The Peace of God

DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, JANUARY 6, 1878,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7.

"PEACE" is a heavenly word. When at the advent of our Lord angels came
to sing among men a midnight sonnet, their second note was "Peace on
earth." Would God the shining ones would chant that song again till
yonder Balkans heard the strain and shook off the sulfurous cloud which
now hangs around them. Those who have ever seen war, or even come near
the trail of its bloody march, will be thankful to God for peace. I am
almost of his mind who said that the worst peace is preferable to the
very best war that was ever waged–if best there can be where all is
bad as bad can be. Peace is most pleasant when religion sits beneath
its shade and offers her joyful vows to Heaven.

How grateful we ought to be that we can meet together to worship God
after that form which best satisfies our consciences without any fear
of being hunted down by the authorities of the land. We have no
watchman on the hilltops looking out for Claverhouse's dragoons. We put
none at the front door of our conventicle to watch lest the constable
should come to take off worshipper and minister, that they may suffer
imprisonment or fine. We worship God in unlimited liberty and we ought
to be exceedingly glad of the privilege and infinitely more grateful
for it than we are. Do we not sit, every man under his own vine and fig
tree, none making us afraid? Blessed is the land in which we dwell and
blessed are the days in which we live, when in all peace and quietness
we worship God in public and sing His high praises as loudly as we
please. Great God of Peace, You have given us this peace, and in
remembrance of our hunted forefathers we bless You with our whole
hearts!

We have met tonight for the purpose of hearing the Gospel of peace and
many of us are afterwards coming to that sacred festival which
celebrates peace and is to all time the memorial of the great
peace-making between God and man. And yet it may be that even all
Believers here are not quite at peace. Possibly you did not leave your
family in peace this afternoon. Wars occur even among loving hearts.
Alas, even Sabbaths are sometimes disturbed, for evil tempers cannot be
bound over to keep the peace, but are riotous even on this sweet
restful day! Do Christian men ever permit angry feelings to rise within
them? If they do, I am sure that even in coming away from home to the
House of God, they come with a disturbed mind.

Ah, how insignificant a matter will mar our peace of mind–some little
thing that happened in getting to your pew–some trifling incident even
while you are in it waiting for worship to begin, may, like dust in
your eye, cause you the greatest distress. Such poor creatures are we
that we may lose our peace of mind even by a word or a look! Peace, in
the form of perfect calm and serenity, is a very delicate and sensitive
thing and needs more careful handling than a Venice glass. It is hard
for the sea of our heart to remain long in a smooth and glassy
state–it may be rippled and ruffled by an infant's breath. Perhaps,
too, some of my Brothers and Sisters here have not been walking near to
God–and if so, their peace will not be perfect.

It may be, my Brother, that during the week you have backslidden
somewhat from your true standing and, if so, your peace has fled. Your
heart is troubled and though you are believing in Christ for salvation
and are, therefore, safe, yet for all that your inward rest may be
broken. Therefore would I turn the text into a prayer and pray for
myself and for every Believer in Jesus Christ–that the peace of God
which passes all understanding may now keep our hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. May you all know the text by experience. He who
wrote it had felt it–may we who read it feel it, too. Paul had
oftentimes enjoyed the brightness of peace in the darkness of a dungeon
and he had felt living peace in prospect of a sudden and cruel death.
He loved peace, preached peace, lived in peace, died in peace and,
behold, he has entered into the fruition of peace and dwells in peace
before the Throne of God!

Looking at the text and thinking how we might handle it best to our
profit, I thought we would notice, first of all, the unspeakable
privilege–"the peace of God, which passes all understanding." Then,
secondly, I thought that we might gather, from its connection, the
method of coming at it, for the preceding sentences are linked to our
text by the word, "and," which is not an incidental conjunction, but is
placed there with a purpose. Paul means to say that if we do what he
bids us do in the 4th, 5th and 6th verses, then the peace of God shall
keep our hearts and minds. When we have looked at that matter for a few
minutes, I shall need your careful attention, in the third place, to
the power of its operation–for the peace of God "shall keep your
hearts and minds."

