,,what ,,peace ,,means  by  ,,henry     
,,van ,,dyke  ,new ,york                
,chicago ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company  
,london    and   ,edinburgh  #aiai      
,to ,my ,son in the ,faith ,my ,brother 
in the ,work ,tertius van ,dyke         
,,foreword  ,this little book contains  
three plain sermons which were preached 
in ,new ,york in the ,easter season of  
#aiai1 in the ,park ,avenue             
,presbyterian ,church1 of which my son  
is minister4 ,i had no thought that they
 would ever be printed4 ,they were1 and 
are1 just daily bread discourses meant  
to serve the spiritual needs of a       
congregation of ,christian people1      
seekers after truth1 inquirers about    
duty1 strangers and pilgrims1 in the    
great city and the troubled world4  ,but
 if1 as friends think1 these simple     
chapters may be of service through the  
printed page to a larger circle of      
readers1 ,i willingly and freely let    
them go4  ,may the blessing of ,jesus   
follow them on their humble path4 ,may  

the ,spirit of ,truth bring them home to
 some hearts that want them1--to those  
who desire to escape from evil and do   
good1--to those who seek peace and ensue
 it4  ,,henry ,,van ,,dyke4  ,park      
,avenue ,church ,manse1 ,new ,york      
,city4     ,,contents    ,i4 ,,peace    
,,in ,,the ,,soul   ,,ii4 ,,peace ,,on  
,,earth ,,through ,,righteousness       
,,iii4 ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,an ,,endless
 ,,life     ,i  ,peace in the ,soul     
,peace ,i leave with you3 my peace ,i   
give unto you4--,,st4 ,,john #ad3bg4    
,peace is one of the great words of the 
,holy ,scriptures4 ,it is woven through 
the ,old ,testament and the ,new like a 
golden thread4 ,it inheres and abides in
 the character of ,god1--      ,the     
central peace subsisting at the heart   
,of endless agitation4  ,it is the      
deepest and most universal desire of    
man1 whose prayer in all ages has been1 
,grant us ,thy ,peace1 ,o ,lord4 ,it is 
the reward of the righteous1 the        
blessing of the good1 the crown of      

life's effort1 and the glory of         
eternity4  ,the prophets foretell the   
beauty of its coming and the psalmists  
sing of the joy which it brings4 ,jesus 
,christ is its ,divine ,messiah1 its    
high priest and its holy prince4 ,the   
evangelists and prophets proclaim and   
preach it4 ,from beginning to end the   
,bible is full of the praise of peace4  
,yet there never was a book more full of
 stories of trouble and strife1 disaster
 and sorrow4 ,god ,himself is revealed  
in it not as a calm1 untroubled1        
self-absorbed ,deity1 occupied in       
beatific contemplation of ,his own      
perfections4 ,he is a ,god who works and
 labours1 who wars against the evil1 who
 fights for the good4 ,the psalmist     
speaks of ,him as ,the ,lord of ,hosts1 
strong and mighty in battle4 ,the       
,revelation of ,st4 ,john tells us that 
,there was war in ,heaven2 ,michael and 
his angels fought against the dragon4   
,jesus ,christ said3 ,i came not to send
 peace1 but a sword4  ,it is evident1   

then1 that this idea of peace1 like all 
good and noble things1 has its          
counterfeit1 its false and subtle       
versary1 which steals its name and its  
garments to deceive and betray the      
hearts of men4 ,we find this clearly    
taught in the ,bible4 ,not more         
earnestly does it praise true peace than
 it denounces false peace4  ,there is no
 peace1 saith the ,lord1 unto the wicked
 7,isaiah #dh3bb74  ,for they have      
healed the hurt of the daughter of my   
people slightly1 saying1 ,peace1 peace2 
when there is no peace 7,jer4 #h3aa74   
,if thou hadst known1 even thou1 at     
least in this thy day1 the things which 
belong unto thy peace6 but now they are 
hid from thine eyes 7,st4 ,luke #ai3db74
  ,for to be carnally minded is death2  
but to be spiritually minded is life and
 peace 7,romans #h3f74  ,there never was
 a time in human history when a right   
understanding of the nature of true     
peace1 the path which leads to it1 the  
laws which govern it1 was more necessary

 or more important than it is to-day4   
,the world has just passed through a    
ghastly experience of war at its worst4 
,never in history has there been such   
slaughter1 such agony1 such waste1 such 
desolation1 in a brief space of time1 as
 in the four terrible years of conflict 
which ,german militarism forced on the  
world in the twentieth century4 ,having 
seen it1 ,i know what it means4  ,now we
 have supped full with horrors4 ,we have
 had more than enough of that bloody    
banquet ,the heart of humanity longs for
 peace1 as it has always longed1 but now
 with a new intensity1 greater than ever
 before4 ,yet the second course of war  
continues4 ,the dogs fight for the      
crumbs under the peace-table4 ,ignorant 
armies clash by night4 ,cities are      
bombarded and sacked4 ,the barbarous    
,bolsheviki raise the red flag of       
violence and threaten a war of classes  
throughout the world4  ,you can never   
make a golden age out of leaden men1 or 
a peaceful world out of lovers of       

