e, 'tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear."

IV.

LOVE AND PEACE.

IV.

LOVE AND PEACE.

"The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the
patience of Christ."--2 THESS. iii. 5, R.V.

"The Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means."--2
THESS. iii. 16.

It is striking to note the number of prayers in these two short Epistles
to Thessalonica. They are probably the earliest of the Apostle's writings,
and the frequency of his prayers is a significant testimony to his thought
for his converts and their needs.

Hardly less striking is the variety of the prayers, of which we have
already had several proofs. There are still two prayers to be considered
in the second Epistle, very terse petitions, yet full of suggestiveness
and importance. It will be convenient to consider these two together, not
only because of their brevity, but also because of the spiritual
connection between them.

1. THE GOAL.

The context of the prayer is noteworthy. The Apostle had been asking for
their prayers, more particularly for deliverance from evil men. Then comes
the strong assurance that God in His faithfulness would keep them from
evil, together with the expression of his own personal confidence
concerning them that they would be faithful to his counsels and commands.
And then follows the prayer of our text in which he asks that their hearts
may be directed to that Divine goal which is, and ever must be, the true
home of the soul.

"_Your hearts._" Once again does the Apostle lay stress on this central
reality of their spiritual and moral being. The heart is the citadel of
the life, and the usage of the term in the Word of God must ever be kept
clearly before us. It includes, as we have already seen, intellectual,
emotional, and volitional elements. There is no such contrast in the New
Testament between "the head" and "the heart" as we are now often
accustomed to make, for intellect, feelings, and will are all comprised in
the Biblical meaning. If, therefore, the heart is right, all else will be
right. It was for this reason that Solomon gave the counsel to keep the
heart "above all keeping," since "out of it are the issues of life."

"_Into the love of God._" The phrase seems to suggest the direction of the
heart towards a goal--"_Into_ the love." This must mean first and foremost
the love of