And then we shall close, in the fourth place, by noticing the sphere of
its action, namely, "in Christ Jesus." The word should have been, "in,"
rather than, "through"–"shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus." May the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Peace, now lead us
into the center and secrets of our text.

I. First, then, here is AN UNSPEAKABLE PRIVILEGE–one which is very
hard to speak of because it passes all understanding and, therefore,
you may be sure it must pass all description! It is one of those things
which can be more readily experienced than explained. Good Joseph
Stennett was right when he spoke of those who–

"Draw from Heaven that sweet repose Which none but he that feels it
knows." We may talk about inward rest and dilate upon the peace of God.
We may select the most choice expressions to declare the delicacy of
its enjoyment, but we cannot convey to others the knowledge second
hand–they must feel it or they cannot understand it. If I were
speaking to little children, I would illustrate my point by the story
of the boy at one of our mission stations who had a piece of sugar cube
given him one day at school.

He had never tasted such essence of sweetness and when he went home to
his father, he told him that he had eaten something which was
wonderfully sweet. His father said, "Was it as sweet as such-and-such a
fruit?" "It was far sweeter than that." "Was it as sweet as
such-and-such a food?" which he mentioned. "It was much sweeter than
that. But Father," he said, "I cannot explain it." He rushed out of the
house back to the mission house, begged a piece of sugar out of it and
brought it back. He then said, "Father, taste and see, and then you
will know how sweet it is." So I venture to use that simple
illustration and say, "O taste and see that the peace of God is good,"
for in very deed it surpasses all the tongues of men and of angels to
set it forth!

What is the peace of God? I would describe it, first, by saying it is,
of course, peace with God. It is peace of conscience, actual peace with
the Most High through the atoning Sacrifice. Reconciliation,
forgiveness, restoration to favor there must be–and the soul must be
aware of it–there can be no peace of God apart from justification
through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ received by faith.
A man conscious of being guilty can never know the peace of God till he
becomes equally conscious of being forgiven. When his consciousness of
pardon shall become as strong and vivid as his consciousness of guilt
had been, then will he enter into the enjoyment of the peace of God
which passes all understanding!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ–you that have believed in
Jesus–there is perfect peace between you and God now–"Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God." Your sin was the ground of
the quarrel, but it has gone. It has ceased to be! It is blotted out!
It is cast into the depth of the sea! As far as the east is from the
west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us! Our Divine
Scapegoat has carried our iniquities into the wilderness. Our Lord and
Master has finished transgression, made an end of sin. He has brought
in everlasting righteousness. The cause of offense is gone and gone
forever–Jesus has taken our guilt, has suffered in our place, has made
full compensation to the injured Law and vindicated Justice to the very
highest–and now there is nothing which can excite the anger of God
towards us, for our sin is removed and our unrighteousness is covered.

We are reconciled to God by Christ Jesus and accepted in the Beloved.
Now this actual reconciliation brings to the heart a profound sense of
peace. O that all of you possessed it! O that those who know it knew it
more fully! Remember, O Soul, if Christ did, indeed, suffer in your
place and was made a curse for you, Justice can never require at your
hands the penalty which your Surety has discharged, for this would be
to dishonor His Sacrifice by making it of no effect! If Jesus stood as
your Substitute and bore what God required as the vindication of His
Law, then you are clear, beyond all doubt clear forever, saved in the
Lord with an everlasting salvation!

If it were not so, why was there a Substitute permitted? Did God design
to tantalize mankind by permitting an ineffectual substitution? What
did He accomplish if He did not save those for whom He died? What
meaning is there in the Gospel if it does not reveal an effectual
Atonement? But truly the Lord Jesus was made sin for us and the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are saved!
Here the soul rests! At the foot of the Cross it finds a peace it never
could have found elsewhere. I hope that many of you are now able to
sing–

"Jesus was punished in my stead,

Outside the gate my Surety bled

To expiate my stain.

On earth the Godhead deigned to dwell,

And made of Infinite avail

The sufferings of the man.

