The will of God is perfectly complied with in heaven; that will which our desires, while we are here on earth, are to be guided by; in our measure we are to desire God's will may be done on earth, as it is done in heaven. It is perfectly complied with in heaven: they cannot have a dissentient will from their Maker; and, therefore, must be understood to have been contentedly employed upon this errand, to proclaim peace, peace to the inhabitants of this earth, when they had none to proclaim for the inhabitants of that other horrid region; knowing that they, who were their brethren, and of their own order, in the creation of God, were bound up in the chains of everlasting darkness, without remedy or mercy, and reserved unto the judgment of the great day, they willingly come upon this errand, to proclaim peace to the inhabitants of this earth, and are made use of as heralds in this proclamation. any thing besides himself. And his glory, his essential glory; the lustre of all the excellencies of his being, is his end; not that which he covets and proposes as distant and unattained; but which he enjoyeth, and acquiesceth in, and which he cannot but have always in his own possession, as he cannot but be in the entire, uninterrupted, everlasting possession of the excellencies of his own being. And it ought seriously to be considered, that so we may not in our own thoughts debase the eternal, most excellent, and most blessed Being, by supposing that he proposeth it to himself as his end, to aim at that which would be thought unworthy of a wise and good man to aim at; that is, only to be well thought of, and applauded. This is a thing that is consequent, and which ought to be, and which we ought to propose to ourselves as our end. But it is too low and mean an end for God. We may design that for And as this peace must principally be between God and another man, to wit, his praise, which no other man, who man, so it must be understood to be mutual in the intendis wise and good, will design for himself; but take plea- ment of it between both, that God should be reconciled to sure in the rectitude of his design, and that goodness of them, and that they should be reconciled unto God. And, his own actions; and enjoy them, as every good man doth, indeed, there can be no such thing as peace between God in bearing the image of God upon him. And therefore, and man upon other terms: for if he were willing upon this is a God-like thing; and so must be in the highest other terms to be reconciled to man, it would be altogether perfection in the ever-blessed God himself, and in the ex- insignificant, and to no purpose. He would be reconcellency of his own being, and in the correspondent recti- ciled to an unreconciled irreconcilable man, whose heart tude of all his own designs. But this is that which must should still remain filled with enmity, poisoned with maligconsequently, and secondarily, come under the common nity and venom against God. It would be to no purpose notice of his intelligent and apprehensive creatures, where-to him, for man would be no nearer felicity; and it is imupon it is their business, and indispensable duty, to own, possible for me to be happy in what I hate; and it is also and adore, and honour him, for the good that is in him; impossible for the children of men to be happy in any thing to wit, to think well and honourably of him, and speak but God. well and honourably of him, upon this account, even as goodness in men, and amongst men, is a thing that claims and challenges acknowledgment and praises from them within whose notice it comes. And then, 2. That being the primary thing here spoken of, which is to result out of this great design, "Glory to God in the highest," all capable and apprehensive creatures being obliged, to their uttermost, to celebrate and glorify him, upon the account of what he was now doing in reference to this wretched world; that being, I say, the first result of this undertaking, upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was now descending and coming down into this world, the second is-"Peace on earth." And that former was to spring out of this latter, as the whole economy of grace in that mentioned 4th chapter to the Ephesians, a design for the glory of God's grace; to wit, it is to be designed by all the subjects, and all the observers thereof. And now concerning this peace on earth, I shall speak but very briefly to it, in my way to the third thing which I most principally intended, in my pitching upon this scripture; to wit, the original and fountain of all the good will after mentioned. This peace upon earth must be understood to design, first, somewhat more primarily; and then, secondly, somewhat more secondarily, and dependent upon the former. The primary intendment of it must be peace between God and man, the inhabitants of this earth, its principal and more noble inhabitants, in relation to the state of war and hostility that was between him and them, they having revolted from him, agreed and combined in a rebellion against him; not only with one another, but with the other apostate creatures, who had made a defection before, the angels that fell, and so drew man in as their accomplices