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.

CHAP. 54

ƲES. 4. If God and Christ speak in the word how, dreadful ought it to be to the Neglectors, Disobayers, and Contemners of the word?

IF God and Christ do speak in the ministry of his word; Then O! what a dreadful point is this to al the neglecters, disobeyers, and contemners of the, ministry of the word? Thou neglectest the word; O! what dost thou do when thou neglectest the word? thou turnest thy backe upon Jesus Christ, and wilt not hear him: and therefore I suppose you know the place; He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayers shal be abominable: what dost thou turn away thine ear from hearing the word? God professes that he wil turn away his ear from hearing thy prayers, and thy prayers shal be abominable, for thou turnest away thine eare from hearing of Christ speake to thy soul. For it is in Christs stead (saith the Appostle) There wil be a time when thou wouldst fain have the eare of God to hear thee. As you would have God to hear you then: so do you hear him now; marke that text in the 1. Prov. 24. against those that turn away their eare from hearing God speak. Because I have called and ye refused; I have streetched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught al my councels, and you would have none of my reproofe: howsoever you thought it was but the word of such and such a man: yet you have set at naught al my councels, and you would have none of my reproofe; your hearts fretted, and vext that such a man reproved you: no, it is my reproofe, (saith God, and mark what a doom follows in the 26. vers. you

you shal cal (Saith God) and I wil not hear. There was a time friend when I cald to you by such a sermon, and you know that I spak to your hearts, and you turnd a deaf ear to me; you shal cal your hearts out and I wil not hear you, and there wil come a time that you shal cal to Gods ministers to pray for you. What? would you have God to hear his ministers for you, and wil not you hear his ministers from God? It was a speech of Am∣brose to Theodosius the Emperor, saith he, wil not you hear me? seeing you desire that I should be heard for you? you desire saith he, that I should be heard for you, and therefore be you willing to heare me: now that was the speech to Theodosious after he hade fallen to a great sin, comming to reprove him for his sin; what (saith he) wil not you hear me? you would be willing that I should be heard for you; therefore be you willing to hear me: so say I to al men that live in any way of sin; Hear Gods ministers now, for a day wil come, when you wil be glad that God should hear his ministers for you; O! hear us when we come in the name of God; we would not have you to heare us if we speake our owne fancies; This concerns those that neglect the word.

Now a word or two to those that disobey the word; they wil set their judgments against the judgments of the ministers, & let him say what he wil, it is but his opinion. Do you know what you say? this rebellion is against God & against Christ: as if there were this language in your hearts; Christ saith, I wil have this done; thy lusts say they wil have this done: O! this wil be charged upon thee one day; that the voice of the divel was more strong with thee than the voice of Christ: but specially it is to contemne the word, to set at naught Gods councels; to go away & contemn the word. Dost thou know what thou dost? let me apply but these two scriptures to thee, thou that Despisest and Scornest the word, that canst go to company, and there talke of what thou dost heare in a contemnning manner; consider but of these two

texts; I pray, first Consider of the text out of which the Point is Raised of Gods Speaking to thee, thou dost despise, and dost thou so? Consi∣sider what the text in Isa. 39.23. Saith, when thou gettest into company, and there art warme with wine, Oh! then thou liftest up the voice, and laughest; against whom hast thou lift up thy voice? thou thinkest it is against Hezekiah; No, it is against the Holy one of Israel; thou thinkest it is against such a man that preach∣eth such a day; no, it is against the Holy God, and Jesus Christ, and this is upon thy score written in Heaven; here is one that hath reproached the Holy one, and Je∣sus Christ, In Luke 10.16. He that heareth you, hea∣reth me, &c. That is true (not only of the desciples, that were there for the present upon the earth) but of al the faithful ministers to the end of the world, for Christ saith, when he sends them out, I wil be with you to the end of the world. They were dead more than a thou∣sand years agoe, and Christ yet had promised to be with them, that is, those that should succeed them; he would be with them to the end of the world. And this Text concerns every faithful minister as wel as the disci∣ples of Christ; al that time you despise Jesus Christ, and God his Father, when you despise the ministery of his word; for the Lords sake take heed what you do; when you have to deal with the word, you have to deal with an edge tool; it is that, that wil either save you, or destroy you for ever. You that have been guilty of neglecting the word, the Lord strike and humble your hearts, and for a Cordial for time to come I wil apply but one scripture further to you, and that is that, in Heb. 12.25. What is that? that in the faithful mini∣stery of the word, God and Christ speaks unto people. Then take this exhortation; So that yee refuse not him that speaketh. If they escaped not who refused him that spak on Earth, much more shal not we escape if we turne away him that speaketh from Heaven. The Ministery of the gos∣pel,

and the Ministery of the Law are compared, One speaking from Earth, the other from Heaven; though the truth is, they were both from Heaven. But now in the Ministery of the Gospel, God hath sent his own Son to you. In the latter daies, he hath spoken by his Son saith the Apostle in 1. Heb. the begining; God who at sundery times spak in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last times spoken to us by his Son &c. In former times God spake by his Prophets; there was the voice of God (but it is not so cleer that there was the voice of God, though it is true Christ did speak then by the prophets) but in comparison Christ is not said to speak by them) But now in these daies, God hath spoken by his Son, and God hath reserved the Ministery of his Grace, and his eternal counsels concern∣ing the Children of men; God hath reserved this for his Son; and not only his Son personally, but his Son in the Ministery of his word. Now you wil say, If Christ did preach (as you say he doth) there would be more power. We find that when Christ did preach that the Pharises derided him; in the original it is; they blew their noses at him, and marke! they that were covetous they derided him, they even derided Jesus Christ himself. A worldly heart that is growen rich; that hath gotten from a low estate to a far greater; he wil deride the most excellent preaching in the world. Take heed that you do not despise the Ministery, for certainly the voice of Christ wil prevaile one day. If it doth not prevaile here in the word; it shal prevail one day when Christ shal say depart from me yee cursed; though thou dost not obey the present voice of Christ, yet thou shalt obey the other voice at that day. I must wind up this point with a word of Exhortation.