strife4  ,where shall peace be found8   
,how shall it be attained and           
safeguarded8 ,evidently the militarists 
have assaulted it with their doctrine   
that might makes right4 ,evidently the  
pacifists have betrayed it with their   
doctrine of passive acceptance of wrong4
 ,somewhere between these two errors    
there must be a ground of truth on which
 ,christians can stand to defend their  
faith and maintain their hope of a      
better future for the world4  ,let me   
begin by speaking of ,peace in the      
,soul4 ,that is where religion begins1  
in the heart of a person4 ,its flowers  
and fruits are social4 ,they are for the
 blessing of the world4 ,but its root is
 personal4 ,you can never start with a  
class--conscious or a mass--conscious   
,christianity4 ,it must begin with just 
you and ,god4  ,marshal ,joffre1 that   
fine ,christian soldier1 said a         
memorable thing about the winning of the
 war3 ,our victory will be the fruit of 
individual sacrifice4 ,so of the coming 

of peace on earth we may say the same3  
it will be the fruit of the entrance of 
peace into individual hearts and lives4 
,a world at war is the necessary result 
of human restlessness and enmities4     
,from whence come wars and fightings    
among you8 ,come they not hence1 even of
 your lusts1 that war in your members8  
,envy1 malice1 greed1 hatred1           
deceit1--these are the begetters of     
strife on earth4  ,a world at peace can 
come only from the cooperation of       
peaceful human spirits4 ,therefore we   
must commence to learn what peace is1 by
 seeking it in our souls through faith4 
,christ promised peace to ,his disciples
 at the ,communion in that little upper 
room in ,jerusalem1 nineteen hundred    
years ago4 ,evidently it was not an     
outward but an inward peace4 ,he told   
them that they would have a lot of      
trouble in the world4 ,but ,he assured  
them that this could not overcome them  
if they believed in ,him and in ,his    
,father ,god4 ,he warned them of        

conflict1 and assured them of inward    
peace4  ,what are the elements of this  
wondrous gift which ,christ gave to ,his
 disciples1 and which ,he offers to us8 
,i4 ,first1 the peace of ,christ is the 
peace of being divinely loved4 ,nothing 
rests and satisfies the heart like the  
sense of being loved4 ,let us take as an
 illustration the case of a little      
child1 which has grown tired and fretful
 at its play1 and is frightened suddenly
 by some childish terror4 ,weeping1 it  
runs to its mother4 ,she takes the child
 in her arms1 folds it to her breast1   
bends over it1 and soothes it with fond 
words which mean only this3 ,i love you4
 ,very soon the child sinks to rest1    
contented and happy1 in the sense of    
being loved4 ,herein is love1 not that  
we loved ,god1 but that he loved us1 and
 sent his ,son to be the propitiation   
for our sins4 ,in ,jesus ,christ ,god is
 stretching out ,his arms to us1 drawing
 us to ,his bosom1 enfolding us in the  
secret of peace4 ,if we believe in      

,jesus ,christ as the ,son of ,god1 ,he 
makes us sure of a ,divine affection1   
deep1 infinite1 inexhaustible1          
imperishable4 ,for ,god so loved the    
world1 that he gave his only begotten   
,son1 that whosoever believeth in him   
should not perish1 but have everlasting 
life4 ,god1 who spared not his          
dearly-beloved ,son1 but delivered him  
up for us all1 how shall he not with him
 also freely give us all things8        
,nothing shall be able to separate us   
from the love of ,god1 which is in      
,christ ,jesus our ,lord4  ,,ii4 ,the   
,christian peace is the peace of being  
divinely controlled4 ,the man who       
accepts ,jesus ,christ truly1 accepts   
,him as ,master and ,lord4 ,he believes 
that ,christ has a purpose for him1     
which will surely be fulfilled8 work for
 him1 which will surely be blessed if he
 only tries to do it4 ,most of the      
discords of life come from a conflict of
 authorities1 of plans1 of purposes4    
,suppose that a building were going up1 

and the architect had one design for it1
 and the builder had another4 ,what     
perplexity and confusion there would be6
 ,how ill things would fit6 ,what       
perpetual quarrels and blunders and     
disappointments6 ,but when the workman  
accepts the designer's plan and simply  
does his best to carry that out1        
harmony1 joyful labour1 and triumph are 
the result4 ,if we accept ,god's plan   
for us1 yield to ,him as the daily      
controller and director of our life1 our
 work1 however hard1 becomes peaceful   
and secure4 ,no perils can frighten1 no 
interruptions can dishearten us4  ,not  
many years ago some workmen were digging
 a tunnel1 when a sudden fall of earth  
blocked the mouth of the opening4 ,their
 companions on the outside found out    
what had happened1 and started to dig   
through the mass of earth to the rescue4
 ,it was several hours before they made 
their way through4 ,when they went in   
they found the workmen going on with    
their labour on the tunnel4 ,we knew1   

