ffections
melt and flow except by heating them by the contemplation of the truth
which is intended to bring them out. That is to say, the more we
exercise our minds on the contemplation of Christ's great love to us,
and the more we put forth the energies of our souls in the act of
simple self-distrust and reliance upon Him, the more will our love be
fervent and strong. You can only increase love by increasing the faith
from which it comes. So do you see to it, if you call yourselves
Christians, that you try to deepen all your Christian affections by an
honest, meditative, prayerful contemplation and grasp of the great love
of God in Jesus Christ. And do not wonder if your Christian life be, as
it is in so many of us, stunted, not progressive, bringing no blessing
to ourselves and little good to anybody else. The explanation is easy
enough. You do not look at the Cross of Christ, nor live in the
contemplation and reception of His great grace.

III. And now, lastly, these two inseparably associated graces of faith
and love bring with them, and lead to, the third--peace.

It seems to be but a very modest, sober-tinted wish which the Apostle
here has for his brethren that the highest and best thing he can ask for
them is only quiet. Very modest by the side of joy and excitement, in
their coats of many colours, and yet the deepest and truest blessing
that any of us can have--peace. It comes to us by one path, and that is
by the path of faith and love.

These two bring peace with God, peace in our inmost spirits, the peace
of self-annihilation and submission, the peace of obedience, the peace
of ceasing from our own works, and entering, therefore, into the rest of
God. Trust is peace. There is no tranquillity like that of feeling 'I am
not responsible for this: He is; and I rest myself on Him.'

Love is peace. There is no rest for our hearts but on the bosom of some
one that is dear to us, and in whom we can confide. But ah, brother!
every tree in which the dove nestles is felled down sooner or later, and
the nest torn to pieces, and the bird flies away. But if we turn
ourselves to the undying Christ, the perpetual revelation of the eternal
God, then, then our love and our faith will bring us rest. There will be
peace in trusting Him whom we never can trust and be put to shame. There
will be peace in loving Him who is more than worthy of and able to repay
the deep and perennial love of all hearts.

Self-surrender is peac