in that horrid revolt. And this must be observed as spoken too with discrimination, as we shall have hereafter occasion to note to you; "Peace on earth"-not with hell; there is no proclamation of peace reaching that place. Those kind, benign creatures, this glorious host of angels, this celestial chorus, though it is like enough it might have been suitable to their inclinations (if that had been the design and counsel of Heaven) to have carried tidings, and a message of peace, to their fellow-creatures, of their own order and rank, in the creation of God; yet while it appears this had no place in the divine counsel, and they being so perfectly resigned creatures, and having the same will (objectively considered) with the divine, that is, not willing a different sort of objects from what he willed; they joyfully come on this errand to men on earth. Now supposing this peace to be mutual between God and man; to wit, he is reconciled to them, and they are reconciled to him, the prosecution of his justice doth cease, and their enmity towards him ceaseth; there is no longer a contest kept up between his justice and their injustice; then this mutual peace must carry in it two things, agreeable to what is carried in the notion of peace between one nation, or sort of people, and another that have been mutually at war with one another; that is, there is somewhat privative, and somewhat positive, carried in such cases in the notion of peace;-1st, a cessation of hostility, and 2ndly freedom of commerce. 1. A cessation of hostility. They no longer war with one another; God doth no longer pursue them with revenge, with hostile acts in that kind; that is, if once a peace be brought about, whenever this peace obtains, and hath its effect, he doth no longer follow them with acts of vengeance. And they do no longer rise up against him in acts of hatred and aversion; they no longer say to him, "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways:" they are no longer fighting against the righteousness and equity of his holy precepts, as the carnal mind is "enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, nor indeed can be." All this ceaseth; that is, it cannot be now in any prevalency, in a prevailing degree. And thereupon, 2. That which is positive doth ensue. As it was between nation and nation, which were at war, there is not only a cessation of hostilities, but there is a setting on foot a commerce, an amicable commerce, a free commerce; so it is between God and man now: there is not only no war, but there is a communion, there is a friendly intercourse: God freely flows in upon them in acts of grace, kindness, and goodness. His Spirit was under a restraint before, (according to the doom and judgment past-" My Spirit shall no longer strive,") is now at liberty, set at liberty, from under these restraints. It now freely breathes upon those souls, emits its light, lets it shine in upon them, pours in the influence of the Sun of Righteousness, the vital, sanative influences of that Sun, who is said to "arise with healing in his wings," or beams. These vital, healing beams are, by the Spirit of Christ, freely transmitted, let into the very hearts and souls of such creatures, as were at utmost distance from God before. Alas! there was nothing to do between God and them, in a way of kindness or friendliness: his Spirit was a stranger to them; no beams of holy light ever shone upon them; no influence of grace; they went with barren and desolate souls, wrapt up in darkness and death: but now the way is open and free; there is no law against it, no bar, but the communications of the Holy Ghost may be final and ultimate import of it-"Glory to God in the highest," and then, "peace on earth." This is the double effect of this great undertaking, upon which our Lord did now descend and come down into this world. But here comes next to be considered, The principle, the well-spring, the eternal well-spring of this glorious and kind design; a design so glorious to God, and so kind to man, what is the fountain and wellspring of all? Nothing else but his own good will. And this is the thing I mainly intended to insist upon from this Scripture. That having so largely discoursed to you of the apostacy, the fall of the first man, and then of the fallen state of man; and of the way wherein man hath been continued in this fallen state, from age to age, and from generation to generation; I might afterwards come to speak of his designed restitution and recovery. And being so to do, (as the order of discourse should lead,) I shall tell you briefly what the scheme of our discourse now must be; to wit, I. To speak of the original and fountain of this designed restitution of such fallen and lasped creatures. And, II. Of the constitution of a Redeemer and a Mediator in order hereunto. And, III. To show what sort of person this Redeemer or Mediator must be; to wit, to treat of his person, of his nature, of his offices, and of his performances. And then, IV. To lay before you the doctrine of the covenant of God in Christ. And, V. The office and operations of the Holy Ghost in the dispensation, and pursuantly to the design of the covenant. And then, VI. The effects wrought