therefore that make this the only end of their Ministerie that they may warme themselues with the fleece of their Sheepe setting the Church at sale for their owne lucres sake are not in any wise to be called Fathers of the Church Are Children thus dealt withall by their Parents The true Fathers of the Church preferre the good thereof before their owne liues these men their owne priuate commoditie before the very life of the Church it selfe Secondly Parents nourish their children at their owne Table and that they may be able so to doe they are content to take any paines whatsoeuer So must and doe Ministers that are faithfull prouide Spirituall nourishment for the Church And for this purpose are alwayes and plentifully furnished with store both old and new which they may bring forth for the benefit of the Church as need shall require Therefore idle and ignorant Ministers killing the people with the Famine of the Word are iustly depriued of the honour of this name Parents lay vp for their children 2. Cor. 12. sayth the Apostle These men lay vp no Spirituall Treasures for the Church therefore the Church cannot acknowledge them as their Fathers Thirdly They resemble Fathers in that they doe not only giue their people Spirituall food but with a fatherly and motherly affection 1. Thess 2. 10. As you know how we exhorted and comforted euery one of you euen as a father his child It is not ynough to exhort to admonish to teach and instruct but all this must be done with the affection of the Father so that we may giue them their Spirituall sustenance as Nurses doe little children their bodily This is that in his owne example the Apostle commendeth vnto vs 1. Thess 2. 7 8. We were gentle among you euen as a Nurse cherisheth her children Thus being affectioned towards you our good will was to haue dealt vnto you not onely the Gospell of God but also our owne soules because ye were deare vnto vs. This phrase of dealing his owne Soule signifieth that effectuall affection wherewithall he deliuered the Word vnto them as Esa 58. God commaunds to giue Almes to the Poore with feeling and compassion vseth the same phrase Thou shalt powre out thy selfe to the hungry So Phil. 1. 5. God is our witnesse how we long after you from the very heart root Fourthly They resemble naturall Fathers in this that as there so here likewise Loue descends rather then ascends The naturall Parent cannot blot out naturall affection no not towards vntoward and rebellious children as wee see in DAVIDS mourning for ABSALOMS death Can a Mother forget the fruit of her Wombe sayes the Prophet Esay 49. No certainely she cannot though the degenerating child should forget her Here then doe good Ministers shew themselues true Fathers when yet they continue to loue them that are wicked and vnthankfull yea iniurious towards them Thus it was with PAVL 2. Cor. 13. 15. We will willingly be bestowed for their Soules though the more we loue you the lesse we be loued of you Now the ground of this so strange and strong affection in the former verse he made to be this that he was to them a Father and they to him in stead of Children If Ministers are thus Fathers and must thus behaue Vse themselues to their people as to sonnes then it becommeth them to put vpon them the disposition of sonnes and to carry themselues to their Ministers as towards their Fathers If then Ministers be Fathers where is the filiall reuerence of their Flockes Where is the reciprocation of like affection Where is the imitation of the Storke nourishing his old Damme 2. Cor. 6. 3. After the Apostle had most liuely deciphered and as it were in an anatomie layed open and naked his fatherly bowels inferreth forthwith thus I speake vnto you of like recompence as vnto children Be ye also enlarged Idolatrous MICAH shall iustly condemne many of vs who entertaining that rouing Leuite into his house promised vnto him the honour of a Father Iudg. 17. Thou shalt be said he vnto me as a Father Thirdly obserue in that PAVL saith he begat that Doct. 3 is conuerted ONESIMVS that the Scripture vseth sometimes to giue that to the Instrument of God which properly belongeth to the Lord God himselfe for the Apostle speaking of our Regeneration calleth vs Gods owne Creatures his Workmanship Eph. 2. 