said one of them1 that you'd come to    
help us1 and we thought the best way to 
make time pass quick was to keep on with
 the work4 ,that is what a ,christian   
may say to ,christ amid the dangers and 
disasters of life4 ,we know that ,he    
will never forsake us1 and the best way 
to be at peace is to be about ,his      
business4 ,he says to us3 ,as the       
,father sent me1 even so send ,i you4   
,,iii4 ,the ,christian peace is the     
peace of being divinely forgiven4  ,in  
every man1 said a philosopher1 there is 
something which1 if we knew it1 would   
make us despise him4 ,let us turn the   
saying1 and change it from a bitter     
cynicism into a wholesome truth4  ,in   
every one of us there is something      
which1 if we realize it1 makes us       
condemn ourselves as sinners1 and hunger
 and thirst after righteousness1 and    
long for forgiveness4  ,it is this deep 
consciousness of sin1 of evil in our    
hearts and lives1 that makes us restless
 and unhappy4 ,the plasters and soothing

 lotions with which the easy-going      
philosophy of modern times covers it up1
 do not heal it2 they only hide it4     
,there is no cure for it1 there is no   
rest for the sinful soul1 except the    
divine forgiveness4 ,there is no sure   
pledge of this except in the holy       
sacrifice and blessed promise of        
,christ1 ,son1 daughter1 thy sins are   
forgiven thee1 go in peace4             
,understand1 ,i do not mean that what we
 need and want is to have our sins      
ignored and overlooked4 ,on the         
contrary1 that is just what would fail  
to bring us true rest4 ,for if ,god took
 no account of sins1 required no        
repentance and reparation1 ,he would not
 be holy1 just1 and faithful1 a ,god    
whom we can adore and love and trust4   
,nor do ,i mean that what we need is    
merely to have the punishment of sins   
remitted4 ,that would not satisfy the   
heart4 ,is the child contented when the 
father says1 ,well1 ,i will not punish  
you4 ,go away8 ,no1 what the child wants

 is to hear the father say1 ,i forgive  
you4 ,come to me4 ,it is to be welcomed 
back to the father's home1 to the       
father's heart1 that the child longs4   
,peace means not to have the offense    
ignored1 but to have it pardoned3 not to
 the punishment omitted1 but to have    
separation from ,god ended and done     
with4 ,that is the peace of being       
divinely forgiven1--a peace which       
recognizes sin1 and triumphs over it1--a
 peace which not merely saves us from   
death but welcomes us home to the divine
 love from which we have wandered4      
,that is the peace which ,christ offers 
to each one of us in ,his ,gospel4 ,we  
need it in this modern world as much as 
men and women ever needed it in the old 
world4 ,no ,new ,era will ever change   
its meaning or do away with its         
necessity4 ,indeed1 it seems to me that 
we need this old-fashioned religion     
to-day more than ever4  ,we need it for 
our own comfort and strength4 ,we need  
it to deliver us from the vanity and    

hollowness1 the fever and hysteria of   
the present age4 ,we need it to make us 
better soldiers and workers for every   
good cause4 ,peace is coming to all the 
earth some day through ,christ4 ,and    
those who shall do most to help ,him    
bring it are the men and women to whom  
,he gives ,peace in the ,soul4     ,,ii 
,peace on ,earth ,through ,righteousness
  ,and the work of righteousness shall  
be peace3 and the effect of             
righteousness quietness and confidence  
forever4  --,,isaiah #cb3ag4   ,after we
 have found peace in our own souls      
through faith in ,god and in ,his ,son1 
,jesus ,christ our ,saviour1 if our     
faith is honest1 we must feel the desire
 and the duty of helping to make peace  
prevail on earth4  ,but here we are1 in 
a world of confusion and conflict4      
,darkness and ignorance strive against  
light4 ,evil hates and assaults good4   
,wrong takes up arms against right4     
,greed and pride and passion call on    
violence to defeat justice and enthrone 

blind force4 ,so has it been since ,cain
 killed ,abel1 since ,christ was        
crucified on ,calvary1 and so it is     
to-day wherever men uphold the false    
doctrine that might makes right4  ,the  
,bible teaches us that there is no      
foundation for enduring peace on earth  
except in righteousness3 that it is our 
duty to suffer for that cause if need   
be3 that we are bound to fight for it if
 we have the power3 and that if ,god    
gives us the victory we must use it for 
the perpetuation of righteous peace4    
,in these words ,i sum up what seems to 
me the ,christian doctrine of war and   
peace1--the truth that in time of war we
 must stand for the right1 and that when
 peace comes in sight1 we must do our   
best to found it upon justice4 ,these   
two truths cannot be separated4 ,if we  
forget the meaning of the ,christian    
duty to which ,god called us in the late
 war1 all our sacrifice of blood and    
treasure will have been in vain4 ,if we 
forget the watchword which called our   

