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in perfect Peace.

I create it of nothing, I will keep you | Jefus Chrift; and then it rests and quiets itfelf at that Anchor, enjoys Peace in the Midft of the Storm, there is a great Calm, it is not moved, or not greatly moved, as if it were a fair Day. David flieth unto God as his Refuge, anchors upon the Name of the Lord, Pfal. Ixii. 1, 2. And fo he enjoys a perfect Calm and Tranquility, I shall not be moved, because he is united to the Rock, he is tied to the firm Foundation Jefus Chrift, and no Storm can diffolve this Union; not because of the Strength of that Rope of Faith, it is but a weak Cord, if Omnipotency did not compass it about also ; and fo we are kept by the Power of God, through Faith unto Salvation. The poor wearied Traveller, the Pilgrims fits down under the Shadow of a Rock, and this Peace is his Reft under it. Faith lays him down, and Peace is his Reft and Sleep. Faith in Jefus Chrift is a Motion towards him, as the Soul's proper Place and Centre; and therefore it is called a coming to him, flying te him as the City of Refuge: It is the Soul's Flight out of itfelf, and Mifery and Sin within, to apprehend Mercy and Grace, and Happiness in Christ. Now, Hope is the Conjunction or Union of the Soul with him, the Soul then staying and refting on him, as in its proper Place, and fo it enjoys perfect Peace and Reft in its Place; fo that if ye remove it thence, than ye offer Violence to it.

You have then here, three Things of fpecial Concernment, in thefe Times and all Tunes, a Bieffedness, a perfect Peace attainable, the Way of it, and the Fountain of it: The Fountain of it, the Preferver of it, is God himself; the Way to attain it, is trusting in God, and Ray ing on bim. This Sweetness of Peace, is in God the Tree of Life, Faith puts to its Hand, and plucks the Fruit of the Tree; Hope and Dependence on God, is a Kind of tafting of that Fruit and eating of it; and then followeth this perfect Peace, as the delightful Relish and Sweetness that the Soul finds in God, upon tafting how gracious he is. God himself is The Life of our Souls, the Fountain of living Waters, the Life and Light of Men. Faith and trufting in God, draws out of this Fountain, out of this deep Well of Salvation, and stay ing on God drinks of it, till the Soul be refreshed with Peace and Tranquility, fuch as paffeth natural Understanding. Chrift Jefus is the Tree of Life, that grows in the Garden of God, trufting in him by Faith implants a Soul in him, roots a Soul in him; by Virtue of which Union, it fprings up and grows into a living Branch, by ftaying and depending upon him, we live by him, and hence fprings this bleffed and fweet Fruit of Peace of Soul and Confcience, which grows upon the Confidence of the Soul placed in God, as the Stalk by which it is united to the Tree. Trufting and Ataying upon God, is the Soul's cafting its Anchor upon him, in the Midft of the Waves and Storms of Sin, Wrath and Trouble. The poor beaten Sinner cafts an Anchor within the Vail, on that 1ure Ground of immutable Promises in

These two Things are of greateft Importance to you to know; what this perfect Peace is, and what is the Way to attain it? The one is the Privilege and Dignity, the other is the Duty of a Chriftian, and these two make him up what he is.

