Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

But,¹ Thirdly, Ministers are to bring the Message of Peace to a People. The great Errand that a Minister of the Gospel comes about, it is to bring Peace; it is to be a Messenger of Peace unto you: And indeed, the Ministry of the Gospel, doth many times bring outward Peace unto a People. When was there ever a Kingdom upon the Face of the Earth, that hath had longer continuance of outward Peace, than England hath had? And the Reason why our outward Peace is taken from the Kingdom for the present, it is because the Ministry of ⟨p. 143⟩the Gospel hath been Rejected; and the Sword comes to Avenge the Covenant of the Lord, it comes to Avenge the Rejection of the Gospel of Peace; and if we reject the Gospel of peace, God saith, we shall not have outward peace for our State: If we will not embrace peace for our Souls, we shall not have outward peace for our Bodies. But though the Ministry of the Word bring you outward peace many times, yet the main thing it is to bring is Spiritual peace, Peace be to you. As if the Apostles should say, We are come unto you from the Great God of gods, to be the Ambassadors of peace for your Souls, to Preach unto you the Doctrine of Peace between God and you: This is the great Errand that we come about; Peace be to you. And saith the Apostle, To us is committed the Word of Reconciliation: That's the great thing that is committed to Ministers to Preach to a People, the Word of Peace. The Work that they are sent about, it is to Treat between God and man, upon Terms of peace: It is, I say, to Treat with your Souls for peace, that you might come to have peace with God, that a Blessed peace might be made between God and you: This is the great Errand that they come about, and whatsoever they Preach to you else, if it be to show you what your miserable Condition is; yet it is in order to this still, To bring peace to your Souls. And indeed, all Faithful Ministers are careful of this, to show at the very first, what their Scope is; it is to bring them to Life and Salvation: (But that in the next point:) But this certainly ought to be their Scope, whatsoever is Preached, it must Aim at the great Treaty between God and their Souls for Reconciliation. Our Scope, when we come to Preach unto you, it is not so much to Civilise you to inveigh against Notorious crying Sins, Drunkards, and ⟨p. 144⟩Whore-Masters, and Thieves, and Blasphemers;