And was He for such rebels given?

He was! The Incarnate King of Heaven

Did for His foes expire!

Amazed, O earth, the tidings hear

He bore, that we might never bear

His Father's righteous ire."

There take your full of peace, for by this Sacrifice a Covenant of
Peace is now established between you and your God– and it is sealed by
atoning blood.

"The peace of God, which passes all understanding" also takes a second
form, namely, that of a consequent peace in the little kingdom within.
When we know that we are forgiven and that we are at peace with God,
things within us come to a sudden and delightful change. By nature
everything in our inner nature is at war with itself–it is a cage of
evil beasts all tearing and devouring each other. Man is out of
order–out of order with God, with the universe and with himself. The
machinery of manhood has fallen into serious disorder–its cogs and
wheels do not work in due harmony, but miss their touch and stroke. The
passions, instead of being ruled by reason, often demand to hold the
reins. Reason, instead of being guided by the knowledge which God
communicates by His Word, chooses to obey a depraved imagination and
demands to become a separate power and to judge God Himself!

There is not a faculty of our nature which is not in rebellion against
God and, consequently, in a state of confusion with regard to the rest
of our system. A cruel internal war often rages among our mental
powers, animal instincts and moral faculties causing distress, fear and
unhappiness. There is no cure for this but restoring Grace. O Man, you
cannot get your heart right! You cannot get your conscience right! You
cannot get your understanding right! You cannot bring your various
powers to their bearings and make them act in true harmony till first
you are right with God! The King must occupy the throne and then the
estate of Mansoul will be duly settled–but till the chief authority
has due eminence–rebellion and riot will continue.

When the Lord breathes peace into a man and the Holy Spirit descends
like a dove to dwell within the soul, then is there quiet–where all
was chaos, order appears, the man is created anew and becomes a new
creature in Christ Jesus. And though rebellious lusts still try to get
the mastery, yet there is now a ruling power which keeps the man in
order so that within him there is "the peace of God, which passes all
understanding." This leads on to peace in reference to all outward
circumstances by reason of our confidence that God orders them all
rightly and arranges them all for our good. The man who believes in
Jesus and is reconciled to God has nothing outside of him that he needs
to fear. Is he poor? He rejoices that Christ makes poor men rich! Does
he prosper? He rejoices that there is Divine Grace to sanctify his
prosperity lest it become intoxicating to him!

Does there lie before him a great trouble? He thanks God for His
promise that as his day his strength shall be. Does he apprehend the
loss of friends? He prays that the trial may be averted, for he is
permitted so to pray, even as David begged for the life of his child.
But, having so done, he feels sure that God will not take away an
earthly friend unless it is with kind intent to gather up our trust and
confidence more fully to Himself. Does there lie before him the
prospect of speedy death? The hope of resurrection gives peace to his
dying pillow! He knows that his Redeemer lives and he is content to let
his body sleep in the dust awhile. Is he reminded by Scripture of a Day
of Judgment when all hearts shall be

revealed? He has peace with regard to that dread mystery and all that
surrounds it, for he knows whom he has believed and he knows that He
will protect him in that day.

Whatever may be suggested that might alarm or distress the Believer,
deep down in his soul he cannot be disturbed because he sees his God at
the helm of the vessel holding the rudder with a hand which defies the
storm. This is peculiarly advantageous in days like these when all
things wear a dreary aspect. The storm signals are flying, the clouds
are gathering, flashes of lightning and sounds of distant thunder are
all around us. If you read the papers, wars and rumors of wars are
incessant! Your eyes light upon narratives of famine and drought. You
see distress here, slackness of business there and poverty and
starvation in many places–and the fear creeps over you that there are
dark days yet to come and seasons in which faces will grow pale and
hands hang heavy.

