19. Mr. Mede's Farewell Sermon

19. Mr. Mede's Farewell Sermon
"Grace be unto you, and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 1:3.
You will wonder, possibly, that I should pitch on the Apostles Salutation for my valediction, and make that the conclusion of my Preaching, which he made the beginning of his Writing, and therefore I have made a double Plea for it. I find that this was a Form of Blessing peculiar to this Apostle, both in the beginning and end of this Epistle; for as there is scarcely one Epistle but begins with it, so many end with it likewise; as in Ephesians 6:24. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. So in 2 Thessalonians 3:18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your all. So that I find the Apostle to use it frequently at the beginning and end of his writing; I thought as I made it the matter of my prayer for you in the beginning, so I might make it my farewel to you in the ending, and therefore Grace be unto you, & peace from God our Father, & from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Besides this, as Jacob said to his Benjamin concerning his Venison, when his Father asked him, how he found it so quickly? he answered, because the Lord thy God brought it to me: The same I may say of this Scripture; for considering of what subject I should speak in my last labours here among you, the Scripture came to my thoughts, and opening the Book came immediately to my sight; and therefore I may say God brought it to me; which I no sooner looked upon, but methinks I saw the Apostle on Mount Gerizim, and his mouth filled with blessings; for what greater blessings can a man wish, than that which comprehends all blessings, and that is grace and peace. Being therefore now to part, I thought to go to the top of the Mount, and leave with you grace and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. In which words there are two generals.
1. A double Blessing desired.
2. A double Spring discovered.
1. A double Blessing desired; and that is grace and peace. Grace is of all Blessings the richest, peace is of all comforts the sweetest; both these the Apostle begs for the Corinthians; and so do I for you. Beloved, Grace be unto you, and Peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Here is a double Fountain discovered; and that is the Father and the Son, God and Christ. The Father is called the God of Grace: the Son is called the Prince of Peace; not that Grace is from the Father without Peace, not Peace from the Son without Grace, but both Grace and Peace are from God the Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Order of the words is worth nothing, Grace be to you and Peace; First grace, then peace, for there can be no peace without grace, nor grace, but there will be peace: but there can be no true peace but from God, not from God, but as he is a Father, not from God as a Father, but as our Father, and he cannot be said to be our Father, but through our Lord Jesus Christ: and therefore he said, Grace be unto you, and Peace from God our Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ: both are manifested as a golden Chain linked together, not grace without peace, nor peace without grace, but both enjoyned together, to cram the believers Souls with grace and peace. Now from the Order of the Words, we might raise several Observations.
1. That Peace is the fruit of Grace.
2. That Grace and Peace are both from God.
3. That Love which is the spring of Grace and Peace, is from God as a Father.
4. That we share not in his Love, but only as he is our Father: All is from Propriety.
First, Our Father, then grace and peace from God our Father.
5. That God is our Father only through Christ.
But before we draw anything from the Text by way of Observation, we will speak to the terms by way of Explication. Grace be unto you: What is here meant by Grace? This is a sweet word, it perfumes the Breath, it cherishes the Conscience, it warms the heart, it ravishes the Soul; as the Spouse was ravished with •ayes of Christs glory, so Christ revives the Soul with one of his gracious rayes discovered to the heart: Grace is the life of the Soul, thou art dead till Grace quickens thee, thou art lost till Grace find thee, undone till Grace saves thee; Grace is the Manna of Angels, the spiritual Bread which those that are holy in being are nourished with, and subsist by: Angels live on Grace, and stand by Grace; Man that shares in the Grace of God is made fellow Commoner with Angels, eats Angels food, and shares in Angels blessings: Grace is the substance of the Scripture, the end of the Law, the fulness of the Gospel: Gregory calls it the Heart and Soul of God, I am sure Grace is the Heart and Soul of the Word; 'tis a little Word, but it comprehends all good: here is more than Homers Iliad's in a Nut-shell, 'tis the Epitome of all the good in Heaven an Earth; name any Word that signifies good in the Soul here, or hereafter, but it is found in the Index, in this little word Grace: Grace comprehends Gods love to us, and our love to God, and as Gods love to us is the sum of all Mercy; so our love to God, is the summe of all Duty; Grace is the new birth of the Soul, whereby it takes up another nature, a new nature, a spiritual Godlike nature; as Christ was born and thereby took on him the nature of man, and was made flesh; so man is born by grace, and thereby takes upon him the nature of God, and is made Spirit: and here you have at once the great mystery of Grace in the lowest debasement of a Saviour, and the highest advancement of a Sinner, for the Lord Christ could not be more debased, than to be born; it was nothing so great an abasement for Christ to dye, as for him to be born, for being once made man, it is no wonder for to die, but being the great God, it is a wonder that ever he should be made man. Lo here is the debasement of Christ; yet if he had been born to a Crown, to Honour, it had been something, but he was born to shame, to sorrow, and death; but man by grace is born to a Crown, to a Kingdom, he hath a title to all the glory and blessedness of heaven, from the first moment of his new birth; So it is in the Text, Grace be unto you and Peace.
