The Jewel of Peace

DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, MARCH 18, 1877,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"Now the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The
Lord be with you all." 2 Thessalonians 3:16.

WHEN the heart is full of love it finds the hand too feeble for its
desires. Therefore it seeks relief in intercession and
benediction–wishing, praying and blessing where it cannot actually
effect its loving purpose. The Apostle would have done for the
Thessalonians all the good that was conceivable had it been in his
power, but his wishes far outstripped his abilities and, therefore, he
betook himself to interceding for them and to invoking upon them the
blessing of the Lord and Master whom he served. Here is a lesson for us
in the art of doing good–as we lengthen the eyesight with the
telescope, as we send our words afar by the telegraph–so let us extend
our ability to do good by the constant use of intercessory prayer.

Parents, when you have done all you can for your children, be thankful
that you may introduce them to a further and greater blessing by
commending them to the care of the great Father in Heaven! Friends, do
your friends the best possible deed of friendship by asking for them
the friendship of God. You who love the souls of men, when you have
poured out all your strength on their behalf, bless God that there is
still something more which you can do, for by entreaties and
supplications you may bring down from on high the earnest and the
effectual energy of the Holy Spirit who can work in their hearts that
which it is not in your power to accomplish!

The Apostle saw that the Thessalonians were much troubled and he wrote
the most encouraging words to cheer them. But he knew that he could not
take the burden from off their hearts and, therefore, he turned to the
God of all consolation and prayed Him to give them peace always by all
means. The slenderness of our power to bless others will be no
detriment to them if it leads us to lay hold upon the eternal strength,
for that will bring into the field a superior power to bless–and our
infirmity will only make space for the display of Divine Grace. Let us
look, first, at the many-sided blessing which the Apostle
invokes–peace. And then let us note the special desirableness of it.
Thirdly, let us observe from whom, alone, it comes. And fourthly, note
the wide sweep of the Apostolic prayer.

I. First, then, let us look at THE MANY-SIDED BLESSING–"The Lord of
Peace Himself give you peace." Some have thought to restrict the
expression to peace within the Church since disorderly members were
evidently increasing among the Thessalonians. But that is a very
straitened and cowardly interpretation and it is never wise to narrow
the meaning of God's Word. Indeed, such a contracted explanation cannot
be borne, for it does not appear that the disorderly persons mentioned
in the chapter had, as yet, created any special disturbance–they had
been quietly fattening at the expense of their generous Brethren and
would not be very eager to quarrel with the rack from which they fed.

Although, no doubt, Church quiet is included as one variety of peace,
yet it would be a sad dwarfing of the meaning of the Spirit to consider
one phase of the blessing to the neglect of the rest. No, the peace
here meant is "the deep tranquility of a soul resting on God"–the
quiet restfulness of spirit which is the peculiar gift of God and the
choice privilege of the Believer. "Great peace have all they that love
Your Law, and nothing shall offend them." The peace of the text is a
gem with many facets, but in considering its many-sidedness we must
remember that its main bearing is toward God. The deepest, best, and
most worthy peace of the soul is its rest towards the Lord God,
Himself.

I trust we know this and are enjoying it at this moment. We are no
longer afraid of God–the sin which divided us from Him is blotted out
and the distance which it created has ceased to be. The Atonement has
worked perfect reconciliation and established everlasting peace. The
terrors of God's Law are effectually removed from us and, instead
thereof, we feel the drawings of His love. We are brought near by the
atoning Sacrifice and have peace with God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. We know that all His thoughts to us are thoughts of love and we
bless His name that our thoughts

toward Him are no longer those of the slave towards a taskmaster, or of
a criminal towards a judge, but those of a beloved child towards a kind
and tender father.

Fervent love reigns in our hearts, casting out all fear and causing us
to joy in God by our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a great blessing! It is
surely a choice delight for a man to know that whether he prospers or
is afflicted, whether he lives or dies, there is nothing between God
and him but perfect amity, for all that offends has been effectually
put away. Beloved, when the Apostle wishes us peace in the words of our
text, he no doubt means that our hearts should be at perfect peace by
being placed fully in accord with the will of God. But, alas, we have
known some who we hope are forgiven and are God's children, who,
nevertheless, quarrel with God.

