I

Peace in the Soul

_Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you._--ST. JOHN 14:27.


Peace is one of the great words of the Holy Scriptures.
It is woven through the Old Testament and the New like a golden thread.
It inheres and abides in the character of God,--

"The central peace subsisting at the heart
Of endless agitation."

It is the deepest and most universal desire of man, whose prayer in all
ages has been, "Grant us Thy Peace, O Lord." It is the reward of the
righteous, the blessing of the good, the crown of life's effort, and the
glory of eternity.

The prophets foretell the beauty of its coming and the psalmists sing of
the joy which it brings. Jesus Christ is its Divine Messiah, its high
priest and its holy prince. The evangelists and prophets proclaim and
preach it. From beginning to end the Bible is full of the praise of
peace.

Yet there never was a book more full of stories of trouble and strife,
disaster and sorrow. God Himself is revealed in it not as a calm,