in all that shall actually appertain and belong to God, and he brought home to him, in and by Christ, this Great Head of the reducees, of returning souls. And then, 2. That which is consequential thereunto, to be considered, and that is-peace upon earth, among the inhabitants of it towards one another. This is not the primary design, but it is the secondary, consequential aim and effect of the great Peace-maker's undertaking, whereof there was a precedent and a leading case in the reconciliation that was first to be brought about between Jew and gentile. "He is our peace, having made both one," Eph. ii. 13. so as that the highest enmities and animosities that ever were between one sort of people and another, were to be taken up between these Jews and gentiles. How contumeliously were the Jews wont to speak of the gentiles; and how ignominiously did they again speak of them. And the fraction was yet more fierce between the Jews and the Samaritans, that were all Israelites, all of one house; insomuch that common courtesies could not pass between them, as appears by that in the 4th chapter of John. "How dost thou," (saith the Samaritan woman to Christ,) "being a Jew, ask water of me, that am a Samaritan? How strange is it! how can you expect that I, being a Samaritan, should give drink to you that are a Jew ?" And so great was the distance between the Jews and other nations, that pagan writers have taken much notice of it. Non monstrare vias (saith a pagan poet) cadem insi sacra The first thing in the course and order of discourse volenti; that a few would not so much as show the way to comes naturally to be insisted upon, (when we are to conone that was not of their own religion; no, not that com- sider this business of the restitution of man,) is the origimon courtesy to tell a traveller his way. Why, he is ournal of such a design. Whence sprung it? What is the peace, he that brings it about, that shall finally, sooner or later, bring about a universal peace, not only between Jew and gentile, (which was a precedent, a ruling case,) but among the several nations of the earth, "He is our peace when the Assyrian is in our land," and it is to be a universal thing foretold and prophesied; to wit, that "swords are to be beaten into plow-shares, and spears into pruning-hooks, and that men should learn war no more," when once the peaceful tendency of the kingdom of the Messiah doth reach its final and full effect; when it hath effect according to its tendency, so that, at the same time that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the seas, then is there to be that universal peace on earth too, among men towards one another; not only no more hurting or destroying in all the mountain of his holiness, but nation shall not lift up sword or hand against nation, and men shall be untaught that fierceness of nature, which a continued enmity against God had inferred on them: for when the union was once broken between God and man, it must appear, they must be made to understand and know to their cost, that that was central. And that union being dissolved, all union was dissolved besides, that they can never be at peace one with another, when they have broken with God, and the breach remains between him and them. According to what was emblematically held forth in reference to God, and the people of Israel and Judah; that is, by the two staves of Beauty and of Bands; the staff of Beauty signifying the union between him and them; and the staff of Bands the union between them with one another. But when one of these staves is broken, the other is shivered and shaken all to pieces. Why, this is the import of what is here proclaimed, the VII. The way and course of such as shall be thus savingly wrought upon, that holy work in which they are thereupon to be engaged, and wherein they are to persist, till they reach the end of that way. And then, lastly, VIII. The end of all things, with the several things that shall be coincident thereunto. fountain, the well-head and spring of this great design? Why, good will towards men. This is the summary account that the matter admits of. It can be from nothing else but mere good will towards men. And in speaking to this, I have a two-fold subject of discourse: to wit, first, God's general good will; and, 2ndly, his special good will. His good will wherein it doth appear and is expressed towards men generally and indefinitely considered; and his good will in its more peculiar expressions, and exertions of itself towards a select sort of men. And so two things to be evinced. 