They are not pleased with what He does and even complain that He deals
harshly with them–they are naughty children and carry on a sort of
sullen contention with their heavenly Father because He does not
indulge them in all their whims and fancies. Now, may the Lord of Peace
put an end to all such grievous warfare of heart in His people! May you
love the Lord so well and trust Him so fully that you could not pick a
quarrel with Him even if He smote you and bruised you and broke your
bones! Whatever He does is not only to be accepted with submission, but
to be rejoiced in. That which pleases Him should please us. We have
perfect peace when we can magnify and praise the Lord even for the
sharp cuts of His rod and the fierce fires of His furnace! May the Lord
bring us into this state, for there is no joy like it– perfect peace
with God is Heaven below!

Yes, Brothers and Sisters, we reach a little further than
reconciliation and submission, for we come into the enjoyment of
conscious complacency. There are men who are at peace with God as to
the forgiveness of sin and, in a measure, are in accord with His will,
but they are not walking carefully in the path of obedience and so they
are missing the sense of Divine Love. God is their Father and He loves
them–but He hides His face from them. They walk contrary to Him and so
He walks contrary to them. We cannot consider such a condition to be
one of fullest peace. The truly restful state of mind is enjoyed when
the heart and life are daily cleansed by Grace so that there is nothing
to grieve the Spirit of God and, therefore, the Lord feels it right to
favor His child with the light of His Countenance in full meridian
splendor!

O how blessed to bask in the sunlight of Jehovah's love, free from all
doubt and being no more conscious of sin! In that sense of conscious
favor lies the rest of Heaven. May the Lord of Peace Himself give us
this peace! This peace, because sin is forgiven, is the sweet fruit of
justification–"therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God." This peace, because the heart is renewed and made to agree with
the will of God, is the blessed result of sanctification, for "to be
spiritually-minded is life and peace." This peace, because the soul is
conscious of being the object of Divine Love, is a precious attendant
upon the spirit of adoption which is the very essence of peace!
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, may this threefold peace with God be
with you always!

Now we look further and note that this peace spreads itself abroad and
covers all things with its soft light. God is great and fills all
things. He who becomes at peace with Him is at peace with all things.
Being reconciled to God, the Believer says–"All things are mine,
whether things present or things to come. All are mine, for I am
Christ's and Christ is God's." Behold, the Lord has made us to be in
league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field are at
peace with us! Providence is our pavilion and angels are our
attendants. All things work together for our good, now that we love God
and are the called according to His purpose. No longer are we afraid of
the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the
pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction which wastes
at noonday!

Behold the Lord God covers us with His feathers and under His wings do
we trust! His Truth is our shield and buckler. Because we have set our
love upon Him, He delivers us and He sets us on high because we have
known His name. At peace with the Lord of Hosts we are at peace with
all the armies of the universe, in alliance with all the forces which
muster at Jehovah's bidding! Though we must be at war with Satan, yet
even he is chained and made as a slave to accomplish purposes of good
contrary to his own will. There is neither in Heaven nor earth nor
Hell, anything that we need fear when we are once right with God!
Settle the center and the circumference is secure–peace with God is
universal peace.

This practically shows itself in the Christian's inward peace with
regard to his present circumstances, be they what they may. Being at
peace with God, he sees the Lord's hand in everything around him and is
content. Is he poor? The Lord makes him rich in faith and he asks not
for gold. Is he sick? The Lord endows him with patience and he glories
in

his afflictions. Is he laid aside from the holy service which he so
much loves? He feels that the Lord knows best. If he might be actively
engaged in doing God's will, he would be very thankful and run with
diligence the race set before him.