Brothers and Sisters, it is for the Believer, in such a case, to feel
no dismay, for our God is in the heavens and He does not forsake the
Throne. His purposes will be fulfilled and good will come out of evil,
for at this very moment God sits in the council chambers of kings and
orders all things according to the counsel of His will. We are not
children whose father has gone to sea and left us at home without a
guardian. We read just now the words, "I will not leave you
comfortless: I will come to you," and we believe that gracious Word of
God! God is most near us and we are most safe. Though we cannot see the
future and do not wish to pry between the folded leaves of the book of
destiny, we are absolutely certain that nothing is written upon the
unopened page of the future which can contradict the Divine
faithfulness so conspicuous in the past. We are sure that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the
called according to His purpose–and therefore our soul, as to all
external circumstances, casts anchor and enjoys the peace of God which
passes all understanding.

Nor is this all. God is pleased to give to His people peace in
reference to all His commands. While the soul is unregenerate, it
rebels against the mind and will of God. If God forbids, the unrenewed
heart longs for the forbidden thing. If God commands, the natural mind,
for that very reason, refuses to do it! But when the change takes place
and we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son, then, Beloved, we
drop into the same line with God and our deepest desire is to abide in
full harmony with Him. His will becomes our delight and our only sorrow
is that we cannot be perfectly conformed to it. There is no precept of
God which is grievous to a gracious heart. His statutes are our songs
in the house of our pilgrimage. We also feel perfect peace with regard
to God's providential doings because we believe that they are helping
us to arrive at conformity with Him–and that is just what we want.

Oh that we could never have a thought or wish, from now on, that would
be disagreeable to the Lord! We love Him, we love His ways, we love His
people, we love His Word, we love His Day, we love His promises, we
love His Laws–we are altogether agreed with Him through His rich
Grace–and in this sense we have a peace towards God which passes all
understanding. What a wonderful description that is of this peace–it
"passes all understanding." It is not only beyond a common
understanding, but it passes all understanding. Some have said it means
that the ungodly man cannot understand it. That statement is true, but
it is not a tenth of the whole meaning, for even he who enjoys it
cannot understand it! It is deeper, it is broader, it is sweeter, it is
more heavenly than the joyful saint, himself, can tell. He enjoys what
he cannot understand! What a mercy that such a thing is possible, for
otherwise our joys would be narrow, indeed! Reason has limits far more
narrow than joy. Truly this peace is hid from the eyes of the ungodly
and the unbelieving–it is far above, out of their sight.

Now, there are kinds of peace in the world which the ungodly man can
understand. There were the Stoics who schooled themselves to
apathy–they would not feel and so they attained a senseless
peace–their secret is easily discovered, it does not pass
understanding. Many a Red Indian has been as stolid as the greatest
Stoic and has, perhaps, surpassed him in hardening himself so that he
would not groan if pierced with arrows or burned with fire. Some men
have had such mastery over themselves that it has seemed a matter of
perfect indifference whether they suffered pain or not.

But Christianity does not teach us stoicism, nor does it point in that
direction. It cultivates tenderness, not insensibility. Its influence
tends to make us sensitive rather than callous and gives us a peace
consistent with the utmost delicacy of feeling, yes, with a
sensitiveness more intense than other men know since it makes our
conscience more tender and causes the mind to be deeply distressed by
the slightest frown of Heaven. Our peace is not the peace of apathy,
but one of a far nobler sort. Others have aimed at the peace of levity,
which the world can readily understand. They count it

one of the wisest things to drive dull care away and whatever happens
of ill they drown reflection of it in the flowing bowl and laugh over
it–making mirth when misery devours their souls.

Christians do not attempt to get rid of the trials of life in that
fashion. The world, therefore, cannot understand the Believer's peace
since he is neither apathetic nor frivolous. From where does this peace
come? The jaunty answer of many a worldling is, "Oh, it comes from some
fanatical delusion." But, indeed, we are not deluded. The grounds of a
Christian's peace are rational, logical and well grounded. They are to
be justified by common sense. A person who has been in debt and who is
still in debt, ought not to be at peace. But suppose a man is found to
be perfectly at his ease– who can blame him if he can say, "I have a
right to be so, for my debt is paid"? No one can challenge such an
argument!