I would think that Man perfectly blef

fed

fed, who is at Peace with two Things, If a Man be at Peace God and himself. with Creatures without him, and be at Peace with himself, but have War within his own Mind, that Man's Peace is no A Man's Peace, let be perfect Peace. greatest Enemy is within bis own Houfe. And within indeed, when it is When a Man's in his Bofom and Soul: Confcience is against him, it is worfe than a World befide. Confcientia mille teftes, fo I fay, it is mille hoftes. It is a thousand Witneffes, and a thousand Enemies. It were better to endure Condemnation of any Judge, of many Judges in the World, than to fuftain the Con viction of a Man's own Confcience: When it accufeth, who fball excufe? John viii. 9. Rom. ii. 15. A merry Spirit (faith Solomon) is a continual Feaft, Prov. xv. 15. And what muft a Heart be, which hath fuch a gnawing Worm within it, as an accufing Confcience, to eat it out? This is the Worm of Hell that dies not out, which makes Hell, Hell indeed. This indeed will be a painful Confumption, A broken Spirit dryeth up the Bones, it will eat up the Marrow of the Spirit and Body, Prov. xvii. 22. What infirmity is there which a Man cannot bear? Poverty, Famine, War, Peftilence, Sicknefs, name what you will; but a wounded Spirit who can And there is bear? Prov. xviii. 14, Reafon for it, for there is none to bear it: A found and whole Spirit can fuftain Infirmities, but when that is wounded, which should bear all the reft, What is behind to bear it? It is a Burden to itfelf: If a Man have Trouble and War in this World, yet there is often escaping from it; a Man may fly from his Enemy, but when thy Enemy is within thee, whether fhalt thou fly? Thou cannot go from

thyfelf, thou carries about thee thy E
nemy, thy Tormenter.

But fuppofe a Man were at Peace with
in himfelf, and cried Peace, Peace to him
felf; yet if he be not at Peace with God,
fhall his Peace be called Peace? Shall it
not rather be named fupine Security? If
á Man be at Variance with himself, and
his Soul difquieted within, there is more
Fear than Danger, if he be at Peace
with God. It is but a falfe Alarm that
fhall end well: But if he have Peace in
his own Bofom, and yet no Agreement
with God; then Deftructions are cer
tainly coming, his Dream of Peace will
have a terrible wakening. A Man may
fleep foundly, and his Enemies round
about him, because he knoweth not of
it; but he is in a worfe Eftate, nor he
that is in great Fear, and his Enemies
either none, or far diftant: The one
hath prefent Danger, and no Fear, the
other prefent Fear, and no Danger, and
which of these think ye beft? Sudden
Deftruction awakes the one from Sleep,
Ezek. vii. 25. Their Fear and De-
ftruction come both at once, when it is
now in vain to fear, because it is past
Hope, Prov. i. 27. Therefore the Lord
fwears, that there is no Peace to the
Wicked, Ifa. xlviii. 22. What? Do not
they often cry Peace to themselves, and
put the evil Day far off? No Men are fo
without Bands in Life and Death as they,
they have made Agreement with Hell
and Death, and their own Confciences;
yet for all that, Thus faith the Lord,
there is no Peace to the Wicked. If
God be against us, what is the Matter
who be with us; for he can make a
Man's Friends his Enemies, and he can
make a Man's Enemies to be at Peace
with him: He makes Peace and cre
deftray
ates Trouble, Ifa. xlv. 7. Men can but
Cccc2

deftroy the Body, but he can deftroy both Body and Soul for ever. O what a potent and everlafting Enemy is he? There is no efcaping from his all-feeing Eye, and powerful Hand, Pfal. cxxxix. 7, 8. A Man may fly from Men, but whether shall he fly from his Prefence? To Heaven? He is there: To Hell? He is there. The Darkness of the Night hath been a Covering under which many have escaped, and been faved in Armies, but Darkness is no Covering to him, it is all one with Light: He is near hand every one of us; the Conscience is within us, but he is within the Confcience; and how much God is above the Creature, fo great and dreadful a Party is he above any Enemy imaginable. Therefore I conclude, that that Man only hath perfect Peace, who is at Peace with God, and with his own Concience. If a Man be at Peace with God, and not with himself, he wants but a Moment's Time of perfect Peace; for, ere it be long, the God of it will fpeak Peace unto him. But if he be at Peace with God and himself, I know not what he wants of the perfect Peace, of the Peace Peace: For it is a Man's Mind that makes Peace or War, it is not out. ward Things; but in the midst of Peace, he may be in Trouble, and in the midft of Trouble in Peace, according as he hath Satisfaction and Contentment in his own Breaft For what is all the Grace of a Chriftian? It is, Godliness with Contentment: It is not Godliness and Riches, Godliness and Honour, or Pleafure, Godlinefs and outward Peace. No, no, Contentment compenfeth all the fe, and hath in it eminently, all the Gain and Advantage of thefe. A Man in Honour, a rich Man, having no Contentment in it, is really as poor, as igno