boys to the colours1 our victory will be
 fruitless4 ,we have fought in this     
twentieth century against the pagan     
,german doctrine of war as the supreme  
arbiter between the tribes of mankind4  
,they that took the sword must perish by
 the sword4 ,but in the hour of victory 
we must uphold the end for which we have
 fought and suffered1--the advance of   
the world towards a peaceful life       
founded on reason and justice and       
fair-play for every man4  ,so there are 
two heads to this sermon4 ,first1 the   
indelible remembrance of a righteous    
acceptance of war4 ,second1 the         
reasonable hope of a righteous          
foundation of peace4  ,i4 ,first of all1
 then1 it must never be forgotten that  
the ,allies and ,america were forced to 
enter this war as a work of             
righteousness in order to make the world
 safe for peace4  ,peace means something
 more than the mere absence of          
hostilities4 ,it means justice1 honour1 
fair-play1 order1 security1 and the     

well-protected right of every man and   
nation to life1 liberty1 and the pursuit
 of happiness4 ,it was the ,german      
contempt for these ,christian ideals1 it
 was the ,german idolatry of the pagan  
,odin1 naked1 cruel1 bloody1 god of war1
 it was the ,german will to power and   
dream of world-dominion1 that made the  
world unsafe for real peace in #aiad4   
,never could that safety be secured     
until that enemy of mankind was         
overcome4 ,not only for democracy1 but  
also for human peace1 it was necessary1 
as ,president ,wilson said1 that the    
,german power1 a thing without honour1  
conscience1 or capacity for covenanted  
faith1 must be crushed4  ,i saw1 from my
 post of observation in ,holland1 the   
hosts of heathen ,germany massing for   
their attack on the world's peace in the
 spring of #aiad4 ,long before the      
pretext of war was provided by the      
murder of the ,austrian ,crown-,prince  
in ,serajevo1 ,i saw the troops1 the    
artillery1 the mountains of ammunition1 

assembled at ,aix-la-,chapelle and      
,trier1 ready for the invasion of       
neutral ,belgium and ,luxembourg1 and   
the foul stroke at ,france4  ,every     
civilized nation in ,europe desired     
peace and pleaded for it4 ,little       
,servia offered to go before the ,court 
of ,arbitration at ,the ,hague and be   
tried for the offense of which she was  
accused4 ,russia1 ,italy1 ,france and   
,england entreated ,germany not to make 
war1 but to submit the dispute to       
judicial settlement1 to a righteous     
decision by a conference of powers4 ,but
 ,germany said no4 ,she had prepared for
 war1 she wanted war1 she got war4 ,and 
now she must abide by the result of her 
choice4  ,i have seen also with my own  
eyes the horrors wrought by ,germany in 
her conduct of the war in ,belgium and  
,northern ,france4 ,words fail me to    
describe them4 ,childhood has been      
crucified1 womanhood outraged1          
civilization trampled in the dust4 ,the 
nations and the men who took arms       

against these deviltries were the       
servants of the righteous ,god and the  
followers of the merciful ,christ4  ,he 
told us1 ,if any man smite thee on the  
right cheek1 turn unto him the left     
also4 ,but never did ,he tell us to     
abandon the bodies and the lives of our 
women and children to the outrage of    
beasts in human form4 ,on the contrary1 
,he said to ,his disciples1 in ,his     
parting discourse1 ,he that hath no     
sword let him sell his garment and buy  
one4  ,does any silly pacifist say that 
means a spiritual sword8 ,no4 ,you could
 get that without selling your garment4 
,it means a real sword1--as real as the 
purse and the scrip which ,christ told  
,his followers to carry with them4 ,it  
means the power of arms dedicated to the
 service of righteousness without which 
the world can never be safe for peace4  
,here1 then1 we may stand on the ,word  
of ,god1 on the work of righteousness in
 making the world safe for peace4 ,let  
me tell you of my faith that every one  

who has given his life for that cause1  
has entered into eternal rest4  ,,ii4   
,come we now to consider the second part
 of the text3 the effect of             
righteousness1 quietness and confidence 
forever4  ,what shall be the nature of  
the peace to be concluded after our     
victory in this righteous war8  ,here we
 have to oppose the demands of the      
bloodthirsty civilians4 ,they ask that  
,german towns should endure the same    
sufferings which have been inflicted on 
the towns of ,belgium and ,northern     
,france4 ,let me say frankly that ,i do 
not believe you could persuade our      
officers to order such atrocities1 or   
our soldiers to obey such orders4 ,read 
the order which one of the noble        
warriors of ,france1 ,general ,petain1  
issued to his men3       ,to-morrow1 in 
order to better dictate peace1 you are  
going to      carry your arms as far as 
the ,rhine4 ,into that land of          
,alsace-,lorraine that is so dear to us1
 you will march as      liberators4 ,you