He who believes that Christ Jesus suffered in his place that which was
due to God's justice has a rational argument for being at peace which
he may plead anywhere he pleases. God has forgiven, for Christ's sake,
all his iniquity–why should he not be at peace? And if it is, indeed,
so–that the Christian has become the child of God–ought he not to be
at peace? If God his Father rules all things for his good, ought he not
to be at peace? If for him there remains no danger of eternal death–if
for him there is prepared a glorious resurrection–and if he is
ultimately to shine with Christ in eternal Glory, why should not the
man have peace? It is far more difficult, I should think, to rationally
blame him for his happiness than it would be to justify him if he were
in alarm. We are not victims of delusion but speak the words of the
Truth of God and soberness when we claim to be the most favored of
mankind! The folly and the fanaticism lie with those who neglect God,
eternity and make a mockery of sin. And so the worldling does not
understand our peace and frequently sneers at it because he is puzzled
by it.

Even the Christian is sometimes surprised at his own peacefulness. I
know what it is to suffer from terrible depression of spirit at times,
yet at the very moment when it has seemed to me that life was not worth
one single bronze coin, I have been perfectly peaceful with regard to
all the greater things. There is a possibility of having the surface of
the mind lashed into storm while yet down deep in the caverns of one's
inmost consciousness all is still–I know this by experience. There are
earthquakes upon this earth and yet our globe pursues the even tenor of
its way and the same is true in the little world of a Believer's
nature. Why, sometimes a Christian will feel himself to be so flooded
with a delicious peace that he could not express his rapture! He is
almost afraid to sing, lest even the sound of his voice should break
the spell. But he says to himself–

"Come, then, expressive silence, muse His praise." Satan has breathed a
whisper into the mind–"It is too good to be true," but the spirit,
firmly believing in the truthfulness of God, has repelled the
insinuation and rested in the faithfulness of God, in the Eternal
Covenant, in the finished work of Christ, in the love of God manifested
towards His people in Christ Jesus. This is the peace of God. "So He
gives His beloved sleep." It is a rest with an emphasis–rest in Jesus'
sense when He said–"Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest." His rest in the most golden sense
that we can ever give to the word and much more! It passes
understanding, but it does not surpass experience! Do you know it? I
pray you will answer the question, each one for himself, for I must
come back to where I started from. It is not to be described–it must
be tested to be known.

II. Now, I must, in the second place, with very much brevity, indicate,
beloved Friends, HOW THIS PEACE IS TO BE OBTAINED. Now, mark you, the
Apostle was addressing himself only to Believers in the Lord Jesus and
I must beg you to take heed to the limitation. I am not addressing
myself to the ungodly–I speak only to Christians. You are always at
peace with God though you do not always enjoy the sense of it. If you
wish to realize it, how are you to do so? The connection tells you. In
the 4th verse Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say,
Rejoice." If you want to have peace of mind, make God your Joy and
place all your joy in God!

You cannot rejoice in yourself, but you ought to rejoice in God. You
cannot always rejoice in your circumstances, for they greatly vary, but
the Lord never changes. "Rejoice in the Lord always." If you have
rejoicing in earthly things you must indulge it moderately. But
rejoicing in the Lord may be used without the possibility of excess,
for the Apostle adds, "Again I say, Rejoice"–rejoice and rejoice
again! Delight yourselves in the Lord. Who has such a God as you have?
"Their rock is not as our Rock, our enemies themselves being judges."
Who has such a Friend, such a Father, such a Savior, such a Comforter
as you have in the Lord your God? To think of God as our exceeding Joy
is to find "the peace of God which passes all understanding."

Go on to the 5th Verse, where the Apostle says, "Let your moderation be
known unto all men." That is to say, While all your joy is in God, deal
with all earthly things on the principle of caution. If any man praises
you, do not exult. If, on the contrary, you are censured, do not let
your spirit sink. If you have prosperity, thank God for it, but do not
be assured that it will continue. If property is yours, use it, but do
not let it become your treasure or the chief consideration of your
mind. Do you suffer adversity? Pray God to help you, but do not be so
cast down as to despair. Drink of earthly cups by sips–do not be
foolish like the fly which drowns itself in sweets. Use the things of
time as not abusing them. Do not wade far out into the dangerous sea of
this world's comfort. Take the good that God provides you, but say of
it, "It passes away," for, indeed, it is but a temporary supply for a
temporary need. Never suffer your goods to become your god. Rejoice
only in God and as for all else, come or go, rise or fall, let it
neither distress you nor make you exult. Take matters quietly and
calmly and if you do that you will have peace. If you idolize any
earthly good, your peace will depart. Keep the world under your feet
and the peace of God shall keep your heart and mind.

