to His will, it seems as though the inner light
shines deeper down into the hidden places of our being, and the
residence of Christ extends to new chambers of the heart.

XIII

Christ's Legacy and Gift of Peace

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it
be afraid."--JOHN xiv. 27.

It seems a little anomalous to talk of peace at a time when the
war-clouds are being swiftly blown up from the horizon, the sea
roaring, and men's hearts failing them for fear: and yet, in the
deepest aspects, this is of all times the most suitable. It is when
the storm rattles on the window-panes that the family draws closer
round the fire, and the mother clasps her babe to her breast.

The word Peace is the Eastern salutation and benediction. When one
stranger encounters another, as they meet and part, they wish each
other peace. It was befitting, therefore, that at Christ's entrance
into our world, the first salutation to men, as conveyed by the angels,
should be, "Peace on earth"; and that His parting words should be,
"Peace be unto you." But with what a wealth of meaning does the Lord
invest familiar words when they issue from His lips! Let us draw nigh,
and allow His sweet and soothing consolations to have their full effect.

I. LET US DISTINGUISH BETWEEN "PEACE" AND "MY PEACE."--"Peace I leave
with you, My peace I give unto you." There is a distinction between
these two. The former refers to the result of His work for us on the
cross: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ"; the latter refers to _His_ indwelling, who is our
Peace. The one He has bequeathed as a legacy to all men: the testator
died, and left in His will a perfect reconciliation between God and
man, which is for all who are willing to avail themselves of it; the
other is a _gift_, which must be appropriated and used, or it will be
ineffectual.

_The order of these two varieties of peace is invariable._--We must
have peace _with_ God before we can enjoy the peace _of_ God. We must
receive the atonement, with all its blessed comfort, before we can
enter upon our heritage in Christ Jesus. A believer, whose feet were
dipping in the chill waters of the river, said to me recently, when
speaking of her enjoyment of some of the deeper aspects of Christian
experience, "I am afraid I have been building from the top.