Directions To Sinners As To How They May Be At Peace With God 2/5

2. Direction.  Look thou propoundest right ends in thy desire of reconciliation with God.  Nothing more hateful to God or man than falsehood and treachery in treaties of peace; and yet some men can have words as smooth as butter in their mouths, and war be in their hearts at the same time, Ps. 55:21.  O take heed of any hollowness of heart in thy inquiry for peace!  When found out—as it must needs be, except God's eye fails him, which is impossible—it will ex­ceedingly harden the heart of God against thee.  God never repented of any he pardoned or took up into the chariot of peace with him, because he was never deceived by any, as men are, who make often peace with those that prove at last false brethren, and give them cause to wish they had never known them.  Joab killed Amasa, but he took no heed to the sword in Joab's hand.  God looks to the heart, and sees what is in its hand; be sure thou therefore stand clear in thy own thoughts as to the ends thou aimest at.  It is lawful for thee to look to thy own safety.  God will give thee leave to look to thyself.  This thou mayest, and yet not neglect him.  But never was any peace true or sure where only self-love made it, whether it be with God, or between man and man.  Thou seest thou art undone if thou keepest thy old side, and therefore thou seekest peace with God, as the kings that served Hadarezer. When they saw he was ‘smit­ten before Israel, they made peace with Israel’ them­selves, II Sam. 10:19.  Well, this may be allowed thee to come over to God, because his is the surer side. Never any made peace with God, but this argument weighed much with them.  If Jacob could have been safe at home, he had never fled to Laban.  All are fired out of their holds before they yield to God.  But take heed this be not all thou aimest at, or the chief thou aimest at.  This thou mayest do, and hate God as much as ever, like those who are said to yield ‘feign­edly’ to David’s victorious arms, because no help for it.  A man taken in a storm may be forced under the pent-house of his greatest enemy for shelter, without any change of his heart, or better thoughts of him than before he was wont.  Two things, therefore, thou mayest look to have in thy eye, above thy own self-preservation.

           (1.) You must desire to be reconciled to God with an eye to the honour of God.  Hence, oft the saints’ prayers are pressed with an argument from God, as well as them­selves and their own misery: ‘Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake,’ Ps. 79:9.  Certainly, if God could not be more glorified in our peace and reconciliation, than in our death and damnation, it were a wicked thing to desire it.  But God hath cleared this up to us, that he is no loser by acts of mercy.  In this lies the greatest revenue of his crown, or else he could not love ‘mercy rather than sacrifice.’  God is free to choose what suits his own heart best, and most conduceth to the exalting of his great name; and he delights more in the mercy shown to one, than in the blood of all the damned that are made a sacrifice to his justice.  And, indeed, he had a higher end in their damnation than their suffering, and that was the enhancing of the glory of his mercy in his saved ones.  This is the beau­tiful piece God takes delight in, and the other but the shadow to it.  Then thou art in a fit disposition to pray for peace, and mayest go with encouragement, when thy heart is deeply affected with the honour that will accrue to God by it.  It is an argument God will not deny.  ‘This,’ said Abigail to David, ‘shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord,’ I Sam. 25:31.  She meant he should never have cause to repent that he was kept from shedding blood.  Thus mayest thou plead with God and say, ‘O Lord, when I shall with saints and angels be praising thy pardoning grace in heaven, it will not grieve thee that thy mercy kept thee from shedding my blood, damning my soul to hell.’  But now it is evident that many who seem to seek peace, and pursue it too, very strongly, yet do not take overmuch care for God’s honour in the thing, because they are earnest with God to par­don them in a way that were to him dishonourable. Pardoned they would be, though wholly ignorant of God and Christ.  They would have God to be at peace with them while they were enemies to him.  Like a thief at the bar, he would have the judge spare his life, right or wrong, legally or illegally, what cares he? Doth this wretch consider the honour of the judge? or that sinner, who, so he be saved, how unrighteous God is in the act of mercy?  O deceive not yourselves, poor souls, God will not make war between his own attributes to make peace with you!