Ezek. vii. 25. Their fear and
destruction come both at once, when it is now in vain to fear, because it
is past hope, Prov. i. 27. Therefore the Lord swears, that "there is no
peace to the wicked," Isa. xlviii. 22. What! Do not they often cry peace
to themselves, and put the evil day far off? No men are so without bands
in life and death as they, they have made agreement with hell and death,
and their own consciences, yet for all that, "thus saith the Lord, there
is no peace to the wicked." If God be against us, what is the matter who
be with us, for he can make a man's friends his enemies, and he can make a
man's enemies to be at peace with him: He makes peace and creates trouble,
Isa. xlv. 7. Men can but destroy the body, but he can destroy both body
and soul for ever. O what a potent and everlasting enemy is he! There is
no escaping from his all-seeing eye and powerful hand, Psal. cxxxix. 7, 8.
A man may fly from men, but whither shall he fly from His presence? To
heaven?--He is there. To hell?--He is there. The darkness of the night hath
been a covering under which many have escaped, and been saved in armies,
but darkness is no covering to him, it is all one with light. He is near
hand every one of us. The conscience is within us, but he is within the
conscience, and how much God is above the creature, so great and dreadful
a party is he above any enemy imaginable. Therefore I conclude, that that
man only hath perfect peace, who is at peace with God, and with his own
conscience. If a man be at peace with God, and not with himself, he wants
but a moment's time of perfect peace, for, ere it be long, the God of it
will speak peace unto him. But if he be at peace with God and himself, I
know not what he wants of the perfect peace, of the "peace, peace," for it
is a man's mind that makes peace or war, it is not outward things, but in
the midst of peace he may be in trouble, and in the midst of trouble in
peace, according as he hath satisfaction and contentment in his own
breast, for what is all the grace of a Christian? It is godliness with
contentment, it is not godliness and riches, godliness and honour, or
pleasure, godliness and outward peace. No, no, contentment compenseth all
these, and hath in it eminently all the gain and advantage of these. A man
in honour, a rich man, having no contentment in it, is really as poor, as
ignominious, as the poor and despised man. If contentment then be without
these things, certainly