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of our own; but, while we put forth every effort and observe every caution, trust in the Spirit of Christ alone to make us faithful even unto death, ever mindful that we go nowhere where God is not, and that for every thought and word and deed we must give an account. He alone, who walks with God on earth, will attain the blessedness of walking with God in heaven. The conflict is arduous, but the victory is sure, and the glory eternal. "This is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith." There is no virtue so rare as honesty, but the rarer the jewel, the more precious it is. Happy is the man who has it, and rich will he be in that better world, where none wear jewels but those whom God honours as his

own.

IX.

MEEKNESS.

THE holy honesty, devoted charity, and ardent zeal of Paul, gave to his style a fulness, force, and grandeur, which have excited the admiration of every one who has studied his writings. Nowhere do we find those qualities combined as they are in him. In some authors we have great energy and rush of thought and language, in others great copiousness and clearness; but the former are apt to be rash and inaccurate, if not superficial, sweeping us to the conclusion they wish us to reach, with a torrent-like rapidity, which will not allow us to examine the successive stages of the argument, and this, perhaps, because they are conscious that the argument will not bear a close scrutiny: the

latter, from an anxiety to be thorough and lucid, are apt to become dull even to stagnation, and we find difficulty in following them from their cautious beginnings to their prolix close. Of the first, the scholar has a notable instance in Demosthenes, who cared not to convince his Athenian auditors with logical truth, if he could infect them with the enthusiasm he assumed; of the others, the ethical writers of every age furnish frequent examples. But the style of Paul, while it hastens on with an earnest and resistless energy, is at the same time, deep, broad, and clear, drawing into its stream continually fresh supplies of thought, omitting nothing necessary to prevent misconception, or remove error. His aim is to set forth nothing but truth, and that truth, not for his personal success, or the end of a party, but for the good of his fellow men, and the glory of God. Hence, though it has been less noted by critics, there is a nice delicacy in the selection of his words, and the arrangement of his thoughts, as worthy of ad

miration as his power and sublimity. Every word of it has its purpose and meaning, and even when he seems at first glance to have heaped synonyme upon synonyme, and inclosed parenthesis within parenthesis, a careful examination will prove him to have been guilty of neither tautology nor disorder.

These remarks have been suggested by his introduction of the grace of meekness after that of faith, or faithfulness. He has spoken before of love, and peace, and long-suffering, and gentleness, all of which bear a strong resemblance to the quiet beauty of meekness, yet having named faithfulness, he immediately adds it to the rest. There is a reason for this. The faithful man must be a firm and decided man. The grace itself supposes its possessor to be exposed to opposition, ridicule, and even persecution. The apostle well knew how prone the mind is to be chafed and irritated; how likely indignation against error is to excite anger against the errorist; how zeal in a good cause

oftentimes moves a man to mingle with it desire of personal distinction and success, which if baffled, stirs up anger and revenge against opponents; and, therefore, he instantly insists upon faithfulness being followed, or rather accompanied by meekness. The same Spirit, which produces the one, produces the other, for the fruit of the Spirit is MEEKNESS.

That meekness is a grace of very high order, we are taught:

By the frequency with which it is enjoined in the sacred Scriptures: "Walk with all lowliness and meekness." (Ephes. iv. 2.) "Put on therefore meekness and long-suffering." (Col. iii. 12.) "Follow after meekness." (1 Tim. vi. 11.) "Showing meekness to all men." (Titus iii. 2.)

By the prominence which is given to it, as one of our Saviour's principal characteristics: "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart." (Matt. xi. 29.) "I beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." (2 Cor. x. 1.)

By the declaration of its necessity to the profita

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