Exhortation to three sorts of persons First To such as have this Grace and Peace Secondly To such as have this Grace and no Peace Thirdly To such as have neither Grace nor Peace First To such as have both Grace and Peace I 'le speak to them in two or three things First Admire thankfully the Father and the Son the Fathers Grace and the Sons Love for both had a hand in this therefore blesse 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 fruit of Christs Redemption and Intercession How can you think of Hell and damnation and see your self freed from it And how can you think of the dreadfull fury and vengeance of God your self not under it How can you look on your state changed your hearts renued grace ratified and reconciled and your Conscience quietted 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 the grace and mercy that is given to us is by Christ purchased for us Grace and Peace are the fruits of the redeeming blood of Christ purchased Secondly Do not envy the conditions or 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 happinesse There is a story of a Romane that was condemned by the Court Martial to dye for breaking his rank to steal a bunch a grapes and as he was going to his Execution his fellow Souldiers laughed at him and others envyed at him that he should have grapes and they none Now sayes 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 dont envy at the men of the world at their Riches 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 are Death Thirdly Don't complain of the worst condition that the providence of God shall cast you into in this world it may be 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 alwayes and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4.4 The second Use is to such as have neither Grace nor Peace May I not say I speak to many such I would I might not Are not there 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 gracelesse condition if you love your Souls don't live one day nor one hour nor one moment longer in a gracelesse state Oh that you would believe the words of a dying man for so I am to you and such words use to be remembred Oh remember this as a testimony I leave with you that the love of Sin and lack of Grace will run 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 you can never have true peace with God when we content our selves with false peace you will never seek that peace which Christ has purchased for you while you content your selves with that cursed peace which the Old Man has 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 righteousnesse 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 s a featfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Oh be convinced of thy nakednesse without Christs righteousnesse and thy emptinesse without his fullnesse Thirdly Labour to go out of your selves to Christ for grace and peace surely in the Lord shall one say I have righteousnesse and strength I there it s to be found Labour for a thirsty frame of Soul for the promises run farr to such that he will fill the hungry with good things Go to Christ soul begg 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 our of Christ but there is a pardon for the greatest sin in Christ one sin will 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 lidds 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 Thirdly To such as have grace but no sense of peace this is the counsell 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 businesse the main design of your lives be Christians to purpose be not only Christians by the bye but let your conversations be as becometh the Gospel of Christ Phil. 1.27 Secondly Put forth renewed Acts of Faith on Christ every day and remember it s as much your duty to believe in Christ to day as if you had never believed before Oh 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 happinesse of a Child is in communion with his Father and the happinesse of a Wife is in communion with her Husband and this is the happinesse of a Believers soul communion with God the Father through Christ our Head and Husband The seed of peace its true it is sown in the Soul in Union but then if 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 satifies all doubts and recompences all wants Lo this is
THE PASTORS VALEDICTION OR A Farewell Sermon PREACHED AT SEPULCHRES LONDON By Mr. MATTHEW MEADE LONDON Printed in the Year 1662. To the READER Christian Reader I Shall not need to use any Epistolary Commendations of the Author if ever any Preacher had both Urim and Thummim the one in his Word the other in his Example unreprovable in his Doctrine and unblamable in his Life then this Excellent Divine Mr. Matth. Meade is the man whose ensuing Notes being this Preachers last Valediction to his Congregation a little before his Civil though Voluntary Death are here presented to thy view But it may be God withdraws his excellent Servants from his People to admit them nearer to himself that they may have none in Heaven but himself and none in Earth beside him The ensuing Sermon was taken by the carefull hand of a ready Writer a very good Friend of the Reverend Authors to prevent Abuse by Imperfect Copies which we hear are comming forth and made Publick We shall not mention the vast Difference betwixt Hearing and Reading or the Power lost in Printing which words had in Delivering neither how neatly they might have been Clothed by the Author All that we shall say is thou hast them in such a dresse as they were clad with in their first delivery and be they Read with as good Affection as they were Preached Heard and through the Spirits Assistance will not prove a dead Letter Farewell N. D. The Pastors Valediction BEING The Farewell Sermon of Mr. Matthew Meade late of Sepulchers LONDON 1 COR. 1.3 Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ 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 like wise as in Eph. 6. ver ult The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit So in the 2d of the Thessalonians the last verse of the last Chapter The grace of our Lord Christ be with you all So that I finding the Apostle to use it frequently at the beginning and ending 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 farewell to you in the ending and therefore Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and 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 this Scipture came to my thoughts and opening the Booke 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 Gerisim and his mouth filled with blessing for what greater blessing can a man wish then 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 generalls 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 beggs 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 nor Peace from the Son without Grace but both Grace and Peace are from God the Father through the Lord Christ The Order of the words is worth noting 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 nor 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 saith Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ both are manifest as a Golden Chain linked together not Grace without Peace nor Peace without Grace but both conjoyned together to cram the Believers Soul with Grace and Peace Now from the Order of the words we might raise severall 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 this 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 any thing from the Text by way of Observation we will speak to the termes by way of Explication Grace be to 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 the rayes 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 finds 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 Communiors with Angels eats Angels food and share in Angels blessings Grace is the substance of the Scripture the end of the Law the fulnesse of the Gospel Gregory calls it the Heart and Soul of God I am sure Grace is the Heart and Soul of the Word it s a little word but if comprehends all good here is more then Homers Iliads in a Nut-shell it s the Epitome of all the good in Heaven and Earth name any word that signifies good to the Soul here or hereafter but if 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
