the contrary of it I argue thus If the Devil and horrour of Conscience be so dreadful then certainly inward peace of Conscience flowing from Christ must needs be very sweet to have Conscience vex and trouble it is as it 's well called a sharp fury Spira he had that inward horrour of Soul when he had sinned that he died with the fear and terrour of Hell in his Soul he thought Judgment less than that Now if the sting of Conscience be so bitter then the peace of Conscience must needs be sweet Hath God set thy Soul which was once like a troublesom Sea now to be calm and peaceable Oh! then sound thy Harp and Viol Admire this God sing forth praises and acclamations unto Christ this blessed Prince of Peace Lastly If Christ hath spoken peace if he hath dropt this blessed peace into your Souls then let me beseech you that you would be careful not to lose this Jewel Labour to preserve this peace in your Souls preserve your peace as you would preserve your lives And to that end First If you would preserve your peace take heed of Relapses they are dangerous Do not tamper any more with sin Dare not to feed sin in a corner Sin is the peace-breaker Psal. 85.8 The Lord will speak peace to his people But what follows but let them not return again to folly Let not them return again to their sins any more There is a great deal of folly in our relapsing from a strict and holy life Secondly Would you preserve this Jewel in your bosoms this blessed peace then make up your Accounts with God daily Often reckoning keeps God and Conscience friends Psal. 4.4 Commune with your own hearts that is call your selves to an account and make up your account make them even see how things stand betwixt God and your Souls observe your Affections whether they are lively examine your Evidences and see if there be no decay in your graces no loss of first love Oh! keep the Reckoning even betwixt God and you that 's the way to keep your peace Thirdly Walk closely with God every day Live as under the continual Inspection of Gods Omniscient Eye Live holily Peace and purity they go together The way to preserve our peace it is to preserve our Integrity Oh! keep your constant hours every day with God Turn your Closets into Temples Search the Scriptures The two Testaments are the two Lips by which God hath spoken to us Love the Word Love Prayer Love the Sabbath Psal. 119. v. 165. Great peace have they that love thy Law. Thus you may sweetly enjoy your selves and this Jewel of peace will be preserved in your bosoms SERMON IV. Psalm 2.12 Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little Blessed are all they that put their trust in him HOly David in the beginning of this Psalm shews us how all the powers and gallantry of the world do rage and confederate against the Lord and his anointed that is Christ verse 2. Rulers take counsel against the Lord and his Anointed That power which he did put into their hands they do imploy against him but their attempt is in vain In the first verse The people imagine a vain thing as if the holy Psalmist had said The Lord will have a Church in spite of Earth and Hell Matth. 16.18 The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it that is neither the Power of Hell nor the Policy of Hell shall prevail against his Church Neither the Serpents subtilty nor yet the Dragons fierceness shall prevail against it We read that the Ship in the Gospel was tossed on the Waves but was not overwhelmed The Ship was tossed because sin was in it but not overwhelmed because Christ was in it Christ is in the Ship of his Church and the more opposition is made against the Church of God the more it encreases It grows by opposition Exod. 1.12 The more they were afflicted the more they multiplied saith Chrysostom It is just like the Torch the more 't is beaten the more it flames Religion is that Phoenix that is always flourishing in the Ashes of Martyrs Therefore let the great ones conspire and take counsel against the Lord and his Christ they do imagine a vain thing In the 4th verse we read that when the wicked sit plotting God he smiles at them He that sits in the Heavens shall laugh at them God laughs to see mens folly to see poor weak Clay go to take head and to strive with the Potter But let the wicked remember that God is never more angry with them than when he laughs He will speak to 'em in a fair Language as you may read in verse 5. After his laughing then he shall speak to them in his wrath And what doth he say verse 6. Yet have I set my King upon my holy Hill of Zion In spite of all the powers of darkness Jesus Christ shall have a Throne to sit upon among his People And the Crown shall flourish upon his head I have set my King that is I have anointed Christ to be King and poured on him the Ointment of grace and gladness I will have my Son to reign and such as will not bow to his golden Scepter shall be broken with his Iron Rod verse 9. Then after this the Psalmist makes the Inference Before he had been making the Doctrine to Kings and great ones of the world and now he makes the Use in verse 10. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings Be instructed ye Iudges of the Earth Serve the Lord with fear As if he had said Come at last to your wits don't stand out any longer in contest with God and his Son Jesus Christ but rather bow to him throw your Crowns at his feet make your peace with him Serve the Lord with fear so the Text ushers in And it is a part of the good counsel the Holy Ghost gives Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way Kissing of the Son it denotes two things First Adoration It was an antient custom to kiss the Son when they admired Iob 31.27 So Ierom and others read the word Admire the Son. Adoration it is a Crown Jewel proper to Christ and to his Crown Admire the Son that 's the first Secondly Kissing the Son it denotes subjection So we find 1 Sam. 10.1 Samuel kissed Saul when he anointed him King He kissed him in token of homage and subjection to him So that 's the meaning of the Text Kiss the Son that is admire him The Text falls into these two parts First Here 's a duty Kiss the Son. Secondly The reason of it and that is very cogent lest he be angry So here are two Propositions do result from the words I shall only speak to the first and draw in the other in the Application Doct. 1. Iesus Christ is the Son of God. Doct. 2. It is a
sometimes sickness sometimes prosperity and sometimes adversity Here is change of weather sometimes we see the White Lilly of Peace sometimes again the Red Rose of a Bloody War appears Here is change of weather 3. Life it is a day for Labour The day it is the time for working Psal. 104.23 The Sun riseth and man goeth forth to his work Death is a sleeping time for the body Life is a working time a Christian hath no time to lie fallow Phil. 2.12 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling Work while it is day Iohn 9.4 Still there is some work to do either some sin to mortifie or some grace to exercise 4. And lastly If a day be once past you can never call that day again so when once this day of life is past and gone you cannot call it back Use Briefly 1. The thoughts of this that our lives is but a day may serve to cool the intemperate heat of our affection to earthly things we should not be much raised in the enjoyment of them nor much dejected in the want of them These under moon comforts they are not to be with us long only a few days Nay it is but a day Why then should we be too much taken with them Our life being so transient made up of a few flying Minutes it should much abate our affections to all things under the Sun. Abraham I read of him that he bought the possession of a burying place Gen. 49. v. 30. The longest possession we have here on Earth it is the possession of a burying place So much for the first particular a description of Life it is not measured by years but days nay it is shorter it is but a day 2. The second thing in the Text is the determination of Man's Life in these words My appointed time the days of my appointed time The Hebrew hath a double signification 1. It signifies the days of my Warfare to militate the days of my warfare Hence note this That a Christians Life here on Earth it is no other than a warfare 1 Tim. 1,18 That thou mayest war a good warfare It is not an easie life a life of sloth and pleasure it is a warfare all the days of my warfare A Christians Life it is a warfare in three respects 1. In respect of Hardship 2. Watchfulness 3. Combate First In respect of Hardships a Souldier he doth endure much hardship he hath not his soft bed nor his dainty fare but goes thorough many a tedious March such is a Christian's life 2 Tim. 2.3 Thou therefore indure hardship as a good Souldier of Iesus Christ. We must not be as Tertullian saith silken Christians but expect to wrestle with difficulties Secondly A Christians life is a warfare in respect of Watchfulness We must stand Sentinel and be ever upon our Guard. The Souldier gets up into the Watch-tower sends out his Scouts lest the Enemy should surprize him It was Christs watch-word Mark 13.37 I say unto you all Watch. A subtle Heart needs a watchful Eye Watch lest sin doth decoy you lest Satâ—n falls upon you when you are asleep on your Guard when you have been praying against sin then you must watch against temptation Thirdly A Christians life it is a warfare for Combate We all of us come into the world as into Field-battle we stand just as the Jews did Nehem. 4.17 Every one with one of his hands wrought in the work and in the other hand held a weapon Just such is our Military posture working and fighting in order to this holy warfare we must get our Spiritual Armour ready the Breastplate of Holiness which can never be shot thorow and having got this Armour and the Shield of Faith in our hands we must now give battle to our Spiritual Enemies 2 Tim. 4.7 I have fought the good fight of Faith yea and we must maintain a Combate with the flesh and that for an Enemy Satan To encourage us in this Warfare consider but these two things First We have a good Captain Jesus Christ he is called the Captain of our Salvation Heb. 2.10 Christ not only leads us in our march and gives us skill to fight but he gives us strength also A Captain he may give his Souldiers Armour but he cannot give them strength to fight but Christ doth Isa. 41.10 I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee Secondly To encourage us in this warfare against Sin and Satan having overcome our Ghostly Enemy then we shall have a glorious Recompence of Reward Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 A Crown it is not fit for every one a Crown it is not fit for every head only Princes Kings persons of Renown After our Combate with Sin and Satan God will call us out of the Field where the Bullets of Temptation did flie so fast and will give us a victorious Crown then no more Battle but there shall be Musick not the Drum and the Cannon but the Viol and the Harp shall sound Rev. 14.2 Use 2. Is Life a Warfare how unworthy and blameable are they who have no Spiritual Artillery nor do make out against their Spiritual Enemies they spend their time in dressing themselves but do not put on their holy Armour And rejoyce in the sound of the Organ They spend their days in mirth as if their lives were rather for Musick than for Battle I have read of one he would have no mans name written upon his Tomb but he who died manfully in War. God writes no mans name in the Book of Life but such as die in this holy War die in Battle fighting this good fight of Faith. Secondly Let us consider this word in the Text in the other signification The days of my appointed time my appointed time Hence observe this Doct. That God hath prefixt the just time and period of every mans Life Iob 14.5 His days are determined thou hast appointed the bounds that he cannot pass God who numbers ours hairs numbers our days He hath entred down in his Decree how long our lives shall last and we shall not live one hour nor minute beyond the time prefixt Therefore do not say If such a casualty had not happened such a friend had not died so soon Obj. But is it not said in Eccles. 7.16 Be not over-much wicked why shouldest thou die before thy time Ans. There is a general time of life and there is a limited time of life There is a general time in regard of the course of Nature and there is a limited time in regard of Gods Decree how long such a person shall live Now a man that dies young or dies a violent death he dies before his time in regard of the course of Nature but he doth not die before the time that God hath limited and appointed Use 1. First Use is to admonish us all to beware of adjourning and putting off our Repentance Our days they are certain to God
then what doth Gods Love do If there be any comfort as you have heard whilst God is afflicting us what comfort is there while he is embracing us If there be any comfort in the Valley of Tears what is there then in Paradice There is the Bed of Spices and the River of Pleasures If God can make a Prison sweet what then is Heaven If afflicting mercy be so great what is crowning mercy Did God make one of the Martyrs flames a Bed of Roses why then how sweet is it to lie in Christs bosom the Bed of Perfume The second Use is of Exhortation Use 2. If Gods Rod hath so much comfort in it to the godly then be not too much dejected and cast down in Affliction If you meet with losses if you meet with Pyrats at Sea and Hornets at Land you see God can turn all these to good Thy Rod comforts me Therefore be not too much cast down Tho' we are not to pray for Affliction for it is in it self penal neither must we despond under Affliction Oh saith one if God did love me he would not have dealt thus severely with me he hath bereaved me of such and such a dear comfort which is like plucking a Limb from the body But Christian consider that which thou callest a dear comfort that God hath taken away perhaps it was an Idol it may be thou lovedst it more than thou didst God and if thou hadst not lost this comfort thou mightest have lost thy Soul and Heaven too why then hath God in taking away this comfort done thee any wrong there is mercy in all this Maist not thou say at last Thy Rod comforts me The third Use of Tryal Use 3. Let us examine whether we have had any Honey out of the Lion any comfort out of Affliction Hath the Rod of God upon us blossomed and brought forth Almonds It 's certain we have met with Affliction in one kind or other but what benefit have we got by Affliction what advantage for our Souls Can we say indeed as David Lord thy Rod comforts me Can we say We have met with such and such a sore Tryal and it hath brought us nearer to God and weaned us from the world it hath conquered our Pride and tamed our Covetousness When Gods Rod upon us fetches Water of tears and makes us weep bitterly for our sin then it is a good Rod. In short If Gods Rod hath made us better it hath made us Reform and break off iniquity when we can say with Ephraim Hosea 14.8 What have I to do with Idols To conclude all Let it be our daily prayer to God that we may find some comfort in Affliction some Honey mingled with our Gall. David speaks of comfort in Affliction Psal. 119.50 This is my comfort in Affliction Affliction it is not joyous but grievous Oh but when the Lord doth bless and sanctifie it to us now it brings comfort with it Let us pray that we may hear the voice of the Rod and kiss the Rod and bless the hand that holds it Let 's pray unto God that we may see his hand in every Affliction and wherefore God contends with us that we may turn to him that smites and say as David doth here in the Text Oh Lord thy Rod and thy Staff they comfort me SERMON III. John 16 33. These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world THESE words were spoken by our blessed Saviour not long before his suffering The Chapters foregoing are full of spiritual sweetness This blessed Sun of Righteousness did it seems shine more glorious and bright a little before his setting Our Saviour Christ he was now about to leave the world and go to his Father and therefore having endeavoured to comfort the hearts of his Apostles and Disciples he knew they would be sorrowful therefore the more he endeavours to comfort them and this is the great Cordial he gives them before his death These things have I spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace Christ foretold that Sufferings would befal his Apostles and Disciples In the world saith he ye shall have tribulation the Greek word for tribulation it is a metaphor that alludes to Grapes that are squeezed in the Wine press till the blood of the Grapes comes out So saith Christ In the world ye shall have tribulation You shall be put into the Wine-press and perhaps the blood of the Grape may be prest out Tribulation it is the Saints Diet-drink it is bitter but it is wholesom All that God doth in afflicting his Children it is but to make them better and to try them and make them white Dan. 10. v. 12. Is it not far better to swim thorow the main River the Red Sea of Affliction to Heaven than to swim thorow the perfumed Joys and Pleasures to Hell and Damnation In the world saith Christ you must look for ye shall have tribulation But Christ having told of this bitter Pill he gives them some Sugar of comfort to sweeten it and make it go down the better In these words of the Text These things I have told you that in me ye might have peace First Here is the dark side of the Cloud tribulation Secondly The bright side of the Cloud that in me ye might have peace Doct. That the Lord Iesus Christ who is our Peace-maker gives his sweet peace to all his people that in me ye might have peace That peace meant here in the Text it is spiritual and sacred it is the immediate fruit and product of our Justification Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God. This spiritual peace the Lord Jesus procures by his Blood conveys by his Spirit maintains by his Intercession First This peace Christ doth purchase and procure by his Blood it swims to us in the Blood of Christ the Justice of God being wronged by us Jesus Christ laid down his life as a price that he paid for our peace it is his blood that doth cement us and reconcile us to God the Father as it is in Col. 1.20 Having made peace thorow the Blood of Iesus Secondly Christ conveys this blessed peace by his Spirit he doth procure it by his Merit and he doth convey it by his Spirit Iohn 16.7 The Lord Jesus left this peace to us as a Legacy And the Spirit it is Christs Executor to see that his Will be made good and that we should have â—his peace And now God being at peace with us thorow Christ Conscience that 's at peace too If the Heavens be quiet and serene and no tempest there nor wind blowing then the Sea is calm So if the great God be but at peace with us and there is no tempest in his face then Conscience that is quiet and all is calm Thirdly As Christ doth procure this blessed peace by his Blood
and doth convey it by his Spirit So thirdly He doth maintain this peace by his daily Intercession What Saint alive doth not sometimes offend God and cause the fury of his anger to rise up in his face Now when the case is thus that we offend God and are ready to break his peace then Jesus Christ he stands up as an Intercessor and he speaks to God the Father on our behalf and it is his request that God would lay aside his anger and that he would smile upon his people again and therefore in Scripture Christ is called our Atonement to make peace and he is called our Advocate to purchase peace When we break our peace Christ he pleads our cause and makes up this peace again by his Intercession 1 Iohn c. 3. v. 7. To make some Application of this Use 1. First By way of Inference See then here to what Coast we must trade for this Pearl whither we must go for this spiritual peace that is our consolation in life and death Go to Christ for it That in me ye might have peace Saith Cyprian peace it is in Christ as sap is in the Root of the Vine as water is in the Spring That in meâ— ye might have peace saith Christ. This blessed peace that Christ gives it 's worth going to him for it is superiour to all other peace Peace in a Kingdom it is very desirable peace it is every ones Vote Peace it is the very quintessence of earthly blessings To sit quietly under our Vines and Figg-trees surely better a great deal better is the sounding of the Lute and Viol than the roaring of the Cannon See what a sweet promise God makes Isa. 2.4 He will break their Swords into Plowshares all shall be peace But what is this peace to the peace Christ gives to his People that is sacred This peace our Saviour gives it hath these two properties or these two qualifications to name no more First It is an Emboldening peace Secondly It is a Lasting peace First It is an Emboldening peace Friends that are at peace they use a kind of freedom and boldness one with another So we having peace thorow Christs Blood conveyed by his Spirit may be bold to make use of Gods Promises There is never a Promise in the Bible but a Believer may pluck a Leaf from and be at peace with God thorow Christ. We may now use a holy boldness in prayer We may come to God as Children to their Father Heb. 4.16 Let us come with boldness to the Throne of Grace God is our Father and he being at peace with us he will not deny any thing that may conduce to our real good This may make us come with boldness to the mercy Seat That 's the first It is an Emboldening peace Secondly Christs peace that he gives as it is an Emboldening peace so it is a Lasting peace Here is a peace that will hold For all Earthly peace to speak properly it is rather a truce than a peace a truce that is but for a small time and it ends Yea but this peace that Christ gives it is for ever Once in Christ and ever in Christ. Once justified and ever justified Here is a Lasting peace Isa. 54.10 The Covenant of my peace shall not be moved saith the Lord. The peace of a Believer it is but begun here in this life it is perfected in the Kingdom of Heaven Isa. 57.2 He shall enter into peace Here is a godly mans priviledge when he dies he dies in peace and as soon as ever he is dead he enters into peace he shall enter into peace that is he shall go to the Ierusalem above that City of peace Here the Saints peace it is but begun it is but in the seed there it shall be in the Flower Here it is but in its infancy there it shall be in its full growth That 's the first see to what Coast you must trade for this peace Go to Christ for it That in me ye might have peace Use 2. See what a sad condition all wicked men are in that live and die in their sins They have nothing to do with peace What! Shall they have peace that make War with Heaven persecute Christ in his Members Shall they have peace that deride and grieve the Spirit of God whose very Office it is to drop peace into the Conscience What a sinner to have peace 2 Kings 9.22 What peace so long as the Whoredoms of thy Mother Jezabel and her Witchcrafts are so many A wicked man is a worker of iniquity As a man works at his shop so he works at the trade of sin and what hath he to do with peace and how deplorable is his case What if a Foreign Enemy should come sinners would be in a storm and have no where to put in for Harbour It is a very sad thing to be in Sauls condition the Philistines upon him and God departed It is a very sad thing to have fightings without and fears within to have the Bullets shooting against the Ship and the Ship leaking within Isa. 57.21 There is no peace to the wicked saith my God And if God saith it he knows it to be true The wicked perhaps they may delude themselves and presume that though they go on in sin yet they shall have peace but to undeceive them turn to that one Scripture Deut. 29.19 And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesses himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart Verse 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Iealousie shall smoke against that man. One may as well think to suck health out of Poison as to suck peace out of Sin. Sinners they may be quiet or rather secure for the present but as 2 Sam. 26. it will be bitterness in the latter end Guilt will sooner or later raise a storm saith Chrysostom Sin will conjure up the Winds and Storms into the Conscience I have sometimes thought it is with sin as it is with poison there are some sorts of poison that will lie a great while in the body and not work but at last it does wring and torture the bowels a fit resemblance of sin Men they drink this poison and they may be quiet a while but at last especially at death then it begins to work and then the poison begins to touch the Conscience The great God of Heaven and Earth hath set up his Standard and proclaimed open War against every impenitent sinner and it will not be long if men go on in sin before Gods Cannon Bullets will begin to flie Gods wrath may seem to be like a sleeping Lion but this Lion will awake and roar and tear his prey I will say but this I confess God may bear long with wicked men let them alone he may bear long with them in respect of punishment when
he doth not remit the sin but it will be sad with the sinner at last a sad hour at death the Body and Soul must part and Christ and the Soul must part There is no peace to the wicked saith my God. Can they have peace that strike against the Crown and Dignity of Heaven and make War with Christ and God and Heaven A second Use is of Tryal Use 2. Let us then search and examine Have we this secret and sweet peace in our Souls flowing from the Lord Jesus You may know it these three ways and they are three sure Notes that will never fail First Such as have Christs peace in their Souls they are ingrafted into Christ they are one with Christ. Mark the words of the Text In me peace First we must be in Christ before we can have peace from Christ in me Then peace The Graft or Scien must first be inoculated into the Tree before it receives sap and influence from the Tree We must by faith be inoculated into Christ before we can receive of his fulness The wicked they may presume to have peace and that they shall have peace and yet they are not acquainted with Christ. Do they think ever to have an Interest in Christs peace that have no Interest in Christs person it cannot be A Christless Soul hath no more to do to lay claim to Christs peace than a Woman hath to do to lay claim to a Mans Estate that was never married to him In me saith Christ First in Christ and then you shall have peace from Christ sacred peace it is a Legacy that Christ bequeaths he gives this Legacy not to strangers but to his friends such as are united to him First the Pipe must be laid to the Spring before it receives Water from the Spring so we must first by faith be united to Christ laid to this Spring by faith before we can receive the sweet influences of peace from him That 's the first Secondly Where ever Christ gives peace to any Soul there he always sets up his governing Scepter to bear sway in that Soul. A pregnant Scripture for this Isa. 9.7 Of his Government and Peace shall be no end First there must be Christs Government set up in the Soul before there is peace Whenever the Lord Jesus comes with an Olive branch of peace in his mouth he always comes with a Scepter in his hand A parallel Scripture for this Zech. 6.13 It is a promise of Christ He shall Sit and Rule and he shall be a Priest upon the Throne Observe Christ as a Priest he makes peace but he will be a Priest upon the Throne that is he will bring the heart where he gives peace into a full subjection to his Laws he will be a Priest upon his Throne Now let us examine Have we given subjection to Christ Jesus do we submit to his blessed Laws does Christ Sit and Rule in our hearts as a Priest upon his Throne then all is well There are many people would have Christ to speak peace to them but they will not suffer him to bear Rule they would have his Olive branch but they will not endure his Scepter Thirdly If Christ hath given us this blessed peace then we shall know it thus then he hath made us to be of a meek quiet and peaceable disposition Where ever Christ doth give his peace he makes the heart to be peaceable Isa. 11.6 The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid that is after grace is brought into a mans heart and Christ hath given him peace this man becomes of a peaceable and quiet disposition Now the Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb the fierceness of the Wolf shall be turned into the meekness of the Lamb. It was a saying of Bernard that good man he was a man of a peaceable spirit and at any time when some fell out with him saith he I will be at peace with you though you go on in trouble Such turbulent spirits that are troublers of the common peace they are like the Salamander that lives in the fire of Broyls and of Contention and they love to live in this fire Surely where Christ gives this peace it makes men of a peaceable spirit it turns the Brier into a Mirtle Tree So by this we may know whether Christ hath given us this peace or no. Third Vse is Hereditary And here I will turn my self to such as are acquainted with Christ and this blessed Peace First Have you this blessed peace from Christ then be not over-much troubled about the afflictions and incumbrances that are incident to this present life It is true our lives they are full of vicissitudes and troubles it will be so He that doth not expect some trouble must go out of the world Fear and grief are the two constant companions of Mans Life You may as well separate weight from Lead or moistness from the Air as trouble from the Life of Man. Doth not the Text say In the world you shall have tribulation But here is that which may sweeten the troubles of Gods People Christ gives peace Here is an Antidote against your fears and troubles and none like a Scripture Antidote That in me saith Christ ye might have peace This is a glorious peace indeed it is a peace that will hold out in a Storm and Tempest it turns a Prison into a Paradice it turns our Mourning into Musick it turns our Sighs into Songs and Triumphs As that holy man dated his Letter thus Written from the pleasant Garden of the Lion Prison David he had Christ prepared and therefore let the times be never so stormy he would lie down in peace Psal. 4.8 I will lay me down in peace It was a very tempestuous time David was flying from his Son Absolom Now saith David I will lay me down in peace I will take a nap and sleep sweetly upon this good Pillow of Conscience I will sleep in peace David he was in danger of losing two Jewels at once but there is a third Jewel he could not lose and that was a good Conscience I read of one that had a precious Stone and it was of that brightness that it made it be like the Ark when it was tossing upon the Water Let me allude to it If Jesus Christ hath given us this peace this will give light to the Soul when the Clouds do gather and thou art tossing upon the Waters of Affliction Secondly If Christ hath given thee a well grounded peace oh be thankful for this great gift No Rhetorick no Tongue of Angels can set it forth in all its glory Peace of Soul it makes a harmony in a Christian Though there be never so many discouragements in the world yet he enjoys a harmony in his own Soul. This inward peace it is the best still Musick That you may be thankful for this peace consider how sad it is to want this peace because this is