Three rules are then added by the Apostle which you will be sure to
remember. He tells us to be careful for nothing, to be prayerful for
everything and to be thankful for anything. Anyone who can keep these
three rules, with the other two, will be quite sure to have a peaceful
mind. "Be careful for nothing." That is, leave your care with God.
Having done your best to provide things honest in the sight of all men,
take no distressing, disturbing, anxious thought about anything, but
cast your burden on the Lord. Then pray about everything, little, as
well as great–joyous, as well as sad. "In everything by prayer and
supplication let your requests be made known unto God." That which you
pray over will have the sting taken out of it if it is evil and the
sweetness of it will be sanctified if it is good. The tribulation which
you pray over will become bearable even if it is not changed into a
subject for rejoicing. A trouble prayed over is a dead lion with honey
in the carcass!

And then we are bid to be thankful for anything, for the Apostle says,
"In everything, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto
God." Thankfulness is the great promoter of peace–it is the mother and
nurse of restfulness. Doubtless our peace is often broken because we
receive mercies from God without acknowledging them– neglected praises
sour into unquiet forebodings. If we render to the Lord the fragrant
incense of holy gratitude we shall find our soul perfumed with the
sweet peace of God. Take those five things, then, as the connection
sets them before you. Pile up all your joy into the sacred storehouse
of your God and be glad in the Lord.

Next, leave, as much as you can, the things of this world alone–touch
them with a light finger–"Let your moderation be known unto all men."
And then pray much, care for nothing and bless God from morning to
night! In such an atmosphere shall peace grow as rare flowers and
fruits bloom beneath sunny skies in well-watered gardens. May the Holy
Spirit work these things in us and cause us to rest.

III. This brings me to the third point of our subject tonight, which is
THE OPERATION OF THIS BLESSED PRIVILEGE UPON OUR HEARTS. It is said
that the peace of God will keep our hearts and minds. The Greek word is
phroureo, which signifies keeping guard, keeping as with a garrison so
completely and so effectually does the peace of God keep our hearts and
minds. Look, then–our hearts need keeping, keeping from sinking, for
our poor spirits are very apt to faint, even under small trials. They
also need keeping from wandering, for how soon are they beguiled! What
feeble charms are able to attract us away from the altogether lovely
One! Our hearts need keeping up and keeping right.

The way to keep the heart, according to the text, is to let it be
filled with the peace of God which passes all understanding. A quiet
spirit–calm, restful, happy–is one that will neither sink nor
wander–how can it? If the peace of God is in you, what can cause you
distress? You will be like those great buoys moored out at sea which
cannot sink. It matters not what storms may be raging, they always rise
above all. Our souls, moored fast and rendered buoyant with peace, will
be as fixed marks whereby others may know their way. Moreover, a man
who has his heart full of peace is not likely to wander, for he says to
himself, "Why should I wander? Where can such sweetness be found as I
have tasted in my Lord? Why should I seek elsewhere?" The best way to
keep a person in your service is to make it worth his while to stay and
if he is so happy and so content that he feels he could not better
himself, you are likely to retain him for many a long day.

Now, our Lord and Master has made His service such that we could not
better ourselves. When He said to some of His servants, "Will you,
also, go away?" They said, "To whom shall we go?" Ah, indeed! To whom
could we go? Eyes, will you leave the light for the thick darkness?
Ears, will you turn away from the music of Jesus' voice? Heart, will
you

leave a faithful lover for a deceiver? Understanding, will you go
abroad after novelties when you have found the old, sure, satisfactory
Truth of God? Conscience, will you burden yourself, again, with your
former load? When you are so perfectly satisfied with the work and
Person of Christ, will you not stay where you are? Oh yes, the heart is
held with bands as strong as they are tender when it is full of the
peace of God which passes understanding!