Peace, in Scripture, is a very comprehensive term, it carries in it all happiness. It was the common greeting of the Jews, Peace be unto you. Thus David by his Proxy salutes Nabal, peace be to thee, and thy house; and the Apostle here alludes to this form of salutation, that he might mix new Testament mercy to old Testament manners; he first stiles Grace, before peace; as Jacob did with his Venison, he made it a savory meat, such as Isaac loved. Peace is the glory of Heaven, in the bosom of God, and brought into the world in the arms of Angels; the first peace you read of in the Gospel, was peace by the Administration of Angels, Luke 2:3-4. And suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of the heavenly Host, praising & saying, glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men. And when our Lord Christ first sent out his Disciples, this was the Doctrine that he bid them preach, Matthew 10:12-13. When you come into a house, salute it, and if it be worthy, let grace and peace come upon it. Mark here by the way, our Lord Jesus Christ is no enemy to good manners, he would not have Christians to be Clowns, which is the use of some among us, who would have their Religion quarrel with good manners; no, but In whatsoever city or town you enter, salute it, and let grace, peace come upon it: that is, wish peace to them, saying, the peace of God be upon this place, upon the head and hearts of all in it. So that peace is both a Gospel-salutation when Ministers and people meet, and it's a Gospel-valediction, when the Minister and the People parts. So did the Apostle, and so do I now, Grace be with you and Peace.
I observe in Matthew 10:13-14. our Lord bids his Disciples when they enter into a house, If the house be worthy, to let their peace come upon it, but if they be not worthy, let grace, peace return unto you. Instead of leaving peace with them, to shake off the dust of their feet against them: that is, to shew that God will shake them off as dust, and tread them under feet as fuel. My Brethren, your diligent attendance on the Word at this place hath comfortably prevented that part of my charge, to shake off the dust of my feet; for, how beautiful have the feet of a poor worm been unto you, being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Christ? And therefore seeing our Lord Jesus Christ said, If they be worthy of their peace, abide with them; on this account, I wish to you, grace and peace from God our father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. But what is that peace? Its the beauty of Union, the harmony of the Creation, the pleasure of Life, the feast of a good Conscience, 'tis that which makes life sweet, and death easie: Peace sweetens all our possessions, and all our afflictions, without this the fulness of the world is a burden; with this, poverty and emptiness is a pleasant Companion: without this, our bread is graveled with sourness, and our water mingled with bitterness; with this green Herbs become a feast, and our water is turned into wine; peace, it is the most beautiful creature in the world, And therefore it is beloved of all, courted of all, many seek her but few there be that enjoy her, they do not go the right way to find her; for, In the ways of Righteousness is peace. Peace is the seminary of all blessings temporal, as Grace is of all blessings spiritual, in grace you have implyed all Holiness, in peace all happiness; in grace all inward, in peace all outward blessings, grace and peace are the Alpha and Omega of all blessings, as God is of all beings; no blessing comes before grace, and no blessing lasts longer: Then see in this phrase of speech, the Apostle wishes upon them, as I do upon you all, the blessings both of time and eternity, and yet he wished not more to them, than God promised to give them, 1 Timothy 4:8. For godliness hath the promise of this life, and that which is to come; grace be unto you, and peace, &c. not one without the other: though a man may have peace without grace, as in a time of dissertion, or temptation, and a man may have peace without grace, as in a secure and unregenerate Condition; grace without peace is often found in a troubled conscience; and peace without grace is often found in a seared conscience, as grace without peace is very uncomfortable, so peace without grace is very unprofitable; like Rachel, beautiful, but barren: therefore the Apostles desires ye should have both Grace and Peace: we say, the Sun and Salt are the most useful creatures in the world; the one for shining, the other for seasoning. (My Brethren) grace and peace are the Christians Sun & Salt; grace is the light of their souls, and peace is the savour of their comforts; grace shines through all their faults, and Peace seasons all their mercies. The blessings of God are become as twins, as Christ said of the Spouse, Son_4:2. She is like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which come up from the washing, whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them; grace and peace here are knit together by the spirit of God in a sacred knot not to be untied; as Castor and Pollux, when seen together, portend happiness to the Marriner: so when Grace and Peace are found in a soul together, they portend the highest security and blessing to the Believer; they are said in Scripture to be bound together; where God gives the one, he never denies the other: if he gives you the upper spring of Grace, he will give you the neather spring of Peace, for they go both together. If he gives you the Dew of Heaven, you need not question the fatness of the Earth: if his right hand be full of mercy, his left hand shall not be empty. Therefore grace and peace be with you from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace hath a double sense, either for the grace of God to us, that justifies us, or the grace of God in us that sanctifies us: Now there is a different flowing from each of these, but still it is grace and peace.
