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.

CAP. 41. Why God wil not himself immediatly dispute this Gospel Reconciliation.

BUT further, it may be said; why wil not God im∣mediately himself preach this Doctrine of the Gos∣pel, The Mistery of Reconciliation? we see many in∣firmities in men; Men are ready enough to stumble at al infirmities of the Ministers of the Gospel (which by the way should teach Ministers of the Gospel to have a care how they walk) but because there are so many things to be excepted against men we would be ready to think, if God would himself preach the gospel from hea∣ven men would regard it more.

No, but God wil not do so, though God wil assist the Ministery to make it effectual in the hearts of those that shal be saved; yet he wil not speak himself from Heaven, but he wil send men like themselves, and let men hear or not, and howsoever, (though men think, if God should speak himself they would hear him) yet if they heare not men, they would not hear God. God spake himself from heaven in the delivering of the Law, but men did not keep the Law; but now God wil rather speak by men; because he doth delight to make use of every creature according to the capacity of it. The Lord takes a wonderful delight in the use of almeans that is suiteable to a creature, And therefore you shal find (which is very observeable) that though God did begin to speak from Heaven to Saul that he did convert (who afterwards was called Paul) Christ spake at first from Heaven, but mark, he would not do the whol work himself immediately; but before the work should be accomplished there should be meanes

used in Acts, 9.4. There Christ speaks from Heaven; but I beseech you observe it, what doth Christ speak from Heaven? he doth not preach the gospel; it is on∣ly the word of conviction Saul, Saul, Why persecutest thou me? This was enough to strike Saul with astoni∣shment so that he fell upon the earth, and said Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? But mark, what answer is given him? Go into the Citty and it shal be told thee. You must not think though I begin to speak from Hea∣ven to you, but that you must be content to set upon means, and so he did with Saul, he arose from the Earth in verse, 8. God made him stay a good while before he would tel him what he should do; he was three dayes and nights and eate nothing, and was praying al the while unto the Lord, and then in vers, 10. Saith the Lord to Ananias (a Minister of his) Go to such a place, and there thou shalt open to Saul my Mercy: this Doctrine of Reconciliation. It is true, I begin to think upon him; but I wil not go on in the work; you shal do it, and he shal attend upon your Ministery to let him know, what my mercy in Christ to his Soul is, and I wil bless your Ministery unto his Soul.

And thus you see how God stands upon the making use of the meanes, I make no question but it is some∣thing like to Gods dealing with many of you; though God at first begins himself, and strikes some terror into your hearts. A man when he is going about his business, he hath some suddaine thought dents into his heart, Lord where am I? What if I should now die? how can I answer for such and such things before God? And thus perhaps he comes to be troubled in his Conscience by some immedi∣ate work of God, but he wil not go on in this work im∣mediately, but he sends him to the Ministers of his word, and there he shews him what he must do con∣cerning his good; I wil give you a notable text to shew you how God stands upon means; in Act. 10.2. He

had some kind of the fear of God, but understood little of Christ; he was a souldier, a Centurion of the band called the Italian band; he had a greate many souldiers that were wicked, but yet he had some that were godly: But though he was in that place, yet he was a devout man and ful of prayer, (as it is commendable for Soul∣diers to be much in prayer,) because carrying his life in his hands, he had need carry Grace in his heart, and then in the 3. verse, (it is a very observable Scripture) first, God accepts of his prayers, and appeares in a Vi∣sion to him, and sends an Angel to him, and tels him that his prayers were accepted wel, but God had re∣vealed so much of Christ to him which he was very ignorant of.

Object. You wil say, seing God did send an Angel to him, why did not God reveal Christ by the Angel? No, he would not, he sends an Angel to Cornelius to this end, to bid him send for Peter that was a Minister of the Gospel; This should be the message of the Angels, to tel him that God regarded his prayers, and almes. I but, as if the Angel should say, God hath other things to tel you; but the truth is I have no commission to tel you, my commission is to tel you that you should send for a Minister, he sent for Peter, and Peter came and Preacht Christ unto him; as you may see in verse, 34. so that you may see that God doth use to work upon men by means, and surely, herein God wil honor humane nature in taking it upon himself, and for Gods honoring of the Minister of his word, take this one note (which is likewise very observable) that Christ himself when he Preacht upon the Earth, we never read that his prea∣ching was so efficatious to convert so many Souls, as the Ministers of the Gospel did; Peter when he came to preach the Gospel, Converted three thousand Souls at one Sermon, and you never read that Christ converted so many at a Sermon, Christ himself preaching imme∣diatly the Gospel did never convert so many as Peter

did; The reason is to shew, that we must not expect so much the immediate preaching of God unto us; as God and Christ preaching to us by the Ministery of Man; that is the meaning of it: so that now you have had the point opened unto you; that God committs unto us the Ministery of Reconciliation.

I shal endeavour to apply it.