But if he must lie in the hospital and suffer rather than serve, he
does not wish to put his own wishes before the will of his Master–he
leaves himself in the Lord's hands, saying–"Lord, do as You will with
me. I am so at peace with You that if You use me, I will bless You. And
if You lay me aside, I will bless You. If You spare my life, I will
bless You, and if You bring me down to the grave I will bless You. If
You honor me among men, I will bless You, and if You make me to be trod
under foot like straw for the dunghill, I will still bless You–for You
are everything and I am nothing–You are all goodness and I am sin and
emptiness."

The soul which thus has perfect peace as to all its personal
surroundings is, indeed, happy! It is lying down in green pastures
beside the still waters. Blessed be God, this peace is mainly to be
found in the soul, itself, as to its own thoughts, beliefs, hopes,
expectations and desires. We have not only peace towards the outer
world, but peace within! After all, happiness and peace lie more within
the man than in anything around him. Heaven lies more in the heart than
in golden streets–and Hell's flame consists rather in man's tortured
conscience than in the Tophet fire which the breath of God has kindled.
So the peace which Jesus gives is within us–"the good man is satisfied
with himself."

Some minds are strangers to peace. How can they have peace, for they
have no faith? They are as a rolling thing before the whirlwind, having
no fixed basis, no abiding foundation of belief. These are the darlings
of the school of modern thought, whose disciples set themselves as
industriously to breed doubt as if salvation came by it. "Doubt and be
saved," is their gospel and who does not see that this is not the
Gospel of peace? Indeed, they are receptive and are peering about for
fresh light, though long ago the Sun of Righteousness has arisen! Such
uncertainty suits me not! I must know something or I cannot live–I
must be sure of something or I have no motive from which to act!

God never meant us to live in perpetual questioning. His Revelation is
not and cannot be that shapeless cloud which philosophical divines make
it out to be! There must be something true and Christ must have come
into the world to teach us something saving and reliable! He cannot
mean that we should be always rushing through bogs and into morasses
after the will-of-the-wisp of intellectual religion. There is assuredly
some ascertainable, Infallible, revealed Truth for common people! There
must be something sure to rest upon. I know it is so and declare unto
you what I have heard and seen! There are great Truths of God which the
Lord has engraved upon my very soul, concerning which all the men on
earth and all the devils in Hell cannot shake me!

As to these vital doctrines, an immovable and unconquerable dogmatism
has laid hold upon my soul and, therefore, my mind has peace! A man's
mind must come to a settlement upon eternal Truths by the teaching of
the Holy Spirit, or else he cannot know what peace is. I would pray for
every one of my Brothers and Sisters that they may find an anchor of
mind and heart and never leave it! We have been often spoken of as an
old-fashioned Church and your minister is said to be Ultimus
Puritanorum, the, "Last of the Puritans," a man incapable of any
thought beyond the limit of the old-fashioned theology. I bless the
Lord that it is so! I am, indeed, incapable of forsaking the Gospel for
these new-fangled theories! Down went my anchor years ago! It was a
great relief to me when I first felt it grip and it is a growing joy to
me that I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to
keep that which I have committed to Him.

Pretensions to original thought I have never made! I invent nothing! I
only tell the old, old story as God enables me. "Ah," said a certain
Divine to me one day, "it must be very easy for you to preach because
you know what you are going to say–your views are fixed and
stereotyped. As for me," he said, "I am always seeking after truth and
I do not know one week what I may preach the next." Thus speak the
teachers–do you wonder if the disciples wander into skepticism?! Has
the Lord taught the man nothing of the sure Truths of God? Then let him
wait till he has received His message. Till he knows the Gospel in his
own heart, experimentally, as the power of God unto salvation, let him
sit on the penitent form and ask to be prayed for, but never enter a
pulpit!

What are Churches doing to tolerate these sowers of infidelity? Time
was when the fathers in our Israel would have chased from their pulpits
those who glory in the unbelief which is their shame! May the Lord of
Peace, Himself, give you peace as to your personal beliefs and
convictions–and then when you get into deep waters of trial and sorrow
you will say, "Ah, I did believe the right doctrine after all! I can
feel the grip of my anchor on the things unseen. I have not been
deceived. I have not followed cunningly devised fables, for the promise
is true and I feel the power of it! It sustains and

cheers and comforts me under all my trials and I know that it will do
so even to my dying hour." May every troubled thinker find the peace of
faith and never lose it!