First, justifying grace, hath a peace attending that, Romans 5:1. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. So far as we have confidence in justifying grace, there remains no conscience of condemning sin. As there can be no bitterer War than between conscience and the ear, so there can be no sweeter Peace, than when Mercy and Peace meet together, and when Conscience and Peace kiss each other: The former is the taste of Heaven, the latter is the perambulation of Heaven; both which the Believer shares in upon his Justification by faith. If Christ had peace, who was made our sin, needs must the Believer have peace, who is made the Righteousness of God in him.
Secondly, Sanctifying grace hath a peace attending it, and this peace differs from the former, as the Root from the Fruit. The peace of Justification is a radical Peace, the root of Peace; but the Peace of Sanctification is the bud, the blossom of the Tree: the former flows from the bloud of Christ sprinkled on the Conscience, the latter from the conformity that is between the Word and the Will, between the Commands and the Conscience; As many as walk according to this Rule, grace be unto them and peace, Galatians 6:16. So that Peace is the fruit of sanctifying Grace. Now as the bloud of the Pascal-Lamb, (which was a token of peace) was not to be struck on the posts of the Egyptians, but upon the posts of the Israelites; so neither is the bloud of sprinkling, which brings perfect peace, to be struck on the Posts of the carnal Sinner, but on the Posts of the true Believer, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile; no Grace, no Peace, that is Gods Law. How can a sinner have peace in a state of sin, when God and conscience, when Word and conscience, when Law and conscience, and all the Attributes of God are against a sinner? No Peace saith my God to the wicked. Pray mark that chapter, it begins with the peace, and ends in no peace. In ver. 2. it is said, He shall enter into peace, that is, the Righteous: in the last verse, there is no peace to the wicked. It is the state of Grace that is the only state of peace. And thus I pass from the double Grace desired, Grace and Peace; to the double Fountain discovered, God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
But here's a question to be answered, If Grace and Peace be from God the Father, then how is it said to be from Christ? and if from Christ, how then from God the Father?
Answ. It's a known Rule, that the transial external works of God are attributed to all the three Persons in the Trinity; the same works that are attributed to the Father, are also attributed to the Son; and the same works are attributed to the Son, the same also to the Father: so Grace and Peace are here ascribed both to God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ; that is, they are both from Mercy, and from Merit. From Mercy on Gods part to us, from Merit on Christs part for us; they are from God the Father, because he wills them to us, from God the Son, because he works them in us: they are from God to Christ, from Christ to us; they are from God the Father originally, and from Christ derivatively, and to us actually: God the Father is the fountain of all Grace and Peace, Christ as Mediator is the Conduit of all Grace and Peace; Man in union to Christ is the cistern into which these streams of Grace and Peace runs; God wills Grace and Peace to us, & Christ works them in us; God gives Grace & Peace to be applied to the Creature, this is from the love of the Father, but the Application of this peace to the soul, is from the Merit of Christ the Redeemer: Thus you see there's a double spring of this double blessing. Time will not serve me further: The only Observation, is;
That all the Grace and Peace which Believers share in, is derived from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ: these three things opened will clear this;