1. That God's good will, it hath some reference unto all. But, 2. That it hath not equal reference to all alike. There will be that two-fold subject of discourse distinctly to be pursued. And the former of these I chiefly intend from this scripture; the latter I intend from another more suitable scripture, But, in the mean time, pray well inlay this in your own minds, that there are two such distinct sorts of divine good will, or benignity, respecting men generally, and respecting some men especially; and that these two are by no means in the world opposed to one another. The doing of which, as it is a most unreasonable thing in itself, so it is a thing of the worst consequences that can be supposed; that is, it tends to confound the whole Christian economy, to break the frame of Christianity, and make it an unintelligible scheme, as incoherent with itself; and this without any pretence, or shadow of a pretence. For these two things-general good will, and special good will; or as the generality of divines are wont to distinguish, common and special grace; these two, I say, are as distinguishable things, and as capable of being distinctly apprehended, as the general and special natures of any | the truth in this matter: for that is clear in itself, shines in thing else that we can think of. Now nothing could be more absurd to pretend, that because I have the notion of such and such a general nature, therefore, I must not admit the notion of a special nature, that is narrower than that; and superadds distinguishing to the former. As if when a person hath understood that God hath made such a sort of creatures as we are wont to call animals, living creatures, (that being the notion of a living creature at large,) that therefore, I should pretend there should be a difficulty of understanding the nature of man, one particular under that general; because I have the notion of a living creature taken at large, to wit, a creature that useth sense, that can see, and hear, and exerciseth spontaneous motion, can move this way and that, this, therefore, should be an hinderance to me in conceiving the special nature of man, a nobler sort of creature, that can do all this and something else; to wit, can reason and understand, and lay designs and pursue them, and is a subject susceptible of religion too, as well as ratiocination; would any man of ordinary understanding pretend an inconsistency between these two; or that I cannot fitly conceive the one sort of nature, because I do conceive the other? Because I do conceive the general notion of a living creature, an animal taken at large, therefore, I can the less conceive or take in the special notion of a particular sort of living creatures, that can do more than an ordinary living creature, taken at large. And the difficulty is not greater if we carry the matter higher or further, and consider that man, as man, having the natural image of God upon him, as such, may be conceived accordingly. And so that object, God's natural image remaining in him, terminates a general divine benignity. And consider, also, the same sort of creatures having likewise somewhat beyond and superadded to the mere natural image of God, to wit, his holy image; this is the effect, (wherever it is, as the case of man is now become,) and can be the effect of nothing else, but special grace but this I only lay before you by the way to that which we are to insist upon particularly. LECTURE XLV.* Luke ii. 14. Good will towards men. THE former branches of this verse, wherein these angels proclaim, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace," have been opened, and something hath been said about this good will towards men, both as it is general and special. Now as to this general good will of God to men, I shall, 1. Labour to evince it to you in an absolute consideration. And then, shall, 2. Speak in comparison of the way of his dealing with another sort of offending creatures, of a higher and nobler order than men. Now, 1. To evince this general good will to men, according to the absolute consideration that is to be had of it, I shall make use of two sorts of mediums or arguments to that purpose. (1.) of such as are antecedent to a more express Gospel revelation; and which will therefore respect them that have not the Gospel, or that never had it. And, (2.) Such as may be taken from the Gospel itself, of which you have a summary, an epitome, in this same angelical proclamation from heaven; it seeming suitable to the majesty of God, to make his angels, though not the ordinary ambassadors, yet the extraordinary ones, of this gracious declaration of his mind and counsel towards men. But as to both these sorts of arguments, I have this to advertise you, that the main thing I shall propose to myself in alleging them, will not be so much the evincing of * Preached January 19th, 1695. its own light; and indeed as to this part of God's general good will to men, or that which is usually called common grace, I can have no adversary, we have none to oppose us in this thing, except atheists. It is true indeed, as to the other part, (his special grace,) there we have very subtle adversaries; and when we come to that part, I do hope, through God's assistance, we shall be enabled to maintain the truth against them. But here my more principal design is, to let you see, by the arguments I shall allege, (which will clear the truth too,) the mighty importance of what we are now asserting, and to what purpose it is that we ought to assert this general good will of God to men. Indeed, that we shall have occasion more distinctly to show, when we come to the use. But I shall hint some of the more eminent purposes now, that it may the more engage the attention of all our minds unto what is to be insisted on to this purpose. It will be of most direct use to convince, and (if it