Fourthly, How this must be improved. First, by consideration ; secondly, by determination ; for it is said, 'We thus judge.'
1. Consideration ; whereby spiritual truths are laid close to the heart ; the soul and the object are brought together by serious thoughts. God will not govern us as brutes, and rule us with a rod of iron, by mere power and force. The heart of man is overpowered by the weight of reason and serious inculcative thoughts, which God blesseth to the beginning and increase in our souls ; therefore cast in weight after weight till the judgment be poised, and you begin to judge and deter- mine how just and equal it is, that you should give up yourselves to God and to Christ, wiio have done those great things for you. God often complaineth for want of consideration : Isa. i. 3, ' But my j)eople will not consider ; ' and, Deut. xxxii. 29, ' Oh that my people would be wise, and consider their latter end ; ' and, Ps, Ix. 22, ' Consider this, ye that forget God.' Most of our sin and folly is to be charged upon our inconsideration ; so also our want of grace. It is God doth renew and quicken the soul, yet consideration is the means. The greatest
VeE. 14] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 187
things in the world do not work upon them that do not think of them ; therefore how shall the power of the word be set on work, but by serious and pressing thoughts ? The truth lieth by ; reason is asleep till consideration quicken it. The fault of the highway ground is, ' they hear the word but understand it not.'
The first help of grace is attention : Acts xvi. 14, ' She attended to the things that were spoken by Paul.' What is this attending but a deliberate weigliing in order to choice, minding, esteem, and pursuit ? Those invited to the wedding, Mat. xxii. 5, ' They made light of it.' Non-attendency is the bane of the greatest part of the world ; they will not suffer their minds to dwell upon these things.
2. There is determination, or a practical decree. We thus judge in all reason : when we have considered of it, we cannot judge otherwise. The scripture often speaketh of this : Acts xi. 23, ' He exhorted them all with full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord ; ' 2 Tim. iii.
This, like a bias in a bowl, carrieth the authority of a principle in the heart. These decrees enacted in the heart are frequently mentioned in scripture — in the case of religion in^eneral ; as Ps. cxix. 57, ' Thou art my portion, 0 Lord ; Phave said I would keep thy words.' Some- times some particular duty, when the heart is backward : Ps. xxxii. 5, ' I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord ; ' sometimes in compliance with some divine motion ; Ps. xxvii. 8, ' I said, thy face, Lord, will I seek ; ' sometimes after a doubtful traverse or conflict with temptations : Ps. Ixxiii. 28, ' It is good for me to draw near to God ; I have put my trust in the Lord God ; ' generally it is a great help against a sluggish and remiss will. Christians are so weak and fickle and inconstant, because they do not use this help of decreeing or determining for God, and binding and engaging their souls to live to him.
Use. It exhorts us — •
1. To afiect our hearts and ravish our thoughts with this great instance of the love of God. It is the commending circumstance to set it forth : John xv. 13, ' Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends ; ' and, Kom. v. 8, ' God com- mended his love towards us, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.' God hath not another son to bestow upon us — a better Christ to die for us. Love is gone to the utmost ; nor can we be redeemed at a dearer rate, that we may be affected with it.
[1.] Let us not look upon it only as an act of heroical friendship, but in the mediatory notion ; for so it is most penetrating and sinketh into the very soul — and that is the way to draw solid comfort ; whereas the other only begetteth a little fond admiration. We look upon it as an act of generosity and gallantry, and that begets an ill impression in our minds ; but to look upon it as a mediatorial act, breedeth the true, broken-hearted sense and thankfulness which God expecteth. We all stood guilty before the tribunal of divine justice, and he was surrogated by the covenant of redemption, and made sin and a curse for us ; he was to be responsible for our sins, according to the pact and agreement between him and his Father, Isa. liii. 10. There is the covenant of redemption described — 'When thou shalt make his soul an ofiering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
188 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXVII.