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RAMMINGEN, WHO GRACIOUSLY EXI'RESSED AN I.NTERF.ST IN THE SUBSTANCE OK THIS LITTLE UOOK, THE FOLLOWING I'AGES ARE, BY HER KIND PERMISSION, RESPECTFULLY DEpiCATED. m i r i-i: \ i • A ■ 1: un ob j . j su rei s « mc m % • th( ca is 1 sp 1 ea T 1 • re. ] 1 . » { • «^j PREFACE A LITTLE noOK lias bccn lately published under the title of ' Pax Vobiscum,' and has obtained a very large circulation. The authorship of this book is quite sufficient to commend it to the Christian reader, but still more so the mine of precious metal which it contains. As there is still much to be said on this subject, I have been emboldened to put forth the accompanying treati.se by wjxy of amplifi- cation, dwelling chiefly on this question, Why is not this peace ours ? My humble prayer is that the Peace spoken of in both these works may be earnestly sought and happily realised by the reader. A. O. Biarritz ; Manh 14, 1891. ii 1 CONTENTS CHAtTER I. The Lec.acy of Christ . . . • II. First Hindrance: Not applying to the TRUE Source of Peace . ... III. Second Hindrance: The Retention or some Sin in the Heart . . . • IV. Third Hindrance: Unbelief . . • V. Third Hindrance (rw/««/'^' % i ti i f. I PEACE reality of her love, turning to her, said ; * Thy sins be forgiven thee ; thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace* And we also in our Church I'raycrs say ; ' O Lamb of God, that takcst away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace.' And, again, in one of our beautiful Collects wc arc taught to pray ; ' Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' We must wake up to a consciousness of the guilt and misery of sin, and then flee as penitents to the Cross. ' Sorrow for sin (says an old writer) is the sorrow that brings with it the most direct blessing. Sorrow for lost Riches will not bring them ba^k. Sorrow for lost Friends will not raise them 11 .:::2JKs- FIRST IflNDRANCE laid ; * Thy lath saved aycrs say ; ly the sins ^nd, again, arc taught 2, merciful ! &nA peace, I their sins, d, through isciousness id then flee o\v for sin ;hat brings \. Sorrow hem ba^tc. raise them up. Sorrow in Sickness will not cure, but rather increase it. But sorrow for Sin brings Health and Peace to the soul' Yes, sorrow for sin is the Hrst step in our heavenward course ; and then the next step is to go direct to Christ, and ap[)ly to Him for that Pardon and Peace, which the world can lot give, but which He can. But when Christ pardons, although a new joy springs up in the heart, a real joy, an inward joy, the happy feeling that a load has been removed, and an intolerable weight taken off the soul, the settled Peace of which I have been speaking is not yet enjoyed. It is an after-blessing. The stream does not at once acquire a calm and peaceful course, nor will your soul immediately settle down into that calmness and rest which is the portion of the true and -^ ivanced 10 PEACE Believer, who lives henceforth not unto him- self, but unto his Lord. From Christ then alone docs our Peace come. It flows from Him as from the smitten Rock. He left it as a precious legacy to His true disciples, and He still most graciously bestows it ; it is their inheritance and reward. They receive it as a gift ; not, perhaps, on their first access to Him, but afterwards, as the result of their confiding trust in Him, and their loving obedience to His will. :.*£« unto him- our Peace from the ous legacy still most nhcritaiicc gift; not, Ilim, but confiding cdicncc to CHAPTER III. SECOND HINDRANCE. The Retention of some Sin in the Heart. On our first reception of Christ, when \vc turn to Him in earnest, and when He welcomes us to His bosom as penitents. He bids us live henceforth a new and changed life, a life of faithful obedience, a life of holy freedom, and also of devoted service. He seems to say to the liberated soul ; ' Now go and sin no more. Thou hast been set free ; be not entangled again in the snares of sin. Thou hast been washed and cleansed ; wallow not 'Tt* n PEACE again ill tlic mire. Keep thy garments white, unspotted by any stains of evil.' Thus, St. I'aul asks ; ' Shall \vc continue in sin, that grace may aboiiiul ? ' And he himself answers the question ; ' God forbid. How shall we that arc dead to sin live any longer therein?' And in this spirit f)ur Church teaches us to pray ; ' I'or thy Son, our Lord Je.sus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past ; and grant that we may ever hereafter .serve and [jlcase thee in newness of life, to the honour and glory of thy Name.' And .again ; ' Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that wc may pass our time in rest mui quietness' Let mc ask you, ILive you learnt, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to feel ' the exceeding sinfulness ' of sin ? and have you fled to the Cross for mercy ? Well is it if you ^t,iii*i ifijtftfc^ mmmmmmm'^mm SECOND /f/NDRAXCr. 13 cnts white, c continue ' Aiul he roci forbid. In live any spirit our ly Son, our us all that ;r hereafter "///t", to the \ncl again ; ; which the r pass our irnt, by the feci ' the I have you is it if you have ; but be upon your ^^uartl, be watchful. I'or alas how apt we arc to keep back some cherished sin ; some secret sin, it may be ; a little one i)crhaps, one that has clung to us so long that we cannot bear to part with it. And thus our repentance is incomplete. It is as when the Surgeon's knife is applied to some deep wound within us ; the sore is apparently extracted from the quivering flesh, and the healing process begins. And yet something mars our eventual cure. The pain returns, and the patient still suffers. The fact is, that a portion of the disease was left untouched ; the operation was incomplete. So it is sometimes with the Conversion of the sou'.. VVc bitterly repent, and turn to God. We give up sin in the main, and try to live a happy Christian life ; but perhaps there is some sin, some little sin, some secret fJ 14 PEACE 1.1 I l^i' i! m ij / bosom-sin, which is still allowed to remain undisturbcti. And thus our repentance is made void, and the Peace of God is effec- tually prevented from ruling in our hearts. The consequence is that God, who sees through it all, withholds His blessing. Our prayers are hindered. There is a cloud which shuts Him out from us. We are not accepted. We see ol/iers getting on ; but there is some- thing that keeps us back. T/iet'r Peace flows as a river, smoothly and noiselessly ; but it is not so with us. No ; and it never will be until every sin is put away ; fci" until then our own hearts will be ever condemning us, and we shall have no confiding trust in God. We sometimes see persons whose feelings are naturally warm, and easily moved. They appear to be in earnest ; but the .•/"ated iron soon cools, and they are drawn back to their U. SECOND HINDRANCE IS to remain entance is id is effec- r hearts. , who sees sirg. Our loud which it accepted, re is some- 'eace flows sly ; but it :ver will be until then smiling us, St in God. )se feelings k^ed. They .^3*:ed iron ick to their sins by some trifling enticement" • whereas, if their repentance had been genuine, ' not even crowns and kingdoms would have allured them back into the path of evil.' Before then I go any further, I beseech you, my dear reader, to look closely into your own heart, and see if there be any hidden fault concealed there ; and, if so, root it out immediately. There must be no hesitation, and no compromise with the smallest sin. God abhors every evil ; and we should be very careful lest we cficnd Him. It was said of an old Grecian philosopher, that when once accused of cowardice, he replied, ' Yes, I am the greatest coward in the world ; for I fear God, and dare not do the smallest wrong.' You may bj sure of this, that if sin be allowed a place within us, it will exercise a »-- - .—Li i6 PEACE painful dominion over us, and cast a shadow over our inward life. Be '.ery severe then widi yourself. Be very sensitive in the matter of right and wrong. And whilst the conscience of some is so blunted and dull that they can live unconcerned under the weight of almost any sin, do thou avoid the most trifling fault, and trj' by God's help to live a holy and blamele.-,? life, remembering Him who was pure and spotless, 'like a beautiful pearl whirh no breath of man can tarnish.' Our earnest and constant prayer to Christ, ' the Rock of Ages,' should be :— Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed , He of sin the double cure ; Cleanse me from its ,;;(/// and /xr.vcr. Then, if so cleansed, we shall enjoy Peace —Christ's Peace. I t a shadow cvcrc then vc in the tnd whilst untcd and rncd under thou avoid God's help membcring ss, ' like a of man can :r to Christ, ver. ;njoy Peace I CHAPTER IV. THIRD HINDRANCE. Unbelief. The Prophet Isaiah says ; ' Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trustcth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever.' Now, how can we trust in God, and stay our minds on Him, so long as there is any Unbelief rankling in our hearts? This is enough to prevent all trust, all confidence, all repose. Our minds will be adrift, swaying to and fro, unless we possess a sure and solid anchor- age. I; ft PEACE This Unbelief then ia a Third Hindrance in the way of Peace. Now, there arc two kinds of Unbelief The one is open, decided, and declared : it is, in fact, nothing less than sheer Infidelity. The other is less open : it is plausible and undermining ; and although expressed with delicacy and caution, it is almost as fatal as the other. Of the former of these I am not going to speak ; namely, the wilful, full-blown Unbelief of those who glory in their infidel opinions, and make a boast of them openly ; for they, of course, make no eftbrtto obtain Peace. It cannot possibly be theirs ; they lay no claim *;'~> it. The last era was one of spiritual dead- ness ; the present is an age of Doubts and Semi-unbelief; and the Christian has need io i Hindrance if Unbelief, declared : it 2r Infidelity, lausible and aressed with t us fatal as not going to )\vn Unbelief del opinions, ly ; for they, n Peace. It hey lay no )i ritual dead- Doubts and 1 has need lo THIRD H/X.nRAXCE t^ be well-armed to resist the evil tiiat is all around him. In former days Unbelief scared j- dared to show itself It lay buried in the heart of its votaries ; for they feared openly to promulgate their comfortless opinions. Such men as Hume and Ilobbes, Lord Rochester and Voltaire, did Satan's work ; but they met with the condemnation of all who were in any measure right-minded. But now the state of things is altered. Scepticism has assumed a different aspect. Its views, when held with a certain degree of refinement, are tolerated. They have even become fashionable ; and men flaunt their contempt for the old lines marked out by the pen of inspiration. They speak dis- paragingly of God's Word, compare its utter- ances with the light of modern science, and question the possibility of Miracles. t '>» M PEACE Persons of cultivated minds, and in whom perhaps there is a little dash of sciontific knowledge, express their opinions boldly in the very heart of society, in drawing-rooms and at dinner-tables, and perhaps still more commonly in pleasing and attractive novels, whose writers do not openly attack the Word of God, but insidiously impugn its authority. There is often a certain mixture of religi- ousness introduced into their conversation or writings to make them palatable, like sugar sprinkled upon the nauseous pill. They speak of Nature's God, for whom they pro- fess much reverence, and of a Father who is full of mercy ; but they ignore His redeeming love in the person of Christ, thus 'denying even the Lord who bought them.' Truly ' their words are softer than butter ; but war is in their hearts : their words are smoother 7 HIIW HIND R A NCR ai ind in whom of sciontific lis boldly in awing-rooms 3S still more ctive novels, ck the Word ts authority, ure of religi- iversation or le, like sugar pill. They )m they pro- 'ather who is [is redeeming lus 'denying hem.' Truly tter ; but war are smoother than oil ; yet arc they drawn swords.' And if they can but unsettle the minds of the weak and wavering, they arc content ; for having lost their own faith, their aim is to undermine the faith of others. And this evil is, I believe, spreading. Never perhaps did the Church of England shine more brightly ; never was she more active and more to the front ; never was she doing more for her Lord than she is doing now ; but she is surrounded by dangers — dangers without and dangers within. And I cannot help thinking that the greatest of all these dangers is the spirit of Infidelity which is secretly arraying itself against our Lord. This is the Church's real danger. In this qutirter of the sky is the tempest really gathering. This is the canker-worm which is threatening to cat away her vitals. The true ■ ■jii i Wfll li i W to.*^"' ti ■ (Tk^ Ifti 22 I'EACE source of peril is to be found in that general weakening of all religious faith, which pre- vails not in England only but throughout Christendom. And observe this : do we not read in Holy Scripture of Sin and Unbelief as marking the latter days of the Christian Church ; that ' there will come a falling away first ' ; and then that ' the Son of Perdition will be revealed,' ' whose coming is with all de- ceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved ' ? It does indeed seem as if this prediction was being fulfilled. There may be (God grant that it may not be so in our day) — but I say there may be before us a dreary winter of Unbelief, the beginning of the end, when there shall be a shrivelling up of THIRD