will seem good to God so far as to bless his word) to mollify the hearts of hardened sinners that have yet nothing of special grace appearing to them, or in them, so as to make way for that, it being God's course to work methodically; and to make things, which have an aptitude thereto, subservient unto other things, that are to be consequent thereupon. It would certainly induce any, that would use their thoughts, to look upon it as a black and horrid thing to be, in the course of my life, with an obstinate, obdurate heart fighting continually against goodness itself, and against kindness and good will. And it is of mighty importance, too, for the relieving of awakened and doubting souls, that may be hurried with terrors and temptations about their state God-wards; and who, though (it may be) special grace hath taken place in them, yet think it hath not; so as to let them see what relief is yet in their case, (as black as it looks to be,) while they are under the dispensation of more general and common grace, as hath a leadingness and tendency in it unto special. And there is that too, which will be of general import to all of us, every day, to wit, that we may be brought more to value, and to savour, and relish those mercies which commonly go into the account, and under the census of common mercies, of which (God knows) we have too little sense. It is a most unaccountable absurdity, (that I have often reflected on in my own thoughts,) that very generally mercies should be thought less valuable, for that very reason for which they are the more valuable. And so it is commonly in reference to those that are called common mercies: they are less valued for the self-same reason for which they should be more valued; that is, because they come in an ordinary and in a constant course. As health, because it is constant, or is more ordinary, with the most, it may be, it is for that very reason less valued: but every body that considers, knows, that for that very reason it is the more valuable. It is better sure to have continual health, than health intermitted. So the use of our senses, our sight, (for instance,) the noblest of all the rest, because it is a common mercy, therefore it is cheap, and of less account with the most. How great a thing would it be thought, if a man should see but one hour in the day! How would the return of that hour be longed for! Or if but one day in the year; O when will that day come! We need to have the value enhanced more with us of such things as are indications of God's good will towards men in general, that they may have their due weight with us, and that grateful savour and relish in our spirits which they challenge. And let us, therefore, 1. Upon such considerations go on to take notice of those arguments of the first rank, those which lie without the compass of the Gospel revelation, that were antecedent to that more explicit revelation of it, and do fill a larger sphere and region than that whither the Gospel light diffuses and extends itself: for though it be true that the text hath a special reference to that glorious revelation which was now to commence, we are not to think that this good will was then first to commence, as if God did then but begin more distinctly and explicitly to own it, and speak it out; but there were not obscure indications of it before and which did commonly obtain all the world over, even there where Gospel light obtained not. I shall therefore, in speaking to that head of arguments, show what it is that men might collect (if they would use their thoughts and understandings aright) from such appearances of divine favour towards them. And because that the reasonings of men may be looked upon as having an uncertainty in them, a sort of lubricity, and that we cannot with so much clearness conclude from mere arguings that are to be fetched from principles that lie without the compass of Scripture; lest any one should think them infirm upon that account, I shall show you, as we go along, how Scripture doth strengthen the same sort of arguments; and how we are directed and prompted even by Scripture itself, to make use of them to the same purposes. And that which I shall insist on, is, 1. The very nature of God, whereof all men that have the use of their understandings, have or are capable of having some notion or other. For he hath stamped more or less of his nature upon the very nature of man, upon the human nature that carries in it a signature of God. There is somewhat that may be known of God in men generally. But there is no notion of God that is more obvious unto any that do apprehend the existence of a Deity at large, than that he is the best of beings, the first seat of all goodness, kindness, and benignity. And this revelation of God, though it be natural, it is from himself, who is the author of all nature, and of this very nature in special; the immediate author, the author so as to be the exemplar of it to the human nature; that is a God-like nature in its first origination. And we are confirmed in it, that is not a false conception of God which we find to have obtained generally in the pagan world, Optimus Maximus, that hath been the common heathen language concerning him. But