10. Therefore we are not in regard of our Conuersion the Creatures of any Minister yet because God doth it not without the Ministerie of his Seruants therefore this blessed worke is oftentimes giuen to them also This PAVL telleth TIMOTHY He shall saue those that heare him And all Ministers of the Gospell are called Sauiours Obadiah the last and yet properly Christ is our Sauiour This may serue to checke the Papists vrging against vs these places of Scripture which seeme to ascribe some vertue to the Sacraments as Titus 3. He saued vs by the washing of the new Birth 1. Pet. 3. Baptisme saueth If they can vnderstand how TIMOTHIES preaching may saue the hearers after the same manner let them know that Sacraments doe conferre grace not as in themselues not by the worke wrought but because without them God ordinarily vseth not to worke Fourthly Note the Dignitie of the Ministerie Doct. 4 Whom I haue begot Properly God onely is the Father The dignitie of the Ministerie of Spirits Heb. 12. Call no man Father yee haue but one Father that is in Heauen Matth. 23. And yet we see in some sort how God taketh the Ministers into the Societie of the same Honor with himselfe Naturall Parents count it a blessing to haue faire and well-fauoured children but the Sunne neuer saw so goodly and so glorious a Creature as is this new Creature in Christ the workmanship of the Ministerie If then vnto naturall Parents hauing store of children that of the Psalmist may truly be said Blessed is the man that hath his Quiuers full of such Arrowes certainely much more fitly may it be applyed to those Spirituall Fathers for naturall children oftentimes proue those fooles SALOMON speakes of that are a shame and discredit to their Parents and that euen in the Gate opening the mouthes of the aduersaries to triumph and insult But these Spirituall children cannot proue such fooles therefore they cannot disgrace their Parents but doe offer iust matter vnto them of stopping the mouth of their aduersaries For this did that famous Father of our restored Church IOHN CALVIN of blessed memorie answer the Papists vpbraiding him with his want of children in marriage Oh said he God hath in stead of such children giuen me many thousands of farre more excellent kind of children through the whole world Since then God hath vouchsafed so great an honour to the Ministerie that he will vse their helpe in this Spirituall Generation goe to then let vs that are Ministers labour that we may attaine to this so high an honour accounting this barrennesse no
lesse reproch and rebuke then once the Iewes did that other O then thou vnfaithfull and negligent seruant when others shall bring into the Lords Barne a plentifull Haruest of the Seed of the Gospel wherewith they were betrusted what shall become of thee who through thy negligence and ill husbandry hast suffered that so precious a Seed to rot vnder the Cloddes With what face wilt thou come alone into the presence of Christ and his holy Angels at the last day with others being attended with the Honorable Trayne of their thousands and hundreds as the Apostles and others O sweet and godly sight shall appeare before him and say O Lord here we are and not we alone but these our children with vs whom wee hauing begotten and gayned vnto thee formerly doe now present before thee Then shalt thou as vnsauourie salt be cast out on the dunghill when these that haue made many wise shall shine as the Starres in the firmament Dan. 12. Neither yet serueth this for admonition to the Ministers alone but also to the People by whose fault it commeth to passe and that very often that the Ministers want the full honour of this name For though wee striue neuer so much with you to conuert you yet such is your peruersnesse that yee will not yeeld Though as PAVL with the Galathians we trauaile as women in childbirth with you till Christ be formed in you yet in many of you that is true which is spoken of EPHRAIM Hosea 13 13. Hee is an vnwise sonne else would he not stand so long a time in the place of the breaking forth of the children Fiftly obserue likewise the necessitie of the Ministers Doct. 5 of the Gospell for by their meanes and ministerie The necessitie of the Ministerie God refineth our soules hee frameth and fashioneth vs anew Contemne not then the Ministerie as a thing superfluous vnlesse thou loue thine owne destruction If thou wouldest haue the Church to be thy Mother thou must haue the Ministers of this Church in some sort likewise her Husbands to be thy Father Sixtly here some may say if PAVL beget ONESIMVS Doct. 6 and so other Pastors haue their spirituall Obiect sonnes how then could the Corinthians be iustly blamed for calling themselues by the names of their Ministers for children are to be called by the name of their Parents Ministers are improperly called Fathers for as Answ we haue alreadie noted properly God onely is the Father of Spirits And therefore from CHRIST our Father the worke of whose Spirit we are called Christians and not from PAVL Paulians from CEPHAS Cephists who are only Christs instruments therefore CHRYSOSTOME interprets that place 1. Cor. 1. 