Peace

Yes; Christ came not to send peace, but a sword; and it was the flash of this sword that troubled Jerusalem. There is something in Christ that troubles,—alarms. We know that it shall be so when He comes the second time. They shall look on him and mourn; all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. But his first advent has something about it to trouble, too. It is not all peace. Even apart from the glory, and terror, and judgment of his second there is something in the announcement of his first that startles the man and rouses the conscience. The very grace that is in it is of an awfully solemnising kind; and no man can hear of that grace without feeling that there is something in it from which he must of necessity shrink, unless he is prepared to surrender himself unreservedly and believingly to Him whose grace it is.

Verse 1

And is the time approaching,
By prophets long foretold,
When all shall dwell together,
One Shepherd and one fold?
Shall every idol perish,
To moles and bats be thrown?
And every prayer be offered
To God in Christ alone?

Verse 2

Shall Jew and Gentile meeting
From many a distant shore,
Around one altar kneeling,
One common Lord adore?
Shall all that now divides us
Remove, and pass away
Like shadows of the morning
Before the blaze of day?

Verse 3

Shall all that now unites us
More sweet and lasting prove,
A closer bond of union
In a blest land of love?
Shall war be learned no longer?
Shall strife and tumult cease?
All earth His blessed kingdom,
The Lord and Prince of Peace!

Verse 4

O long-expected dawning,
Come with thy cheering ray;
When shall the morning brighten,
The shadows flee away?
O sweet anticipation!
It cheers the watchers on
To pray, and hope, and labor,
Till the dark night be gone.

Verse 1

And now the wants are told
That brought Thy children to Thy knee;
Here lingering still, we ask for nought,
But simply worship Thee.

Verse 2

The hope of heaven’s eternal days
Absorbs not all the heart
That gives Thee glory, love, and praise,
For being what Thou art.

Verse 3

For Thou art God, the One, the same,
O’er all things high and bright;
And round us, when we speak Thy Name,
There spreads a heaven of light.

Verse 4

O wondrous peace, in thought to dwell
On excellence Divine;
To know that nought in man can tell
How fair Thy beauties shine.

Verse 5

O Thou, above all blessing blest,
O’er thanks exalted far,
Thy very greatness is a rest
To weaklings as we are;

Verse 6

For when we feel the praise of Thee
A task beyond our powers,
We say, “A perfect God is He,
And He is fully ours.”

Verse 1

As pants the hart for cooling streams,
When heated in the chase,
So pants my soul, O Lord, for thee,
And thy refreshing grace.

Refrain

As pants the hart for cooling streams,
So pants my soul, O Lord, for thee;
As pants the hart for cooling streams,
So pants my soul, O Lord, for thee.

Verse 2

For thee, my God, the living God,
My thirsty soul doth pine;
Oh, when shall I behold thy face,
Thou Majesty divine?

Verse 3

I sigh to think of happier days,
When thou, O Lord, wast nigh,
When ev’ry heart was tuned to praise,
And none more blest than I.

Verse 4

Why restless, why cast down, my soul?
Trust God, and thou shalt sing
His praise again, and find him still
Thy health’s eternal spring.

Verse 1

“Come,” said Jesus’ sacred voice,
“Come, and make My paths your choice;
I will guide you to your home,
Weary pilgrim, hither come.”

Verse 2

Thou who houseless, sole, forlorn,
Long hast borne the proud world’s scorn,
Long hast roamed the barren waste,
Weary pilgrim, hither haste.

Verse 3

Ye who, tossed on beds of pain,
Seek for ease, but seek in vain;
Ye, by fiercer anguish torn,
In remorse for guilt who mourn;

Verse 4

“Hither come, for here is found
Balm that flows for every wound,
Peace that ever shall endure,
Rest eternal, sacred, sure.”

Verse 1

“Come,” said Jesus’ sacred voice,
“Come, and make My paths your choice;
I will guide you to your home,
Weary pilgrim, hither come.”

Verse 2

Thou who houseless, sole, forlorn,
Long hast borne the proud world’s scorn,
Long hast roamed the barren waste,
Weary pilgrim, hither haste.

Verse 3

Ye who, tossed on beds of pain,
Seek for ease, but seek in vain;
Ye, by fiercer anguish torn,
In remorse for guilt who mourn;

Verse 4

“Hither come, for here is found
Balm that flows for every wound,
Peace that ever shall endure,
Rest eternal, sacred, sure.”

