III. Wherein God hath showed that he taketh pleasure in our con- versation rather than in our ruin and destruction.
1. In that, when we had forfeited the mercies of our creation, he was mindful of our sin and misery, and gave us warning of it v/lien we were drowned in worldly cares and pleasures, and thought of no such matter.
VeR. 23.J SERMONS UPON EZEKIEL XVIII. 23. 469
He that warneth before he striketh, certainly he hath more niiud to save than to strike. God might have left the sleepy, sinful, and secure world alone, till they had wasted away all their precious time in follow- ing their fleshly pleasures and the course of this deceitful world, till they had plunged themselves into their everlasting estate, and did awaken when it was too late, and then had nothing to do but despairingly and with fruitless cries bewail their past negligence ; but the Lord took pity on us, and warneth us of the danger ere it come upon us. All his busi- ness is to make us mindful of our latter end : Deut. xxxii. 29, ' Oh that men were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end ! ' Eom. vi. 21, ' What fruit had you then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? for the end of those things is death ; ' Jer. xvii. 11, ' At his end he shall be a fool' By his word and by checks of conscience : Ps. xix. 11, ' Moreover, by them is thy servant warned.' God seeth how you forget him and your latter end, make light of ever- lasting things, as men that have no sense of their danger ; therefore he telleth you that the end of those things is death. When he seeth you bold in sin, fearless and careless of your souls, he mindeth you of the dreadful end that is at hand, when your sorrows must begin. He that telleth you so plainly why it is : Luke iii. 7, '0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come ? ' As Eeuben said. Gen. xlii. 22, ' Spake I not unto you ? '
2. Not only warned you of your danger, but hath given you means to escape it if you will, a new covenant wherein he hath oflered you free pardon upon the terms of faith and repentance, and set heaven before you to call you off from your carnal vanities. It is the great business of the word to call men to faith and repentance. John preached, Mat. iii. 2, ' Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ; ' and Christ, Mark i. 14, 15, ' Now after John was in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God ; and saying. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.' And the apostles, what was the tenor of their commission ? Luke xxiv. 47, 'And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.' Surely God would not have given such directions, made such promises, found out such a way for our recovery, but that he taketh pleasure in our conversion rather than our destruction.
3. In providing a redeemer to ransom us from the death which we had deserved, one that should keep up the authority of the law, and yet a way made to save the sinner : Isa. liii. 4-6, ' Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows ; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted: but he was wounded for our transgres- sions, he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.' Would God have bought us at so dear a rate, even with the blood of his own Son Jesus Christ ? *He gave him a ransom for us all,' 1 Tim. ii. 6. If he delighted in the death of sinner.s, he would not have been at such cost to save them.
4. With what passionatcne.ss and meltingness of expression he wooeth men to return : Deut. v. 29, ' Oh that there were such an heart in them,
470 SERMONS UPON EZEKIEL XVUI. 23. [SeR. I.
that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with them, and with their children for ever ; ' Hosea xi. 8, ' How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how shall I deliver thee, Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah ? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within me ; my repentings are kindled together ; ' Isa. Ivii. 16, ' For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth ; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made ; ' Ps. Ixxxi. 13, ' Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways ! ' Mat. xxiii. 37, * 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee ! how often would I have gathered thy children together, as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not ? ' Luke xix. 42, ' If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes.' When a servant hath provoked his master, or a son behaved himself ungraciously to his father, will a master sue to his servant, or a father to his son for reconciliation ? yea, will not an equal that hath a quarrel with his equal hold it a great disgrace and disparagement to make any means that the quarrel may be taken up ? they keep at a distance, and look that the party offending should seek first ; yet such an affection God beareth to us that he expostulates, prayeth, entreateth that we would return and be reconciled.