cure, shewing how souls that at present are weak, and their gi'ace rather wan and withered, than growing^ may come to thrive and flourisli ; and the receipt lie gives is a composition of these two rare drugs, sinceritj' and love ; preserve these, and all will go well ; as ver. Ifi, where the whole hody is said ' to edify itself in love.' There may he preaching, hut no edifying, without love. Our times are a sad comment upon this text. Secondly, You cut off your trade with heaven, at the throne of grace ; you will he little in prayer to God, I warrant you, if much in squabbling with your brethren. It is impossible to go from wrangling to praying, with a free spirit. And if you should be so bold as to knock at God's door, you are sure to have cold welcome. Matt. v. 24 : ' Leave thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.' God will not have the incense of prayer put to such strange fire; nor will he eat of our leavened bread, taste of any jjcrformance soured with malice and l)itterness of spirit. First, the peace was renewed, and a covenant of love and friendship struck between Laban and Jacob, Gen. xxxi. 44 ; and then, ver. 54, ' Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread.' Tlie very heathens thought no serious business could be well done by quarrelling spirits. Therefore the senators of Rome used to visit the temple dedicated Juri depoititorio, because there they did deponere inimiciflas, lay down all their feuds and controversies, before they went into the senate to consult of state-affairs. Durst not they go to the senate till friends, and dare we go up to God's altar, bow om* knees to him in prayer, while our hearts are roiled and swollen with anger, envy, and malice? O God, humble us ! Thirdly, As we cut off our trade with heaven, so with one another; when two coiuitries fall out, whose great interest lies in their nnitual traffic, they must needs both pinch by the war. Truly, Christians' great gains come in by their mutual commerce; and they are the richest Christians commonl}-, who are seated with the greatest advantage for this trade. As no nation hath all their commodities of their own growth, but needs some merchandize with others; so there is no Christian that coidd well live without borrowing from his brethren. There is that ' which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,' Eph. iv. 16. Paid himself is not so well laid in, but he hopes to get something more than he hath from the meanest of those he preached to; he tells the Christians at Rome, chap, i., he longs as much to see them, as to impart some spiritual gift to tliem, ver. 11 ; so saith he, ' that I may be comforted together with you, by the mutual faith both of you and me,' ver. 12 ; yea, he h.opes to be ' filled with their company,' Rom. xv. 24. As a man is filled with good cheer, he hopes to make a feast of their company. Now contentions and divisions spoil all intercourse among believers ; tlicy are as baneful to Christian communion, as a great pestilence or ])lague is to tlie trade of a market town. Communication flows from communion, and comnumion that is founded upon union. The church grows under persecution ; that sheds the seed all over the field, and brings the gospel where else it had not been heard of; but divisions and contentions, like a furious storm, washes the seed out of the land, with its heart, fatness, and all. Fourthlj', You do not only hazard the decay of grace, but growth of sin. Indeed it shews there is more than a little corruption got within doors already, but it opens the door to much more; James iii., ' If ye have bitter envying, and strife, glory not:' that is, do not think you are such good Christians; this stains all your other excellences; had ye the knowledge and gifts of holv angels, yet this woidd make you look more like devils than tliem ; he gives the reason, ver. 16 : ' For where envying and strife is, there is confusion, and every evil work.' Contention is the devil's forge, in which if he can but give a Christian a heat or two, he will not doul)t but to soften him for his hannner of temptation. Moses himself, when his spirit was a little hot, ' spake unadvisedly witii his lips.' It must needs be an occasion of much sinning, which renders it impossible for a man, while in his distemper, to do any one righteous action. ' The wratli of man worketh not the righteous- ness of God,' James i. 20. Now, what a sad tiling is it for Christians to stay long in that temper in which they can do no good to one another, but provoke lust '! Fifthly, They are prognostics of judgment coming. A lowering sk}' speaks foul weather at hand ; and mariners look for a storm at sea, when the waves begin to swell, and utter a murmuring noise. Ilath there l)een nothing like these
^00 THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.