12. I am PAVLS and I am APOLLOS I am CHRISTS that the last words should be the Apostles owne crossing the Corinthians and shewing them in his owne example who they must be called by Wherefore Ministers beget children as vnder the Law the Brother that raysed vp seed to his elder Brother deceased without issue the seed was called by the name of his deceased Brother and not his owne Seuenthly the Metaphor of begetting sheweth Doct. 7 that our conuersion is a new kind of Generation as Conuersion a new Generation our Sauiour shewes plainly Ioh. 3. Therefore no man euer got sanctification out of his Mothers wombe No man sucks it out of his Mothers brests That thou mayest be truely sanctified thou must haue another birth besides thy first Hence it is called A new creation If then thou hast nothing but thy pure naturals nothing but that which thou broughtest with thee out of thy Mothers belly into the world assure thy selfe thou art not as yet conuerted And yet it is strange to see how men doe flatter themselues in regard of their naturall gifts yea oftentimes of their naturall birth being descended of honorable or worshipfull Parents But if that first birth would serue what needed there another Certainly euen the Royall bloud it selfe is stayned and taynted with originall sinne And it is the water of Regeneration only that will wash out this stayne Thy naturall birth may entitle thee to a temporall and earthly Kingdome Only the spirituall birth can giue thee right to the Kingdome of heauen Ioh. 3. 1. Pet. 1. 3 4. Eightly this same Metaphor teacheth vs also Doct. 8 that we are meere Patients in our conuersion euen We are patients in our conuersion as the Infant is in his generation hee receiueth his being from his Parents but hee himselfe doth nothing for the making of himselfe Wherefore the disposition of our wil works preparatorie to conuersion are here refuted If the Infant can dispose himselfe to his owne generation then also may wee prepare our selues for our owne regeneration or if the world at the beginning before it had yet any being could dispose it selfe to the worke of her creation then may we also to the worke of our recreation in Christ The BAPTIST foretelling the calling of the Gentiles sets it forth by this notable Metaphor God is able out of these stones to raise vp children vnto ABRAHAM If stones void of all life can dispose themselues to the receiuing of life then may we also very stones in regard of any Spirituall life dead in our sinnes haue some disposition in our selues to our conuersion Ninthly Further this Metaphor of Generation Doct. 9 notably setteth forth the order of our Conuersion The order of our conuersion The Infant is not perfited at once in his Mothers Wombe but by degrees piece by piece first his braine heart and liuer then the nerues veines and bones are framed then in the last place comes flesh and so he hath his perfect constitution No man is suddenly in one moment an absolute Christian as ADAM was made at the first dash an entire complete man but our Conuersion proceedeth on by degrees first we haue some imperfect rudiments of Faith some good motions but those as yet confused some good desires but those very faint ones not much vnlike to smoaking Flaxe But afterwards the skilful finger of the Holy Ghost polishing vs and as the Beares doe their mis-shapen birth by licking of them more acurately refining vs then the indigested and confused Chaos of our faith is brought into a more comely order then the smoake begins to breake forth into an open flame The Infant in the Mothers Wombe first liueth as ARISTOTLE will haue it the life of a Plant then of a sensitiue Creature and then last of all of a Man The same wonderfull Progresse the same diuine Artifice yea farre greater is there in the fashioning of this Spirituall Infant in the Wombe of the Church then there is of that other in the Wombe of his naturall Mother And therefore considering the course and order of our regeneration we may wel translate those words of DAVIDS concerning the framing of our naturall bodies from that worke to the worke of our new birth and cry out Fearefully and
our selues that God will euery way carrie himselfe as a Father to vs so wee should teach our selues the behauior and dutifull disposition of good sonnes towards him But here more specially marke what is the cause Doct. of Gods fauour namely God himselfe Grace the fauour of God be vnto you from God It comes not then from any thing in our selues from any fore-seene workes or worthinesse of ours But of this more before The second Author of this Grace and Peace is IESVS CHRIST First He is the Author of Grace of both degrees of the first degree of Grace as God of the second onely as God-man as Mediatour Some of the Papists who teach That the Grace making vs gracefull is the gift of Regeneration in vs doe yet acknowledge the first degree of Gods fauour to be of himselfe who of his owne free fauour giues vs this gift whereby according to them he maketh vs worthie of his fauour But here we learne that as the first degree of Gods fauour so likewise the second is not of our selues First the Apostle sayth Grace be to you from God I but they might say How should we come to be gracious in Gods eyes PAVL therefore addes as shewing the meritorious cause of Gods fauour and from Iesus Christ He sayes not and from the habite of Regeneration CHRIST IESVS then is the Grace that makes vs gracefull Hee hath all the Grace of God Hee is euen full of it and of his fulnesse wee receiue our share of it The fauour of God lights vpon Christ and then from him it is deriued to vs. It is not any thing in thy selfe that can draw the gracious eye of God towards thee Saint PETER commands vs to trust perfectly in that grace which commends vs to God 1. Pet. 1. but wee may not trust in a creature as is any infused habit of grace Therefore we must abandon all other things and cleaue onely to Christ by whom onely wee haue accesse to the Throne of Grace Secondly he is the Author of Peace Euen outward things themselues come to vs by Christ wee lost our right vnto them in ADAM and wee recouer it not but in Christ First then we learne that the true Christian is the True Christians only true owners only right owner of Peace All others are but vsurpers for these outward things are appendances of Christs righteousnesse and are entayled thereto Matth. 6. 33. Secondly we are taught to vse all the blessings of How outward blessings must be vsed this life Christianly moderately and thankfully for they are purchased for vs with no lesse price then the bloud of Christ And when we exceed in the vse of any outward comfort meate drinke sport c. wee are iniurious to the bloud of Christ as though by it were purchased for vs a lawlesse libertie for licentiousnesse wantonnesse and drunkennesse c. Christs bloud hath bought vs right to the moderate vse of all comforts if we goe further we goe beyond our right and vsurpe vpon the creature This checketh those that vse vnlawfull recreations or lawfull vnlawfully for our outward peace is to be receiued from Christ as the Author thereof Oh that we could thinke of this when the creatures present themselues vnto vs though not to keepe our selues wholly from the vse of them as DAVID did from drinking that Water which his three Worthies brought him because it was the Water of Bloud yet from the abuse of them in Gluttonie Surfetting and Drunkennesse because they are the bloud of Iesus Christ and by the eye of faith we must behold the bloud of Christ swimming in euery dish that comes to the table This is the onely sawce to sweeten our meat and all other outward comforts whatsoeuer for we may with good consciences vse them when we can receiue them as fruits of the bloudshed of Christ And this is of all others the most effectuall retentiue from immoderate excesse intemperancie in the vse of any creature to consider the dearenesse of the price wherewith it was bought for vs. Thirdly being in Christ wee must comfort and content our selues in all estates for hee is a Store-house and Treasurie of all Grace and Peace to all that are his Peace I leaue with you my Peace I giue vnto you not as the world giueth it let not your heart be troubled nor feare Iohn 14. Christ Iesus is described by the Title of his Lordship Our Lord. Where we are to learne that Christ is a Iesus to none a dispencer of Grace and Peace to none but to those to whom hee is a Lord. The world would haue him a IESVS a Sauiour but in no case a Lord. They will not beare the burden of his yoke yet they will needes haue him beare the burden of their sinnes But till Christ be become our Lord wee can haue no assurance hee is our Sauiour This I note the rather because euen at this time when wee celebrate the memorie of our Sauiours Incarnation wee most of all denie him the right of his Lordship taking libertie to breake out into all outrage of sinne VERS 4 5. I giue thankes to my God alwayes making mention of you in my prayers Hearing of thy loue and faith c. HEre beginneth the third part of the Preface of this Epistle namely an Insinuation whereby PAVL in godly wisedome to make a more easie way for his Petition doth labour to possesse PHILEMON with an opinion and conceit of his owne loue and affection towards him and this hee doth by letting him vnderstand two effects of his loue towards him first his congratulation and reioycing with him for his good namely those Graces God had bestowed vpon him the which gratulation is propounded in a Thanksgiuing I giue thanks to my God secondly his continuall praying for him both these viz. both Thanksgiuing and Prayer set forth by the causes which caused him to pray and giue thankes VERS 5. Hearing of thy loue c. More specially the Prayer is