THE FAMILY ALTAR

July 20.

"The fruit of the Spirit is peace". Gal. 5, 22.

Because the Spirit of the Prince of Peace dwells in the hearts

of believing Christians, they approve themselves children of peace.

They show no envious, quarrelsome disposition, as do the con-

tentious children of this world. They would rather suffer wrong

than do wrong, and often forfeit their just rights rather than

go to law or quarrel with their neighbor. Moved by their Savior's

Spirit, they even love their enemies, bless those that curse them,

do good to those that hate them, and will pray for them which

despitefully use them and persecute them, that they may be obe-

dient children of their Father which is in heaven. (Matt. 5, 44. 45.)

As much as lies in them, they live peaceably with all men, forego

wrath and vengeance, and are not overcome of evil, but overcome

evil by doing good. Even where they contend for the faith as

committed once unto the saints, where they zealously defend the

pure Gospel-truth and denounce all false doctrine and ungodly life,

they do so with a loving heart and have but one blessed purpose,

namely, to bring their erring brethren to Him who alone is our

Peace and who alone can give abiding peace to the troubled con-

science and bring the sinner to true peace with God. So many

misguided Christians nowadays are crying : "Peace ! Peace ! Let

all warring denominations bury their differences and unite in one

common liberal faith and one outwardly peaceful church." But

such peace means the grave of the Gospel, it means death to the

sinner's hope of salvation in the free grace of Christ. God save

us from such a graveyard peace and endow us with the Spirit

of our blessed Lord that we may ever acquit ourselves like children

of His saving peace amid the clamor of this quarrelsome and con-

tentious world.