God delights in obedience more than sacrifice. God's people, that he delights in, they yield their bodies and souls a sacrifice to God : Rom. xii. 1, ' They will seek out what is well-pleasing and acceptaWe to God.' God accepts them in Christ, and he is acceptable to them in Christ Jesus, and they seek out what pleaseth him and is acceptable to him. As the sons of Isaac sought out what might please their old father, what he could relish, so God's children seek out what duties God relisheth best. ThankS' giving is a sacrifice ' with which God is well pleased.' Is it so ? Then they will seek out that that may please him. God by his Spirit will work in them a disposition to please him in all things. Therefore the people of God are said to be a voluntary, free people, ' zealous of good works,' Titus ii. 14, being set at liberty. The Spirit infusing and conveying the love and good pleasure of God in Christ to them, it sets their wills at liberty, to devise to please God in all things. They have, as David prays, Ps. H. 12, ' a free Spirit.' As God, not out of any respect from us, but freely from his own bowels loved us, and gave Christ to us, and delighted in us, so the soul freely, without any base respects, loves God again. Those, there- fore, that do duties for base aims, and forced, as fire out of a flint, not as water out of a spring, that duty comes not naturally and sweetly from them, God hath no pleasure in them, because they have none in God ; but the good they do is extorted and drawn from them.
Let us try ourselves therefore. If we have tasted God's good will towards us, rce iciU hare a f/ood j)Jcasure to him ar/ain. Whatsoever is God's pleasure shall be our pleasure ; what pleaseth him shall please us. If it please him to exercise us with crosses, and afflictions, and losses, what pleaseth God shall please me ; for when he hath once loved me freely in Christ, every thing that comes from him tastes of that free love. If he correct me, it is out of free love and mercy. All the ways of God ' are mercy and truth.' His way of correction and sharp dealing, it is a way of love and free mercy. Therefore, if it please him, it shall please me ; my will shall be his will.
Again, If we find the free love of God to us in Christ, it will quicken m to all ditties, and strengthen us in. all conditions. But these evidences shall sufiice. Let us search our hearts how we stand affected to God, and to the best things. We delight in them, if God delight in us.
And if we do not find ourselves yet to be the people of God's delight, towards whom God hath thoughts of love, as the prophet speaks, Jer. xxix. 11, what shall we do ?
Attend upon the means of salvation, the gospel of peace and reconcilia- tion, and wait the good time, and do not stand disputing. This is that that hinders many, their disputing and cavilling, that perhaps God hath not a purpose to save me, and that the greatest part of mankind go the broad way, &c. Leave disputing, and fall to obeying. God hath a gra- cious purpose to save all that repent of their sins and believe in Christ. This is gospel. ' I will leave secret things.' ' They belong to God, revealed things belong to me,' Dent. xxix. 29, I will desire of God his Spirit, to repent of my sins, and to believe and cast myself in the arms of his mercy in Christ, and then let God do as he please. If I perish, I will
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354 angels' acclamatioxs.
perish in the aiTQS of Christ. Let us labour to bring our hearts to wait in the use of the means, for God's good Spirit to enable me to see my state by nature, and to get out of it, by casting myself upon God's love in Christ.
And object not the greatness of any sin to hinder the comfort of God's mercy. It is a free mercy. The ground of it is from himself, and not from thee. It was free to Manassas, that had sinned, no man more. Being a king, and being the son of a good father, his sins spread further than ours can do, answerable to the greatness of his person. Being an infinite and free mercy, it extends to the greatest sinners. Let no man pretend any sin or unworthiness, if he seriously repent. If any sin or unworthiness could keep it back, it were something ; but it is a free mercy and love from God's own bowels in Christ.
And consider how God offers this in the gospel, and lays a command. It is thy duty to have a good conceit of God in Christ. We ought not to suspect a man that is an honest man ; and will God take it well at our hands to suspect him that he is so and so ? He makes a show of his love and mercy in Christ, but perhaps he intends it not. Put it out of question by believing. If thou have grace to believe the mercy of God in Christ, thou makest thyself a member of Christ and an heir of heaven. Thou questionest whether thou be one that Christ died for or no ? Believe in him, and obey him, and thou puttest that question out of the question. Thou doubtest whether God love thee or no ? Cast thyself upon the love of God in Christ, and then it is out of question. Whosoever hath grace to cast himself upon the free love of God, he fulfils the covenant of grace. Stand not disputing and wrangling, but desire grace to obey ; and then all questions concerning thy eternal estate are resolved ; all is clear.