set forth by the matter thereof VERS 6. And then the Thanksgiuing by the speciall and proper cause thereof VERS 7. Of all which in their places First For his Gratulation or reioycing with Doct. PHILEMON in his Graces it is set downe in the The manner of true congratulation forme of Thanksgiuing I thanke my God Where obserue first the manner of true Christian congratulating and reioycing with our friends for any good thing they haue namely to reioyce in the Lord giuing him first of all his due the prayse of all that good they haue The reioycing of the world is carnall and prophane God is neuer so much as thought vpon The parties whom wee congratulate they are dignified and almost deified O I admire your Wisdome Eloquence Learning c. will the Flatterer or the inordinate louer of his friend say But PAVL would say I admire the goodnesse and mercie of God towards you in enriching you with these gifts I thanke God for
haue beene shamefully neglected as it seemeth IOHN was by many of his hearers whom our Sauiour vpbraideth with this That they reioyced only in him for a season namely whilest he enioyed his Ministerie peaceably And this their forgetting of him in the Prison is not improbably thought by some to be the cause that made Christ breake forth into so large commendations of IOHN being then in the Prison The third speciall illustration followeth namely of the last part of the Proposition of the Petition which is the partie sued for viz. ONESIMVS for it is a matter of great moment in suing for any that the partie we sue for be such a one that he may sufficiently commend himselfe euen without our commendation Now here PAVL sheweth that ONESIMVS was such a one entituling him his Sonne Withall he noteth the circumstance of the place where he begot him in the Prison The name of Sonne is Metaphoricall and implyeth onely thus much That by PAVLS Ministerie ONESIMVS was conuerted to the Faith First Here I obserue That the Ministers are moued Doct. 1 with a speciall kind of affection equalling if Affection of Ministers to their Conuerts not surpassing the naturall affection of Parents towards those whom they haue gayned to Christ Therefore PAVL here calleth ONESIMVS whom hee had conuerted his Sonne and afterwards his Bowels And so Esay 8. Behold I and my children whom thou hast giuen me Wee must loue all Christians but yet more specially those that are of our owne begetting the workmanship in some sort of our owne hands As men naturally loue all little children but yet their owne in a higher degree For it is true which the Philosophers once said Euery man loues his owne Worke as we see in Poets louing their owne Poesie hatched in their owne braines and Artificers louing their owne inuentions And hence it must needes follow that the affection of the Apostles towards the Church as being the Fathers and Founders thereof must needes exceed the affections of ordinarie Pastors that succeed building vpon their foundations 1. Cor. 4. 15. S. PAVL challengeth the name of Father of the Corinthians as proper to himselfe and calleth those that succeed in that Church but Schoolemasters Now the affection of a Father farre exceedeth the affection of a Schoolemaster to the child Now if Ministers carrie this fatherly affection to them whom they haue conuerted then it behooueth those whom they haue conuerted to carrie the dutifull disposition of louing and obedient sonnes to them aboue any other Ministers If we owe much to naturall Parents the instrument of this Temporall how much then to our Spirituall the instruments of our eternall life Neuer can we come out of their debt Secondly Obserue what Ministers may truly be Doct. 2 called the Fathers of the Church Surely they What Ministers are the true Fathers of the Church which haue begotten children vnto God and with Esay can present themselues before the Lord with the goodly traine of their Spirituall progenie This name belongeth first of all and principally to the Apostles who layed the first foundation of the Church as wee shewed a little before how PAVL claymed this name in speciall sort in regard of the Corinths because howsoeuer other ordinarie Pastors that succeeded him begat no doubt some particular persons yet hee begat the whole Church They then haue a speciall interest in this name that begat whole Churches at once thousands at one clap as PETER Acts 2. Now this which is spoken of the Apostles that gaue the first constitution to the Church of the New Testament is true also of others sage men of extraordinarie and Apostolicall spirit as LVTHER CALVIN and many others who gaue a restitution to the Church falne in these latter dayes They also more specially may be called the Fathers of the Church Secondly this name also belongeth to ordinarie Pastors and amongst them more