Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world wherein is shewed (besides many other gospel truth) ... that there was a breach made between God and man ... to which is added two sermons / by Jeremiah Burroughs.

Ʋse. 1

First, Let us learn to admire the goodness of God to wreatched man, his goodness that he should be pleased to begin this work of Reconciliation with us, for do but consider the infinite distance that is between God, and us. O! infinite gondness, that so great a God should begin with such a poor vild Creature as man is. A¦mongst men if one be but a little inferior to an other, and if he be fallen out with him that is beneath him, he takes it in scorne for him to begin to make peace: No, saith he let him come to me, and seek me, if he wil. If God had stood upon such tearms, all the Children of men would have been damned eternally. When God saw that we would perish for ever, and that we would never so much as have thought of being reconciled to him: O, then the bowels of his Com∣passion earned towards us; and saith he, I wil begin with them first, for I see they wilnot begin. They indeed began to make the Breach, they began to sin against me and that wil be a second Consideration which makes the grace of God so much the more, that the breach is made on mans part: that all the wrong that is done, is on mans part. Amongst men, if one be great though he himself hath done the wrong, yet he expecteth his inferior should come and crouch unto him; but if his inferior have begun the quarrel, and have done the wrong he wil be sure then to stand it out, and expect that his inferior should seek after a Reconciliation with him. But here; behold, though we began the quarrel, though we had done all the wrong, and God never had done us any; yet so infintly gratious is the Lord, that he begins first. God was in Christ Reconciling the world to him∣self.

Yea, further; the Lord hath no need of us. Among men; if one fals out with another, he may happily say, wel, I see I shall have use of this man, I shall have need of him, for this and that business, or for such and such an imployment, and upon this accoumpt, though he be his inferior (for superiors may have need of their infe∣riors) he is willing to be reconciled unto him; but God hath no such need of us, God can tel how to glorifie his own name, though we do al perish eternally: it is not for any use that God hath of us that he comes to begin the work of Reconciliation with us.

Besides, God hath us at infinite advantage to do with us what he pleaseth. Indeed a man perhaps wil be wil∣ling to be reconciled with his enemy, because he sees it wil cost him much to make his party good against him, it wil put him to much trouble. But there is no such cause between God and us, for God hath us under his feet; for a man that hath gotten his enemy under his feet, and hath him at al the advantages that can be, for him to sue to him to be reconcinciled, you wil say it is a rare thing, and where is there such a thing in the world? But behold, God doth this with us, though he have us at infinite advantage to do with us whatsoever he plea∣seth, and can fetch out his glory from our ruine, and e∣ternal misery; yet he begins the work of Reconciliation with us. Oh! admire the infinit grace of God toward wretched and sinfull man. This wil be the work of the Angels in Heaven to all eternity, to admire at Gods rich grace even in this one branch of the Gospel; his begin∣ning the work of Reconciliation.