HINDRANCE 23 that general which pre- throughout read in Holy as marking an Church ; away first ' ; lition will be vith all dc- in them that lot the love c saved ' ? is prediction ay be (God our day) — us a dreary iiing of the /elling up of every particle of spiritual life, except in those who have found Christ, and are decidedly His ; for remember it is also written in Scripture ; ' When the Son of Man Cometh, shall he nnd faith on the earth ? ' Let us be upon our guard then. Let us (as the Prophet says) ' stand upon our watch, and set us upon the tower; let us watch, and sec what the Lord is saying to us, and what wc shall answer when we are reproved.' There is a Vortex ; let us not be drawn into it. There is a Pitfall ; let us not blindly rush onward — not an open pitfall, but a concealed one, covered over with a few leaves of moral truth, so as to hide it from our sight. We should avoid all contact with such persons, as we would avoid those who have a contagious disease upon them ; and be ■'••MinMnMiaHiciiiMer' "•p*" 24 PEACE careful also to giiaid tliosc who arc dear to us from intercourse with them. They may not be persons of much weight ; but still iliey may succeed in pulling down the fabric of the weak and unstable. Their own shallowness does not remove the danger. Moths arc insignificant Insects, but if un- detected they will in a very short time fret our most substantial garments into holes, and destroy their texture. To Parents especially I would say, Take care of your Children. Hedge them around with a strong fence of truth. Give them good Friends and good Books — some- thing definite to cling to. Let the realities of God's eternal truth be stamped upon their souls, and by His help be embedded there. And then they will be strong to resist every foe, whether the attack comes ■'J Bv.. lo arc dear icm. They ivcight ; but g down the blc. Their : the danger, but if un- short time incnts into would say, icdge them Tuth. Give )oi\s — some- the realities mpcJ upon 2 embedded 3 strong to :taci< comes n^ THIRD HINDRANCE n with open enmity, or with the semblance of friendship. Depend upon it, those who hold these views, or who listen to them without ab- horrence, cannot enjoy the Peace which the Saviour promises. They arc directly thrusting it from them. It cannot be theirs. t' agiigiaaatf -ami m —- i n w ii W ' i w i l l il i il li w >>riMa»>til|iwBg|er'«ffllBi* » • CHAPTER V. THIRD niNDKANCE {continued). If I Involuntary Unbeli(J. I CANNOT dismiss the subject of Unbelief, as a most serious hindrance to our Christian Peace, without adding a word of caution, and yet of encouragement and comfort, to those of my brethren who know and truly love God, but who may be smarting under the power of Unbelief, which they hate, n^ from which they earnestly long to be freed. There is such a thing as Involuntary Unbelief, which sometimes assails even God's inued). of Unbelief, our Christian :1 of caution, 1 comfort, to ow and truly larting under h they hate, y long to be s Involuntary ils even God's THinn llfXPRAXCK tf dearest children, and disturbs their I'eace. Ynu ina>' not have felt this ; God may have spared >'ou from its assaults. If so be very thankful for Mis great mercy. Hut be upon your guard ; for though the wave may not yet have reached you, the tide is coming in. You may at present be altogether free from any doubts ; but, should they come, be pre- pared. God sometimes permits Satan to inject them into the minds of His dearest servants. There is a kind of Unbelief which is apt to spring up occasionally even in t/ieir hearts, and to disturb for a season the peace and comfort of their souls. It is like a passing Blight, which sweeps across the trusting, loving heart, and for a while hides the full light of the Sun of Righteousness. It mingles with the !,l ii - ,„, — ■* #- m z8 PEACE u Christian's faith, and impedes his flow of happiness. It is a most painful intruder. I will mention two examples of this Involuntary Unbelief, or Weakness of Faith. One is that of the Apostle Thomas. His was a doubt which gave him real pain, and which he would most gladly have been without. He loved his Lord, and desired to believe in His Resurrection; but he hesitated to accept the truth ; and so he asked for further evidence. And when this request was mercifully granted, he was fully satisfied, and was greatly relieved, exrlaiming, with holy rapture : ' My Lord and my God f ' Such too was the feeling of the Father who brought his Son to Jesus when possessed of an CA^i spirit. Being questioned by our Lord fs to his amount of