this is an impression from himself apon the mind of man, by which he is taught and instructed, even by nature itself, so to conceive of him. And he speaks agreeably hereunto of himself, when he tells us his name. There is this sculpture, this signature of his name upon the minds of men every where, till men have studiously and industriously abolished and razed it out, which yet totally they cannot do neither; not so, but that the remainders of such a notion as this, cleaving to their minds, do fill their souls with so much the more horror by intervals, that they have been lately engaged in a course of wickedness, and in an hostility even against the best of beings, against Goodness itself. Those pangs which such do find at such times in their own spirits from a secret and remaining suspicion, that when they have done all they can to think God out of being, they have been but rolling a returning stone; they have been but labouring for the wind; they can effect nothing when the thoughts return upon them, when in spite of them they must be yet constrained to conceive with a certain formido, that God is, though it may have been the wish of their hearts, O that he were not! then the main engine of their Lorture must be the apprehended goodness of God. For, Do but consider if indeed he is, (whom we would fain think into nothing if it were possible,) then it cannot be but he must excel in goodness; the first thing conceptible in his nature, must be goodness. Mere philosophy hath taught men so to think of God, to think of the God, as a notion antecedent unto that of power and might. They place that in the very summitude of all that excellency, which they ascribe to the Divine Being. And so when God himself will expressly tell us his name, the Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; though he will in no wise clear the guilty-a thing most consistent with the most excellent goodness; for that goodness were fatuity, were stolidity, that were unaccompanied with such a severity, that were unexpressive of it. So he speaks of himself, who best knows his own nature, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7, 8. And the Scripture is full of it elsewhere. That there is such a natural notion as this generally obtaining in the minds of men, is above all demonstration, that it cannot but be so, that it must be so; for what is universal, must proceed from a universal cause; but there is no universal cause, but God alone. And then, 2. This good will of God towards men, is to be further argued from his continuing of man (though apostate, though revolted from him) in possession of those original excellencies of his nature, that were most essential to it, through the several successions of time so long. That is, as to such excellencies as are essential to the nature of man, these he is pleased to continue man in the possession of from age to age, and from generation to generation, though he be a revolted apostate creature. He might have transformed him into another thing. Men might have produced monsters from one generation to another, and that as a mark of divine severity, for that once they did apostatize. Into what a horrid thing might man have been turned upon the first transgression; and so this habitable world be inhabited only by creatures that should be terrors to themselves, and one to another! It may be said, that they are turned into worse than monsters by sin; and it is very true, they are so. But that is their own production, and not God's; so they have made themselves, that is true: they are in a moral sense monsters; but so they are their miscreants; they might have been so in a natural sense, and that could have been no injury or reflection upon the Author of their nature. Merely natural evil is justly punitive of, and doth animadvert upon, that which is moral." But that it is not so; that man should be still, as to his naturals, the same intelligent creature that he was; that he should from age to age appear upon the stage of this earth, with a mind and understanding capable of comprehending so great things; that this understanding power should be so many ways improvable; that the soul to which it belongs should be so commodiously lodged in a tabernacle so curiously wrought by divine art, with God's own hand, and all the parts and members thereof written in his book: a contemplation that put the Psalmist into a transport, Fearfully and wonderfully was I made, and that my soul knoweth right well. And how precious are thy thoughts to me, O God!" They were these thoughts that he was reflecting on, concerning the very frame, and make, and nature of man, in that 139th Psalm, and which he considers in so high a rapture of spirit. We are encompassed with wonders, and we take no notice of them; that such creatures as we should spring up in a succession, a noble sort of creatures, God-like-bearing the natural image of God upon us. Thus it is with man; though revolted, yet God lets him live upon this earth, and propagate, and continue his kind. Let him (saith he) wear my image, to put him in mind, and that they may put one another in mind, whence they were, and who was the original of life and being to him, and of that nature