against the Lord's anointed." But when he doubted of God's providence, then he saith, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.”

3. "Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure;" for when you know assuredly that God is your heavenly Father, and Christ Jesus your Redeemer, and that you are of his family, having your name written in heaven, you then will easily free your heart from being troubled with fear and restless care; being sure that your heavenly Father and Saviour doth and will provide for you.

4. Lastly, you must often renew your acts of faith on God, his promises and providence, casting all your care on him. Making your requests known to God by prayer and supplication, for what you would have; being heartily thankful for what you have had, now have, and hope to have hereafter. Then "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding," shall keep your heart and mind from vexing thoughts, and heart-distressing fears, and that, in and through Christ Jesus: of which peace I intend next to speak.

CHAPTER XIII.

Of Peace with God.

I. The Nature and excellency of Peace with God.

THAT you may be persuaded to walk before God in uprightness, in all well-pleasing, and to live with

out taking anxious thought about any thing, casting your care on God according to the former directions,-God hath assured you that peace shall be upon you, even that "peace of God which passeth all understanding, which shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus," if you thus do.

Peace and quiet is most desirable. All things that have motion desire it as their perfection: bodily things enjoy it by their rest in their places; reasonable things enjoy this peace in the quiet of their mind and heart, when they have their desires satisfied, being freed from such opposition as might disquiet them.

Peace is a true agreement and concord between persons or things, whereby not only all enmity is laid aside, and all injuries are forborne; but all amity is entered into, and all readiness of communicating and doing good to each other is shown.

Natural peace is of great price, and very much to be desired for the exceeding great benefit which it bringeth to the body, family, and state. But the peace of which I am to speak, which is promised to all who walk with God according to the rule of faith, and of the new creature, casting their care on God, exceedeth all other peace, as far as the soul, heaven, and eternity, exceedeth the body, the earth, and a moment of time. Which will easily appear,

if

you shall observe by what motives and arguments the Holy Ghost doth commend, and set this forth unto you. It hath its commendation above all other peace, in three respects:

1. In respect of the excellency of the person, with whom and from whom it is, namely, God; therefore

it is called "peace of God." It is so called, (1.) Because it hath God for its object: it is a peace with God. (2.) Because God by his Spirit is the author of it: it is peace from God, a peace which God giveth; such a peace which the world neither can, nor will give.

2. This peace is commended in respect of the unspeakable and inconceivable goodness and worth that is in it: it "passeth all understanding." And this it doth, not only because unsanctified men are mere strangers to it, and understand it not, but because regenerate men, to whom it belongeth, and in whom it is, even they, when God giveth them any lively feeling of it, find it to be such a peace as they could not imagine it to be before they felt it. For they cannot so distinctly and fully conceive the transcendent excellency of it, as by any means fitly to describe it. It rather taketh up the mind into a holy rapture, unto admiration of what it seeth, and of what it perceiveth is yet to be known, than possibly can be distinctly and fully comprehended or expressed by mind or tongue. It is with them that feel it in any special degree, as it was with the queen of the South, when she saw Solomon's wisdom. She had a great opinion of Solomon's wisdom by what she had heard, but when she saw it, she was struck with such admiration, that, it is said, she had " no more spirit in her;" his wisdom was so much beyond her expectation, that she breaketh out into words of admiration, saying, That the half was not told her of Solomon's wisdom, it exceeded the fame thereof:-so doth the peace of God. It being, like the dimensions of the love of Christ, the root thereof, and like

the ravishing joy of Christians, the fruit thereof, surpassing all full and distinct knowledge, and all means of full and clear expression; being, as the Holy Ghost also saith, "unspeakable." This peace included amongst those other graces and gifts accompanying the gospel, which are such as " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man," so as clearly to perceive them, or fully to express them.

3. This peace is commended in respect of the excellent effect thereof, which is a proof that it passeth understanding, namely, it keepeth the heart and mind, in and through Christ Jesus.

This is an excellent and most useful effect on man's behalf; for it supplieth the place and office of a castle or strong garrison, 2 Cor. xi. 32. as the original signifieth, to keep the principal forts of the soul from being surprised or annoyed, either by invasion from without, or by insurrection from within.

The parts of man, which are kept by this peace of God, are the heart and mind. By heart, is meant the will and affections; by mind, the power of thinking and understanding. For true peace of God doth fill the heart with such joy, patience, hope, and comfort in believing, that it keepeth it from heart-vexing grief, fear, distrust, and despair. It likewise filleth the mind so full of apprehension of God's favour, fidelity, and love, that it maketh it rest secure in God, and delivereth it from distress of mind, or anxious cares about any thing; keeping out the dominion of all perplexing and distrustful thoughts.

The strength which this peace hath, whereby it

keepeth the heart and mind as with a garrison, is impregnable. It is derived from Christ, it hath it in and from Christ: the text saith, "through Christ," that is, through the power of Christ's Spirit. For as we are kept by faith, from which this peace springeth, as with a strong garrison, by the power of God to salvation, so, by the same power of Christ, our hearts and minds are kept by the peace of God, as with a garrison, from discouraging, distracting, and uncomfortable thoughts. For what is this peace else but a beam from the object of our faith, proceeding from the love of God to us-ward, and the fruit of faith, as we feel it wrought in us by God? This peace of God is two-fold, or one and the same in different degrees.

The first is an actual entering into, and mutual embracing of, peace between God and man.

The second is the manifestation and expression

of this peace.

The first is when God and man are made friends; which is, when God is pacified towards man, and when man is reconciled unto God, so that now God standeth well affected towards men, and man hath put off enmities against God; which mutual atonement and friendship, Christ Jesus, the only mediator between God and man, hath by his satisfaction and intercession wrought for man, and by his Spirit applieth unto, and worketh in man. For until this

atonement be applied, God, in his just judgment and holy displeasure, is an enemy unto man for sin, and man, in his evil mind and unjust hatred, is an enemy unto God, and unto all goodness, through sin.

This first peace, is peace of God with man, in