You young people get tempted, I know, and who among us does not? And
the world has many charms for you. I recommend you, therefore, pray to
the Lord to maintain your happiness in Christ, your joy in the Lord. If
you get out of heart with regard to your Lord and Master, it may be the
devil may catch you when you are bad tempered and cross-grained towards
your great Lord–and entice you away from your allegiance. But if your
heart is always peaceful, you will have a strength about you with which
to resist the suggestions of the Evil One. Rivets of peace are good
fasteners for Christian loyalty. It is a very serious thing for a
Christian to be in an uncomfortable state, for he is then weak in an
important point. "Comfort you, comfort you, My people," are God's words
to His Prophets, because He knows that when we lose comfort, or lose
peace, we lose one of the most valuable pieces of armor of which our
panoply is composed. But the text also adds that this will keep our
mind as well as our heart.

Now in all ages we find that the minds of Christians have been apt to
be disturbed and vexed upon vital Truths of God. I think, sometimes,
that this is the worst age for error which has ever darkened the world.
I get distressed and bowed to the earth as I see the treachery of
ministers, professed ministers of Christ, who deny the Inspiration of
Scripture and lay the axe at the very root of all the doctrines which
we hold dear while they continue to occupy Christian pulpits. But when
I look back all through history I find it was always so. From the days
of Judas Iscariot until now there have been traitors and there have
been men of ready speech and of quick thought who have used both fair
speech and subtle thought to turn away simple minds from the Gospel, in
that they would deceive, if it were possible, the very elect!

But why are not the elect deceived? As a rule it is because they find
such peace–such perfect peace–in the Truths of God which they have
received, that deceivers vainly attempt to entice them away from it.
"Ah," cries the restful Believer, "I cannot give up the Gospel. It is
my life, my strength, my solace, my all! It was the comfort of my dying
mother and it remains the mainstay of my aged father. It was that which
brought me to a Savior's feet and gives me Grace to remain there. It
has helped me in the hour of trial again and again. I feel I need its
consolations and, therefore, I can never part with it." And so he grows
indignant with the man who casts a doubt, especially if he is of the
clerical order and a pretender to the Christian ministry. Brothers and
Sisters, we cannot move one single inch from the Truth which we have
been taught by the Holy Spirit in our soul–and it is only such Truth
as that which can bring into the heart the peace of God which passes
understanding!

When the Lord has brought His own Truth into our minds by His own power
and made the sweet savor of it to pervade our frame–and when He has
given us to drink thereof till we have been filled with joy and peace
unutterable– we cannot, then, depart from it! Truth taught us by man
we may forget, but that which the Holy Spirit engraves upon the inmost
heart we cannot depart from. So help us God, we must stand to it even
if we die for it! And what are the inventions they offer us instead of
the choice things of the Covenant of Peace? They are trifles light as
air! If they were true they would not be worth propagating–they might
be left among the minor matters which are of no practical value to the
sons of men.

They bring us no new grounds of solid peace or fresh discovered
arguments for holy joy. The negative theology promises no blessings to
mankind. It is an empty-handed plunderer, robbing us of every solace
and offering nothing in return. If modern thought could be proved to be
true, the next thing that ought to be done would be to hang the world
in sackcloth because such vanity of vanities has taken the place of the
delightful Truth of God which once gladdened the hearts of men! It
would be the saddest of all facts if we were assured that the Doctrines
of Grace are, after all, a fiction. But they are not so. They cannot
be! They bear their own witness within themselves. Some of us can speak
about them as Christian replied to Atheist, when Atheist said, "Go
back! Go back!" Christian's reply was, "We are seeking the Celestial
City." "Oh," said Atheist, "but I have gone farther than any of you and
I tell you that there is no such place. I have met with many learned
men who have studied the whole matter and it is all a delusion. Go
back! Bo back!"

