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290 SERMONS UPON BOMANS VIII. [SeR. XXXVIII.
pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.' And not only in the ofiers of pardon, but eternal life and blessedness, so infinitely be- yond the false happiness that our carnal self-love inclineth us unto, that it is a shame and disgrace to our reason to think that these things are worthy to be compared in any serious debate, or that all the plea- sures and honours and profits we dote upon should come in competition with that blessed immortality and life which is brought to light in the gospel, 2 Tim. i. 10. And powerful grace goeth along with all this, to make it effectual, partly in the time of conversion, taking us in our month, and that season which is fittest for the glory of his grace. Some are called in the morning, some at noon, some in the evening of their age ; as Mat. xx. 3-6, &c., some were hired to go into the vine- yard at the third, some the ninth, some the eleventh hour. That any believe in Christ at all is mercy ; that some believe in him sooner, some later, is the Lord's wise ordering. He that is called betimes may consider God's goodness, which broke out so early, before he longer provoked him, and contracted a habit of evil customs, and that God instructed him betimes to take heed of sin, and spending his fresh and flowery youth in the service of the devil ; whereas, otherwise, lost days and months and years would have been a perpetual grief to him. He that is called at the latter end of his days, having so many sins upon him, may be quickened to glorify God, that he would not refuse him at last, nor despise him for all his rebellions, nor remember against him the sins of his youth, that a long and an old enemy should be taken into favoiu-. God knoweth how best to gain upon every heart. And partly in the means and occasions which God useth to convert us. It is many times dispensed in a contrary way to human expectation : Paul when pursuing the peoi)le of God, some when scoffing and mock- ing, at least when they dreamt of no such matter. But of that here- after.
[2.] In this efl"ectual calling God showeth forth his love and grace.
(1.) That the rise of all was his elective love. None are in time effectually called but those that before all time were chosen to life ; for it is said here, ' called according to purpose.' From all eternity he had a purpose to be thus gracious to us. Those that were in the cor- rupt mass of mankind are distinguished from others in his eternal purpose before the foundations of the world, and were in time called out from others ; and vocation is but election broken out, therefore called election. Trace the stream till you find the well-head, and you will discern that you can ascribe your calling to nothing else, but ' even so, Father, because it pleased thee,' Mat. xi. 26. God before time elected us; in the fulness of time Christ gave a ransom to provoked justice for us ; and in due time the efiects of God's eternal love and Christ's purchase are applied, and so we come to have a right to the blessedness we were chosen unto and was purchased for us. Ohl admire this grace !
(2.) God needed us not ; he had an only Son to delight in, Pro v. viii. '61 ; millions of angels to serve him, Dan. vii. 10. What loss woidd it be to him if the world of mankind had been destroyed ? Acts xvii. 25, ' God is not worshipped with men's hands, as if he needed anything,' No, to the fulness of his happiness nothing can be added.
VeR. 28.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 291
(3.) He was highly provoked aud oifended by us, for we had cast off the mercies of our creation, and from his creatures were become his rebels. And then, ' in due time Christ died for the ungodly,' Kom. V. 6 ; and upon his death and propitiation is the offer grounded. Sinners are called to repentance, Mat. ix. 13.
(4.) Great was our misery we fell into by reason of sin : Eph. ii. 3, * Children of wrath.' Indeed we were senseless of our misery, careless of our remedy, loth to come out of that wretched estate into which we had plunged ourselves : John iii. 19, ' And this is the condemna- tion, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.' Oh ! what mercy was this ! that God had such pity and compassion upon us, when we had none upon ourselves. How freely then did he love us ! How powerful did he work upon us ! calling and conquering, ruling and overruling all matters wherein we were concerned, that he might convert us to himself.
(5.) That he should call us who were so Inconsiderable, when others were left to perish in sins : 1 Cor. i. 26, ' Ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh are called.' When so many were passed by who are before us in outward respects, learned, great, and wise, and God showed mercy to us, — we were as deep in the common pollution as they, and for many natural abilities and perfec- tions came far short of them, — surely this is merely the love and good pleasure of God.