 will go further2 all the way into      
,germany to occupy      lands which are 
the necessary guarantees for just       
reparation4       ,france has suffered  
in her ravaged fields and in her ruined 
villages4 ,the freed provinces have had 
to submit to intolerable      vexations 
and odious outrages1 but you are not to 
answer these      crimes by the         
commission of violences1 which1 under   
the spur of      your resentment1 may   
seem to you legitimate4       ,you are  
to remain under discipline and to show  
respect to persons      and property4   
,you will know1 after having vanquished 
your adversary      by force of arms1   
how to impress him further by the       
dignity of your      attitude1 and the  
world will not know which to admire     
most1 your      conduct in success or   
your heroism in fighting4  ,the         
destruction of the commonplace          
,cathedral of ,cologne could never      
recompense the damage done to the       
glorious ,cathedral of ,rheims4 ,nor    

could the slaughter of a million ,german
 women and children restore the innocent
 victims of ,belgium1 ,france1 ,servia1 
and ,armenia to life4 ,we do not thirst 
for blood4 ,we desire justice4  ,no     
doubt the ends of justice demand that   
the principal brigands who are          
responsible for the atrocities of this  
war should be tried before an           
international court ,if convicted they  
should be duly punished4 ,but not by    
mob-law or violence4 ,nothing could be  
less desirable than the assassination of
 ,william ,hohenzollern4 ,it would be   
absurd and horrible to give a martyr's  
crown to a criminal4 ,vengeance         
belongeth unto ,god4 ,he alone is wise  
and great enough to deal adequately with
 the case4 ,it is for us to keep our    
righteous indignation free from the     
poison of personal hatred1 and to do no 
more than is needed to uphold and       
vindicate the eternal law4  ,william    
,hohenzollern1 and his                  
fellow-conspirators who are responsible 

for the beginning and the conduct of the
 dreadful war from which all the toiling
 peoples of earth have suffered1 must be
 brought to the bar of justice and      
sentenced2 otherwise the world will have
 no defense against the anarchists who  
say that government is a vain thing2 and
 the bloody ,bolshevists who proclaim   
the ,empire of the ,ignorant1--the      
,boob-,rah1--as the future rule of the  
world1 will have free scope4  ,it is    
evident that a league of free1          
democratic states1 pledged by mutual    
covenant to uphold the settlement of    
international differences by reason and 
justice before the use of violence1     
offers the only hope of a durable peace 
among the nations4 ,it is also the only 
defense against that deadly and         
destructive war of classes with which   
,bolshevism threatens the whole world4  
,the spirit of ,bolshevism is atheism   
and enmity2 its method is violence and  
tyranny2 its result would be a reign of 
terror under that empty-headed monster1 

the dictatorship of the proletariat4    
,god save us from that6 ,it would be the
 worst possible outcome of the war in   
which we have offered and sacrificed so 
much1 and in which ,god has given us the
 opportunity to make a covenant of      
peace4  ,how vast1 how immeasurable1 are
 the responsibilities which this great  
victory in righteous war has laid upon  
the ,allies and ,america4 ,god help us  
to live up to them4 ,god help us to sow 
the future not with dragon's teeth1 but 
with seeds of blessed harvest4 ,god     
paint upon the broken storm-cloud the   
rainbow of eternal hope4 ,god help us   
and our friends to make a peace that    
shall mean good to all mankind4 ,god    
send upon our victory the light of the  
cross of ,christ our ,saviour1 where    
mercy and truth meet together1          
righteousness and peace kiss each other4
     ,,iii  ,the ,power of an ,endless  
,life  ,who is made1 not after the law  
of a carnal commandment1 but after the  
power of an endless life4  --,hebrews   

#g3af4   ,the message and hope of       
immortality are nowhere more distinctly 
conveyed to our minds than in connection
 with that resurrection morn when ,jesus
 appeared to ,mary ,magdalene4 ,the     
anniversary of that day will ever be the
 festival of the human soul4 ,even those
 who do not clearly understand or fully 
accept its meaning in history and       
religion1--even children and ignorant   
folk and doubters and unbelievers1--yes1
 even frivolous people and sullen       
people1 feel that there is something in 
this festival which meets the need and  
longing of their hearts4 ,it is a day of
 joy and gladness1 a day of liberation  
and promise1 a day for flowers to bloom 
and birds to sing1 a day of spiritual   
spring-tide and immortal hope4  ,mankind
 desires and needs such a day4 ,we are  
overshadowed in all our affections and  
aspirations1 all our efforts1 and       
designs1 by the dark mystery of bodily  
death2 the uncertainty and the brevity  
of earthly existence make us tremble and

 despair2 the futility of our plans     
dismays us2 the insecurity of our       
dearest treasure in lives linked to ours
 fills us with dismay4  ,is there no    
escape from ,death1 the ,tyrant1 the    
autocrat1 the destroyer1 the last enemy8
 ,why love1 why look upward1 why strive 
for better things if this imperator of  
failure1 ultimate extinction1 rules the 
universe8 ,no hope beyond the grave     
means no peace this side of it4 ,a life 
without hope is a life without ,god4 ,if
 ,death ends all1 then there is no      
,father in ,heaven in whom we can trust4
 ,who shall deliver us from the body of 
this ,death8  ,now comes ,easter with   
its immortal promise and assurance1     
,jesus of ,nazareth1 who died on        
,calvary1 a martyr of humanity1 a       
sacrifice of ,divinity1 is alive and    
appears to ,his humble followers4 ,the  
manner of ,his appearance1 to ,mary     
,magdalene1 to ,his disciples1 is not   
the most important thing4 ,the fact is  
that ,he did appear4 ,he who was        