Many minds are forever restless as to their fears. It is a great thing
to know why you tremble, for when you know what you fear, your fear is
half gone! The indefinable shape, the mysterious hand which has no arm
but writes upon the wall in strange characters–the cloudiness of all
things dreaded makes the mind more restless. But blessed is the man to
whom the Lord has taught His fear–so that he knows what he fears and
does not permit his hopes to be in perpetual eclipse. Of this
many-sided peace we must say something more. The Thessalonian Church
had been troubled three ways. They had been persecuted from without.
That is not a pleasant thing, but the Apostle says, "You that are
troubled rest with us."

Now, when the Lord Jesus Christ says to a persecuted saint, "I am with
you: all the evil which is done unto you is done unto Me, and you are
bearing it for My name's sake," then, Beloved, no persecution can break
the peace of the soul! But rather, the sufferer rejoices and is
exceedingly glad that he is counted worthy, not only to believe in
Christ, but to suffer for His sake!

Next, the Thessalonian Church was annoyed by certain false teachers.
They did not absolutely teach novel doctrine, but upon a basis of the
Truth of God they erected an edifice of error. They exaggerated one
special Truth and carried its teaching to extravagance. They said,
"Christ is coming, therefore the day of the Lord is immediately at
hand." They belonged to that order of fanatics who are always raving
about "the signs of the times" and pretending to know what will happen
within the next 20 years. There were impostors of that sort in Paul's
day and there are such impostors now. Believe them not! They can see no
more of the future than blind horses! I put them all together as
impostors, whether they are preachers or literary hacks, for no man
knows the future and no man can tell his fellows about it.

I care no more for their explanations of prophecy than for the
pretended winking of the eyes of the Madonna–yet they will continue
the scam and will be saying one thing this time and another that–that
this and that wonder shall happen–and that terrible judgments shall
overwhelm our nation. The Apostle would not have the Thessalonians
disturbed in their minds by fears about the future. Brethren in Christ,
the most terrible fact of the future can be no just cause of alarm to a
true Believer! The Lord comforts His people and there is nothing in His
plans or purposes which is intended to disquiet them. You may rest
assured that if any doctrine in the Bible prevents a godly man from
enjoying peace it must be because he has not yet understood it fully,
or else has mistaken its bearing towards himself.

The Truths of God must minister peace to true men. All Truths of God,
whether doctrinal or prophetic, are on the side of the children of God!
How can it be otherwise? The Apostle tells the Thessalonians not to be
disturbed about the coming of Christ. "The Lord be with you all," he
says, and if the Lord is with us, what does it matter to us whether He
personally comes at once or chooses to delay? We should be looking for
His coming, but not with alarm, for the fact that He has come, already,
is a wellspring of delight! We glory in His first advent and do not
dread the second. Since we are already raised up into the heavenly
places to sit with Him by faith, what does it matter to us whether He
is up there or down here–or whether we are in Heaven or on earth–so
long as we abide in Him?

There may arise, possibly there will arise, wild fanatics who will
again spread alarming news about wars and rumors of wars and select
some fatal year as the end of all things. Well, if such things should
be, if crowds should go into the wilderness or into the city to look
for the coming of Christ, believe them not, but sit still in peace and
tranquility of spirit and say, "My soul loves Him and He loves me. He
cannot mean ill to me whether He destroys the earth or spares it.
Though the heavens pass away and the earth, itself, melts with fervent
heat, my heart is resting in her Lord and knows herself to be secure."
Thus the Lord saves His people from the disturbance caused by false
teaching.

There were, also, in the Church, disorderly characters–people that
went about spreading idle tales and gossiping. They would not do
anything for a living and so they set people by the ears. But when the
Lord gives a Christian deep spiritual peace within, he soon puts aside
the small nuisances of idle tongues and disorderly deeds. He refuses to
be worried. Mosquitoes buzz around every Christian Church and blessed
is the man who does not feel their bite or heed their buzzing! His soul
shall dwell at ease.

