The Fourth Use
The Fourth Use is an attempt to gain Sinner's Consent to love Christ—a serious wish for good success.
O then be persuaded . . .
as you love your souls,
as you would escape the damnation of Hell,
as you would obtain the happiness of Heaven,
as you would avoid the punishment of devils,
as you would die in a good condition, and
after death give a good account of the wooings of grace this day, and not be Anathema, accursed, Maranatha, when Christ shall come—be persuaded to set your hearts and love upon Jesus Christ, for he must be loved by you—or you must be eternally cursed by him.
Abraham sent his servant, bound with an oath, to seek a wife for his son Isaac, with this proviso, "If the woman would not be willing—he would be clear from his oath." Genesis 24.1-19. The servant prepares to go on this message, and prays, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray you send me good speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham," verse 10-12. He meets with Rebekah by the well of water, inquires whose daughter she was, and whether there were room in her father's house for him to lodge. He is invited by her brother Laban, saying, "Come in, you blessed of the Lord—why stand outside?" to verse 31. There was food set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told my errand," verse 33. And he was desired to speak on, and he said, "I am Abraham's servant, and the Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great—and he has a son, and he has given him all that he has, and my master made me swear, saying: You shall go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son," verse 34-38. "And now, if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceeds from the Lord—we cannot speak unto you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you, take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the Lord has spoken," verse 49-51. "And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. And they said to Rebekah: Will you go with this man? And she said: I will go!" verse 53-58.
O that I might have such success with souls this day! The Lord, my Master, has sent me, bound with the obligation of a woe, to seek the love and consent of lost souls to become the spouse of his Son Jesus; with this relief, that if sinners are not willing, nor will accept the motion—then I shall be released from the woe. I have made preparation, though less and weaker than such a weighty matter requires, and have prayed, "that the Lord God would send me good speed this day."
And now! I am standing by the well of the water of life, and some of the city have come to draw water out of the well of salvation. My message is so important, that I can willingly forbear to eat until I have told my errand; and therefore in your audience I desire to speak on, saying, "I am the Lord's servant, who is great and blessed above all, and over all forever! The earth , and all that therein is, is his; the sea , and all therein, is his; the heavens , and all therein, are also his. And he has a Son, one only Son, Jesus, and he has given him all that he has—even all power in Heaven and in earth; and has set him at his own right hand, far above all principalities and powers, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but that which is to come, and has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be Head over all things, the Judge of all the world.
This great Lord has sent me to ask and beg your hearts and love, in order to an indissoluble marriage to his own only Son. And now if you will deal truly with my Master—tell me; if not—tell me. Oh now, who says: The thing is of the Lord, and proceeds from his grace and mercy; we cannot dispute, we will not refuse, this message.
And when you are asked who will have this Jesus? Who will love this Jesus? Methinks one would say, "I will!" Another would say, "And I will!" One and another! What, no more? Methinks every one should say, "I will!" There should not be one who should say, "But I will not."
No! Why? Because no better a servant is sent to gain your consent—or manage this great affair with more zeal and skill? Pray for the pardon of my weakness and folly—and I will pray that you might have more wisdom to discern when a good proposal is made unto you. Just so long as you would but have regard to Jesus Christ, and to your own immortal soul. If you despise me—then do not despise my Master, nor his Son, for though I am not so good as Abraham's servant—yet my Lord and Master is better, infinitely better, and greater, than Abraham. And my Master's Son, Jesus, is better, incomparably better, than Isaac, Abraham's son—and would certainly prove a richer match to your soul, than Isaac was to Rebekah.
Consider therefore again, before you again deny him your love—for have you not denied him your heart long enough already, but will you do so still? Has not your love run waste upon the creature to this day? And shall it do so still? Are you not weary yet in loving the world? Are you not yet tired in setting your heart upon vanity? Has it answered your expectation? Have you found that sweetness in the creature which you looked for, when you first set your heart and love upon it? You have tried the love of the creature—now try the love of Christ; and if you do not find it better, if you do not find it sweeter, than all your former love, (provided you love him sincerely)—then return to it again.