faith, he replied, ijfah-tjffatww-f^ his flow of il intruder, pics of this ess of Faith, tie Thomas, i^e him real most gladly :d his Lord, Resurrection ; c truth ; and lence. And ally granted, was greatly apture : ' My f the Father len possessed ioned by our 1, he replied, THIRD HINDRANCE 39 somewhat hesitatingly ; ' Lord, I believe ; ' but adds this prayer, ' Help thou mine unbelief.' So it may be with us. We may be thus harassed by unbelieving doubts, which crop up when least expected, making a painful inroad upon our Peace, and sorely hindering us in our upward flight. If then it should come, regard it as a Temptation, and resist it, looking up to God for strength. He may perhaps permit it in order to try your stability and your allegi- ance. He may allow you thus to pass through the furnace, that ' the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried in the fire, may be found unto praise, and honour, and glory.' And most assuredly 'He will, with the temptation, make a vvay for you to escape.' I 'Il y- •i t'''f' ili irfifc i mii ii 'W 'iiwii nii. i mifcLi 'I ' m . 3° PEACE I, In any case, kneel down, and bring your infirmity before God, especially the infirmity of your faith. Cast yourself upon Christ. Entreat Him to expel that 'evil heart of unbelief which troubles you, and to give you a heart to trust Him, and to rejoice in His salvation. Say unto Him, as in the case that I have mentioned ; ' Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief; or as the disciples prayed ; ' Lord, increase our faith.' These whisperings of doubt must needs greatly interfere with the calmness and peace of your Christian course. They are as Boulders in the river's bed, impeding its onward flow. Oh that God would remove them by His grace, and give you a strong, settled, and unwavering faith ! Oh for a heart fixed on m^ ijjili '« '! . ' _-L_.kllUjl 1, and bring specially the 'oursclf upon cl that ' evil >les you, and Him, and to unto Him, as Dned ; ' Lord, elicf ' ; or as increase our t must needs almness and c. They are impeding its them by His settled, and icart fixed on THIRD HINDRANCE 3» the Eternal Rock ! For then you will be at rest, and you will enjoy to the full that ' Peace which passeth all understanding,' 'joy and peace in believing.' ..ii^^uuffW iiiiiii . i i i' w PHiiiiBiMe? . . ' ■"" B I ' J"! ' S1 - CHAPTER VI. 1 OURTH HINDRANCE. The Cares and Pleasures of the World. Worldly Cares are a terrible hindrance to many, standing effectually in the way of the Christian's Peace. We all have them — some m.ore, and some less. They naturally exert a disturbing influence on our spiritual life ; and in proportion as they are allowed an entrance, they drive out Peace from our hearts. We cannot pass through this world with- out feeling them in some degree — Family Cares, Household Cares, Society Cares ; some ESE?-!r CE. he World. ; hindrance to he way of the 2 them — some laturally exert spiritual life ; re allowed an ace from our lis world with- igree — Family / Cares ; some FO UR TH HINDRA NCR 33 one care, and some another. No one is wholly exempt. And, I ask you. Arc not these Cares some- times almost more than we can bear ? Do they not sorely distress us, and sadly interfere with that caiiTi repose which we ought to feel } They come upon us as a flood, and fairly overwhelm us. They rise up in the morning, and forestall other and better thoughts, and keep us wakeful in the night-watches. They intrude into our pri- vate devotions ; they follow us to the House of God, and haunt us even upon our knees. I am not speaking of those Great Cares which occasionally assail us, and which we meet with a special effort ; but of those Little Cares, those 'Insect Cares', which are con- tinually fretting us, and are keeping up a 111 1 jijiyu'.n^jf ■ JU- i " ii '">i-,l ' !lttW -mi^ \> 1 34 PEACE perpetual sore within us. It is these which in.crfcre even more with our inward Peace. St. Paul here ccmcs to our aid. He does not ignore the existence of these Cares, but teaches us how to deal with them, how to weaken their power, and how to dethrone them from usurping their mastery over us. He tells us to bring t/iej/i, as well as a/l our troubles, to Christ, and to ask Him to give us strength to overcome them : ' Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.' And our Lord Himself counsels us on the same subject in His Sermon on the Mount. Make an effort then to put this advice into immediate practice. Leave all — the cares of the day and the anxieties of the mor- row — in the Saviour's hands. And I feel sure that if wc do so we shall find immense relief, and we shall be enabled to possess a S ^ :yi!. ' 'J!Jiijl'^. J" ! M W " I ■I IJ. I ■- ■ _ ;ii ii wyw f ui » ■< ."