by way of fatherly chastisement, (and indeed it is as sharp a rod as he can use in his"discipHne,)"the more to make them sensible of their falling out with him. But the curse is gone, and they under a promise of enjoying peace and unity, wliich they shall, when best for them, have performed to them. Secondly, The internal cause of all the hostility and feud that is to be found amongst men is, lust that dwells in their own bosoms; this is the principle and root that bears all the bitter fruit of strife and contention in the world, Jas. iv. 1 : 'From whence come wars and lightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your "members .'' This breaks the peace with God, ourselves, and others. If there be a iiery exhalation wrapped up in the cloud, we must look for thunder and lightning to follow ; if lust in the heart, it will vent itself, though it rends peace of family, church, and kingdom. Now, before there can be a foundation for a firm, solid peace, these unruly lusts of men must be taken down. What peace and quiet can there be while pride, envy, ambition, malice, and such like lusts, continue to sit in the throne, and hurry men at their plea- sure? Neither will it be enough for the procuring peace to restrain these unruly passions, and bliul them up forcibly ; if peace be not nuide between the hearts of men, it is worth nothing. The chain that ties up the mad dog will in time wear; and so will all the cords break by which men seem at present so strongly bound together, if they be not tied by the lieart-strings, and the grounds of the quarrel be there taken away. Now the gospel, and only the gospel, can help us to a plaister, that can draw out of the heart the very core of contention and strife. Hear the apostle, telling us how himself, and others his fellow- saints, got cured of that nudicious heart, which once they were in bondage to, Tit. iii. ;j : ' We ourselves were sometimes foolish and disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures; living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.' Well, what was the physic that recovered them ? See ver. 4, ' But after the kindness and love of God oiu- Saviour towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.' As if he had said, Had not this love of God to us in Christ appeared, and we been thus washed by his regenerating Spirit, we might have lain to this day under the
hand of the Spirit. The word is called the ' sword of the Spirit,' as that which he useth to kill and slay sin within the hearts of his people.
Thirdly, As the gospel lays the axe to the root of bitterness and strife to stub that up ; so it fills the hearts of those that embrace it with such gracious prin- ciples, as incline to peace and unity; such are self-denial, that prefers another in honour before himself, and will not jostle for the wall ; long-suiiering, a grace which is not easily moved and provoked ; gentleness, which if moved by any wrong, keeps the doors open for peace to come in at agam, and makes him easy to be entreated. See a whole bundle of these sweet herbs growing in one bed, Gal. v. 22: ' The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith, meekness.' Mark, I pray, this is not fruit that grows in every hedge, but fruit of the Spirit : fruit that springs from gospel-seed. As the stones in the quarr}'^, and cedars as tliey grow in the wood, would never have lain close and comely together in the temple ; so neither could the one cut and polish, nor the other hew and carve themselves into that fitness and beauty, which they all had in that stately fabric : no, that was the work of men gifted of God for that jnupose ; neither can men and women, with all their skill and tools of morality, square and frame their hearts, so as to fall in lovingly together into one holy temple. This is the work of the Spirit, and that also with this instrument, and chisel of the gospel, to do, partly by cutting off the knottiness of our churlish natures by his mortifying grace ; as also carving, polisliing, and smoothing them with those graces which are the emanations of his own sweet, meek, and Holy Spirit.
S92 THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.
CHAPTER XII.
•WHEREIN IS SHEWN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PEACE THAT IS AMONG SAINTS, AND WHICH IS AMONG THE WICKED; THE GREATNESS OF THEIR SIN, WHO ARE MINISTERS OF PEACE, AND YET STIR UP STRIFE; AND THE REASON WHY THERE IS NO MORE PEACE AND UNITY AMONG SAINTS IN THIS LIFE.