insomuch that very advanced saints may and doubtless do experience the most entire patience of feeling for many years together. This does not constitute their holiness, but is a sweet fruit of it. It is to be regarded rather in the light of a reward of holiness than of holiness itself.

18. Another attribute of this benevolence is Meekness. Meekness considered as a virtue is a phenomenon of the will. This term also expresses a state of the sensibility. When used to designate a phenomenon of the sensibility it is nearly synonymous with patience. It designates a sweet and forbearing temper under provocation. As a phenomenon of the will and as an attribute of benevolence, it represents a state of will which is the opposite of resistance to injury or retaliation. It is properly and strictly forbearance under injurious treatment. This certainly is an attribute of God, as our existence and our being out of hell plainly demonstrate. Christ said of himself that he was "meek and lowly in heart;" and surely this was no vain boast. How admirably and how incessantly did this attribute of his love manifest itself! The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah is a prophecy exhibiting this attribute in a most affecting light. Indeed scarcely any feature of the character of God and of Christ is more strikingly exhibited than this. This must be an attribute of benevolence. Benevolence is good will to all beings. We are naturally forbearing toward those whose good we honestly and diligently seek. If our hearts are set upon doing them good we shall naturally exercise great forbearance toward them. God has greatly commended his forbearance to us in that while we were yet His enemies, He forbore to punish us, and gave His son to die for us. Forbearance is a sweet and amiable attribute. How affectingly it displayed itself in the hall of Pilate, and on the cross. "As a lamb for the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

This attribute has in this world abundant opportunity to develop and display itself in the person of the saints. There are daily occasions for the exercise of this form of virtue. Indeed all the attributes of benevolence are called into frequent exercise in this school of discipline. This is indeed a noble world in which to train God's children, to develop and strengthen every modification of holiness. This attribute must always appear where benevolence exists, wherever there is an occasion for its exercise.

It is delightful to contemplate the perfection and glory of

that love that constitutes obedience to the law of God. As occasions arise, we behold it developing one attribute after another, and there may be many of its attributes and modifications of which we have as yet no idea whatever. Circumstances will call them into exercise. It is probable, if not certain, that the attributes of benevolence were very imperfectly known in heaven previous to the existence of sin in the universe, and that but for sin many of these attributes would never have been manifested in exercise. But the existence of sin, great as the evil is, has afforded an opportunity for benevolence to manifest its beautiful phases and to develope its sweet attributes in a most enchanting manner. Thus the Divine economy of benevolence brings good out of so great an evil.

A hasty and unforbearing spirit is always demonstrative evidence of a want of benevolence or true religion. Meekness is and must be a peculiar characteristic of the saints in this world where there is so much provocation. Christ frequently and strongly enforced the obligation to forbearance. "But I say unto you that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other alAnd if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." How beautiful! 19. Long-suffering is another attribute of benevolence.

so.

This attribute is hardly distinguishable from meekness or forbearance. It seems to be an intense form of forbearance; or it is forbearance exercised long and under great suffering from persecution and unreasonable opposition. God's forbearance is lengthened out to long suffering. Christ's forbearance also, was and is often put to the severest trial, and is lengthend out to most affecting long-suffering. This is an intense state or form of benevolence, when it is most sorely tried, and as it were put upon the rack. The Prophets, and Christ, and the Apostles, the martyrs and primitive saints, and many in different ages of the church have given forth a glorious specimen and illustration of this sweet attribute of love. But for the existence of sin, however, it is probable and perhaps certain that no being but God could have had an idea of its existence. The same no doubt may be said of many of the attributes of Divine love. God has no doubt intended to strongly exhibit this attribute in himself and in all his saints and angels. The introduction of sin, excuseless and abominable, has given occasion for a most thorough development and

a most affecting manifestation of this attribute of love. It is a sweet, a heavenly attribute. It is the most opposite to the spirit and maxims of this world. It is the very contrast of the law and the spirit of honor as it appears in this world. The law of honor says, If you receive an injury or an insult, resent it and retaliate. This gentle spirit says, If you receive many insults and injuries, do not resent them nor retaliate, but bear and forbear even to long suffering.

