : to have the great and terrible God causing his infinite power to avenge the abuse 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 persuade men : an eternal weight hangs upon an inch of time. O that you
6G THE METHOD OF GEACE. SERM. Ilf.
did but know the time of your visits t ion ! that you would not dare to adventure, and run the hazard of one day more in an unrecon- ciled state.
Thirdly, and lastly, This point speaks to those who have be- lieved our report, who have taken hold of God's strength, 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 Christ : with you I would leave a few words of ex- hortation, and I have done.
First, Admire and stand amazed at this mercy. " I will praise " thee, O Lord, (saith the church, Isa. xii. 1.) Though thou wast " angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest " 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 sought it not : at peace for ever ; no dissolving this friend- ship for evermore. O let this consideration melt your hearts be- fore the Lord, and make you cry, What am I, Lord, that mercy should take in me, and shut out fallen angels, and millions of men and women as capable of mercy as myself ! O the riches ! O the depths of the mercy and goodness of God !
Secondly, Beware of new breaches with God : God will speak " peace to his people and to his saints, but let them not turn ** again to folly, Psal. lxxxv. 8. What though this state of friend- ship can never be dissolved, yet it is a dreadful thing to have it clouded : You may lose the sense 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 : especially those that are endeared to you by the bonds of natural religion : When Paul was reconciled to God himself, his heart was full of heaviness for others that were not reconciled ; for his " brethren and kinsmen * according to the flesh," Rom. ix. % 3. When Abraham was become God's friend himself, then, " O that Ishmael might live " before thee P Gen. xvii. 18.
Fourthly, and lastly, " Let your reconciliation with God relieve " you under all burdens of affliction you shall meet with in your " way to heaven :" Let them that are at enmity with God droop under crosses and afflictions ; but do not you do so. Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia, Rom. v. 1, % 3. Let the peace of God keep your hearts and minds. As nothing can comfort a man that must go to hell at last ; so nothing should deject a man that shall, through many troubles, at last reach heaven.
SERM. IV. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 67
Concerning the work of the Spirit, as the internal, and most effectual Mean of the Application of Christ.
No man can come to me, except the Father, "which hath sent met
\J\JR last discourse informed you of the usefulness and influence of the preaching of the gospel, in order to the application of Christ to the souls of men. There must be (in God's ordinary way) the external ministerial offer of Christ, before men can have union with him.