Peace from Church troublers is a great blessing and we ought to praise
God for it when we are in the enjoyment of it, for strife within the
Church, like civil war, is the worst of warfare. O to live in holy love
and unbroken concord in reference to all our fellow Christians! May the
Lord of Peace grant us this! Thus, you see, the peace which is here
spoken

of has many sides to it. May you possess it in all its forms, modes,
and phases–and may your spirit enter into the peace of God which
passes all understanding!

II. Now, secondly, let us note THE SPECIAL DESIRABLENESS OF PEACE. It
is a very great thing for a soul to

realize perfect peace, for if it does not do so, it must miss the joy,
comfort and blessedness of the Christian life. God never meant His
children to be like thistledown, blown about with every breath, nor as
a football, hurled to and fro by every foot. He meant us to be a happy,
restful, established people. The cattle eat the grass, but they are not
fattened till they lie down and ruminate in peace–the Lord makes His
people to feed and to lie down in quietness.

You do not know the Gospel, dear Friends, if you have not obtained
peace through it! Peace is the juice, the essence, the soul of the
Gospel! Doctrines are clusters, but you have never trod them in the
winepress–you have never quaffed the flowing juice of their grapes if
you have not peacefully considered Divine Truth in the quiet of your
heart. Without peace you cannot grow! A shepherd may find good pasture
for his flock, but if his sheep are hunted about by wild dogs, so that
they cannot rest, they will become mere skin and bones. The Lord's
lambs cannot grow if they are worried and harried– they must enjoy the
rest wherewith the Lord makes the weary to rest.

If your soul is always sighing, moaning and questioning its interest in
Christ. If you are always in suspense as to what doctrine is true and
what is false. If there is nothing established and settled about you,
you will never come to the fullness of the stature of a man in Christ
Jesus. Neither without peace can you bear much fruit, if any. If a tree
is frequently transplanted you cannot reasonably look for many golden
apples upon its boughs. The man who has no root-hold–who neither
believes, nor grasps, nor enjoys the Gospel–can never know what it is
to be steadfast and unmovable. And neither will he be always abounding
in the work of the Lord.

We know, too, some who, because they have no conscious peace with God,
lack all stability and are the prey of error. That doctrine can soon be
driven out of a man's head which affords no light and comfort to his
heart. If you derive no sweetness from what you believe, I should not
marvel if you soon begin to doubt it. The power of the Gospel is its
best evidence to the soul–a man always believes in that which he
enjoys. Only make a Truth of God to be a man's spiritual food–let it
be marrow and fatness to him–and I guarantee you he will believe it.
When the Truth of God becomes to a proud carnal mind what the manna
became to murmuring Israel, namely, light bread that his soul abhors,
then the puffed up intellect cries after something more pleasing to the
flesh!

But to the mind which hungers and thirsts after righteousness, the
Gospel is so soul-satisfying that it never wearies of it. Brothers and
Sisters, you must have peace for your soul's health! What a difference
there is between a soul at peace and a soul continually tossed about! I
have seen one man's heart like a country whose hedges are broken down,
whose walls are laid level with the ground, where irrigation is
neglected, where tilling has ceased, where the vines are untrimmed,
where the fields are unplowed–and all because there is a perpetual
sound of war in the soul–the song of peace is never heard! Such a soul
may be likened to the Holy Land beneath Turkish rule where no man has
rest and, consequently, the highways lie waste and the gardens are a
desert.

But I have seen another man's life which has grown up under the
influence of holy peace, from whom God has kept back the wandering
Arabs of doubt and fear–and to whom He has given a settled government
of Grace and an establishment in steadfastness and quiet assurance and,
lo, that man has been as the land which flows with milk and honey! As
war spends and peace gathers the riches of nations, so does inward
strife devour us, while spiritual peace makes the soul fat. Even as
Palestine, when it abounded in corn and wine and oil, could nourish
Tyre and Sidon, which it borders, even so does the man who is rich
towards God, through internal peace, become a feeder of other souls
till even they who are but borderers upon Immanuel's land obtain a
blessing!