Then Christian said, "What? No Celestial City? Did we not see it from
the top of Mount Clear, when we were with the shepherds and looked
through the telescopic glass?" So we say–No Atonement? Have we not
felt the peace with which it soothes the conscience? No regeneration?
Are we not, ourselves, the living evidence that men are made new

creatures in Christ Jesus? No answers to prayer? Surely, then, we are
not sane men at all and our senses have failed us! No final
perseverance? What, then, has kept us to this day? No work of the Holy
Spirit? What? Are we asleep? Is even our existence a delusion? No, as
we rub our eyes, we feel that we have not been dreaming! We feel sure
that some other people are dozing and doting–and we pray that God, in
mercy, may end their dream and bring them to know those glorious and
substantial Truths which fill us with the peace of God which passes all
understanding!

We are bound to the Cross forever! We are nailed to the wood with
Christ forever! The blood-red colors of the Atonement are fastened to
our masthead, to fly there till our vessel sinks, if sink it must, but
never to be struck by man or devil, priest or philosopher! We dare not
change, but stand faithful to that which Jesus has taught us, at whose
feet we sat in our youth and who still continues to teach us! His peace
keeps our heart and mind and, therefore, we will, with heart and mind,
keep His Truth, come what may.

IV. Lastly, let us observe THE SPHERE OF ITS ACTION. The text says, "In
Christ Jesus." Now, Beloved, I beg you to note this with interest. The
Apostle never mentions the name of Jesus too often. You cannot say that
he drags it in, but he mentions it as often as he can, for he delights
in the sound of it. "In Christ Jesus." These words touch every point of
our text all the way through. Are we speaking of ourselves? We are in
Christ Jesus! Our faith has realized our union with His sacred Person.
He is our Head and we are His members. He is the Cornerstone and we are
built upon Him. There is nothing about ourselves worth thinking of
apart from Him–and it will be well if we dismiss the thought.

Then if we dwell upon the peace of God, we still think of our Lord
Jesus, for it is all in Him. No peace is to be found out of Christ! No
peace can warm our heart while we forget Christ! "He is our peace."
Never go, dear Brothers and Sisters, for your peace to the Law or to
your own experience–to your own past achievements, or even to your own
faith! All your peace is in Jesus. And then our hearts and our minds,
mentioned in the text, must all be in Jesus–the heart loving Him and
loved of Him. The mind believing Him, resting in Him, using its
faculties for Him–all in Him! If I leave that last thought with you it
will be the best ending for my sermon, namely, that to get peace and to
get your hearts and minds kept, the grand necessity is to be in
Christ–in your dying, risen, reigning Lord! Let Him be upon your
thoughts now and always! His table is now spread, come here to commune
with Him. Come here with your Master, to see your Master and to eat His
flesh and drink His blood, after a spiritual fashion, at His own table!

A word to you who do not know our Lord. How I wish you did know Him!
You can never possess peace till you possess Christ! What a blessed
beginning of Sabbaths it would be to your souls if you were to seek
Christ tonight. You have not far to go to find Him. He is not far from
any of us. Cover your eyes and breathe a prayer to Him. Stand behind
one of the columns outside or get into the street and let your heart
say, "Savior, I need peace, and peace I can never have till I have
found You. Behold, I trust You. Manifest Yourself to me at this moment
and say unto my soul, 'I am your salvation.'" God grant you may so
pray!

It seems to me very amazing that we should need to persuade men to
think of their own interests and to care for their own selves! In other
things they are always sharp enough to look after what they call,
"Number One," but when it comes to the most solemn concern–the
greatest blessing and the purest happiness that can be had–they are so
foolish as to let all other things attract them more than the Lord
Jesus! The Lord save you all for His infinite mercy's sake! Amen.

[EARNEST prayer is desired for the special services now being held at
the Tabernacle and also for Mr. SPURGEON, that he may be fully restored
and may return to his people in the fullness of the blessing of the
Gospel of peace. He is, by God's Grace, already greatly improved in
health.]