'God our Saviour,' says St. Paul to Timothy,
'willeth that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of
the truth;' and therefore if they are not saved it must be their own
fault, and not God's; it must be they who will not be saved, though
God wills that they should be, as Isaiah goes on to show. For he
says--God cries to men, Peace! I create the fruit of the lips; that
is, I give men cause to thank me. I create it. I make it without
their help. I do not sell them my mercy. I give it them freely. I
say, Peace, peace, to them all, To him who is near, and him who is
afar off; peace to all mankind; peace on earth, and goodwill to men.
God is everlastingly at peace with himself, and at peace with all
his creatures, and with all his works; and he wills, in his
boundless love, to bring them all into his peace, the peace which
passeth understanding; that they may be at peace with him; and,
therefore at peace with themselves, and at peace with each other.
But how can they be at peace, when there is no peace in them? If
they will do wrong; if they will quarrel; if they will defraud each
other; if they will give way to the lusts and passions which war
within them: how can they be at peace? They are like a troubled
sea, says Isaiah, when it cannot rest, which casts up mire and dirt;
and there is no peace to them.
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