crucified in the cause of righteousness 
and mercy1 lives on and forever4 ,the   
message of ,his resurrection is the     
power of an endless life4  ,the proof of
 this message is in the effect that it  
produced4 ,it transformed the handful of
 ,jesus' followers from despair to      
confidence4 ,it gave ,christianity its  
growing influence over the heart of     
humanity4 ,it is this message of        
immortality that makes religion vital to
 the human world to-day1 and essential  
to the foundation of peace on earth4    
,we must not forget in our personal     
griefs and longings1 in our sorrows for 
those whom we have lost and our desire  
to find them again1 in our sense of our 
own mortal frailty and the brief        
duration of earthly life1 the celestial 
impulse which demands a life triumphant 
over death4  ,the strongest of all      
supports for peace on earth is the faith
 in immortality4 ,the truth is1 the very
 character of our being here in this    
world demands continuance beyond death4 

,there is nothing good or great that we 
think or feel or endeavour1 that is not 
a reaching out to something better4 ,our
 finest knowledge is but the            
consciousness of limitation and the     
longing that it may be removed4 ,our    
best moral effort is but a slow advance 
towards something better4 ,our sense of 
the difference between good and evil1   
our penitence1 our aspiration1 all this 
moral freight with which our souls are  
laden1 is a cargo consigned to an unseen
 country4 ,our bill of lading reads1 ,to
 the immortal life4 ,if we must sink in 
mid-ocean1 then all is lost1 and the    
voyage of life is a predestined wreck4  
,the wisest1 the strongest1 the best of 
mankind1 have felt this most deeply4    
,the faith in immortality belongs to the
 childhood of the race1 and the greatest
 of the sages have always returned to it
 and taken refuge in it4 ,socrates and  
,plato1 ,cicero and ,plutarch1          
,montesquieu and ,franklin1 ,kant and   
,emerson1 ,tennyson and ,browning1--how 

do they all bear witness to the         
incompleteness of life and reach out to 
a completion beyond the grave4      ,no 
great ,thinker ever lived and taught you
     ,all the wonder that his soul      
received2     ,no great ,painter ever   
set on canvas     ,all the glorious     
vision he conceived4      ,no ,musician 
ever held your spirit     ,charmed and  
bound in his melodious chains2     ,but1
 be sure1 he heard1 and strove to       
render1     ,feeble echoes of celestial 
strains4      ,no real ,poet ever wove  
in numbers     ,all his dream1 but the  
diviner part1     ,hidden from all the  
world1 spake to him only     ,in the    
voiceless silence of his heart4      ,so
 with ,love3 for ,love and ,art united  
,are twin mysteries3 different yet the  
same2     ,poor indeed would be the love
 of any     ,who could find its full and
 perfect name4      ,love may strive2   
but vain is its endeavour     ,all its  
boundless riches to unfold2     ,still  
its tenderest1 truest secret lingers    

,ever in its deepest depths untold4     
,things of ,time have voices3 speak and 
perish4     ,art and ,love speak2 but   
their words must be     ,like sighings  
of illimitable forests     ,and waves of
 an unfathomable sea4  ,and can it be   
that death shall put the final seal of  
irretrievable ruin on all this          
uncompleted effort8 ,can it be that the 
grave shall whelm all this unuttered    
love in endless silence8 ,ah1 what a    
wild waste of precious treasure1 what a 
mad destruction of fair designs1 what an
 utter failure1 life would be if death  
must end all6  ,the very reasonableness 
of our nature1 our sense of order1      
declare the impotence of ,death to      
create such a wreck4 ,and most of all   
our deep affections cry out against the 
conclusion of despair4 ,they will not   
hear of dissolution4 ,they reach out    
their hands into the darkness4 ,they    
demand and they promise an unending     
fellowship1 a deepening communion1 a    
more perfect satisfaction4 ,do you      

remember what ,thackeray wrote8 ,if love
 lives through all life1 and survives   
through all sorrow2 and remains         
steadfast with us through all changes2  
and in all darkness of spirit burns     
brightly2 and if we die1 deplores us    
forever1 and still loves us equally2 and
 exists with the very last gasp and     
throb of the faithful bosom1 whence it  
passes with the pure soul beyond death1 
surely it shall be immortal4 ,though we 
who remain are separated from it1 is it 
not ours in heaven8 ,if we love still   
those whom we lose1 can we altogether   
lose those whom we love8  ,to deny this 
instinct is to deny that which lies at  
the very root of our life4 ,if love     
perishes with death1 then our affections
 are our worst curses1 the world is the 
cruellest torture-house1 and all things 
work together for evil to those who     
love4 ,do you believe it8 ,is it        
possible8 ,nay1 all that is best and    
noblest and purest within us rejects    
such a faith in ,absolute ,evil as the  

