Of E!eflion. Tht Qyery will be, How Peace lhould be meant in fuch a fenfe, wh 1 ct 1 ) et comts in between Mercy and Love? For tile rnultip'ymg oi Peace, would fqem to import only the Grace ofPeace in our HeH ts, a:> Jt is tile innt of JuHiticnion and Reconciliation with God ac– cording to that in Rom. 5· I. Be111g Juf/1jied by F-uth, we b,Jve Peace ~1 th God. Allo Peace imports all good things whatever, and fo the Ef– tccts. Anjwer. I grant this, and take them all in: But I ddire it to be confide re i, that all thore Elf, cts of l'eace do flow from this, that there firft is a Peace in Gods Heart born towards us, which we may and muft f\ile the original Peace of all, whatever that Peacemay import 10 us, or towards us. When Chrift \\'as ~orn, the Angels proclaimed this original Peoce in Gods Heart; Peace on E:11·th , Good w~ll towards Mm, Lukt 2, I4• And his decrees and purpofes ot Grace , astoSmners, are f\yled Thot~ghts ofPeaa, 1tr. 29. II. For I i:11ow th.Jtthe tho11ghts t!J,,t I thiuktowards ) 'Oft, faith the Lor4, arr thoughts of Pe,l(e, andnot of evd, to give ) 'Ott 1111 expef!tdE11d. My third Reafon "·hy I tnterpret them of what is in God's and Chrifi's Heart towards us, as wdl as of the Effects, is, that elfewhere thefe three are men– tioned tot:;et her 10 rbe J,ke Salutation 35 1n the Second Epifile of .John, Verjt 3· Gr,zcr h w11h )'Ot', !YltYr-~, andPeaa from God the Frztber, atzd from the Lord je(eu Chnlf, tht So11 nf thr Father, ilt trutb tmd lovr. By Grace there, Lrv e is meant, being diflioct from Mercy; and withalI, Mercy and Peoce are added even ns here, and thereby not the Effects of Mercy, C!ic. But the Grace and Meroy it fdf, which is in God's Heart and Chrifl's towards us are alro inrendod there, lt is expre{]y .added, from God thr Fathrr, and fro,; Je(ru Chl'lj/, tht So11 of the Father: And rhar as cifiinct from the Effects on us; for they follow, In trttth (that is) Sincerity and Love, which are the . Eflt:cts in us of the former, in our Hearts. ~;;g;"~:.,. 11. But the Qyery will yet be, How is it that thefe are multiplied? Grrnrt!, "·""""' imi- upon tl1e Epifiles of Petrr, 10 both of which (Grace tllldTrace) are wifued ~~;;~t~~~~;~~:~ tu 6t rnuttJptud, maket.b the fame objection, For he there interpreting "• ftd >~fli"' Grace, "' I have here tnterpreted Mercy and Peace, not of the Elfe[fs ~::;~~~f:~:, t.f Gract c?ufiJ 1 ~ /;ut of tbe fountain of ~brm ~tt ~ the Frtt·grace of God bwfi<io<•m '(as I afo reCited lum;) thereupon he puts tillS Ob)ed.ion ,_How the Lovt In om11iu:'~~•vidrli: God, t·emai1liug tlhJ!.:ars tbe {r1me , Jboutd 6e fazd to be mttltipli· ca, r_Jvor Del rd g"'"""'· ·,. Himlelf Anrwers it chiefly by this, That iiil"efpect of the manifefiation of it to cur Souls, and tile ll1edding it abroad in our Hearts, it is therefore fa id to be multiplied: And to this effect he [peaks in both thofe Epiflles I Prt. '' z, and 2 £p,{l. I, 2. And unto this inde•d agrees, what in that fecond Epiflle follows: where, when GrMe and Peace are wi01ed to be multiplied~ 'tis added, In the hzow– ledgr of Got!, and of 1efiu (hrij/: Which (as he J is all one with-Jl<, through tbe kiZowlrdgr, C!ic. bec1ule through the knowledge of God and Chrifl, tile Love and Peace that are in the Hearts of God and Chrifi, are come to be mul– tiplied upon us. So as by this Anfwer and interpretation given, it is fiill more manilefl, that it is the Love in God the Father, and Peace of Chnfi,which are the things multiplied in us, through ond by the means of Faith in us ta– king them, and receiving of them t~oreby Jnro our 1-'earts, But Secondly,11bould gi,·e a farther Anfwer; viz. That even the Love and ~i;a.~:n;;~ri·_MerC)' in God's lle 1rt, and.LhrJjl's, are W,ithitJ tkem(tlves truh J~id t~ /;e ~--w,;itau diF nwl:ipllfd to~.1rds UJ. Toe word 7>-t~~t &~'~lf, ligmfie~ both a conunuanon md, r.m de of the fam e dung, and a renewal theroot, and alfo an 1ncreafe, or the fulfil– "'gmm, '' ling of a thing unto perfection. Now the two firfllignifications do fit! y agree i.~~ 4,.~·;;:,~:;~- unto rhis love in God ro us; For there is both aconrimntion of it, after it was rur. Ill1t qui- once raken up towards us ; and thHcontmuation is matntaine'd by a renewal , ~~7ri;.~.;;~t~:r, or rrpe_n:ion of.the fame~ a~ai~ an.d again~ tor .cvcry mom~n~: I joyn botl~, q:~<1.z>~J <:uO and fa 1t 1s cononucd by multlpltcatwn. Ot Jufl1ficanon, 01vwes ufe. ro fsy .' :;~·,:~;;~~~· i~ is one At.'t at once, A.;{us tmicttS ~ ind1vtdVt1&: But yet becaufe it 1s contt· , p"·' ,_,, 11nucd, ) ea rtnewed enrydJy (as our Lords ) Prayer tea1:~1cth us, and many other
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