rejoice with Him in his resurrection; for "according to the multitude of your sorrows in your heart His comforts will give joy to your soul." (Ps. xciii. 19.)
LOW SUNDAY.
Christ the Prince of Peace.
" I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for He will speak peace unto His people." (Ps. lxxxiv. 9.)
I. We are told in the Gospel of to-day, that Christ appeared to His disciples, and said to them thrice, "Peace be to you." (John xx. 29.) " He is our peace," as the Apostle observes (Ephes. ii. 14), " thinking thoughts of peace, and not of affliction" (Jer. xxix. 11), and therefore, among many other titles, He is called by Isaias, " The Prince of peace." (Is. ix. 6.)
II. It is our duty to maintain peace with God, our neighbors, and ourselves. Man frequently feels domestic war, "for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh" (Gal. v. 17), and therefore royal David cries out, " There is no peace for my bones" (Ps. xxxvii. 4), and another prophet, "A man's enemies are they of his own household." (Micheas vii. 6.) Our passions and evil propensities may be understood to be these household enemies. This triple peace your Lord and Saviour intends to bring you to-day in the Eucharist, unless you prevent Him; for the Eucharist is properly a peace offering between God and man. It is also a symbol and bond of charity between us and our neighbors; and lastly, as St. Cyril observes, " It restrains the raging tyranny of the flesh, and intrenches us round with perfect peace." Hence, David observes, God " hath placed peace in thy borders, and filled thee with the fat of corn." (Ps. cxlvii. 3.)