Verse 1

Fierce was the wild billow,
Dark was the night;
Oars labored heavily,
Foam glimmered white;
Trembled the mariners,
Peril was nigh:
Then said the God of God,
“Peace! It is I.”

Verse 2

Ridge of the mountain-wave,
Lower thy crest!
Wail of Euroclydon,
Be thou at rest!
Sorrow can never be,
Darkness must fly,
Where saith the Light of Light,
“Peace! It is I.”

Verse 3

Jesus, Deliverer,
Come Thou to me;
Soothe Thou my voyaging
Over life’s sea:
Thou, when the storm of death
Roars, sweeping by,
Whisper, O Truth of Truth,
“Peace! It is I.”

Verse 1

God is the Refuge of His saints
When storms of sharp distress invade:
Ere we can offer our complaints,
Behold Him present with His aid.

Verse 2

Let mountains from their seats be hurled
Down to the deep, and buried there,
Convulsions shake the solid world,
Our faith shall never yield to fear.

Verse 3

Loud may the troubled ocean roar;
In sacred peace our souls abide,
While every nation, every shore,
Trembles, and dreads the swelling tide.

Verse 4

There is a stream whose gentle flow
Supplies the city of our God;
Life, love, and joy, still gliding through,
And watering our Divine abode.

Verse 5

That sacred stream, Thy holy word,
Our grief allays, our fear controls;
Sweet peace Thy promises afford,
And give new strength to fainting souls.

Verse 6

Zion enjoys her Monarch’s love,
Secure against a threatening hour;
Nor can her firm foundations move,
Built on His truth, and armed with power.

Verse 1

God is the refuge of his saints,
When storms of sharp distress invade.
Ere we can offer our complaints,
Behold him present with his aid.

Verse 2

Let mountains from their seats be hurled
Down to the deep, and buried there;
Convulsions shake the solid world;—
Our faith shall never yield to fear.

Verse 3

There is a stream, whose gentle flow
Supplies the city of our God;
Life, love, and joy still gliding through,
And watering our divine abode:—

Verse 4

That sacred stream, thy holy word,—
That all our raging fear controls:
Sweet peace thy promises afford,
And give new strength to fainting souls.

Teach us this evening how to speak Thy word, guide our thoughts, preserve us from saying anything that might be a stumbling-block to any. May the simplicity of motive mark all that we say, and may the word of the Lord shine even through the imperfect medium of the human utterance and vindicate its own divine power and sufficiency, whatever becomes of the vase in which it is carried. We pray for one another; we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst be near us according to our different circumstances and needs. If there are any amongst us who are in sorrow or trouble, any from whom Thou hast taken away earthly treasures, any who have been brought near to the gates of death, any who may be laden with anxiety, or perplexity, or cares, and surely there are many such among us, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst help us to cast our burdens upon the Lord, Who bears our burdens, and Who gives us strength to bear them, and to live in the possession of that peace that passes understanding, because we have ceased to be anxious about ourselves, and anxiety has been swallowed up in faith.

O Lord, regard each of us as we are here before Thee this morning, and in Thy great mercy help us really to draw near to Thee. How often, how long, and how far we have wandered from Thee Thou knowest, and we partly know. We are glad that our brethren do not know. We pray that we may know it better; and we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst now, in Thy grace and according to Thy promises, move upon all our hearts and bring us very near to Thyself in grateful love and quiet dependence, and longing aspiration after Thee; that our minds and hearts and wills may all be filled, hallowed, strengthened by Thy felt presence; and that we may be able more and more to do Thy will, and to rejoice in Thyself. We need Thy strength at every turn in our daily lives, and we bless Thee that we get all that we need if only we will take it. Lord! Be Thou near each of us, our Light and our Salvation, the strength of our hearts and our portion for ever. And help us, whatever burdens we have to carry, and whatever sorrows Thou layest upon us, and whatever heavy tasks we may have to bear, whatever perplexities may gnaw at our hearts, whatever difficulties may block our paths, help us to cast ourselves into Thy outstretched hands, and commit the keeping of bodies and souls unto Thee as to a faithful Creator and a loving Father. May we have, in all times and in all conflicts deeper than the strife, the peace which passes understanding and garrisons heart and mind.