especially to such that encrease the Church established with new off-spring For although they are farre more noble and excellent Fathers that are Fathers of the whole Church then they who onely are Fathers of some few particular members of a Church yet these latter also are Fathers for it is not the multitude of sonnes but a sonne that makes a Father And PAVL here calling ONESIMVS his sonne makes himselfe a Father as well in regard of him as of the whole Church of the Corinthians The Pope then and Popish Prelates are vnworthie of the honour of this name with all idle and slouthfull Ministers seruing onely their owne bellies Rather may they be called Betrayers of the Church then Fathers thereof who eyther conuert not at all or els peruert and make their Conuerts as the Pharises in our Sauiours time seuen times more the children of the Deuill then they were before But yet among the Pastors of the Church not onely those whose Ministerie God honoureth with the conuersion of Soules are to be honoured also with this name of Fathers and none else Honour thy Father and Mother sayes the fifth Commaundement where God honoureth our Superiors with the name of Parents and so in the Commaundement does that himselfe which he biddeth vs doe Now all true and lawfull Ministers set ouer vs by the Lord are our Superiors and yet how many such are there whose Ministerie though it be very faithfull yet is nothing fruitfull in the gaining of Soules These though they haue no Spirituall posteritie How Ministers that conuert not are called Fathers yet in the fifth Commaundement are called Fathers And so well may they be called for these two respects First Because they doe their best endeuour to be Fathers they cast forth continually the Spirituall Seed of the Gospell and sow it in the furrowes of our hearts Indeed it is not sufficient for the getting of the name of a naturall Father to doe thy endeuour vnlesse the euent answer thy endeuour because the fault may be in the Seed vnfit it may be for generation but here the Spirituall Seed of the Gospell is incorruptible subiect to no fault and therefore the blame of the Ministers sterilitie cannot be imputed to themselues faithfully doing their best endeuour Secondly Because they carrie the affections of Fathers towards their people such as PAVL describeth 2. Cor. 6. 11 12. And in this respect S. IOHN in his generall Epistle calleth all the members of the Church his Children though not all begotten by his Ministerie This fatherly affection they shew principally in these points First In seeking not the Churches but the Foure things in which the fatherly affection of Ministers appeares Church it selfe 2. Cor. 12. 14. and that with so earnest a desire that they preferre the good of the Church before their owne liues as PAVL sheweth in the same place for this is the affection of naturall Fathers as we see in the example of DAVID towards ABSALOM that they can be content to redeeme their childrens liues with their owne Hirelings
outward Prosperitie hath Securitie annexed vnto it and is a fore-runner and beginning of that eternall Prosperitie and Felicitie in Gods Kingdome for both these things are vnderstood by the name of Peace Securitie Psal 4. 9. I will lay me downe and sleepe in peace first securely and the perfection of all prosperitie in the life to come Psal 37. Marke the iust man the end of that man is peace First from hence obserue that as wee may lawfully Doct. 1 desire for our selues and others outward prosperitie We may lawfully desire outward blessings and how and the blessing of this life Giue vs our daily bread Petit. 4. Food conuenient Pro. 30. so how and in what manner we must desire them First hauing desired grace in the first place Mat. 6. First seeke the Kingdome of God and then in the second place we may seeke temporall things but now men are all for peace Who will shew vs any good few or none for grace peaceable men as I may call them enough very few gracious men that doe first of all seeke Gods grace and then in the second place peace Secondly in desiring of outward things wee must moderate our desires that they goe not beyond their bounds to desire abundance and superfluitie of them for we desire them by the name of Peace therefore no more must wee desire but that which will serue vs to attend the works of our Calling with free and quiet minds without disturbance or distraction Thus AGAR prayed against pouertie and for a competency of outward things lest otherwise falling into Satans snare hee should take the name of God in vaine Thus farre may our desires goe And our heauenly Father knoweth wee stand in need of these things namely of a competency of them as a very necessarie helpe for Gods seruice Secondly againe PAVL first desiring Grace and Doct. 2 then Peace sheweth vs that peace namely outward Peace is a fruit of Grace prosperitie is a fruit of Grace and so that the neerest and most compendious way to get peace is first to get grace and fauour with God IOSEPH and DAVID had wonderfull successe in all their wayes and the reason the holy Ghost yeeldeth thereof is this The Lord was with them Genes 39. 