enlogium of l1ie life upon that man's work. The peacemakers' ndded title is to be understood to be "t,he children of God." Notice, then- L How DEAR TO Goo PEACE ITSELF MUST DE. This is because there is a meaning in it, and a beauty :md a joy in it, which no doubt we at present fail to comprehend, This is in kecpin~ with some grand expressions in other portions of Scripture applied to peace, and posi lions of special honour in which it is placed; e.g. " the peace of God, which passeth all understanding;" "the God of love and peace ; " " grace, mercy, and peace from God ; n "the very God of peace;" "peace in heaven;" "peace be uuto vou;" "my peace I give unto you." II. How NEAR THK CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE MAKING OF PEACE AND THE REMAKING OF TRE FAMILY OF GoD ON EARTH. Note the names employed by Scripture to describe the p~ople of God on earth, and how to each belongs by special right the claim of concord, harmony, peace; e.g. " the brotherhood," "the family," "the whole family in heaven 11,nd earlh," "one fold," "my father's house," .etc.; and again note, conversely, how all "enmity," "strife," "divisions," "fightings," and both works and words of "wrath," "unkindness," "malice," "falsehood,n and those various ways that must wreck the very thought of peace, are particularly characterized as the works of the devil. ill. How PEACE IS IN THE STRICT SENSE A CONSEQUENCE, A BF.SULT; AND NOT MERELY .A OONSEQUENCE IN THE LESS REAL SENSE OF A PRIZE, REWABD1 OR FREE GIFT. Accordingly, the person who makes peace makes a great deal else. He has done a great deal underneath, preparatory and out of eight. All this is what is now really the work transpiring in the world-the work of Christ the great Peacemaker and of all his disciples, and those especially whose gift nnd grace are to promote. the. reign· of peace ! The underneath work is long; its fortunes appear very various-now ebbing, again on the flow; the elements concerned in the struggle are very numerous, very complex, very dark, very malignant. Of the actual present period, almost the world :iround, the things plain to sight are wounds, and the merciless laying open of them; difference, dissension, with opposition as the watchword, euphemistically described not seldom as "inquiry," and "examination into first principles," and" putting the things that are to the test." The peRCemakere' work is not the slight healing over of a wound. It includes in it, comprehends under its sweet title, a task which,.for the amount of the work it comprises, and for the character of it, makes it coincident with the task of a world's redemption-Christ's own task. IV. How THE GRACIOUS, HOMELY, NATURAL FORM OF THE WORI>ING OF THIS BEATITUDE MARKS TlIE CONDESCENDIK0 ACCEPT.ANOE ON THE PART OF THAT SAMI!l MIGHTY SUFFERER, MIGHTY WORKER IN ms MIGHTY TASK, OF EACH HUMllLEST CON- TRIBUTION AND OFFERTh'G TOWARDS ITS .ACCOMPLISHMENT, WHICH MAY BE BROUGHT TO Hillil BY THE WAY. The little miniature productions and pictures and homes and social scenes of "peace," in the places where yesterday all the reverse were found- the two lifelong enemies at one-the sadder strife of two fellow-disciples, who had fought nnder one banner, quenched like lovers' quarrels,-these are but trifles by the way, drops in the bucket, bloodless skirmishes in comparison of the conflict raging on the world's wider battle-field. But they are significant of the greater. 'l'he " peace" means an earnest of the larger victory; the love, and prayer, and pains, and i:,leading, perhaps, which have been blessed to bring it, have all been copied from the biography of the great Exemplar; and over these peacemakers, for their hearts' desire, for their endeavour of faith, for the loving copy, which with some success, not despised becau~e it is the day of small things only, they have achieved, the word of blessedness 18 breathed, and to them is given the name of" the children of God."-B. .
Ver.10.-The Beatitude of persecution. "Blessed are they which aro persecuted for righteoUBness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 'l'his eighth lleatitud~ joins hands with the first in that part which may be ea.lied the "sanction" of the lleat1tude, i.e. its promise, or the authoritative assurance attached to it. It also may be looked upon as closing the number of the general Beatitudes; for we find t~at the only remaining one, the ninth, turns from the use of the third person to a gracious personal addreBB to those who were the listening company: "Blesaed are ye, when men shall revile you," etc. On the other hand, it is possible that the explanation of this lies iD OD, v. 1-48.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 195