formally follow Jesus Christ It is but one word but it is big-bellyed with many many mercies Peace crownes the years with goodnesse and her paths drop fatnesse It is or should be the felicity of the Saints on earth and the glory of the Angels in Heaven The Jewes custome was when they wished all happinesse they used onely this expression Peace be with you There is something in this to affect us towards it that all our endevours Councells Examples may act to this end I am sure it was Davids practise to pray for peace for the Church when he might have preferred his own ease and Kingship Psal 51.18 Be favourable to Zion build up the walls of Jerusalem then shalt thou accept the sacrifices of righteousnesse q.d. he will accept of no services in divisions Moses practise was for this Davids counsell Pauls studies were bent to remove divisions and settle order and peace in the Church of God 2 Tim. 2.23,24 Avoyd foolish questions the servants of the Lord must not strive Sathan is best known by his cloven foot And the Pythagorians have set a note of infamy on the figure of two because it first parts from unity To conclude in generall as the life of old Jacob was laid up in the life of the lad Benjamin so all our happinesse is inmantled in this Peace with our God and with one another More Particularly Peace is distinguished by these three notions Externall Internall Eternall It is of very large extent in Scripture First I finde it used to expresse the making up of that great breach betwixt God and Man Christ reconciling us to God is stiled our Peace-maker For he is our peace Ephes 2.14 Who hath made both one 15 having abolished in his flesh the enmity Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God Secondly For quietnesse in conscience which is a fruit of this peace Rom. 14.17 when the commings of his smiling mercyes on the soule when the storme of our contracted guilt is over and a sweet calme in the Spirit that we may see his face Thirdly For mutuall concord betwixt man and man Phil. 4.2,3 Forbearing one another in Love Indeavouring to Keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Psal 34.14 Depart from evill doe good seeke peace and pursue it And had I time whilst I am on this subject I could desire to melt into teares and present You with the sad actings of these times obvious to my owne experience Fourthly For the presence of all outward blessings and mercies to a people Ephes 6.23 Peace be to the brethren Which how farre from us we all know and therefore full time to make towards them in the travels of our soules Fifthly For the publicke tranquillitie and quiet estate of a Church when not troubled within by blasphemies schismes and heresies nor without by persecuting enemies Psal 122.6 O pray for the peace of Ierusalem Acts 9.31 Then had the Churches rest or peace throughout all Iudea and Gallile and Samaria were edefyed walking in the feare of the Lord and comfort of the Holy Ghost and were multiplyed Sixtly For the Tranquillity of the State when free from forraigne and civill warre 2 Kings 20.19 said good King Hezekiah is it not good if Peace and Truth be in my dayes Ier. 9.7 seeke the peace of the City c. Seaventhly Security from alarms all Armes and dangerous effects of warre In the peace thereof you shall have peace Eightly For an happy union by way of Covenant before God betwixt the King and his people 2 Chro. 15. And they entred into Covenant to seeke the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and soule and all Iudah rejoyced at the oath and he was found of them and the Lord gave them peace round about which the Lord perswade your heart unto this day for Iesus Christ sake And thus have I showne you the spriggs of this branch and the pathway for a sound peace and the extent of Peace in the duty of prayer in this opportunity First Now God be freinds with every one of you in â—esus Christ Secondly The Lord give you peace in conscience a demonstration of it make your conscience freinds with you Thirdly make you friends one with another Fourthly Multiply all blessings on you inward and out ward Fifthly send quieT in the Church Sixtly send quiet in the State and Kingdome from enemies Seaventhly Send freedome from alarms and ease from taxes c. Eightly A mutuall agreement and covenant betwixt King and people And thus have you the spriggs extended I now come to the season fore-goeing all this prescribed Now you may review the Observation That seasonable and importunate prayer to God through Christ is a sure way to obtaine the gift of a firme setled and well grounded peace with God and man You are to know I therefore adde seasonable prayer because there are as well unseasonable as unreasonable prayers abroad in the world it was the folly of the Virgins that they cryed Lord Lord open unto us so late there is a season wherein God gives this gift and there is a season wherin he will not give it There is a time for every thing but there is an end of that time There is a time when God is neere and a time when he is farre off Esay 55 Omnia tempus habent and as true in this season omnis qui querit invenit The Prophet preaching before King Manasses prayes him to seeke while he may be found call whilst he is neere in some time if Moses Noah Santuel should pray he will not grant Oh that we had the art to hit this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this joynt of time I pray consider that place in Luke 19.41,42 If thou hadst knowne even thou at least in this thy day but now these things are hid from thine eyes You cannot have roses in winter when the Angell moved the waters then was the nick of time to steppe in else they might lye long enough for a healing when the Lord said seek my face then King Davids soule Ecchoed Lord thy face doe I seeke To misse a tyde or a winde is to loose a voyage in the 2 Cant. The Church drousily neglecting her season in the 3 Chap. Seekes it night and day but ver 1,2 found him not Stephanus is his apologie for Herodotus reports the practise of the warlike Scythian upon his tender of quarter aptly Truly our season and time of prayer for Peace is but like the Jewes feastes some lasted longer then others yet none all the yeare Sentences have their periods I and ut sententiae sic regna The old world had a season of one hundred and twentie yeares Israell in the Wildernesse but fortie yeares was hee grieved with that generation in Luke 13. but three yeares to the fig-tree under the Gospell so you see as meanes hath been more excellent the season hath been shorter Not that it is in the power of man