SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT: 253 general, nor to subvert God's ordinary established course of gov- ernment. If God please to stop Jordan, and dry up the Red Sea for the passage of the Israelites, and to cause the sun to stand still for Joshua, must he do so still for every man in the world, or else be accounted unmerciful? , The sense of this objection is plainly this; God is not so rich in mercy, except he will new make all the world, or ,govern it above its nature. Suppose a king know his subjects to be so wicked, that they have every one a full design to famish or kill themselves, or poison themselves with something which is enticing by its sweetness ; the king not only makes a law, strictly charging them all to forbear to touch that poison, but he sendeth special messengers to entreat them to it, and tell them the danger. If these men will not hear him, but willfully poison them- selves, is he therefore. unmerciful? But suppose that he bath three orfour of his sons that are infected with the same wicked- ness, and he will not only command and entreat them, but he will lock them up, or keep the poison from them, or will feed them by violence with better food ; is he unmerciful unless he will do so by all the rest of his kingdom? Lastly., If all this will not satisfy you, consider, (1.) That it is most certain God is love, and infinite in mercy; and bath no pleas- ure in the death of sinners. (2.) But it is utterly uncertain to us how God worketh on man's will inwardly by his Spirit. (3.) Or yet what intolerable inconvenience there may he if God should work in other ways ; therefore we must not upon such uncertainties deny certainties, 'nor, from some unreasonable scruples about the manner of Clod's working grace, deny theblessed nature of God, which himself hath most evidently proclaimed to the world.' I have said the, more of this, because I find Satan harp so much on this string with many troubled souls, especiallyon the advantage of some common doctrines. For false doctrine still tends to the overthrowofsolid peace andcomfort. Remember, therefore, before all other thoughts for the obtaining of peace, to get high thoughts of the gracious and lovely nature of God. Direct. IV. Next this, `Be sure that you deeply apprehend the gracious nature, disposition, and office,' of the Mediator Jesus Christ.' Though there can no more bb said of the gracious.'natureof the Son than of the Father's, even that his goodness is infinite; yet these two advantages . this consideration will add unto the former. 1. You will see here goodness and mercy in its condescension, and nearer to you than in she divine nature alone it-was. Our thoughts of God are!neces'sarily more strange, because of our infinite distance from the Godhead ; and therefore our apprehensions of God's good- ness will be the less working, because less familiar. But in Christ,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=