[4.] The parties interested — on the one hand, the ivorld ; on the other — To himself
(1.) ' The world.' The expression is used indefinitely, though not
VeR. 19.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 253
universally — First, the world, to show that men, and not angels, 2 Peter ii. 4 ; the sinning angels had no mediator nor reconciler. Secondly, to note which is the ground of the gospel tendry ; John iii. 16, ' God so loved the world, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.' Thirdly, to represent the freeness of God's grace : 1 John V. 19, ' And, we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness ; ' — this world, that lay in sin was, God reconciling. In themselves, God's elect differ nothing from the rest of the world till grace prevent them ; they were as bad as any in the world, of the same race of cursed mankind, not only living in the world, but after the fashions of the world ; ' dead in trespasses and sins,' and obnoxious to the curse and wrath of God. Fourthly, to show the amplitude of God's grace, the greater and worse part of the world, the Gentiles as well as the Jews : Rom. xi. 15, 'If the casting away of them be the reconciling the world ; ' so 1 John ii. 2, ' And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.' Fifthly, to awaken all that are concerned to look atter this privilege, which is common to all nations ; the offer is made indifferently to all sorts of persons where the gospel cometh ; and this grace is effectually applied to all the elect of all nations, and all sorts and conditions and ranks of persons in the world. If thou art a member of the world, thou shouldst not receive this grace in vain.
(2.) The other party concerned is the great God, ' to himself/ To be reconciled to one another, when we have smarted sufficiently under the fruits of our differences, will be found an especial blessing, much more to be reconciled to God. This is the comfort here propounded, ' to himself,' of whom we stand so much in dread, 1 Sam. ii. 15 : 'If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against God, who shall plead for him ? ' A fit umpire and mediator may be found out in matters of difference and plea between man and man, but who shall arbitrate and take up the difference between us and God ? Here, first, the greatness of the privilege, That God will recon- cile us to himself.
Doct. There is a reconciliation made in and by Jesus Christ between God and man.
First. I shall premise three things in general —
First. That to reconcile is to bring into favour and friendship after some breach made and offence taken ; as Luke xxiii. 12, 'The same day Herod and Pilate were made friends, for before they were at enmity between themselves.' So Joseph and his brethren were made friends ; and the woman faulty is said to be reconciled to her husband, 1 Cor. vii. 11 ; so Mat. v. 23, 24-, ' If thou bringest thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, go thy way and be reconciled to thy brother.' All which places prove the natural notion of the word ; and so it is fitly used for our recovery and returning into grace and favour with God after a breach.
Secondly. That the reconciliation is mutual ; God is reconciled to us, and we to God. Many will not hear that God is reconciled to us, but only that we are reconciled to God ; but certainly there must be both ; God was angry with us, and we hated God ; the alienation was mutual, and therefore the reconciliation must be so. The scripture
254 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXXIV.
speaketh not only of an enmity and hatred on man's part : Eom. v. 10, ' For when we were enemies, we w^eie reconciled to God by the death of his S'ln ; ' but also of wrath on God's part, not only against sin but the sinner : Eph. ii. 3, ' Being children of wrath by nature.' Certainly God doth notoidy hate sin, but is angry with the wicked because of it : Ps vii. 11, ' God is angry with tiie wicked every day/ And we must distinguish between the work of Christ in order to God, and the work of the minister, and Christ by the ministry, in order to men. The work of Christ in order to God, which is to appease the WTath of God ; therefore it is said ; Heb. ii. 17, ' That he is a merciful and faithful high priest, to m;ike reconciliation for the sins of the people,' IXdaKeadai. Surely there God's being reconciled to us is intended by Christ's sacrifice and intercession ; for Christ as an high priest hath to deal with us as God's apostle with men : Heb. iii. 1, ' We in Christ's stead pray you to be reconciled,' ver. 20; besides, our reconciliation is made the fruit of Christ's death, in contradiction to his life, Rom. v. 10. The death of Christ mainly respected the appeasing of the wrath of God ; whereas, if it only implied the changing of our natures, it might as well be ascribed to his life in heaven as his death upon earth. Again, the scripture mnketh this reconciliation to be a great instance of God's love to us. Now, if it did only consist in Inying aside our enmity to God, it would rather be an instance of our love to God than his love to us. Once more, the text is plain that God's reconciling the world to him. self did consist in not imputing our trespasses to us, his laying aside his suit and just plea he had against us ; so that it relateth to him. Therefore upon the whole we may pronounce that God is recon- ciled to us, as well as we to God. Indeed, the scriptures do more generally insist upon our being reconciled to God than God's being reconciled to us ; for two reasons — 1. Because we are in a fault. It is the usual way of speaking amongst men ; he that offendeth is said to be reconciled, because he was the cause of the breach ; he needeth to reconcile himself and to appease him whom he hath offended, which the innocent party needeth not — he needeth only to forgive, and to lay aside his just anger. We offended God, not he us; therefore the scrijDture usually saith, We are reconciled to God. 2. We have the benefit. It is no profit to God that the creature enters into his peace ; he is happy within himself with- out our love or service, only we are undone if we are not upon good terms with him. If any believe not, ' the wrath of God abidelh uj)on him,' John iii. 36 ; and that is enough to make us eternally miserable.