childish terror. Weeping, it runs to its mother. She takes the child in
her arms, folds it to her breast, bends over it, and soothes it with
fond words which mean only this: "I love you." Very soon the child sinks
to rest, contented and happy, in the sense of being loved. "Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to
be the propitiation for our sins." In Jesus Christ God is stretching out
His arms to us, drawing us to His bosom, enfolding us in the secret of
peace. If we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, He makes us sure
of a Divine affection, deep, infinite, inexhaustible, imperishable. "For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." God, who "spared not his dearly-beloved Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
"Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord."

II. The Christian peace is the peace of being divinely controlled. The
man who accepts Jesus Christ truly, accepts Him as Master and Lord. He
believes that Christ has a purpose for him, which will surely be
fulfilled? work for him, which will surely be blessed if he only tries
to do it. Most of the discords of life come from a conflict of
authorities, of plans, of purposes. Suppose that a building were going
up, and the architect had one design for it, and the builder had
another. What perplexity and confusion there would be! How ill things
would fit! What perpetual quarrels and blunders and disappointments! But
when the workman accepts the designer's plan and simply does his best to
carry that out, harmony, joyful labour, and triumph are the result. If
we accept God's plan for us, yield to Him as the daily controller and
director of our life, our work, however hard, becomes peaceful and
secure. No perils can frighten, no interruptions can dishearten us.