power that has created and rules the    
world4 ,in the presence of love we feel 
that we behold that which must belong to
 a good ,god and therefore cannot die4  
,destruction cannot touch it4 ,the grave
 cannot hold it4 ,loving and being      
loved1 we dare to stand in the very     
doorway of the tomb1 and assert the     
power of an endless life4  ,and it seems
 to me that this courage never comes to 
us so fully as when we are brought in   
closest contact with death1 when we are 
brought face to face with that dread    
shadow and forced either to deny its    
power1 once and forever1 or to give up  
everything and die with our hopes4 ,i   
wish that ,i could make this clear to   
you as it lies in my own experience4    
,perhaps in trying to do it ,i should   
speak closer to your own heart than in  
any other way4 ,for surely      ,there  
is no flock1 however watched and tended 
,but one dead lamb is there4     ,there 
is no fireside1 howsoe'er defended      
,but has a vacant chair4  ,a flower grew

 in your garden4 ,you delighted in its  
beauty and fragrance4 ,it gave you all  
it had to give1 but it did not love you4
 ,it could not4 ,when the time came for 
it to die1 you were sorry4 ,but it did  
not seem to you strange or unnatural4   
,there was no waste4 ,its mission was   
fulfilled4 ,you understood why its      
petals should fall1 its leaf wither1 its
 root and branch decay4 ,and even if a  
storm came and snapped it1 still there  
was nothing lost that was indispensable1
 nothing that could not be restored4  ,a
 child grew in your household1 dearly   
loved and answering your love4 ,you saw 
that soul unfold1 learning to know the  
evil from the good1 learning to accept  
duty and to resist selfishness1 learning
 to be brave and true and kind1 learning
 to give you day by day a deeper and a  
richer sympathy1 learning to love ,god  
and to pray and to be good4 ,and then   
perhaps you saw that young heart being  
perfected under the higher and holier   
discipline of suffering1 bearing pain   

patiently1 facing trouble and danger    
like a hero1 not shrinking even from the
 presence of death1 but trusting all to 
your love and to ,god's1 and taking just
 what came from day to day1 from hour to
 hour4 ,and then suddenly the light went
 out in the shining eyes4 ,the brave    
heart stopped4 ,the soul was gone4      
,lost1 perished1 blotted out forever in 
the darkness of death8 ,ah1 no2 you know
 better than that4 ,that clear1 dawning 
intelligence1 that deepening love1 that 
childlike faith in ,god1 that pure      
innocence of soul1 did not come from the
 dust4 ,how could they return thither8  
,the music ceases because the instrument
 is broken4 ,but the player is not dead4
 ,he is learning a better music4 ,he is 
finding a more perfect instrument4 ,it  
is impossible that he should be holden  
of death4 ,god wastes nothing so        
precious4               ,what is        
excellent     ,as ,god lives is         
permanent4     ,hearts are dust2 hearts'
 loves remain4     ,hearts' love will   

meet thee again4  ,but ,i am sure that  
we must go further than this in order to
 understand the full strength and       
comfort of the text4 ,the assertion of  
the impotence of death to end all is    
based upon something deeper than the    
prophecy of immortality in the human    
heart4 ,it has a stronger foundation    
than the outreachings of human knowledge
 and moral effort towards a higher state
 in which completion may be attained4   
,it has a more secure ground to rest    
upon than the deathless affection with  
which our love clings to its object ,the
 impotence of death is revealed to us in
 the spiritual perfection of ,christ4   
,here then1 in the power of an endless  
life1 ,i find the corner-stone of peace 
on earth among men of good-will ,take   
this mortal life as a thing of seventy  
years1 more or less1 to which death puts
 a final period1 and you have nothing   
but confusion1 chance and               
futility1--nothing safe1 nothing        
realized1 nothing completed4 ,evil often

 triumphs4 ,virtue often is defeated4   
,the good die young1     ,and we whose  
hearts are dry as summer dust     ,burn 
to the socket4  ,but take death1 as     
,christ teaches us1 not as a full stop1 
but as only a comma in the story of an  
endless life1 and then the whole aspect 
of our existence is changed4 ,that which
 is material1 base1 evil1 drops down4   
,that which is spiritual1 noble1 good1  
rises to lead us on4  ,the conviction of
 immortality1 the forward-looking faith 
in a life beyond the grave1 the spirit  
of ,easter1 is essential to peace on    
earth for three reasons4  ,i4 ,it is the
 only faith that lifts man's soul1 which
 is immortal1 above his body1 which is  
perishable4 ,it raises him out of the   
tyranny of the flesh to the service of  
his ideals4 ,it makes him sure that     
there are things worth fighting and     
dying for4 ,the fighting and the dying1 
for the cause of justice and liberty1   
are sacrifices on the ,divine altar     
which shall never be forgotten4  ,,ii4  

