[5.] God hateth sinners as they hate him ; for we are children of wrath from the womb, Eph. ii. 3 ; and that wrath abideth on us till we enter into God's peace, John iii. 36 ; and the more wicked we are, the more we incur God's wrath : Ps. vii. 11, ' He is angry with the wicked
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every day ; ' * They are under his curse,' Gal. iii. 10. Whatever be the secret purposes of his grace, yet so they are by the sentence of his law, and according to that we must judge of our condition. Secondly, The nature of this reconciliation.
1. As the enmity is mutual, so is the reconciliation ; God is recon- ciled to us, and we to God. On God's part, his wrath is appeased ; and our wicked disposition is taken away by regeneration, for there are the causes of the difference between him and us, — his justice and our sin. His justice is satisfied in Christ, so that he is willing to offer us a new covenant : Mat. iii. 17, ' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' He is satisfied in Christ, that he is willing to forgive the offences done to him ; for the text saith, ' God was in Christ recon- ciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them.' And our wicked disposition is done away, and our hearts are converted and turned to the Lord : Acts is. 6, ' And he, trembling and astonished, said. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' and 2 Chron. xxx. 8, 'But yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may be turned from you.' And we are drawn to enter into covenant with the Lord, even that new covenant which is called the covenant of his peace, Isa. liv. 10 ; and so of enemies we are made friends, as Abraham, because of his covenant relation, is called ' The friend of God,' James ii. 23. In the new covenant God offereth pardon, and requireth repentance. When we accept the ofier, the pardon procured for us by Christ, and submit to the conditions, lay down the weapons of our defiance, and give the hand to the Lord, to walk with him in all new obedience, then are we reconciled.
2. This reconciliation is as firm and strong as our estate in inno- cency, as if there had been no foregoing breach ; and in some consider- ations better, especially when we look to the full effect of it ; as good as if the first covenant had never been broken ; for God doth not only put away his anger, but loveth us as if we never had been in hatred ; he doth not only pardon sinners, but delight in them when they repent. Men may forgive a fault, but they do not forget it ; the person liveth in umbrage and suspicion with them still. Absalom was pardoned — ' But not to see the king's face,' 2 Sam. xiv. 28. Shimei had a lease of his life, but lived always as a hated and a suspected man, 1 Kings ii. 8. But now it is otherwise here ; we find not only mercy with God, but are as firmly instated into his love as ever — ' Our sins are cast into the depths of the sea,' Hosea vii. 19 ; and Hosea xiv. 4, ' I will love them freely ;' and Eom. ix. 25, ' And her beloved, which was not beloved.' He not only passeth by the injury, but calls her beloved. Breaches between man and man are like deep wounds ; though healed the scars remain, something sticketh, or like a vessel soldered, weak in the crack ; but here, beloved, delighted in — ' The Lord delighteth in thee,' Isa. Ixii. 4, and ' he will rest in his love.' In some sort it is more sure ; it is not committed to us and the freedom of our wills A bone well set is strongest where broken. Adam was happy, but* not established.
3. This active reconciliation draweth many blessings along with it. [1.] Peace with God : Eom. v. 1, ' Being justified by faith, we have
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peace with God.' To have God an enemy is to have a sharp sword always hanging over our heads by a slender thread. How can we look him in the face, lift up our heads to heaven, think of him without tremblino-? There is a God, but he is our enemy; how can we eat,' drink, or sleep, while God is our enemy ? Did we know what it is to have God our enemy, we should soon know that he cannot want instru- ments of revenge ; death may waylay us in every place. If we eat, our meat may poison or choke us ; if we go abroad, God may cast us into bell before we come home again ; if we sleep, his wrath may take us napping — ' For our damnation slumbereth not,' 2 Peter ii. 3. Surely it is such a dreadful thing to be at enmity with God, that we should not continue in that estate for a moment ; but when once you are at peace with God, you stop all evil at the fountain-head.