minious, as the poor and despised Man. If Contentment then be without thefe Things, certainly they cannot be missed; for where Contentment is not with them, it only is miffed, and they not confidered. Contentment is all the Gain that Men feek in Riches and Honour and Pleasure; if a godly Man have that fame without them, he then hath all the Gain and Advantage, and wants nothing, but fome Trouble that ordinarily attends them: Outward Peace cannot add to inward Peace, and fo the Want of it cannot diminish...

We must begin at the Original, if we would know rightly this Peace that paffeth Knowledge. The Fountain-head is Peace with God; a Stream of this is Peace of Confcience, and Peace with the Creatures. There is a Peace of Friendfhip, when Perfons were never Enemies, and there is a Peace of Reconciliation, when Parties at Variance are made one. Innocent Adam had Peace once with God as a Friend, Angels continue fo to this Day; but now there is no fuch Peace between Men and God, for all are become Enemies to God, and Aliens from the common Wealth of Ifrael, That Peace was broken by Rebellion against God his Maker, and all the Pofterity are born with the fame Enmity againf God. On our Part are Hearts defperately wicked, whofe Imagination is only Evil continually. On God's Part is holy and Spotless Juftice, that is of purer Eyes than to bebold Iniquity, and therefore must destroy it or the Sinner. On our Part, are fo many Rebellions, Adam's actual Tranfgreffion, and all our own Sins and Breaches of the holy Law, as fo many Breaches of Peace. On God's Part, are so many Curfes anfwerable to the Breaches of the

the Law: Curfed is every one that abideth not in every Thing, &c. This Curfe is even the Proclamation of Men to be Traitors, and an Intimation of the righteous Judgment which will come upon them. Adam was in a Covenant of Peace with God, Do, and thou shalt live, if not, thou fbalt die. Adam brake this Covenant, fo the Peace is dif folved, and God is no more obliged to give Life, but to execute the Pain contained in the Covenant: And in Sign and Token of this, look how Adam fled from God's Prefence, to hide himself when he heard his Voice, it was a poor Shift, for whether should be go from bis Prefence? But alas, seeking more Wisdom, he loft that he had, feeking divine Wisdom, he loft human. Now, there is no more making up this Peace on fuch Terms again; we have no Capacity to treat with God any more: But bleffed be his Majefty, who hath found out the Way of Agreement and Recon ciliation. Oh that ye were once per fwaded of your Enmity against God; ye are not born Friends, tho' ye be born within the vifible Church. How dreadful a Thing is it, to have the most high and terrible God against you, to do to you acccording to your Defervings! Ye all know this, we are Enemies to God by Nature; I pray you, is it but a Name? Is it not worthy deep Confideration? But who confidereth this Matter? If ye lofe a Friend, ye will be troubled, and the more behoveful your Friend was, the more troubled you will be. If a great and potent Nation proclaimed War a gainst us, we cannot but be fenfible of it: But alas, who confidereth the great Breach that is between God and all Men, occafioned by the firft Man's Tranfgreffion and Rebellion. It is one of the

