4. The fourth motive is, the great dishonour we do to God in refus- ing it. You despise two things, which men cannot endure should be despised, their anger and love. For anger ISTebuchadnezzar is an instance, who commanded to heat the furnace seven times hotter, Dan.
304 SEBMONS UPON 2 COKINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXXIX.
iii. 19 ; for love David, when Nabal despised liis courteous message, Now you despise tlie love and wrath of God, as if they were incon- siderable things not to be stood upon.
First, The terror of his wrath, as if not to be stood upon. But do you know the power of his anger, and what a dreadful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God ? Can you think of an eternity of misery without horror ? One that hath been a little scorched in the flames of God's wrath dareth not have slight thoughts of it. Oh ! christians, as you would escape this blackness of darkness, eternal fire, and the horrible tempest which is reserved for the wicked, flee from wrath to come. Secondly, His love. Thou despisest his Christ, as if his purchase were nothing worth ; thou despisest his institutions, which are ordered with such care for thy good. Oh ! what horrible contempt of God is this, that thou refusest to be friends with him. after all his intreaties and condescension ! How will you answer it at the last day ? In hell thy heart v/ill reproach thee for it.
Secondly, To those that have been reconciled with God before. Be yet more reconciled to God ; get more testimonies of his favour, lay aside more of your enmity. I have four things to press upon them.
1. To renew your covenant with God by going over the first work of faith and repentance again and again, from ' faith to faith,' Kom. i. 17 ; not questioning your estate, but bewailing j'^our offences. Job xiii. i 0 ; and renewing your dedication to God. The covenant is the covenant of God's peace, Isa. liv. 10. This covenant needeth to be renewed, partly because of our frequent breaches. It is not a work that must be once done and no more, but often. We have hearts that love to wander, and need tie upon tie ; therefore renew the oath of your allegiance unto God. We are apt to break witii him every day. Partly, that you may give Christ a new and hearty welcome into your souls. We are baptized but once, but we receive the Lord's supper often, o(TaKi<; implieth ttoWciki^;. That is our business there, to make the bond of our duty more strong, and to tie it the faster upon our souls.
2. To increase your love to God ; that is reconciliation on our part: Mat. xxii. 37, ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy mind ; ' Luke x. 27, 'With all thy strength,' some add, ' might.' Now we grow u]) into this by degrees ; ' Love with all thy mind.' The mind and thoughts are more taken up with God. Of the wicked it is said, Ps. x. 4, 'The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God ; God is not in all his thoughts ; ' and Job xxi. 14, ' They say unto God, Depart from us ; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.' Now it must be other- wise with you : Ps. civ. 34, ' My meditation of him shall be sweet : I will be glad in the Lord.' You must still be remembering God ; ' Love with all the heart.' Let will and affections be more carried out to God that your desires may be after him, your delights in him, and valuing the light of his countenance more than all things, Ps. Ivi. 7. Prizing communion with him. An hypocrite doth not delight himself in God, but a sincere christian will : Ps. xxvii. 4,' One thing have I •desired of the Lord, that will I seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in histemple;' Ps. xxxvii. 4, 'Delight thyself also in the Lord,
VeE. 21.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 305
and he shall give thee the desire of thy heart ' and testify it by con- versing much with him and thirsting after him, when they cannot enjoy him : Ps. Ixiii. 1, 2, ' 0 Lord, thou art my God, early will I seek thee ; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is ; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.' ' With all thy strength,' that is you are to glorify him and serve him with all the power and capacities that you have ; with body, time, estate, tongue, pleading for him, acting for him, not begrudging pains and labours, not serving him without cost.
3. A third thing is keeping covenant. The scriptures that speak of making covenant speak also of keeping covenant : Ps. xxv. 10, ' All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies : ' and Ps. ciii. 17, 18, ' The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.'