-"i these which ard Peace, id. lie does sc Cares, but hem, how to to dethrone tery over us. veW as a/l our Him to give : ' Casting all ireth for you.' ;ls us on the the Mount, ut this advice eave all — the ies of the mor- And I feel I find immense d to possess a FOURTH HINDRANCE 35 calm, quiet spirit amidst the pressure of the outer world. But I spoke of Worldly Pleasures also as a further hindrance in the way of Christian Peace. There is nothing wrong in the enjoyment of life ; but it bccovics wrong when this present life is allowed to be all to us — in fact, when this world is in the ascendant. Recrea- tion is not only allowable, but good for us all, so long as it is harmless. But the moment it begins to engross the heart, and to usurp the place which is due to God, and to things heavenly, then it becomes sinful, and is hurtful to the soul, superseding the enjoyment of higher things. It may be that my reader is one of those whose hearts are so taken up and clogged with worldly pleasures that there D 2 ■ i 11 1! i I ' '" J ' l ' " fmJB&^rUM^ 36 PEACE is no room for Christ. Let mc ask you : Have you Peace? You may be light- hearted and happy without being peaceful. You may have found joy and merriment ; but will it last? No; for all will sof be gone, and nothing left in you but a dreary blank. Is there not a Voice from above which whispers in your ear, 'What hast tJiou to do with Peace ? ' I ; ask you : ■ be Hght- ig peaceful, merriment ; vill sof be ut a dreary from above 'What hast CHAPTER VII. FIFTH HINDI- .v-E. The Defective Observance of God's Ordinances. God has given us many Ordinances as helps to us in our Christian life. The three most prominent of these are : - The Ordinance of the Christian Sabbath ; The Ordinance of God's own written Word, in which He speaks to us ; and The Ordinance of Prayer, in which we are permitted to speak to Him. I will first speak of The Ordinance of THE Sabbath. There is no greater mistake rf 'f :i • g i- ' .MLtiiOLLL'-iaa'r ,: 38 PEACE than to suppose that this is a mere Jewish Ordinance. The opening page of the Bible 's enough to dispel at once this idea from our minds. It carries us back to the beginning of things — to the very dawn of the world. Wc read there, that during six days the Lord accom- plished the great and wondrous work of the World's Creation ; and then on the Seventh day He ceased, the work being completed. That day He set apart as His own day, a special day to be yielded up to Him ; ' And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.' This Day of Days, this Seventh portion ot the week, was to be observed for ever, and by all people. It was certainly not a day set apart for the Jeivs only, for they were not in existence at that time. The tmrnsna ■ i ' ^a^ wi . r^ffji^f* •gMMMM f'''f'f^''9immmmm»iBiftmmrmtaaitm FIFTH HINDRANCE 39 ncre Jewish Ic -s enough our minds. ig of things J. Wc read Lord accom- us work of Ken on the work being ipart as His yielded up the seventh cnth portion ed for ever, ■tainly not a yily, for they time. The command concerning it was the first com- mand from God to man. It came as His primary message to the newly-created world. It was an institution wafted, j\s it were, by a direct breeze from Paradise. From that time we find this Holy Ordinance running as a golden thread through the whole texture of God's inspired Word. It appears and reappears in every part of Scripture, under the title of 'the Sabbath' in the Old Testament, and of the Lord's Day in the New, binding upon all God's people alike, and surrounded by a halo of sacredncss. The special Observance of Sunday has been the glory and safeguard of England, the brightest spot in her national history. But of late there has been a tendency to pare down its holy obligations, and to give -u ■ » w i« ".!i ' a..i;^.rj:. .gr.T -I'ra ...#' " ' ,-.j;sLlt/yr^.i^^^7^ .'.'