He speaks this to them here who were behevers aheady ; (' Ye believe in God'), who he knew should not be troubled, ( 'Let not your hearts be troubled'). So that to the end we may be subjects capable of comfort, we must be such as by faith are one with Christ ; and so reconciled to God. All motion ends in rest, and all the rest of the soul ends in God, — the centre of the soul. And therefore before the soul can settle itself, it must be brought to God, through Christ. That must be laid as a ground.
Now there is a threefold malady that troubleth us, and there must a three- fold peace, and ground of comfort against them.
First, it is a trouble to the soul (when once it is awakened), that God and it should be in ill terms ; when the soul looks upon God as angry, and displeased with it.
Secondly, Again, the soul is troubled, when it looks upon itself, and sees nothing but tui-moils and seditions there.
Thirdlj, when it looks upon the affairs of the world, and accidents hero below, it is fuU of confusion for the present ; and it is full of fears for time to come, that things will be worse and worse. Thus the soul, whilst it is in the world, is troubled about its peace with God, and with itself, and about this e\dl world.
Now before the soul can yield to any quiet, aU these quarrels must be taken up.
First, a peace must be made betwixt God and t(s, by the great Peacemaker, who is also called ' om* peace,' Eph. ii. 14 ; and when we be justified and acquitted from our sins by the blood of Christ, sprinkled on our souls by faith, that blood of Christ speaks peace to the soul in the pardon of sin ; ' being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord,' Eom. v. 1.
Then secondly, there must be another peace settled in some degi'ee, and that is \he peace of government in the soul; grace must be above corruption. They will be together in the soul whilst we are here, but sin must not have the dominion. This is such a peace, not as will admit of no conflict, but a peace wherein grace may get the better ; and where grace gets the better, it will keep corruption under. And God gives his Spirit to whom he gives his Son ; that as we be in good terms with God, so our natures may be like his ; that we may love and delight in what he loves and delights in ; and so may be as friends, enjoying acquaintance and communion together.
Aye, but thirdly, there is confusion in the world, and many accidents may fall out, that may disquiet us for time to come. Now before the soul can be at peace in that respect, it must know that, being once in Christ, reconciled to God, and having the Sjnrit of God, it is under a gracious government and providence, that disjooseth all things to good, and maketh everything j^caceable. Tranquillus Deus tranquillat omnia When God is at peace, all is at peace ; yea, so far at peace, that they have a blessing in them. The curse and , venom is taken out of them by Christ, who took the curse on himself, and satisfied the wrath of God ; and now they be not only harmless, but medi- cinal, and helpful, so that they be aU ours, and made in some sort ser\ice- able to further our spiritual good.
When our husband hath all things committed unto him in heaven or earth, will he suffer anything to befaU his dearly beloved spouse, that shall be disadvantageous, and prejudicial to the main ? No, no ; he will not suf- fer anything to befall her, which he will not rule, and order, and overrule for the good of the church ; and so there comes to be that third peace.
852 SECOND SERMON.
And, for the time to come, a Christian knows, that whom * Christ loves, he loves to the end,' John xiii. 1 ; and ' the good work begun shall be per- fected to the day of the Lord,' Philip, i. 6. He knoweth he is in heaven already in his head. ' He that believes in Christ hath everlasting life,' John iii. 36, and is triumphing in glory in his head.
And, therefore, nothing can dismay a Christian that is tnily in Christ. Grant the first, grant all. Stand upon good terms with Christ ; be recon- ciled to God, and nothing can do thee hurt.
But when we at any time come to comfort such as have comfort for their portion, it sticks here. If I were a child of God indeed, or if I did believe, it were something. These be good comforts indeed, and certain, and true, for they be the word of God ; but what is this to me ? I find universally, that comfort sticks there, and therefore we must labour to remove that objection.
First of all, therefore, labour to have a r/ood judrpnent of main truths : that these comforts are the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and that the word is the word of God. By a general knowledge of the truth of the promises, thou shalt be better able to apply them. If thou stick in the principles, so as not to know them, nor to believe them, there is no talking of the apph- cation of faith upon them. We must make that our own in particular, which we believe first in general. And therefore Christians must first be well seen in the Scriptures, and in the promises there, that they may know what belongs to them, and apply them to themselves.