1. That Grace and Peace are the Believers privilege.
2. That the Fountain of this grace and Peace is from God the Father.
3. That it is not given out from God the Father but through Christ.
First, That Grace and Peace are the Saints privilege; if Grace is, then Peace is. But Grace is the privilege of every Believer, and that whether you look upon it as taken from the love and favour of God to us; this is the Believers privilege. God can as well forget Christ at his right hand, as cease his love and favour to the soul of a Believer; the Believers title to all their blessings arises out of this never-failing love of God; or if you aske grace for the fruit of Gods love to the soul, still it falls to the Believers privilege, Vocation, Justification, Adoption, pardon of Sin, purging from Sin, strength against sin, Holiness, Faith, Love, Obedience, Perseverance; all these are the privileges of every Believer; nay, a man cannot be a Believer without any one of them, they are as essential to the Being of a Christian, as reason to the Being of a man.
Secondly, As Grace, so Peace is the Believers privilege: There is peace external, peace supernal, peace internal, and peace eternal: There is peace external, this peace with men; there is peace supernal, that is peace with God; there is peace internal, that is peace with Conscience: all these three are to be had here upon earth; and then there is peace eternal, and that is only to be had in Heaven. The Apostle here doth not exclude the former, but chiefly intends the latter: peace with man is a good thing to be desired, but peace with God and Conscience is much more to be desired. Peace with God is the spring of all things both within and without, both below and above, both in time and eternity: so saith Job, if he gives peace, who then can make trouble? Now this peace is the Saints privilege. it is a Legacy left to every Believer, by the last Will and Testament of a dying Redeemer. Will you see a copy of his Will, then look in Job. 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. There is, it seems, a peace in the worlds power to give, and there is a peace of Christs bestowing. Now Christ would have us here not to mistake the worlds peace for his, for the difference is very great; for first, the worlds peace is a false peace, it is counterfeit coin, it hath not the current stamp of Heaven on it; but the peace that Christ gives to a Believer, is true peace, and perfect peace:
Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.
Secondly, The Worlds peace is an outward peace, it is but skin deep, it wets the mouth, cannot wash the heart, Proverbs 14:13. In laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The worlds peace is but the shell of peace; their Conscience lowers, when their countenance laughs: but the peace that Christ gives, is an inward and spiritual peace, Psalms 4:7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. Thou hast put gladness in my heart: Peace is that gladness, or peace smooths the brow, but this fills the breast, as the sinner hath trouble within, in the midst of all his peace without: In the world you shall have trouble, but in me you shall have peace.
Thirdly, the worlds peace has only a neither spring arising out of the Creature, out of worldly comforts, therefore it must needs be unclean; for an unclean fountain cannot bring forth clean water. But the peace of Christians has an upper spring, it flows from the manifestation of the love of God in Christ: it is from the sprinkling of Christs bloud on the conscience, it flows upon the workings of Christs Spirit upon the Soul, which is first a Counsellor, then a Comforter. Oh how pure must this peace be in a believers soul, that flows from so pure a spring!