which they have: a strange indulgence, and a most emphatical argument of the divine benignity, that he will let such creatures go up and down in this world, with his image upon them, though they have fallen from him, and are universally engaged in a war and hostility against him! You have heard, heretofore, (and I hope generally have not forgotten, at least cannot be ignorant,) of the necessary distinction of the natural image of God and the moral. And this is the wonder, that where the moral image of God is gone, men have put it away and blotted it out, that yet the natural remains. And God lets it be so, and let such a sort of creatures still descend, and possess, and inhabit this world; minds, spirits, so commodiously lodged in so aptly figured tabernacles of flesh, where they have so many organs for the use and improvement of the reasonable and immortal mind, that is put into those tabernacles as the inhabitant; by which it can exercise sense, and take in all the light, and lustre, and glory of this world, and enjoy the sensitive objects wherewith it is so variously replenished. A continual argument of God's benignity and good will towards men; but especially that he continues him an intelligent understanding creature upon this earth. A thing that pagans have been apprehensive of with gratitude; and it is a shame that we should not consider it more. It is that which history hath transmitted to us, concerning that noble pagan, Plato, that when he lay a dying, he solemnly gave God thanks that he had made him a man, and not a beast; and that he had made him a Grecian, and not a barbarian; and that he had made him to live in the time wherein Socrates lived, who was so great a luminary in his time. But how great things have we to recount as additional to the human nature. The human nature itself is that which I am now principally pointing at, as an argument to us of God's good will towards men, that he lets men continue, as to their natural being, what they were through so many ages wherein they have been in an apostacy from him, and rebellion against him; especially when we consider that it is improvable; for religion hath its ground, its foundation in humanity, in the human nature; otherwise, a brute or a stone might be a capable subject of religion. But inasmuch as God doth continue the human nature, and make that descend, he doth thereby continue capable subjects of religion, and capable subjects of blessedness; since religion and felicity are the two most connatural things to one another in all the world. And thus Scripture doth also teach us to recount with ourselves; to consider, to deduce, and make our collections from it; when it tells us of the spirit that is in man, and that the inspiration of the Almighty gives him understanding, to make him wiser than the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field. And when we are elsewhere told that the spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, searching into the inward parts of the belly; to wit, into the most abstruse and hidden things, those that are most recondite within a man's self. And, again, Their own guilt; whereof, since man hath been a sinner, he hath had some natural conscience of guilt always accompanying him. And more or less men have consciences accusing and excusing, by turns, as the matter lies in view before us, Romans ii. 15. Now let recourse be had to that topic of men's own guiltiness, that hath deserved ill at the hands of God; this is a common notion with men. Many of your heathens, though they do not know how the apostacy came about, have generally granted that man was in a state of apostacy; that he is not in the state that he was at first made in, but in a degenerate sinful state; and it is spoken of as a thing common to men, what I noted to you but now, out of Romans ii. 15. that they carry accusing consciences about with them. I say, then, do but consider that topic, and from hence go to the other, that of the divine power: and nothing is more obvious to men, (if they will use their thoughts,) than to consider this, that he that made such a world as this, can easily right himself upon such creatures as we are in a moment, at his pleasure. Then lay but these two things together, (which are obvious to common apprehension,) that we are guilty creatures, and he is omnipotent God; we have deserved that he should severely animadvert upon us, and he can do it at pleasure; hath it in his power to do it when he will; and yet we are spared. What doth all this signify, but a continual miracle of divine patience? And what is that to be resolved into, but divine goodness? 