sins tliereby. Do not yonr hearts tremble to lay the stumbling-block for any to break his neck over ? to roll the stone over any poor sinner's grave, and seal him down in it, that he never have a resurrection to grace here, or glory hereafter? As you would keep yoiu'selves free of the blood of those that die in tlieir sins, take heed of lending anything by your divisions to the hardening of their souls in their impenitency.
Section IV. — Fourthly, The fourth and last sort of peace which I tliought to have spoken of is, a peace with all the creatures, even the most fierce and cruel. I called it a peace of indemnity <ind service. This Adam in his primi- tive state enjoyed : while he was innocent, all tlie crcatm-es were innocent and hamiless to him ; the whole creation was at his service ; no mutinous principle was found in any creature that did incline it in tlie least to rebel against him. When God sent the beasts of tlie field and fowls of the air to receive names from him, it was that they should do their homage to him, and acknowledge him as their lord ; and that he, by exercising that act of authority over them (in giving them names) might have an experiment of his perfect (though not absolute and independent) dominion over them. But no sooner did man with- draw his allegiance from God, but all the creatures (as if they had been sensible of the wrong man by his apostasy liad done his and their Maker, by whose patent he held his lordship over them,) they presently forget their subjection to him, yea, take up arms in their supreme Lord's quarrel against apostate man. And thus they continue in array against him, till God and man meet together again in a happy covenant of peace ; and then the connnission which God in wrath gave them against rebel man is called in ; and in the same day that God and the believing soul are made friends the war ends between him and them, Hosea ii. IS : ' In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven;' and mark the day from whence this covenant bears date. * In that day,' that is, in the day that ' I betroth thee unto me ;' so that our peace with the creatures comes in by our peace with God. And this being the blessing of the gospel, so must that also. But as our peace with God is not so perfectly enjoyed in this life, but God hath left himself at liberty to chastise his reconciled ones, and that sharply too ; so our peace with the creatures doth not hinder but that they may be (yea often are) the rod which God useth to correct them with. The water may drown one saint, and the fire consume another to ashes, and yet these creatures at peace with these saints, because they are not sent by God in wrath against them for any real hurt that God means them thereby. This, indeed, was the commission that he gave all the creatures against apostate man as part of his curse for his sin. He sent the creatures against him (as a prince doth his general against a company of traitors in arms against him) with authority to take vengeance on them for their horrid rebellion against their Maker. But now the commission is altered, and runs in a more comfortable strain. Go fire, and be the chariot in which such a saint may be brought home from earth to me in heaven's gloiy. Go water, waft another. And so of all the rest. Not a creature comes on a worse message to a saint. It is true they are sharp corrections as to the present smart they bring ; but they are ever mercies, and do a friendly office in the intention of God, and happy issue to the believer. 'AH things work together for good to them that love God,' Rom. viii. 28. And the apostle speaks it as a common principle well known among the saints, 'We know that all things work,' &c. As if he had said. Where is the saint that doth not know this? And yet it were happy for us if we knew it better ; some of us would then pass our days more comfortably than now we do. But I intend not a discourse of this ; let brevity here make amends for prolixity in the former.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN TO STAND SHOD WITH A HEART PREPARED FOR ALL SUFFERINGS, WITH ONE REASON OF THE POINT.
We come to the third inquiry or question from these words propounded.
Section I. — Quest. What is meant by ' this preparation of the gospel of peace,' with which the Christian's feet are to be shod ? or tlms. What grace
2 u
402 -'^ND YOUR FEET SHOD WITH
doth this preparation, with which we are to be shod, signify? And why called the preparation of the gospel of peace ?