Fourthly, the worlds peace is a peace given to sinners, it is a peace in sin, and it is a peace with sin, as the Prophet Isaiah tell us, It is a Covenant with Hell, and an Agreement with Death (God delivers us from that peace.) Again, Christs peace is given to none but believers, it is their privilege only, a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy, Proverbs 14:10. The heart knoweth his own bitterness, but a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
Fifthly, the worlds peace is a fading, dying, transitory thing, it withers in the Sand, the tryumphing of the wicked is but short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment, Job 20:5. Solomon doth elegantly liken it to crackling of thorns under a pot, which is but a blaze and is gone, Ecclesiastes 7:6. so is the sinners peace, it is for a spurt and is soon gone, but the peace that Christ gives to Believers, is a durable and abiding peace. Your joy no man shall take from you, it appears in life, in death, and after death: first it is our peace in life, grace brings forth present peace. It is said of the Primitive Christians, they walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, Acts 9:41. It is a remarkable expression, Psalms 19:11. In keeping thy Commands there is great reward: He don't say for keeping them, which respects the end of the work, but in keeping them, which looks at the work itself: My brethren, every duty done in sincerity, reflects a peace in conscience, as every flower carries its own sweetness. It is possible, I grant, a Believer may not always find and feel this peace; few do, some seldom find it, few find it always: the remains of corruption bringing forth to interrupt, or temptations to hinder, and Gods dissertion may darken and hide it, and a Believer may seem to be totally lost: yet in this condition, which is the worst a child of God can be in, he hath a double peace: first, a peace in the promises, in this very condition, and what you have in Bonds and Bills you account as good as money in your pockets. Secondly, he hath it in the seed, Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart, Psalms 97:11. Grace is the seed of Peace, which Christ hath sown in the furrows of the soul, and therefore peace shall spring out of the furrows of the soul. Indeed this seed springs up sooner in some than in others, yet every Saint shall have a reaping time sooner or later, Psalms 126 : He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoycing, bringing his sheaves with him: If he stays long for the fruit, he shall have a greater crop at last, if he reaps not now, he shall be sure to reap hereafter, Psalms 37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. Secondly, by this peace which is the peace of a Child of God, it is a peace at death; Grace will Minister to us then, and that Ministration shall be Peace; the sinners peace leaves him when he comes to the grave; though in life it fills him, yet in death it leaves him. A Believer hath a two-fold spring of peace, the first is from above him, the other from within him: That spring that runs with peace above him, is from the bloud of Christ sprinkled on his conscience: the other that is from within him, is from the sincerity of his heart in the ways of Obedience. My Brethren, when we lye on our death-beds, and can reflect on our sincerity in all Gods ways, this will be peace at last, so it was in Hezekiah, Isai. 38:3. Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which was good in thy sight. There's nothing makes a death-bed so hard and so uneasie, as a life spent in the service of sin and lust, and nothing makes a death-bed so pleasant as a life spent in the service of Christ: Grace will bring forth Peace, if not in this life: yet Thirdly, it will be sure after death: if time brings not this fruit to ripeness, yet Eternity shall, Grace in time, will be Glory in Eternity, Holiness now will be Happiness then; whatever it is a man sows in this world, that he reaps in the next world: be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap; he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting, Galatians 6:7-8. When Sin shall end in sorrow and misery, Grace shall end in peace, in joy, in glory; well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Master. Matthew 25:21. Whoever shares in the Grace of Christ in this world, shall be sure to share with the joy of Christ in the next world, & that joy is joy unspeakable▪ & full of glory; I will wind up all in a three-fold Application, by way of Exhortation, to three sorts of persons.
1. To such as have this Grace and Peace.
2. To such as have this Grace and no Peace.
3. To such as have neither Grace nor Peace.
First, to such as have both Grace and Peace; Ile speak to them in two or three things. First, admire thankfully the Father & the Son, the Fathers Grace, and the Sons Love, for both had a hand in this, therefore bless both the Father for willing it to us, and the Son for working it in us; Grace and Peace are the fruits of Gods eternal Election, for this blessing the Father gives, but the Application of it to us is the fruits of Christs redemption and intercession. How can you think of Hell and Damnation, and see yourself freed from it? And how can you think of the dreadful fury and vengeance of God, yourself not under it? How can you look on your state change, your heart renewed, Grace ratified and reconciled, and your Conscience quieted? How can you think of these things, but must admire the love of the Father in giving this to you, and the love of the Son in purchasing this for you? All Grace and Mercy that is given to us, is by Christ purchased for us; Grace and Peace are fruits of the redeeming bloud of Christ purchased.
Secondly, do not envy the conditions and possessions of the men of the world; they have riches and honours, profits and pleasures, but they neither have Grace nor Peace, therefore do not envy their happiness. There is a story of a Roman that was condemned by a Court-Marshal to dye for breaking his rank to steal a bunch of Grapes; and as he was going to his Execution, his fellow Souldiers laughed at him, and others envied at him that he should have Grapes and they none: Now (saith he) do not envy me for my bunch of Grapes, for you would be loath to have them at the rate I must pay for them. (My Brethren) You that are the children of Grace and Peace, do not envy at men of the world, at their riches and their comforts, their pleasures; for I am sure you would be loath to have them at the price they pay for them; for the end of these things is death.
Thirdly, do not complain of the worst condition that the providence of God shall cast you into; in this it maybe you shall suffer hard things, but remember, so long as thy soul is secure, never complain of hard things. (My brethren) as God your Father brought you into a state of Grace and Peace, and thereby secured his love to your souls in Christ, can you complain of hard things? So let the joy of the Lord be your strength, Rejoyce in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoyce, Php_4:4.