1. Sam. 18. The way of man first of the iust man of whom hee had formerly spoken is directed by the Lord but what is the reason hereof Because the Lord loueth his way that is is well pleased with him and his course of life Psal 37. 23. therefore hee had shewed before how the wicked man borrowes and payes not againe though rich and wealthy whereas the godly though poore is able to lend And all this because as he addeth Vers 22. The blessed of the Lord shall inherit the Land It is the grace and blessing of God that is all in all And as it is the cause of good successe in the generall course of our liues so likewise in euery particular action Psal 44. The Israelites victorie ouer the Canaanites is ascribed not to Sword or Bow but to the light of Gods countenance because hee did fauour them NOAHS preseruation in the Floud MARIES honour to bee Christs Mother giuen to this cause they found fauour with God Would we then enioy the comforts of this life would we prosper and thriue in our endeuours and works of our Calling Labour then for Gods grace and fauour Grace is the onely meanes to draw on Peace When wee haue got Christs righteousnesse it is that Grace which makes vs gracefull to God Matth. 6. then outward things come voluntarie as it were of their owne accord without our seeking or desiring no maruell then if oftentimes things goe crosse with vs wee by our sinnes hauing drawne downe the curse of God vpon all our enterprises This is the reason why Gods children liue better euen with greater credit and reputation in the world with a little then many times the wicked doe which haue farre more Gods blessing sets forward the one and his curse blowes vpon the other But we oftentimes see those that are not in greatest Obiect fauour with God abounding with these earthly blessings Psal 17. The men of this world whose bellies thou fillest and fattest with the hid treasures of the earth And on the contrarie those that haue greatest store of Grace to haue a very small pittance of Peace First For the godly who hauing their part in Answ grace haue alwayes in some measure their portion in peace also for first The end of all his afflictions whereto they are disposed is peace Psal 37. The end of the iust man is peace Secondly He hath the peace of Securitie in his greatest distresses Psal 3. 6. I laid mee downe and slept and rose againe because thou Lord sustaynedst me and Psal 4. 9. I will sleepe in peace Thirdly He hath the peace of Contentation Grace supplying and sweetning the want of Peace and turning very Warre it selfe into Peace darknesse into light to the godly his heart is at rest and at peace within it selfe There is no warring of the affections against God whatsoeuer his outward estate is Therefore Psal 37. A little to the righteous is more then great riches to the wicked for godlinesse is great gayne bringing contentation Secondly For the wicked It is farre otherwise with them in their peace which being a gracelesse peace a peace not founded on grace is in truth a peacelesse peace for in the middest of their peace they want the peace of Securitie their hearts tremble like an Aspen lease in feare of change or if they haue securitie it is a presumptuous and false securitie for when they crie Peace Peace then is their destruction at hand 1. Thess 5. 3. And let their Peace be neuer so flourishing yet still want they the Peace of Contentation they thinke all too little if they had the whole World with ALEXANDER they would grieue there were no more for them to get Againe as the end of the godly mans Warfare is Peace so the end of the wicked mans Peace is Warfare euen an eternall Warfare and wrestling with the anger of God in Hell Therefore a sound and safe Peace ariseth onely from the Grace of God The Peace of the wicked deserueth not the name of Peace There is no Peace sayth my God to the wicked Esa 57. Thus much for the things desired Now let vs see from whom they are desired first from God the Father secondly Christ Iesus our Lord. The Holy Ghost is not here excluded though not named But in all actions of God respecting the creatures when one Person is named the rest are to be included By God being here opposed to Iesus Christ wee are to vnderstand the first Person who is called our Father not onely in regard of Creation Luk. 3. ADAM the sonne of God Heb. 12. the Father of Spirits but also and especially of adoption in Christ And that to this end that as wee might hence assure