*-r ^ 43 PEACE W ii I « r doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable ; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words ; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' I know that this is a tender subject, the very mention of which is displeasing to many. But sure I am that you would despise the Christian writer who prefers the favour of his hearers to the plain declara- tion of God's truth, and who cares for your praise more than he cares for your soul, I would say to all those who thus remove the landmark of God's Sabbaths, and who tread with careless foot on the ground which He has hallowed, and stamped with His own seal ; If you desire the favour of God, and if MMMUCM T day, and call y of the Lord, our him, not ling thine own ; own words ; in the Lord : ;h spoken it.' ier subject, the displeasing to it you would ho prefers the plain declara- cares for your ^our soul, ko thus remove )aths, and who ; ground which 1 with His own of God, and if rt, FIFTH HINDRANCE m you wish for that Peace which is your promised inheritance, beware how you dis- honour Him, and treat lighdy His own most blessed Ordinance. I have dwelt on this, because I feel strongly that the Defective Observance of God's Ordinance is sapping the foundation of our Christianity, and of that Peace which might be ours. i s^r^asw i JJ r i ttiw ii TtMik i iit a&fc^^ftiMiiittlliliiii^ CHAPTER VIII. FIFTH HINDRANCE {continued). I I 1 1 Defective Bible-reading and Prayer. I TAK?: it for granted that our practice is to read the Bible daily. But hoiv do we read it ? As those who arc conscious that their souls require nourishment as well as their bodies ? As those who are seeking in it for a hid treasure ? As those who feel that it contains God's message to them ; who look up to Him for the teaching of His Holy Spirit ; and who lay open their hearts to ' receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save their souls ' ? :L.ofC. mmmm II. ntinued). !'n»nirtiiitiw*illrflii to give Me your whole heart ; but it was pre-engaged, and absorbed in earthly trifles. I required a holy and devoted life ; but the ways and maxims of the world were your standard. I gave you a Saviour, and bade you to follow Him, to trust in Ilim, to believe in Him. I charged you to seek pardon and rest in His Cross ; but you turned away from it, for it had no charms for you.' Now, beware of such Peace as this — of that False Peace which has deceived many, and is perhaps at this very moment deceiving you. Wake up, and say, ' I have deluded myself all along ; but, thank God, I have at length found myself out ; and without a moment's delay I will seek to have all my false Peace, all my flimsy covering, swept away ; and I will at once apply to tnat Saviour whom I s« PEACE have so long despised, but who still loves me with an untiring love, and is yet crying : ' Why will yc die with pardon and Peace still within your reach ? ' 2. By way of summing up the contents of what has been said, it may be well that I should draw the Portraiture of the Christian whom I should expect to find in the enjoy- ment of True Peace. He is one who has pleaded earnestly and perseveringly for its bestowal, and is looking to Christ for its continuance ; one who, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, has learnt to hate sin, and who honestly desires to expel every remnant of it from his heart ; one who, amidst all the pressing cares and trials of life, has found the secret of laying them all down before the Cross, and leaving them all there ; one too who has discovered that there is in God's mu CONCLur^ION 53 still loves mc crying : ' Why ICC still within ) the contents be well that I ■ the Christian in the cnjoy- one who has iringly for its Christ for its he teaching of ) hate sin, and every remnant amidst all the , has found the ivn before the there ; one too ire is in God's Day, in God's House, in God's Word, and in Prayer, a blessing and a treasure which fills the soul, and which the world can never, never give us. Such, I believe, is the character of the really peaceful Christian. 3. Examine yourself very closely on the Five Hindrances which 1 have mentioned in the foregoing pages. Answer each inquiry honestly and conscientiously. And if your reply must needs be ' No ' to any one of them, be sure there is some impediment which dries up the flow of Peace within you. Try to correct what is amiss, and that with- out a moment's delay, saying to yourself: ' What have I to do with Peace so long as this impediment remains ? ' And now before we part, for we have been holding intercourse together in these -^m T 1 I 14 PEACE pages, I desire to offer up the Apostle's I'rayer for you : ' Now the Lord Himself give you I'ciice always, by all means: tho Lord be with you.' I'RINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON the Apostle's ci Himself give ans : the Lord WORKS BY THE RT. REV. A8HT0N OXENDEN, FoBMICni.Y lllSMOP OK MONTIIKAI,. REET SQUARE THE PATHWAY OF HAKKTY; or. Cmitiicl totlio AwakonciJ. .leHril ThouHiinil. Kcii. Hvd. Ijhk" 'yp'-. clolli, 'J.i. tj(/. 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