The second Use is, to such as have neither Grace nor Peace: May not I say, I speak to many such? I would I might not. Are there not many that are without Grace, and therefore must needs be without peace? They may have the worlds peace, but they have none of this peace; let me beg of you to get out of this Graceless state. Oh that you would believe the words of a dying man, for so I am to you, and such words use to be remembered. Oh remember this as a testimony I leave with you, that love of Sin, and lack of Grace, will ruine and destroy every soul at last. But you will say, how shall I get a share in this Grace and Peace?
I answer, First, break off all your false peace: we can never have true peace with God, when we content ourselves with false peace; you will never seek that peace which Christ hath purchased for you, while you content your selves with that cursed peace which the Old man hath wrought in you: Oh therefore break off all false peace, which is not the fruit of grace.
Secondly, labour to see and be convinced of the miserable, and of the naked condition your souls be in, for want of the righteousness of Christ for a covering, without this, soul, thou art miserable, wretched, poor and naked: be convinced also what a miserable thing it is to have God our enemy; God is the sinners enemy, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Oh be convinced of thy nakedness without Christs righteousness, and thy emptiness without his fulness.
Thirdly, labour to go out of your selves to Christ for grace and peace: Surely in the Lord, shall one say, I have righteousness and strength; I, there it is to be found. Labour for a thirsty frame of soul, for the promises run far to such, That he will fill the hungry with good things: go to Christ, soul, beg, pray, never leave God till he hath given thee an interest in Christ, for none can come to me, except the Father draw him: there is no pardon for the least sin out of Christ, but there is pardon for the greatest sin in Christ; one sin can damn the soul out of Christ, but no sin can hurt the soul in Christ. Oh go to Christ, soul, never give rest to thy eyes, nor slumber to thy lids, till thou hast made peace with God in the bloud of Christ. One sting of the fiery serpent was mortal, without looking upon the brazen Serpent; so one sin will damn a soul out of Christ, but no sin can damn a soul in Christ.
Fourthly, to such as have grace, but no sense of peace, this is the counsel I would leave with all such, Be much in the exercise of grace: frame much, believe much, use grace much, for the exercise and improving of grace will produce peace. There are ten duties which are to be the sphere of grace in activity, and in performing of them we shall have peace:
First, Make Religion your business, the main design of your lives; be Christians to purpose, be not only Christians by the bye, but let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ, Php_1:27.
Secondly, put forth renewed Acts of Faith on Christ every day, and remember it is as much your duty to believe in Christ today, as if you had never believed before. O live by faith every day, and this will bring peace to you.
Thirdly, maintain a constant communion with God daily: this communion with God is mans chief good; the happiness of a Child is in communion with his Father, and the happiness of a wife is in communion with her Husband, and this is the happiness of a Believers soul, communion with God the Father, through Christ our Head and Husband. The seed of peace, it's true, it is sown in the soul in Union, but then it takes root downward, and brings forth fruit upward. Spiritual peace will never be obtained if communion with God be not maintained: that gives comfort in the midst of all sorrows, and satisfies all doubts, and recompenses all wants. Lo this is the fruit of communion with God.
Fourthly, be good at all times, but of all, best in bad times; many Christians lose their peace, by remitting of their grace, and let loose the reins of Religion, to avoid the censures of a crooked generation. A Christians zeal should be like winter fire, that burns the hottest when the air is coolest: or like the Lilly, that looketh beautiful though among thorns; so should a child of God though among sinners.
Fifthly, in all conditions choose suffering rather than sinning: If ever you would have peace, choose suffering rather than sinning; he that values peace with God, or peace with conscience, he must make this his choice. Daniel rather chose to be cast to Lions than to lose the peace of his conscience: the three Children chose rather to burn in the Furnace, than to bow to the Image. One said, He would rather go to Hell free from sin, than to live in Heaven with guilt on his Conscience. (My brethren) let me a little enlarge, because sufferings may overtake us; for Persecution is the genius of the Gospel, therefore let me leave for short Rules with you concerning sufferings.
See that your Cause be good, your Call be clear, your Spirit meek, and your End right. Sufferings cannot bring our peace without either of them, but with them all our sufferings shall be peace.