Behold, whose cause do I plead this day? Christ's—or my own? For whom do I ask your love? For myself—or for Christ? Slight me as you will—but do not slight Christ. Vilify me—but do not undervalue Christ. Count me unworthy of your love—but not the blessed Son of the most glorious God. You may say that I am not fit to be regarded—I bless God, I have learned to bear it; but I beseech you not to say so of Christ. Revile and hate me if you will—if you will but love that Jesus, who out of love died for you; if you would but love him, who then would certainly save you, and bring you to eternal glory and happiness forever.
If you love the world ever so much—can the world do so much for you as Christ? If you love your honors, your pleasures, your relations, ever so much—can they bless you as Christ will bless you? Nay, the more you love them—the more miserable they will make you. Should I call you to love the world—you would do it; or your pleasures, self, or sin—you would do it! Nay, when I have called to you, to wean your love from these—yet still you cleave to them in love.
What! is Christ the only unlovely object in your eyes? Can you find love for anything, but Christ? What is it in Christ that displeases you? What do you see in him that is offensive to you? Either love him—or give a reason why you will not.
Do you blame me for my importunity? I thought that you refused, because I was not urgent enough with you. You will not love, unless you are entreated. If you would love Christ after much entreating—then I would study night and day to think how I might entreat you, and what arguments to use to prevail, and obtain your love for Christ.
But why should you look for such long entreaties? Do you know who it is that entreats you? Is it I—or God himself by me? I beg you, view one text, and then let him who entreats you, wait no longer for your answer. What place is that? It is 2 Corinthians 5.20. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God beseeched you by us—we beg you, in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God." What do you say now? I from God, and God by me, beseech you. A minister of God stands among you in Christ's stead—to beg, entreat, beseech—that from you, which, if Christ stood in this place this day, he would preach to you, and desire, and command from you—that you would be reconciled to God; and after the enmity to him—you would love him. God, Christ, by his servant, beseeches, entreats, begs you to love him!
Oh, the astonishing condescension of the holy God—that he will entreat! Oh, the amazing stupidity and folly of the sinful sinner—that he will not be entreated! Surely the infinite distance that there is between God and man, might fill us with wonder that God should become a suitor to man for his love—when there is not so much distance between man and nothing , as there is between God and man. Yet he is pleased to stoop so low, to urge us to consent to him—that we might be advanced as high as Heaven, who else must be plunged into the depths of Hell.
Oh, what is this—that the Creator should seek to be loved by the creature! That the Lord should seek to be loved by the servant! That the King of saints should seek to be loved by the subjects of sin—that he might have our heart and love! Whereas if we considered that our strictest service to him—would be our largest liberty; our having him—would be our only happiness; our missing him—would be our greatest misery—we would know it to be our best interest to prostrate ourselves at his feet with prayers and tears, with cries and calls, with grief and groans; to make it our daily suit to him, that he would love us, and give us a heart to love him.
Man was first in departing from God, and in removing that love which at first there was between God and man. Yet God is first in seeking the renewing of love—else man would always hate, and never love him. And that God should seek to man for his love, and be denied—might be astonishment to the angels in Heaven; and make matter of joy, if they are capable of any joy, to the devils in Hell—that men who may love Christ, and will not, might be as miserable as themselves, to whom he is not offered as an object of faith, love, or hope.
But whether you will love, or not love him—God has commanded me, and all of his ministers, to press hard at you for your love. He has given us a commission to make a proposal of love between Christ and you, in order to your eternal matching with him, Matthew 22.2-4. he has committed to us the word of reconciliation, and made it our work to woo you for your love to his Son, and to try to gain your consent, 2 Corinthians 5.18-20. And if you will love him—to espouse you to him, 2 Corinthians 11.2. This is my message, and for this end have I come this day. If I do not ask you—then I hazard my soul. If you deny him—then you lose your soul! May God therefore grant, that I might so ask, that you may not deny—that both your souls and mine might love, and so be saved.
For the gaining of your love for Christ, I shall use these following arguments, propounded by way of question. And when you have given a right answer to them—I trust that Christ will have a good answer from you.