Beloved, I would that every Christian knew this soul-enriching peace to
the fullest! I am sorry to meet with so many who "hope" they are
Believers, and "trust" they are saved, but they are not sure. Ah,
Brothers and Sisters, in these matters we must get beyond mere hopes!
We must reach to certainties. "Ifs" and "buts" are terrible in the
things which concern the soul and eternity! We must have plain and
unquestionable security here–Divine security applied to the soul,
itself, by the Holy Spirit. Friend, you are either saved this morning
or you are not saved! Either you are in the love of God, or you are
not! Either you are secure of Heaven, or you are not–one of the two! I
beseech you, do not let these things be in jeopardy–chance anything
rather than your soul! Cry mightily to God that you may have these
things fixed,

certain, positive, beyond all dispute–for then shall your soul enjoy
peace with God–and so shall you become strong, useful and happy.

III. Now, thirdly, we shall get into the very heart of our text while
we consider for a minute or two THE ONLY PERSON FROM WHOM THIS PEACE
MUST COME–"Now the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace." Who is this
"Lord of Peace" but the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, born into the
world when there was peace all over the world? It was but a little
interval in which the gates of the temple of war were closed, and lo,
Jesus came to Bethlehem and angels sang, "Peace on earth." He came to
establish an empire of peace which shall be universal and under whose
influence they shall hang the useless helmet high and study war no
more.

"The Prince of Peace!" How blessed is the title! So was it written of
old by Isaiah, and Paul, the true successor of Isaiah, changing but a
word, now speaks of, "the Lord of Peace." This is He who, being in
Himself essential peace, undertook to be the Father's great Ambassador.
And having made peace by the blood of His Cross, ended the strife
between man and his offended Maker. This is He who is our Peace–who
has made Jew and Gentile one–and has broken down the middle wall of
partition which stood between us. This is the Lord who, when He stood
in the midst of His disciples, gave them peace by saying, "Peace be
unto you." And this is He, who, in His departure, made His last will
and testament and wrote therein this grand legacy–"Peace I leave with
you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives give I unto you."
This is that Lord of Peace to whom it is part of His Nature and office
to give peace!

I want to call particular attention to the Apostle's words in this
place. He does not say, "May the Lord of Peace send His angel to give
you peace." It were a great mercy if He did and we might be as glad as
Jacob was at Mahanaim, when the angels of God met him. He does not even
say, "May the Lord of Peace send His minister to give you peace." If He
did we might be as happy as Abraham when Melchizedek refreshed him with
bread and wine. He does not even say, "May the Lord of Peace at the
communion table, or in reading the Word, or in prayer, or in some other
sacred exercise give you peace." In all these we might well be as
refreshed as Israel was at Elim where wells and palm trees gladdened
the tribes. But, no, he says, "the Lord of Peace Himself give you
peace," as if He, alone, in His own Person, could give peace, and as if
His Presence were the sole means of such a Divine Peace as he desires.
"The Lord of Peace Himself give you peace."

The words are inexpressibly sweet to me. If you will think, for a
minute, you will see that we never obtain peace except from the Lord,
Himself. What, after all, in your worst times will bring you peace? I
will tell you. "This Man shall be the peace." To me it has often
afforded great peace to think of His mysterious Person. He is a Man
tempted in all points like as I am, a Man who knows every grief of the
soul and every pain of the body–therefore His tender sympathy and
power to succor. Have you not often derived peace from that sweet
reflection? You know you have! His Person, then, is a source of peace.

And have you not been rested in your soul by meditating upon His death?
You have viewed Him wounded, bleeding, dying on the tree–and,
insensibly to yourself–a wondrous calm has stolen over your heart and
you have felt pacified concerning all things. Yes, Jesus is, Himself,
that bundle of myrrh and spice from which peace flows like a sweet
perfume! When He comes very near your heart and lays bare His wounds,
and speaks His love home to you, making you feel its Divine fervency.
When He assures you that you are one with Him, united to Him in an
everlasting wedlock which knows of no divorce–then it is that your
soul is steeped in peace! This is an experimental business and no mere
words can express it. "The Lord of Peace Himself give you peace"–this,
I say, He does mainly by manifesting Himself to the heart of His
servants.