First, let your Cause be good: It's not the Bloud, but the Cause that makes a Martyr: it is not for every cause a Christian should engage to suffer: every cause will no more bear suffering, than every little stream will bear a ship: nor will Christ let go sweetness to every suffering, 1 Peter 4:15. Let none of you suffer as a Murderer, or as a Thief, or as an Evildoer, or as a Busie-body in other mens matters. To suffer thus, is neither Christian-like nor comfortable; some suffer rather as Malefactors than as Christs Martyrs.
Secondly, let your Call be clear: It's not amiss to have a good cause without a Call: some may suffer for the cause of God, and yet sin in suffering for want of a Call. Christ calls not all to suffer; to some it is given, to others it is not: if thy Call be clear, thy Peace will be sweet, though thy sufferings be never so great. But you will say, how shall I know when I am called to suffer?
Answ. 1. When Truth suffers by our silence, then are we called to suffer.?
2. When our lives will be the denial of Christ, then are we called to deny our lives for Christ.
3. When sin and suffering surrounds us that we cannot get out, but we must either run through sin or suffering, then I may safely conclude, That Christ calleth me to suffer, and in this cause we may expect the peace and sweetness of his presense.
Thirdly, the third direction for suffering is this, Our spirit must be meek; so was Christ, he went as a Lamb to the slaughter.
It is possible a man may be right in his cause, and yet sinful in his carriage: and if so, no wonder if Christ be not sweet to us. To be fierce, and raging, and reviling in suffering, it is not becoming humanity, and therefore much less like Christianity. A Christian should be like Christ, Acts 5:41. And they departed from the presense of the Council, rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name.. It becomes those that are found in the spirit, to give blessing for cursing: the more of Christs spirit is in our sufferings, the more comfort and joy we shall receive from our sufferings.
Fourthly, see that your End in suffering be right: If it be self or singularity, or schism, then Christ cannot be sweet to thee. Some have died that their Ends may live. Socrates died in the defence of the Truth, and to prove that there is but one God, but whether he died for Honour, Applause, or for Gods sake, I think it is not hard to determine. But let thy Cause be good, thy Call clear, thy Spirit meek, and thy End right, and then you shall have peace in all your sufferings: that is the fifth thing. Choose sufferings rather than sinning.
Sixthly, if you would have peace, be much in studying the Scriptures: for as God is the God of Peace, and Christ the Prince of Peace, so the Gospel is the Gospel of Peace, which God hath given to thee to lead thee in the ways of peace, Great peace have they that love thy Laws.
Seventhly, take heed of Apostacy, either in Doctrine or Principles: Though a Believer is freed from Apostacy in the state of grace, yet he is not freed from Apostacy in the degrees of grace. He may fall sinfully, though he cannot fall finally. Demas fell by one, St. Peter by the other. Pray with David. Psalms 17:5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that, &c.
Eighthly, Make the Word of God your rule in all things: be sure you have a Scripture warrant for all your practises; but especially keep close to Scripture in matters of Gods worship.
There are endless discourses about the Mode of Gods worship; I have no disputing time. It is good in difficult cases, always to take the surest side: (for instance) if I follow the traditions of man for the worship of God, I may; but if I keep close to the directions of God in the Scripture, I am sure I cannot sin; for this is the sure word of Prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, therefore in such a doubtful case, Gods will is, that we take the surest side: go to the Law and to the Testimony: labour to be fruitful and grounded Christians.
Ninthly, keep up the power of Godliness, do not let Religion down into a lifeless formality: The righteous shall flourish like a Palm-tree: He shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon, those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God, Psalms 92:12-13. My Brethren, it is as much a duty in them that have grace, to improve it, as for them that have no grace to get it. If you sit under the daily means, the daily waterings of God, and do not grow, do you think this will be peace in the latter end? surely no, (my Brethren) your fruitfulness under the Gospel is of very great concernment. It's unfruitfulness that makes God lay his Vineyard waste. It's fruitfulness that procures the forwarding of your account in the day of grace.
Tenthly, observe that excellent rule of the Apostle, Php_4:8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any vertue, and if there any praise, think on these things. And now, my Brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of God, that is infinitely able to make you wise to salvation, with this Benediction which I shall make my Valediction, Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.