Fourthly, be careful to preserve your inward peace, 1your peace with God, and your own conscience: If vapours be not got into the earth, and stir not there, they are not all the storms and tempests abroad that can make an earthquake; but if vapours be within, and work there, an earthquake is caused: so where there is peace within, all troubles and oppositions without, cannot shake the heart; but if there be no peace within, every little thing troubles the spirit: terrors without, and terrors within, both are very hard, Be not thou a terror to me, O Lord, says Jeremiah, chap. 17. 17. for thou art my hope in the day of evil. I care not though all the world be a terror to me, so be it thou beest not a terror; if I have peace with thee, it is enough, what ever evil befall me: Oh therefore maintain, and keep this peace above all, it is no matter whether you have peace or no with the ⟨p. 76⟩world, so be it you have the peace of the Gospel in your hearts: it is one special part of that spiritual armoury we read of, Ephes. 6. to be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace: that is, that blessed peace of the Gospel, which is a strong preparation to endure any troubles or afflictions that Christians meet withal: the reason of that phrase to be shod, is this, because we are to go amongst briars and thorns, in our way to Heaven; we are to meet with many hard things we are to pass through, therefore we had need be well shod; if a man be not so, he will be as one that goes upon sharp flints bare-foot, or amongst thorns, or bushes, so that the blood trickles down his feet every step he takes, surely such a man cannot hold out long; thus it is with the soul that is not fenced with the Gospel of peace: Be careful in nothing, let not your spirits be divided (for so is the word) Phil. 4. 6, 7. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds; the word is, shall guard your hearts: 2afflictions and troubles are as enemies, compassing us about, but the peace of God guards our hearts from the evil of them: this enables Gods children, though not in the letter, yet in some sort to tread upon the Adder and Asp, to shake off Vipers, and receive no hurt. Having peace with God, we glory 3in tribulations; we are not only patient under them, but we glory in them;
Fourthly, be careful to preserve your inward peace, 1your peace with God, and your own conscience: If vapours be not got into the earth, and stir not there, they are not all the storms and tempests abroad that can make an earthquake; but if vapours be within, and work there, an earthquake is caused: so where there is peace within, all troubles and oppositions without, cannot shake the heart; but if there be no peace within, every little thing troubles the spirit: terrours without, and terrours within, both are very hard, Be not thou a terrour to me, O Lord, says Jeremy, chap. 17. 17. for thou art my hope in the day of evil. I care not though all the world be a terrour to me, so be it thou beest not a terrour; if I have peace with thee, it is enough, what ever evil befal me: Oh therefore maintain, and keep this peace above all, it is no matter whether you have peace or no with the ⟨p. 76⟩world, so be it you have the peace of the Gospel in your hearts: it is one special part of that spiritual armory we read of, Ephes. 6. to be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace: that is, that blessed peace of the Gospel, which is a strong preparation to endure any troubles or afflictions that Christians meet withal: the reason of that phrase to be shod, is this, because we are to go amongst briars and thorns, in our way to Heaven; we are to meet with many hard things we are to pass through, therefore we had need be well shod; if a man be not so, he will be as one that goes upon sharp flints bare-foot, or a mongst thorns, or bushes, so that the blood tricles down his feet every step he takes, surely such a man cannot hold out long; thus it is with the soul that is not fenced with the Gospel of peace: Be careful in nothing, let not your spirits be divided (for so is the word) Phil. 4. 6, 7. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mindes; the word is, shall guard your hearts: 2afflictions and troubles are as enemies, compassing us about, but the peace of God guards our hearts from the evil of them: this enables Gods children, though not in the letter, yet in some sort to tread upon the Adder and Asp, to shake off Vipers, and receive no hurt. Having peace with God, we glory 3in tribulations; we are not onely patient under them, but we glory in them;
- 14.
- 2[Greek or Hebrew]〈non-Latin alphabet〉
- 3Rom. 5. 1, 2, 3.
