54-0 THE WORD OF GOD C0~1PARED TO LIGHT, Book nr. !2rfeft. What is tendered? · Anjw. Repentance is tendered, Pardon is tendered, Peace is tendered Bread and Wacer of Lite is. tendered, perfect Righteoufne!s is tendered, Adoption\, tendered, glonous Ltberty ts tendered, m fhort, God is offered, he makes a TeJider of himftlf. Chrift is tendered with all his Benefits who is the Pearl of great Price, worth Mtllions; yea more than ten thoufand Worlds, a Marriage with Chrift is tendered, the Spirit is tendered With all the Bleffings of tt, a Kmgdom is offered in the Gofpel, a Crown is offered, a Crown of endlefs Glory, a Crown that fadeth not away, eternal Life is tendered. f<!fe.ft. Who is it that makes thefe Tenders and Offers in the Gofpel? Anfw. The great God, he that has them to beftow, and a Right to give them. Q..uef Whom are they offered to? Anfw. To fuch that were his Enemies, Rebels, even the worft of Sinners ; in a Word, whoever wtll, he that hath a Will to receive them may have them, Rev. xxii. I 7. ffZJu.ft. Upon what Terms are they offered? /lnjw. Freely offered without Money and withom Price, though a Man, as to Righ– teoufnefs, hath nothmg of Worth nor Beauty in him, being in himfelf but a Lump of Sm and F1lthmefs, yet he may have thefe Things, they are offered unto fuch, !fa. lv. J, z, 3· They are fincerely and faithfully offered, God cloth not mock Men and Women offer them fuch Things as thefe, and yet never intend to beftow them upon them ; if they have a Heart and a Mind to them, my Life for theirs they may enjoy all thefe and many more like glorious good Things. Nay, and more than tbi,, they have been often tendered with much AffeCtion and in Bowels of Compa!lion, God bewails, and Chrift bewails the Srate of fuch who do refufe them. 0! then what Fools are Mortals to {light and reject thefe Tenders! Ill. The Gofpel is glorious in refpect of the glorious Things that are brought about and accomp.lifhed thereby. The firfr I (hall mention is Rt"conciliation which is a g1oriou3 Bleffing; what is more fully opened and held forth in the Gofpel than Reconciliation with the Means and Ma.1ner how, and by whom accomplifhed? which will appear J. By conGdering the Parties reconciled. z. By conudering rhe Nature of the Breach that was between them. 3· By conGdering the Means and Manner bow it is accomplifhed. 4· By confidering the Fruits and Efl'ects of it. Firft, Confidering the Parties that were at variance, who by the Gofpel are rtcon– ciled, God and Man, the infinire God, the holy God and Man, thefe were at enmi<y; iris fad when a Difference rifes in a Family, in"a Congregation, in a City, in a Kin,;d.>m, or. between one l(ingdom and another: But much more fad is it to have God and Sin– ners at enmity, Adam runs from God, hides himfdf, he knew God was now become his Enemy, the Word declares the Creature to be God's Enemy, whilft he ftands in o!J Adam in the Srate of Nature, nud you that were jometimes alimated and Enemies in your Mind, &c. Col. i. 2 r. And then God declares himfelf to be the Sinner's Enemy, he is angry with the Wicked every Day; he is faid to fight and war againfl: them which plainly fhews he is their Enemy. But now what a glorious Bleffing IS this to have thcfe two Parties reconciled, when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son ! You that were Enemies in your Minds by wicked ·works, (or as in the Margin, by your Minds in wicked Works,) yet now hath he reconciled in the Body of his Flefh through Death, Rom. v. ro. Col. i. 2 I, 22. Secondly, Gofpel·reconciliation appears to be a glorious Reconciliation, if we confider the Nature of the Breach that was between them. 1. It was an old Breach, no fooner was Man made but ftraitway he became an Ene– my to God; nay, every Soul that comes into the Wo1ld, comes into it an Enemy of God, or in a State of Enmity. 2. lt is fo great a Breach that all the Angels in Heaven, nor all the Saints on Eartlt could not make up. 3· I
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