peace is so necessary, that he cannot taste the sweetness of the first, nor indeed of any other mercy, without it. This is to the sonl what health is to the body ; it sugars and sweetens all enjoyments. A siiit, though of cloth of gold, sits not easy on a sick man's back. Nothing joyous to a distressed conscience. Moses brought good news to the distressed Israelites in Egypt ; but it is said, ' They hearkened not to him for anguish of spirit,' Exod. vi. 9. Hannah, she went up to the festival at Jerusalem, with her husband ; but it is said, ' She wept and did not eat,' 1 Sam. i. 7. Tnily thus the wounded soul goes to the sermon, but doth not eat of the feast before it ; hears many precious promises, but her ear is shut up from receiving the good news they bring. Tell one, in trouble of con- science, here is your dear husband, sweet children ; will you not rejoice with them ? Alas ! the throes such a one feels are so amazing, that he regards these things no more than Phineas's wife in her sore travail did the women that joyed her with the birth of a son. Set the most royal feast before such a soul, that ever was on prince's table, and, poor heart, it had rather go into a coi-ner and weep, than sit and eat of those delicacies. ' A wounded spirit who can bear?' yea, who can cure? Some diseases are, for their incurableness, called, ludibrhim medi- corvm, — the physician's shame and reproach. To be sure, this spiritual trouble of an accusing conscience puts all the world to shame for their vain attempts. Many have attempted to conjure this evil spirit out of their own bosoms and others', but have found it at last to leap upon them, and prevail against them, as the evil spirit, Acts xix. 14, did by the sons of Sceva. Now, peace of conscience, I am now to shew, is the blessing of the gospel, and only of the gospel ; conscience knows Jesus, and the gospel of Jesus ; these, and none else, it will obey. Two particulars considered will demonstrate the truth of the point. First, if we consider w'hat is the argument that pacifies aj:d satisfies conscience. Secondly, what the power and strength that is required to apply this argument so close and home to the consience as to quiet and fully satisfy it ; both these will be found in the gospel, and onl)' in the gospel.
Section I. — First, Let us inquire wh;;t is the argimient that is able to pacify conscience when thoroughly awakened. Now, to know this, we must inquire, what is the cause of a'l tliose convulsions of horror and terror with which the consciences of men are at iiy time so sadly r.nt and distorted. Now this is sin ; could this little word, but great plague, be quite blotted out of men's minds and hearts, the storm would b>i soon hushed, an 1 the soul become a calm sea, quiet and smooth, without the least wave of fear to ruffle the face thereof. This is the Jonah, which raiselh the storm; ihi Achan, that troubles the soul. Wherever this comes, as was observed of a great queen in France, a war is sure to follow. When Adam sinned, he dissolved another manner of jewel than Cleopatra did ; he drank away this sweet peace of conscience in one unhappy draught, which was worth more to him than the world he lived in. No wonder that it rose in his conscience as soon as it was down his throat ; ' They saw that they were naked," Gen. iii. 7. Their consciences reproached them as ciu'sed apostates. That, therefore, which brings peace to conscience, must pros- trate this Goliath, throw this troubler overboard, pluck this arrow out of the soul ; or else the war will not end, the storm will not down, the wound will not close and heal, which conscience lab. urs under. Now the envenomed head of sin's arrow, that lies burning in the conscience, and by its continual boking and throbbing there keeps the poor sinner out of quiet, yea, sometimes in unsupport- able torment and horror, is guilt, whereby the creature is alarmed up to judg- ment, and bound over to the punishment due to his sin ; which, being no less than the infinite wrath of the eternal living God, must needs lay the poor crea- ture into a dismal agony, from the fearful expectation thereof, in his accusing conscience. He, therefore, that would use an argument to pacify and comfort a distressed conscience, that lies roasting upon these burhing coals of God's wrath, kindled by his guilt, must quench these coals, and bring him the certain news of this joyful message, that his sins are all pardoned, and God, whose wrath doth so aifright him, is undoubtedly, yea, everlastingly reconciled to him. This, and no other argument, will stop the mouth of conscience, and bring the creature to true peace with his own thoughts. ' Son, be of good cheer,' saith Christ, to the palsy man, ' thy sins be forgiven thee,' Matt. ix. 2. Not, Be of good cheer, thy health is given thee, though that he had also ; but, Thy sins are
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