Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-04-24

y
don't believe in such things and care
not to stay, please step outside the
door for a few moments, then you
may return The travellers fear
changed to a sense of safety, for a
home that has prayers in it is a ''safe
house, holy house, a divinely
guarded house." This incident IL
lustrates the normal idea of peace.
1t is in just this sense of the word,
that I invoke the ssPeace of God
upon yon." AS | left, you feared
the meetings would decrease, ser
vices diminish and your own interest
flag. 1t was a great undertaking and
looked gigantic and alarming. Your
own bitter experience of year with
out pastor and year with fourteen
candidates, led you to dread not so.
much the loss of pastor, as the alb
sence of a minister to aid you. Those
weekly meetings must have been
houses of prayer. Their numbers
increased, and while on the one hand
old faces were not seen or voices
heard. on the other side new faces
were seen and voices heard. This
little meeting may have been the al
ter to save this people. | refer to
the past simply that from its ex-
perience, you may better apply the
practical force of ''Peace from God. J"
1t means a confidence in God, as dis
tinct from fear. 1t means a faith in
Christ, for your loved ones still un-
saved as opposed to Encouragement.
1t means persistent christian work as
distinct from self-excusers personal
testimony to Gods love, instead of
reticence from personal slight or
| jealousy. 1t means activity IN your
christian life as whole, in place of
the silent acceptance of the work of
more active christians than you are.
The secondary position in each of
these definitions brings unrest, and
initiates against the very "Peace of
God in your heart" Taking back
seat is always conducive to a critical
and fault-fnding spirit. Such con-
dition is at discord with our better
selves. A contest ensues. A con-
fiict is the result. Returning as | dc
to resume pastoral labor, my welcome
to you and wish for you is, that the
"Peace of God,'' resting upon you
may free you from such conflicts as
arise from failing to receive "His
peace"
Notice again that the Peace in.
voked is from the Lord Jesus Christ
as we'll as the "Fatrer." This fac
suggests your reconciliation to Coo
through "faith in Christ" Science
clamors for a recognition of facts as
such. Yield to such a consistent de
mand. Here is the fact of sin. The
fact of being at war with ourselves
out of harmony with our parents
al, f,,a
of discomfort as a result. The his
t0ric fact of Christ as the only medi
ator. The fact that man was no
created independent of God, but t.
dwell in God. Deal with such fact
scientifically and the result is tina
we need Paul's salutation as a real
ity. Take the thought of sin indif
ferently and such negligence become
a warfare, sensibilities deadened
eternal necessities forgotten, is thi
a state of peace? Physicians tell u
that many times the dying patient
insensible to his condition, or if con
} scious, too weak to recognize the aI
preaching end. Does such indiffel
t ence affect the fact of death as nea
| at hand? No more does inattentio
: to the need of Christ affect the fac
5 that sin makes you at war with youl
! self. The peace of Christ is invoE
: ed to reconcile an Indifferent sinner
l Consider your sins as Gods faul
5 and view life as fatalists the result
l the same. Fatalism does not brin
4 your sinful soul into harmony wit
e itself. Sinking the responsibility {
q crime does not lessen that crime
I You need the peace of the Lord jest
S Christ. You require the mediator
: power of the Crucifed Son of Go,
n Carlyle has said somewhere that g,
o all acts Repentance is the most d
: vine, the consciousness of no sin
n death, the heart so conscious is q
). vorced from sincerity, humility al
S fact. 1t is pure as dead, dry sand
}. pure We are conscious of 81
l. What will you do with it? Whe
# can you leave it? How shall you fo
II get it? The peace of Christ wash
L it. The mercy of Christ forgives
o The grace of Christ forgets it. [
or divinity of Christ as Gods only B
le gotten Son reconciles the heart of t
,e sinner to God.
at Your child has injured itself
T. playing with the forbidden knit
re You cannot help the pain from t
ID wound. Still does it make no diff
rd ence to the child if it suffers alo
k with the wound undressed, or W
lis cared for, in its mothers arms? Dc
On it make no difference to us, whetl
ct we die alone or even in death ''t
everlasting arms are beneath us, a
m close to our fainting heart beats
II. heart of eternal lover" Christ
a sending ellis Peace" does thus ia
ed us sinners to Himself. To quote
mt substance, "Jesus receives us il