will give you the Other Spring of peace for they go both together If he gives you the dew of heaven you need not question the fatnesse 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 has 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 distant peace flowing from each of these but still its grace and peace First justifying grace has a peace attending that Rom. 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 then between conscience and the cure so there can be no sweeter peace then when mercy and peace meet together and when conscience and peace kisseth each other The former is the tast 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 righteousnesse of God in him Secondly Sanctifying grace has 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 flowes 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 Gal. 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 post 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 pence 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 the 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 s said He shall enter into peace that is the righteous In the last verse There is no peace to the wicked It s the state of grace that 's the only hate of peace And thus I passe 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 Answer It s a known rule that the transient external works of God are Attributed to all the 3. Persons in the Trinity the same works that are Attributed to the Father are also attributed to the Son and the same works attributed to the Son is ascribed also to the Father so grace and peace are here ascribed both to God the Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ that is they are both from mercy and from merit From mercy on Gods part to us from merits 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 and Christ works them in us God gives grace and 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 First that grace and peace are the Believers priviledge Secondly that the fountain of this grace and peace is from God the Father Thirdly that it is not given out from God the Father but through Christ First that grace and peace are the Saints priviledge If grace is then peace is But grace is the priviledge 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 priviledge 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 take grace for the fruit of Gods love to the soul still it falls to the Believers priviledge Vocation Justification Adoption prudence of Sin purging from Sins strength against Sin Holynesse Love Faith Obedience Perseverence all these are the priviledges of every Believer nay a man cannot be a Believer without any one of them they are as essentiall to the being of a Christian as reason to the being of a man Secondly as grace so peace is the Believers priviledge There is peace External peace Supernal peace Internal and peace Eternal There is peace External this is 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 upon Earth and then there 's 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 sayes 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 John 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
's a peace of Christ's bestowing Now Christ would have us here not to mistake the world's peace for his for the difference is very great for first the worlds peace is a false peace it is a counterfeit coyn it han't the currant stamp of Heaven on it but the peace that Christ gives to a Believer is true peace and perfect peace Thou wilt keep in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee Secondly the Worlds peace is an outward peace It is but skin deep it wets the mouth it cannot wash the heart Prov. 14.13 In laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the end of the mirth is heavinesse The worlds peace in but the shell of peace their Conscience lowers when their Conscience laughs But the peace that Christ gives is an inward and spiritual peace Psal 4.7 Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corn and their wine increased Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart Peace is that gladnesse other peace smothes the brow but this fills the breast as the Sinner has trouble within in the midst of all his Peace without so a Believer has Peace within in the midst of all his troubles without In the world you shall have trouble but in me you shall have Peace Thirdly the Worlds peace has only a neather 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 s from the sprinkling of Christs Blood on the Conscience it flows upon the workings of Christs Spirit upon the Soul which is first a Councellor then a Comforter Oh how pure must this peace be in a Believes 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 its a peace with sin as the Prophet Isaiah tells us It s a Covenant with Hell and an Agreement with Death God deliver us from that peace Again Christs peace is given to none but Believers it s their priviledge only a Stranger dont intermeddle with this Joy Prov. 14.10 The heart knoweth his own bitternesse but a Stranger doth not intermeddle with this Joy Fifthly the Worlds peace is a fading dying transitory thing it withers in the Sand The triumphing of the Wicked is but short and the Joy of the Hypocrite is but for a moment Job 20.5 Solomon does elegantly liken it to the crackling of Thornes under a Pot which is but a blaze and is gone Ecces 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 s our peace in Life grace brings forth present peace It s said of the Primitive Christians They walked in the Fear of the Lord and in the Comforts of the Holy Ghost Acts 9.31 It s a remarkable expression Psalm 19.11 In keeping thy commands there 's great reward He dont say for keeping them which respects the end of the Work but in keeping of them which look at the Work it self My Brethren Every duty done in sincerity reflects a peace in conscience as every flower carries its own sweetnesse It s possible I grant a Believer may not allwayes find and feel this peace few do some seldome find it few find it so alwayes the remains of corruption breaking forth to interrupt or temptations to hinder And Gods disertion 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 has it in the seed Light is sown for the righteous and gladnesse for the upright in heart Psal 97.11 Grace is the seed of Peace which Christ has soon 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 then in others yet every Saint shall have a reaping time sooner or later Psal 126.6 He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtlesse come again with rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him If he stayes long for the fruit he shall have a greater crop at last if he reaps not now he shall be sure to reap hereafter Psal 37.37 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 s a peace at Death Grace will minister to us then and that ministration shall be in 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 has a two fold spring of Peace the first is from above him the other is 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 wayes of obedience My Brethren when we lye on our Death beds and can reflect on our sincerity in all Gods wayes this will be peace at last so it was in Hezekiah Isaiah 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 fight 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 to be sure after Death if Time brings not this fruit to ripenesse yet Eternity shall Grace in Time will be Glory in Eternity Holinesse 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 reape He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting Gal. 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 faithfull Servant enter into the joy of thy Master Mat. 15.21 Whoever shares in the grace of Christ in this world shall be sure to share with the joy of Christ in the next world and that joy is joy unspeakable and full of glory I will wynde up all in a threefold Application by way of