be desired by us; for a league with them would be an act of hostility against Omnipotence. But though the hosts of hell can never be reconciled to us, "our God shall bruise Satan "under our feet shortly," and thereby put an end to the dreadful conflict which we now sustain. Do we seek peace with our own corruptions? No. Any peace with them is forbidden, is to be dreaded. Their extermination is the object of our wishes, hopes, and expectations. But till that be effected, the warfare with them must be maintained with unremitted vigour. Is it for a cessation of the conflict with the troubles of life with which we are conversant, that we pray? No: No: Tranquillity of this kind is not promised to us, nor to be expected, nor even desired by us. For it is, "through "much tribulation that we must enter the kingdom of heaven;" and "these light af "flictions which are but for a moment, work "for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight "of glory." To solicit absolute deliverance from affliction would therefore be the part of folly. For would it not be unwise in a group of children to beg their parent to bestow on them a chest of swords, or a box of poisons in the form of sweetmeats? Would it not be unkind in a parent to comply with such a request, were it foolishly presented to him? Such are worldly felicities to the children of God. They are not therefore instructed to pray for them; nor is a large enjoyment of them included in the promise of their gracious Father. Is it the friendship of the world which we desire to regain? Far from it; for "the friendship of the world is enmity with God; whosoever therefore will "be the friend of the world, is the enemy of

"God." For this therefore our church cannot teach us to pray. It is admitted that "the "world hateth us, because we are not of the "world, but chosen out of it" and that it is our duty, "as much as lieth in us, to live peaceably with all meu." But the expectation of a reconciliation with the world, or a wish for it, would be absurd and irreligious. The "enmity" which is put between the seed of "the woman and the seed of the serpent," must ever remain; for "the world lieth in the wicked "one." The church and the world are at variance in their interests, aims, and pursuits; insomuch that "all who will live godly in Christ "Jesus must suffer persecution" from the children of this world; and they are therefore informed, in one of our Lord's benedictions, that "Blessed are they which are persecuted for "righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom

of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall "revile you and persecute you, and shall say "all manner of evil against you falsely for my "sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so perse"cuted they the prophets which were before ." you."

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Of what kind then is the blessing implored in our collect? It is characterized by a pronoun relative, which discovers its nature and its value. "Grant us thy "peace all the days of "our life." It is peace with God, reconciliation with our offended Maker, and a sense of it in our consciences, which we solicit from. Him.

Though the value of peace with God cannot be fully estimated, yet some conception of it may be formed from the price which it cost, and from the effects which are produced by the

possession or absence, of it. It was procured for us at a price which baffles all attempts at calculation; for it cost nothing less than the blood of God's coequal and coeternal Son, who is therefore said to have "made peace by the "blood of His cross." Without the possession of this benefit, no real happiness can be enjoyed by the human soul; which, being more or less distinctly conscious of its dependence on God's favour, and of the loss it has sustained, is restless and wretched, till it is restored to His friendship. With the possession of this benefit there can be no misery; for it more than counterbalances the absence of every other good. For want of it Belshazzar's "loins were loosed, "and his knees smote one against another,' amidst all the splendor of the Babylonish court and the flatteries of his nobility, though his capital was surrounded by walls that were deemed almost impregnable and secured by gates of brass, when a mysterious hand wrote on the wall, Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin. For want of it Felix trembled in the judgment-seat, while his prisoner Paul "reasoned of temperance, "righteousness, and a judgment to come." On the other hand, under the influence of this bles sing Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were enabled with calmness and serenity of mind to stand before the enraged monarch with whose idolatrous edict they had refused to comply, to brave all the horrors of a burning fiery furnace, and to walk up and down in the midst of the flames without feeling any injury to the ease and health of their bodies, or to the composure of their minds. With the peace of God in his heart faithful Daniel was enabled to sit unmoved in the bottom of a den where hungry

lions roared for prey, and was happier there than Darius in his splendid palace. With this companion Paul and Silas, though thrust into the inner prison at Philippi, and though their feet were made fast in the stocks, though the next morning exposed them to the danger of death in some form of violence, yet at midnight prayed and sang praises to God. With this inmate martyrs have rejoiced and triumphed whilst inveloped in devouring flames, and have compared their situation to a bed of roses. And through the consciousness of peace with God, in our own day there are not wanting instances of persons, who are enabled to testify of internal felicity such as the world can neither give nor take away, amidst the most excruciating agonies of body, and in the immediate prospect of death. Can we then pray too earnestly for this unspeakable gift? Should we give sleep to our eyes, or slumber to our eye-lids, till we have obtained it? May the language of our collect be the constant language of our hearts!

It will be proper, for the purpose of explaining the benefit which we implore, to notice the state of man by nature in which the necessity of a reconciliation with God originates. Through sin he is become the enemy of God, and God's wrath is kindled against him. "For

"the wrath of God is revealed from heaven "against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of "men;" so that they are all, "by nature, chil

dren of wrath." And, on the other hand, men are naturally "haters of God:" for " the "carnal mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can "be." In the mind of fallen man there is some consciousness of his situation, though

not

sufficiently distinct to produce any permanent alarm on account of it, till the word and Spirit of God awaken his attention to it. It is however invariably attended with misery. Adam so soon as he had sinned fled from the presence of God, and strove to hide himself from the eye of Omniscience among the trees of the garden. All his children imitate his example. They dislike the thought of a just and holy God, and the cause of that dislike is guilt. In the prospect of death, when the awful expectation of appearing in the Divine presence will generally intrude, in spite of every effort to suppress it, some alarm is usually excited; some foreboding of a judgment to come frequently instils terror into the guilty bosom. It is sometimes, however, otherwise; and a stupid or lethargic state of mind is carefully to be distinguished from a conscience pacified by the virtue of atoning

blood.

But if the case be such, what hope of peace can exist on either side? Is not man's situation desperate? Is not prayer for peace absurd because necessarily fruitless? No, blessed be the name of our God! Provision for a reconciliation between God and man is made by the blood of the cross, the preliminaries are settled, sealed, and signed. Most gracious terms are proposed by the Gospel. And when Christ, "our peace,' is revealed by His Spirit, then the heart of a sinner is reconciled to God, and the conscience is fully pacified on the most solid grounds.

Spiritual peace, then, is a mutual reconciliation between God and a sinner. The foundation on which it is built, and the point of union where the parties meet, is Jesus Christ. In Him the believing sinner finds whatever is