Now, my beloved, would you know the fountain and origin of these sweet and pleasant streams? It is the God of hope, and the power of the Holy Ghost. There is no doubt of power in God, to make us happy and give us peace. God is the chief object of hope, and the chief cause of hope in us too. Therefore we should look up to this fountain, for here all is to be found.

Note: In the midst of worries and fears for the future of society and the church, how can the believer still look forward with hope? Hugh Binning noticed Paul’s prayer in Romans 15:13, “The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” In a sermon on this prayer, Binning traces the connection between peace, joy and hope, and the necessity of believing for enjoying any benefit.

There is a threefold river, each part derived from a previous. The first in order of nature is peace, a sweet, calm and refreshing river. Then it runs in a stream of joy, the high spring tide. Ordinarily then it sends forth the comforting stream of hope, and does so in abundance. This threefold river has its origin high up, as high as the God of hope, and the power of the Holy Ghost, but its channel is situated low, i.e., believing in Christ.

Peace Comes from Reconciliation with God

Truly nothing can be spoken that sounds more sweetly in our ears than peace.

The foundation of all our misery is enmity between man and God. All our being, all our well-being, hangs on His countenance being favourable towards us. In His favour is all our life and happiness. Yet since the first rebellion, every man is set contrary to God, and now there is nothing to be seen but the terrible countenance of an angry God.

Now whenever a soul begins to apprehend his enmity and division in sad earnest, there follows a war in the conscience. The terrors of God raise up a terrible gang within a man’s self, that is, the bitter remembrance of his sins. They find that God writes bitter things against them, and makes them to possess their iniquities. He has numbered their steps, and watched over their sin, and sealed it as in a bag, to be kept on record. What a storm this will raise in the soul!

To calm this tempest is the business of the gospel. It reveals the glad tidings of peace and reconciliation with God, which can be the only ground of a perfect calm in the conscience. In the gospel the atonement and propitiation are set forth, that which by its fragrant and sweet smell has pacified heaven, and appeased justice. This is the only thing that is able to pacify the troubled soul, and quell the tumultuous waves of the conscience (Eph. 2:13–20; Col. 1:19–22).

The gospel is not so much God reconcile-able to sinners, as God in Christ reconciling sinners to himself (2 Cor. 5:19). Though some are always suspicious of God, yet they have more reason to suspect their own willingness. For what is all the gospel but a declaration of His love, and His laying down the enmity? Or rather, that He never had hostile affections to His elect, and so was all this time providing a ransom for Himself, and bringing about the way to kill the enmity?

Having done that by the blood of Christ, He will follow us with entreaties of reconcilement, and requests to lay down our hostile affections, and the weapons of our warfare. We have no more ado but to believe His love, while we were yet enemies.

This, I say, carried into the heart with power, gives that sweet calm and pleasant rest to the soul, after all its tossings. It is true that many only seek to gain time by their delays, but O! your latter end will be sad, when He shall arm you against yourselves! Would it not be better, now while it is today, not to harden your hearts?

Joy Is the Effect of Peace

Now, joy is the effect of peace, and it is the very overflowing of peace in the soul, upon the lively apprehension of the love of God, and the inestimable benefit of the forgiveness of sins. Joy is peace in a large measure, pressed down, and running over, breaking out of its ordinary channel, and spreading itself out to touch and refresh of all that is in you. “My heart and my flesh shall rejoice.”

This is the very exuberance and high sailing-tide of the sea of peace that is in a believer’s heart. It swells sometimes on the full aspect of God’s countenance beyond its ordinary bounds, and cannot be restrained from its glorying and boasting in God.

Read More