Then notice that the text says, "give you peace," not merely offer it
to you, or argue with you that you ought to have peace, or show you the
grounds of peace, but, "give you peace." He has the power to breathe
peace into the heart, to create peace in the soul and lull the spirit
into that sweet sleep of the beloved which is the peculiar gift of
Heaven. "I will give you rest," He said, and He can and will do it.
"The Lord be with you all"–as much as to say, "That is what I mean." I
pray that Jesus may be with you, for if He is present, you must enjoy
peace! Let the sea rage and let every timber of the ship be
strained–yes, let her leak till between each timber there yawns a
hungry mouth to swallow you up–yet when Jesus arises He will rebuke
the winds and the waves, and there will be a great calm! "It is I, be
not afraid," is enough to create peace at once. May you always know
this peace which Jesus, alone, can give.

IV. Now I must conclude with the fourth head which is a consideration
of THE SWEEP OF THE PRAYER–"The Lord of Peace Himself give you peace
always." What? Always at peace? Yes, that is what the Apostle desires
for you. May

you have peace given you always. "Well, Sir, I feel very happy on the
Sabbath. I have such peace that I wish I could have a week of Sundays."
May the Lord Himself give you peace always, on all the weekdays as well
as on Sundays. "Truly, I have been very happy of late," says one, "God
has prospered us and everyone has been very loving in the family. But I
do not know how I should be if I had an awkward husband and unruly
children."

Sister, I will tell you what I want you to be–I would have you restful
under all circumstances– "The Lord of Peace give you peace always." "I
enjoy such peace in the Prayer Meeting," says one. I want you to have
peace in the workshop, also. "I have peace when I get alone with my
Bible," cries another. We pray that you may have equal peace when you
are troubled with the ledger, tired with those unpaid bills, dull trade
and all the crosscurrents of business. You need peace always. Our
Friends who are commonly called Quakers have, as a rule, set us a fine
example of calm, dignified quietness and peace. How undisturbed they
generally appear! Whatever they fail in, they certainly excel in a
certain peacefulness of manner which I hope is the index of calm
enjoyed within.

Numbers of professors are very fretful, excitable, agitated, hasty and
fickle. It should not be so, Brothers and Sisters–you ought to have
more weight about you, more Grace, more solidity. Your soul's affairs
are all right, are they not? All is right forever–everything is
signed, sealed, and delivered–the Covenant is ordered in all things
and sure, and everything is in Divine hands for our good. Well, then,
why not let us be as happy as the angels are? Why are we troubled? Is
there anything worth shedding a tear for, now that all is well for
eternity? Our lack of peace arises from the fact that we have not
realized the fullness of our text. "The Lord of Peace Himself give you
peace always." He can always give you peace, for He never changes!
There is always the same reason for peace. You may always go to Him for
peace and He is always ready to bestow it. Oh that we might always
possess it!

Notice, again, it is written–"May the Lord of Peace Himself give you
peace always by all means." Can He give us peace by all means? I know
He can give us peace by some means, but can all means be made
subservient to this end? Some agencies evidently work towards peace,
but can He give us peace by opposing forces? Yes, certainly! He can
give peace by the bitter as well as by the sweet! He can give peace by
the storm as well as by the calm! He can give peace by loss as well as
by gain, by death as well as by life!

Notice there are two grand ways of giving us peace–one is by taking
away all that disquiets us. Here is a man who frets because he does not
make money, or because he has lost much of his wealth. Suppose the Lord
takes away from him all covetousness, all greed of gain, all love of
the world–is he not, at once, filled with peace? He is at peace not
because he has more money, but because he has less of grasping desires.
Another man is very ambitious. He wants to be somebody. He must be
great and yet he never will be and, therefore, he is restless. Suppose
the Grace of God should humble him and take away his lofty aspirations
so that he only wishes to be and to do what the Lord wills? Do you not
see how readily he rests?