Degrees of Health, to know the Disease, and I may call it a Degree of Peace, a Kind of Preparation to Peace, to know the Enmity, and not generally to know it, but to ponder it till the Heart, be affected with it; to call a Counsel of all the Faculties and Affections of the Soul, to confider the great imminent Danger of Man's Common-wealth. What is it, I pray you, that is the greatest Obstruction of Mens making Peace with God, that makes the Breach irreparable, and the Wound incurable? It is this, certainly; no Man apprehendeth it aright: We en tertain good Thoughts of our Friendship with God, or that it is eafy to be reconciled. Who feeth fuch a wide Breach between God and Man, that all the Merits of Angels and Men could not make it up? Who feeth the Price of Redemption fo precious, as it must cease for ever, for all that Men and Angels can do? Is not every Man offering God Satisfaction, either his Tears, or Sorrow, or Amend ment in Time coming, or all of them? Do not Men undertake to pacify God with external Ordinances, and think it may fuffice for their Sins? Certainly ye are ignorant of the infinite Separation be tween God and Man, that imagines a Treaty with him yourfelf, or that ever ye can come in fpeaking Terms: And therefore is this War and Enmity per petual; therefore there is no Peace, when ye cry Peace, Peace. When ye have Peace within you, and fay that ye have Peace with God; yet certainly, The Lord thy God is against thee, and will not spare thee, Deut. xxix. 19. Many of you bless yourselves in your own Hearts; when ye hear the Curfe and Threatning of the Law, ye fay, God forbid, or all that were true. Well, thus faith the Lord, all these Curfes that are

written in this Book fhall ly upon thee, and the Lord fhall feparate thee unto Evil, because ye take not with your Enmity; there can be no Treaty, a Mediator can have no Imployment from

you.

How fhall the Breach of Peace be made up? Since the first Covenant cannot be made up again, where fhall the Remedy be found? God is juft and righteous, Men are rebellious and finful; can thefe meet, and the one not be confumed? Will not God be a confuming Fire, and Men as Stubble before the Lord's Prefence? Therefore, there must be a Mediator between them, a Peace-maker, to make of two, one, to take up the Difference. And this Mediator must be like both, and yet neither wholly the one, nor the other. He must therefore be God and Man, that he may be a fit Day's Man, betwixt God and Man: And this is our Lord Jefus Chrift. In his Divinity he comes near to God, in his Humanity he comes near to Man: In his Perfon, he is between both, and he is fit to make Peace; and therefore, he is a Prince of Peace, Ifa. ix. 6. And that he may be a Prince of Peace, he must be both, An everlafting Father like God, and a young Child like unto Man: God to prevail with God, and a Man to engage for Man; and therefore he is called our Peace, Eph. ii. 14. Our Lord Jefus Christ enters in a Covenant with the Father, wherein he undertakes to bear our Curfe, and the Chaftifement of our Peace; he is content to be dealt with as the Rebel, upon me, upon me be the Iniquity; and fo there comes an Interruption, as it were, of that bleffed Peace he had with the Father; he is content that there should be a Covering of Wrath fpread over the Father's Love, that he

fhould handle the Son as an Enemy; and therefore it is, that Sinners are admitted as Friends, his Obedience takes away our Rebellion. The Cloud of the Lord's Displeasure pours down upon him, that it might be fair Weather to us: The Armies of Curfes that were against us, encounter him, and he, by being overcome, overcometh; by being flain by Juftice, Satan and Sin, overcometh all thofe, And killeth the Enmity on the Crofs, making Peace by bis Blood, Col. ii. 14, 15. Eph. ii. 15. And it is this Sacrifice that hath pacified Heaven, the weet Smell of it hath gone above, and made Peace in the high Places.

Here then is the Privilege of a Believer, to be at Peace with God, to be one with him; and this indeed is Life eternal, to be united unto the Fountain of Life, in whofe Favour is Life, and whofe loving Kindness is better than Life: Is not this a bletfed Eftate? Whatever a Man hath done against God, it is all forgiven and forgotten, fhall never come in Remembrance. Are not Angels blessed who are Friends with God? Such is the Soul whose Sins are pardoned through Chrift, their Sins are as if they never had been; the Soul is not only escaped that terrible Wrath of God, but being at Peace with God, all the Goodness that is communicable to Creatures, it shall partake of. That they may be one, as we are one, that they may be perfect in one, Joh. xvii. This Chrift prayed for, and this was the End of his Death, to make of two one ; fo then the Glory that Chrift is Partaker of with the Father, we must be Partakers of with him, and all this by Virtue of that Peace with God by him. Oh if ye knew what Enmity with God is; how would it indear and make precious Peace with him? The one engageth all that is in

God

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