The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-05

born into that fellowship, and by Di- vine grace are sustainedp strengthen-
 faithfully and earnestly, we shall not
 fail of Christ's promised blessing. Tor
 we shall be peace makers and called
 the children of God.
 Now. what is peace. that virtue our Lord so highly exalts and assigns so
 noble a place in the Christian life?
 Does 1t consist simply in quietness and calm? Is peace merely the absence Of the conditions of peace. There can be no peace without them. We may say they are the clements O fpeace. or bet
 ter still. its foundation. Upon them
 When there is the sense and reality of
 unity in our hearts, there Is peace. On the other hand. when there Is peace, there is unity. Moreover, the relation beings only whe nthere is identity of nature. This is true. therefore, of God and man alone, because they are the only two beings that have this iden- peace We have seen what Gods peace is. in Christ and in His work on the cross.
 Mans peace has Il double aspect u is two-foid in its operation, pe6e with God and peace with his neigh bor If We have faith that God has vouchsafed to make us in HisS Own Image. enters into all our thoughts and communes with us still. that is peace.
 If we have faith that he sustains us
 in our trials and dangers, faith that
 the everlasting arms are about us amid
 the sorrows and troubles of life. and
 that He is with us in the hour of death, that is peace. If we realize practically in word and in deed. the ties which bind us together in love, realize the apostolic truth no man liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself, so that it becomes to us a principle of action, that is peace. If there is a constantly growing joy in sharing our relationship as members one of another. if there Is the daily lessenihg of others sorrows. as well as our own, through words of sympa- thy and deeds of kindness, that Is peace. And it all means unity between God and us. unity between us and others; in d word 1t means peace and that we are peace makers.
 'Is it any wonder. then. that Christ should promise His blessing to peace makers. should make 1t His last and that all throughout the New Testa- ment peace, which is the work of the peacemakers, should be repeatedly .em- virtue? Indeel. we may say the Cos pei itself opens wi.h proclamation of peace, for the angels. in announcing the birth. 0: Christ heralded peace on earth.
 And in His last interview with the apostles, just before His crucifixion, our Lord bequeathes peace as Ills most precious gift.
 "Peace l leave with you; My peace give unto Vou.
 After his resurrection. when He gave them the Holy Ghost, He also said:
 Peace be unto you, ne ed iays nryosohas hns it continually. The same Is true Of the apostles. for their epistles deal with 1t time an dtime again. Our Heavenly Father is called the G1d d,s or sscs peace nass eth all understanding. And the liturgy of the English-s speaking race emphd- sizes. as we should naturally expect. the teachings of the Master on the subject of peace. In morning prayer one of the opening sentences is Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus christ And at the close of public worship when the people are about to disperse to their homes, they do so with the blessing of peace, The peace Of God which passeth all understandlng. Keep edsa and love Of God.
 "The Master tells us the peacemakers are blessed because they shall be called ths thst ehra1en term cRildren % 1a T neesessarly implies a father. At once God no longer seems to be far of. but brought very. near: We are thus taught to who has placed us here to work out our own destiny as best we may, but as a Father who watches over us with a fathers love, and fathers protect ing care. Thus are we drawn to Him and He to us in closest and most in- timate relation. Children of God. Yes. If we are peacemakers. And that means we are doing our Uart, however hum ble and feeble. in helping on His work in this world. It means we render faithful service in advancing our Sa- viors mission of redeeming fallen hu- manity and thereby hastening the day of His coming. which shall usher in the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Co operating with Him in His redemption work of peace, We are gradually grow ing into His Divine likeness, which means we are being endowed with our perfect and complete sonship. There lren Of God and enter upon the Divin- est heritage possible to man.
 "Now we see why the other six be- attitudes have their culmination in this. , the crown and glory of them all. The Christian life rests upon Christ as from which there springs the arch of Christian virtues. made up- on the one side of humility, gentleness and mercy, on the other side of repent ance, righteousness and purity. The arch is made perfect and complete by the Keystone of peace. That sublime goodness blends the noblest virtues of the soul into one. Thus are they wrought into unity from which comes the peacemakers to whom Christ. the great peacemakcr awards the most precious blessing of all, For they shall be called the children of God.
 Scribner's Magazine for November.
 It is not often that an artist and his work are so intimately identifed with