Another man has an angry temper and is soon put out–the Lord does not
alter the people that are round about him, but He changes the man,
himself–makes him quiet, ready to forgive and of a gentle spirit. What
peace the man now feels! Another person has had an envious eye–he did
not like to see others prosper–and if others were better off than he,
he always thought badly of them. The Lord wrings that bitter drop of
envy out of his heart and now see how peaceful he is–he is glad to see
others advanced and if he is tried, himself, it helps to make him happy
to think that others are more favored. It is a great blessing when the
Lord removes the disturbing elements from the heart!

Even curiosity may be a source of unrest. Many are a great deal worried
by curiosity. I have sometimes wanted to know why the Lord does this
and that with me. Blessed be His name, I am resolved not to question
Him any more in that fashion! Somebody prayed the other day that I
might see the reason why the Lord has lately afflicted me. I hope the
Brother will not pray that any more, for I do not want to know the
Lord's reasons–why should I? I know He has done right and I will not
dishonor Him by catechizing Him and wanting Him to explain Himself to a
poor worm. This is where the mischief has been with most of us–that we
have needed to see how this and that can be right. Why should we? If
God conceals a thing, let us be anxious to keep it concealed.

A servant was passing through a street with a dish that was curiously
covered. There met him a fellow who said, "I am most anxious to know
what your lord has put in that dish, for he has so carefully covered
it." But the servant said, "Therefore should you not desire to know,
for seeing my lord has so carefully covered it, it is clear that it is
no business of

yours." So whenever a Providence puzzles you, take it as a sign that
the Lord does not mean you to understand it–and be content to take it
upon faith. When curiosity and other restless things are gone, peace is
enjoyed.

Then the Lord has ways of giving us peace by making discoveries of
Himself. Some of you do not know, as yet, the things which would give
you peace. For instance, if you did but know that He loved you from
before the foundation of the world and that whom once He loves, He
never leaves, you who are now afraid that you have fallen from Grace
would obtain strong consolation! Yes, and if you understood the grand
doctrine of the Divine Predestination and saw that the Lord will not
fail nor be discouraged, nor turn aside from one jot or tittle of His
purpose, then you would see how you, poor insignificant Believers
though you are, are one stitch in the great fabric that must not be
suffered to drop or else the whole fabric would be marred! You would
understand how the eternal purpose ordered in wisdom and backed up with
Sovereign power guarantees your salvation as much as it does the Glory
of God–and so you would have peace.

Many a soul has not the peace it might have because it does not fully
understand the atoning blood. The great doctrine of Substitution is not
seen in all its length and breadth by some minds. But when they come to
see Christ standing in the place of His chosen, made sin for them and
the chosen standing in Christ's place, "the righteousness of God in
Him," then will their peace be like a river! The grand Truth of the
union of the saints with Christ, if it is once understood, what a means
of peace it is! He that believes in Christ is one with Him, a member of
His body, of His flesh and of His bones! He is one with Christ by
eternal and indissoluble union, even as the Father is One with the Son!
If this is known, together with the doctrine of the Covenant, the
attribute of immutability, the eternal purpose and the marriage union
between Christ and His elect, deep peace must be enjoyed, like the calm
of Heaven, like the bliss of immortality!

But there are some to whom this peace cannot come, some concerning whom
the Lord says "What have you to do with peace?" "There is no peace,
says my God, unto the wicked." Your works, your prayers, your
repentances–none of these can bring you peace! As for the world and
the pleasures thereof, they are destructive to all hope of peace. Come
this day and believe in the great Sacrifice which God, Himself, has
prepared in the Person of His crucified Son! Come look into Emanuel's
face and read where peace is to be found! Come to the great gash in
Jesus' side and see the cleft of the rock where God's elect abide in
peace! Trust in Jesus and you shall begin a peace which shall widen and
deepen into the peace of God which passes all understanding, which
shall keep your hearts and minds by Christ Jesus. Amen.
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