The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-02-09

VE$#&#M### Oh INo 81. LAW
W renee river, must
be steady, and
sS& himself in all his
being confident
and reliant, so must we be in these
times. Ordinarily there should be no
occasion for bringing this matter be-
fore the Christians, but they sometimes
forget the great fact of the peace of
God. 1t is that which he should pos
sess, and which should control his life.
In our day the word peace makes
great appeal, and there are Christians
who are taken off their feet by it, and
they have become pacifists in the pop
ular sense, when they would not be
considered so for a moment if they
would think soberly. We sing very
Justify, Lord, give us peace in this
u day." and with only cessation of
hostilities in view, the return Of SOL
diers to their homes, and the resump-
ton of business activities and the
many rounds Of ease and pleasure to
which we have been accustomed for
many years. But great principles are
at stake, and to secure the peace now
at the sacrifice of these principles,
would be both unwise and unrighteous,
as it would have been to have sought
peace after the first or second battle
of Bull Run in our Civil war, for the
great principles were not settled at
that time.
The peace of the text Is a peace
that applies to the time of war and
so, than to a time of political tranquil
ity and universal amity among men.
A Difference.
1t is easy to include too much in the
term "peace of God" for sometimes
we mean peace with God" which Is
clearly a very different thing. This
peace of God has to do, not with a re-
lationship, but with an experience.
This peace is the very peace that
God himself possesses. We cannot con-
ceive of God being agitated, fustered,
excited. To speak reverently, he could
not afford to be, as his business is too
vast on the one hand, and too minute
on the other, to allow this. 1t is the
peace also of Jesus Christ himself; his
voice was not heard in the streets the
insults, threats and prosecutions of his
enemies did not throw him into anger
or resentment as a lamb, he goes to
the slaughter, and as a sheep before
his shearers, he is dumb. In the storm
Of the sea, he says, "Peace, be still"
and the winds obey him. On the cross,
while suffering intense physical agony,
he calmly prays for his enemies and
speaks words of comfort to his mother.
1t is the peace which millions of Chris
tians have exemplifed in the past.
The Haven of Peace.
The Christian has known that who
soeyer hearkeneth to the voice of
God doth dwell in safety and shall
be free from fear of evil. He goes to
the operating table without a fear he
sees the lions ready to tear him to
pieces, and sings songs of praise to
God; he goes "over the top" with his
comrades falling about him, and his
soul is quiet. He has the record of
the Holy Spirits injunction. AS the
Christian has had this peace; every
Christian today should have it. The
responsibility is on every n who
knows it. Why cannot the Christian
believe the word of God, my grace is
sufficient for thee?" The promise of
this peace is one of the strongest mo-
tiveS that can be offered to man. AS
fear hath torment, is it not of the great
est Importance that fear should be
taken away? To man the two strong
est motives might be, first, the promise
of the supremacy of the spirit ver
the flesh in life. Whatever the earth
conditions, i~ll-health, poverty, bereave-
ment, persecution, the spirit should
dominate, and the things Of the flesh
should become of little moment. Sec
ondly, the promise of a perfect body
at the coming of the Lord; glorious,
immortal, powerful, honorable and
deathless. Why is it that the clearest
promises of God are not believed?
With the peace of God in the heart,
the Christian can truly say:
Thou very present aid
In suffering or distress;
The mind which still on thee Is stayed
Is kept In perfect peace.
The peace of God must rest on the
peace with God, and this latter peace
is only secured through faith In Jesus
Christ as the Holy Scriptures teach,
being justified by faith, We have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ" While our plea is chiefly to
those who have this peace with God,
we would urge our friends who do not
have this peace with God, to seek it in
order that they may have the claim to
the peace of God.