,the faith in immortality carries with  
it the assurance of a ,divine           
reassessment of earth's inequalities4   
,those who have suffered unjustly here  
will be recompensed in the future4      
,those who have acted wickedly and      
unjustly here will be punished4 ,whether
 that punishment will be final or       
remedial we do not know4 ,perhaps it may
 lead to the extinction of the soul of  
evil1 perhaps to its purifying and      
deliverance4 ,on these questions ,i fall
 back on the word of ,god3 ,the wages of
 sin is death1 but the gift of ,god is  
eternal life in ,christ ,jesus our      
,lord4  ,,iii4 ,the faith in immortality
 brings with it the sense of order1     
tranquillity1 steadiness and courage in 
the present life4 ,it sets us free from 
mean and cowardly temptations1 makes it 
easier to resist the wild animal        
passions of lust and greed and cruelty1 
brings us into eternal relations and    
fellowships1 makes us partners with the 
wise and good of all the ages1 ennobles 

our earthly patriotism by giving us a   
heavenly citizenship4 ,yea1 it knits us 
in bonds of love with the coming        
generation4 ,it is better than the      
fountain of youth4 ,we shall know and   
see them as they go on their way1 long  
after we have left the path4 ,the faith 
in immortality sets a touch of the      
imperishable on every generous impulse  
and unselfish deed4 ,it inspires to     
sublime and heroic virtues1--spiritual  
splendours1--deeds of sacrifice and     
suffering for which earth has no        
adequate recompense1 but whose reward is
 great in heaven4 ,here is the patience 
of the saints1 the glorious courage of  
patriots1 martyrs1 and confessors1      
something more bright and shining than  
secular morality can bring forth1--a    
flashing of the inward light which fails
 not1 but grows clearer as death draws  
near4 ,what noble evidences of this come
 to us out of the great war4  ,are you  
in great distress8 asked a nurse of an  
,american soldier whose legs had been   

shot away on the battle-field4 ,i am in 
as great peace1 said he1 through ,jesus 
my ,lord1 as a man can possibly be1 out 
of ,paradise4  ,a secretary of the      
,y4,m4,c4,a41 the night before he was   
killed1 wrote to his father3 ,i have not
 been sent here to die3 ,i am to fight3 
,i offer my life for future generations2
 ,i shall not die1 ,i shall merely      
change my direction4 ,he who walks      
before us is so great that we cannot    
lose ,him from sight4  ,a simple ,french
 boy1 grievously wounded1 is dying in   
the ambulance4 ,he is a ,protestant ,the
 nurse who bends over him is a ,catholic
 sister4 ,she writes down his words as  
they fall slowly from his lips3 ,o my   
,god1 let ,thy will be done and not     
mine4 ,o my ,god1 ,thou knowest that ,i 
never wished war1 but that ,i have      
fought because it was ,thy will2 ,i     
offered my life so that peace might     
prevail4 ,o my ,god1 ,i pray for all my 
dear ones1 444 father1 mother1 brothers1
 sisters4 ,give a hundredfold to those  

nurses for all they have done for me4 ,i
 pray for them one and all4  ,here1 in  
the midst of carnage and confusion1     
horror and death1 was perfect peace1 the
 triumph of immortality4  ,what then    
shall we say of the new teachers and    
masters1 the cynical lords of           
materialism and misrule1 who tell us    
that they are going to banish this      
outworn superstition and all others like
 it from the mind of man8 ,they are     
going to make a new world in which men  
shall walk by sight1 and not by faith2 a
 world in which universal happiness     
shall be produced by the forcible       
division of material goods1 and         
brotherhood promoted by the simple      
expedient of killing those whom they    
dislike2 a world in which there shall be
 neither nation1 ,god1 nor ,church1 nor 
anywhere a thought of any life but this 
which ends in the grave4 ,it is a mad   
dream of wild and reckless men4 ,but it 
threatens evil to all the world4 ,do you
 remember what happened when the ,french

 ,revolution took that course1 abolished
 the ,sabbath1 defiled the ,churches1   
broke down the altars1 and enthroned a  
harlot as the ,goddess of ,reason8 ,the 
,reign of ,terror followed4 ,something  
like that has happened1 recently1 in    
many parts of ,europe4 ,and if these new
 tyrants of ignorance1 unbelief1 and    
unmorality have their way1 the madness  
and the darkness will spread until the  
black cloud charged with death covers   
the face of the earth for a season with 
shame and anguish and destruction4 ,a   
sane world1 an orderly world1 a peaceful
 world1 can never be founded on         
materialism4 ,that foundation is a      
quicksand in which all that is dearest  
to man goes down in death4  ,religion is
 essential to true peace in the soul and
 to peace on earth through              
righteousness4 ,immortality is essential
 to true religion4 ,thanks be to ,god   
who hath given us ,jesus ,christ1 who   
was dead and is alive again and liveth  
forevermore1 to touch and ennoble1 to   

inspire and console1 to pacify and      
uplift our earthly existence with the   
power of an endless life4