3. This is a further argument of God's good will towards “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and long suffermen generally considered, that they are taught and prompt-ing, not knowing that the goodness of God should lead ed even by nature itself, to consider and look upon God as some way related to them; to look upon him as, upon a natural account, a father to them. For this is a true account. It is true, also, that there is a more special notion under which he is so to some, as we shall have occasion hereafter to show; but he is so in a common notion too. So natural light hath taught men to account and reckon when they have spoken of God as the paternal mind. They have considered themselves as all having minds, and they have conceived of the divine mind as the paternal mind, the Father of all those minds. They have spoken of themselves as God's offspring, and you see the scripture quotes that from one of their writers, and approves and justifies the notion, Acts xvii. 28. "We are all his offspring, as one of your own poets hath affirmed." The thing is true, (saith he,) your own poets have spoken thus concerning men, that they are the offspring of God: and they have apprehended the matter aright; they are so, he is upon a natural account a Father to them: as Adam is said to be the son of God on the same account. And it is a conception that carries a gleam of light with it, that God should style himself the Father of spirits, but more particularly the God of the spirits of all flesh, as in that Numbers xxvii. 16. It is true, that he is in a more particular way and sense the God of some. But they are his own words, to call himself also the God of all, of all spirits that inhabit and dwell in flesh. He doth not call himself the God of another sort of spirits, that inhabit not flesh, that have sinned against him, that are apostate spirits; (as the spirits of men also are;) but he calls himself the God of the spirits of all flesh, implying, that he hath not universally abandoned the spirits of men. As if he should have said, "I do not renounce, I do not quit all claim to them, I have affairs to transact with them, as I have not with those other spirits, that are thrown out of my sight, and bound up in chains of darkness, and reserved to the judgment of the great day;" as I shall have occasion more directly to spek, when I come to speak of God's good will to men, considered comparatively with the course of his dispensation towards that other order of apostate creatures. And, 4. The constant exercise of God's patience is a great argument of his good will towards men. This is that whereof they not only have a notion in their minds, comprehended and included in that common notion of his benignity and goodness, but they have experience of it in fact; and it is from that I am now arguing: and it is a mighty cogent and convictive argument of God's good will, if it be but considered what men have to argue from, in reference hereunto, especially these two topics, their own guilt and God's power. thee to repentance?" When we argue from hence to persuade sinners to turn unto God, do we argue from a feigned thing? Is it not a great reality from which we are thus directed to argue, when the Scripture itself gives us the direction? It teaches men so to consider the matter themselves, as in that 2 Peter iii. 9, 10. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but he is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish; but that they may come to the knowledge of the truth, and be saved." And we are to account the long-suffering of the Lord salvation. What doth he bear with an offending creature for, in so continued a course, when he hath so many advantages against him so many thunderbolts in command at a moment? Why doth he spare, when the creature is guilty, and he is mighty? And yet he spares: what judgment is to be made of all this? Why, the apos tle tells you: Count the long-suffering of the Lord salvation; to wit, that he doth use this method as an apt medium, as a proper means to bring men to consider: and if they will not consider, they are loading themselves with guilt; so much the more, when they will not consider what is so obvious, what lies so much in view before them. And I might add, again, this further argument from, 5. The common exercise of God's bounty towards the children of men; that is, that he doth not only spare, but sustain them; not only withhold and keep off from them destructive evils, but supply them needful good things. That he should preserve this world in so much consistency, for the use and entertainment of offending and rebellious creatures, those that seldom or never take notice of him, and rarely ever give him thanks. That this earth should be so strangely fertile, through all the successions of time, and productive of so delicious things, so pleasant things; not only such things as are necessary for the support of human life, but such things as are delectable too, yielding a pleasing entertainment to man during his residence and abode here. Oh, the riches of the divine goodness towards apostate, degenerate, fallen creatures! These very things have a ducture, a leadingness with them. When God doth immediately please and gratify sense, there is an aptitude in this to instruct minds to reach the understandings of men, to oblige and prompt men to consider whence all this is, and upon what terms, and for what ends and purposes. There are divers other things congenerous to these, which I cannot go through with now, as the continual care that he takes of men's lives, that he hath put a self-preserving principle into men. It is true, that is natural, but how came it to be so? It is from the Author of all nature, he could have made (if he had pleased) the contrary as natu |