scudderpage340

your conscience unspotted and unwounded, as you are of the apple of your eye. Sin not against knowledge and conscience, and in any case smother not the good checks and motions of your conscience. For if being washed, you do again defile it, this will cause new trouble of heart, and you must again apply yourselves to this last prescribed remedy.

Fourthly, Christ having taken upon him the burden of your sins, which was intolerable, you must take upon you, and submit unto the yoke of Christ's service, which is light and easy, Matt. xi. 29. You must endeavour to do whatsoever he has commanded in his word and gospel, following his steps in all his imitable actions; in all humility and meekness, in all spiritual and heavenly mindedness. When you can thus subject yourselves to Christ in holiness, you shall have peace. For the Holy Ghost saith, The work of righteousness is peace, Isa. xxxii. 17; and again, he saith, To be spiritually-minded is peace, that is, brings with it peace, Rom. viii. 6. I comprehend Christ's yoke of the gospel in these three things, faith, hope, and love. As these three be in you, and abound, in the same degrees shall peace be in you, and shall abound.

Having faith in Christ, saith the apostle, we have peace with God, Rom. v. 1. It is God that justifies who shall lay any thing to your charge? Rom. viii. 33. For justifying faith is the ground and spring, from which only sound and true comfort does flow.

Hope will make you wait, and expect with patience, the accomplishment of God's sure promises, whereby it will hold you as steady, and as sure from wreck of soul, as any anchor can hold a ship. God does therefore give hope, that it may be as an anchor, sure and steadfast, Rom. viii. 25. Though while you are in the sea of this world it does not keep you so quiet, but that you may be in some measure tossed and disquieted with the waves and billows of fear and doubt, to try the goodness of your vessel, and strength of your anchor, &c., yet you shall be sure not to make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, if you shall lay hold upon this hope set before you, Heb. vi. 18, 19.