20. Humility, is another modification or attribute of love. This term seems often to be used to express a sense of unworthiness, of guilt, of ignorance, and of nothingness, to express a feeling of ill-desert. It seems to be used in common parlance to express sometimes a state of the intelligence, when it seems to indicate a clear perception of our guilt. When used to designate a state of the sensibility, it represents those feelings of shame and unworthiness, of ignorance and of nothingness of which those are so conscious who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit in respect to their true char

acter.

But as a phenomenon of the will, and as an attribute of love, it consists in a willingness to be known and appreciated according to our real character. Humility as a phenomenon either of the sensibility or of the intelligence may co-exist with great pride of heart. Pride is a disposition to exalt self, to get above others, to hide our defects and to pass for more than we are. Deep conviction of sin and deep feelings of shame, of ignorance, and of desert of hell, may co-exist with a great unwillingness to confess and be known just as we are, and to be appreciated just according to what our real character has been and is. There is no virtue in such humility. But humility, considered as a virtue, consists in the consent of the will to be known, to confess, and to take our proper place in the scale of being. It is that peculiarity of love that wills the good of being so disinterestedly as to will to pass for no other than we really are. This is an honest, a sweet and amiable feature of love. It must, perhaps, be peculiar to those who have sinned. It is only love acting under or in a certain relation or set of circumstances. It would under the same circumstances develop and manifest itself in all truly benevolent minds. This attribute will render confession of sin to God and man natural, and even make it a luxury. It is easy to see that but for this attribute the saints could not be happy in heaven. God has promised to bring into judgment every work and every secret thing whether it be good or whether it

be evil. Now while pride exists, it would greatly pain the soul to have all the character known. So that unless this attribute really belongs to the saints, they would be ashamed at the judgment and filled with confusion even in heaven itself. But this sweet attribute will secure them against that shame and confusion of face that would otherwise render heaven itself a hell to them. They will be perfectly willing and happy to be known and estimated according to their characters. This attribute will secure in all the saints on earth that confession of faults one to another which is so often enjoined in the bible. By this it is not intended that Christians always think it wise and necessary to make confession of all their secret sins to man. But it is intended that they will confess to those whom they have injured and to all to whom benevolence demands that they should confess. This attribute secures its possessor against spiritual pride, against ambition to get above others. It is a modest and unassuming state of mind.

LECTURE XIX.

ATTRIBUTES OF LOVE.

WHAT IS IMPLIED IN OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW OF GOD.

21. Self-denial is another attribute of love.

If we love any being better than ourselves, we of course deny ourselves when our own interests come in competition with his. Love is good will. If I will good to others more than to myself, it is absurd to say that I shall not deny myself when my own inclinations conflict with theirs.

Now the love required by the law of God we have repeatedly seen to be good will, or willing the highest good of being for its own sake or as an end.

As the interests of self are not at all regarded because they belong to self, but only according to their relative value, it must be certain that self-denial for the sake of promoting the higher interests of God and of the universe, is and must be a peculiarity or attribute of love.

But again. The very idea of disinterested benevolence, (and there is no other true benevolence,) implies the abandonment of the spirit of self-seeking or of selfishness. It is impossible to become benevolent without ceasing to be selfish. In other words, perfect self-denial is implied in beginning to be benevolent. Self-indulgence ceases when benevolence begins. This must be. Benevolence is the consecration of our powers to the highest good of being in general as an end. This is utterly inconsistent with consecration to self-interest or self-gratification. Selfishness makes good to self the end of every choice. Benevolence makes good to being in general the end of every choice. Benevolence, then, implies complete self-denial. That is, it implies that nothing is chosen merely because it belongs to self, but only because of and in proportion to its relative value.

I said there was no true benevolence but disinterested benevolence; no true love but disinterested love. There is such a thing as interested love or benevolence. That is, the good of others is willed, though not as an end or for its intrinsic value to them, but as a means of our own happiness or because of its relative value to us. Thus a man might will the good of his family or of his neighborhood or country or of any body or any thing that sustained such relations to self as to involve his own interests. When the ultimate reason of