Section 1. — First, Consider what it is that is oftereil thee, ' Peace with God.' A thing so indispensahle, thou canst not have less ; and so conipi'ehensive, thou needest have no more than this, and what coineth with it, to make thee truly, fully happy ; of all the variety of enjoyments with which it is possihle thy table can be spread, this is a dish that can least he spared; take away peace, and that but of an inferior nature, outward peace, and the feast is spoiled, though it he on a prince's table. David's children had little stomach to their royal dinner, when one of them was slain that sat at the board with them. And what taste can you have in all your junkets, while God is in array against you, many sinners slain before your eye by God's judgments, and the same sword that hath let out their blood at thy throat while tlie meat is in thy mouth ? Mcthinks your sweet morsels should stick in your throat, and hardly get down, while you muse on these things. O sinner ! is not this as a toad swelling at the bottom of thy most sweetly sugared cup, that the controversy yet depends between God and thee ; thy sins are unpardoned, and thou a dead, damned creature, however men-}' thou art for the present in thy prison ? Would you not wonder to see a man at his sport, hunting or hawking, and one sliould tell you this man is to be hanged to-morrow ? Truly (lod is more merciful to thee than thou canst promise thyself, if he stay the execution till another day. I confess when I meet a man whose life proclaims him an unreconciled sinner, and see him spruce up himself in his line clothes, entertain himself with the joy of his chil- dren, estate, honour, or the like, in this life ; it administers matter of astonishment to me what such a one thinks of God or himself. Canst thou think it is long thou shalt sit at this fire of thorns thou hast kindled, and not God fire thee? Must it needs provoke a creditor to see his debtor live high, and go gaily all at his cost, and all the while never think of getting out of his debt, or make his peace with him ? much more doth it God, to see s'nners spend upon his bounty, lead joyful, jovial lives in the abundance of outward enjoyments he lends them, but take no thought of making peace with him in whose debt-book they are so deep in arrears. What folly had it been for the Jews, when Aha- suerus had sealed the warrant for their destruction, to have gone and painted their houses, planted their fields, and let out their hearts in the enjoyment of their estates, without taking care in the first place to get that bloody decree re- versed? a worse sort art thou that dost all these, while thou carriest the sentence of death from God's mouth about thee in thy own conscience. Sir Thomas More, when in the Tower, would not so much as trim himself, saying, ' There was a controversy between the king and him for his head, and till that was at a happy end, he would be at no cost about it.' Skim off the froth of his wit, and you may make a solemn vise of it. Certainly all the cost you bestow on yourselves, to make your lives pleasurable and joyous to you, is mere folly till it be decided what will become of the suit between God and you, not for yoiu- heads, but souls, yea, souls and bodies, whether for lieaven or hell. O were it not thy wisest course to begin with making thy peace, and then thou mayest soon lead a happy life. We say, ' He that gets out of debt grows rich.' I am sure the reconciled soul cannot be poor. As soon as the peace is concluded, a free trade is open between God and the soul. If once pardoned, thou mayest sail to any port that lies in God's dominions, and be welcome ; all the pro- mises stand open with their rich treasure ; take in, poor soul, full lading of all the precious things they afford, even as much as thy faith can b;'ar, and none shall hinder thee. As a man may draw the wine of a whole vessel through one tap, so faith may draw the comfort of all the covenant out of this one promise of reconciliation. If reconciled, then the door is open to comnumion with God in all his ordinances. God and thou, being agreed, may now walk together ; whereas before thou couldst not look into God's presence, but his heart rose against thee, as one at the sight of his enemy, ready to draw upon thee with his judgments. 'The smith,' we say, 'and his penny, both are black;' so wert thou, with all thy duties and performances, while unreconciled in his eye; but now ' thy voice is sweet, and countenance comely.' All the attributes of (iod, tliy ally, are thine ; 'his horses and chariots are thine,' as Jehoshaphat told Ahah. Whenever any enemy puts thee in fear, you know- where to find a friend that will take part with thee ; all his providences, though, like bees, thej' fly some this way and some that, yea, one contrary to
ggg THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.