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Lee cartaa, ptonchas, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fHmto i daa tauxye rMuetion (ttff«renta. Loraqua to documnqt eat trop grand pour Atra n un tMMir^toh#. 11 eat fUm4 i partir da I'anglihHip^itoui^ ga^ieha, de gauohe * droite, at de haut en bae, en plfnant to nombra d'imagM n4cMaaira. Lad\dtogrammas suivanfa illustrent to mAthode. vrrata I to ' ) paiura. on A 1 3 t • , 1 '^ ■ \ 2 3 # 1 ax 6 ■Q- M; X *^^F "^ ■fe- I H >. ^ FA .d I. vfe.rf-^* THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT 1 1 s • [1 '5t ■Si « ^ ■ t « , g 4 ^ J- > » t • ,,■ < 1* ■ ■ ♦v ■ .J,-.: ""•■■■% ' ^ • • - / ■ < • - .-a-. . - fc -. ■'■•■m !», - -- - — - ~ - - --r - -: - - — V ^ . a -.'^ / » - .>> ..fctt>),.:.- :.',-, i: « -» ■3 1 t *" * < <* > "X \ ■v^j_-, tij:;.^ •^"^- 1.0- ^^r'tTT'ST',* 7- «-,»?; :3i,v*Cf ,' 1 -__-- k ,;- - \ V ' r- • * 1 \ - „ » % ■ » • ■r;- . • 1 - - ■ » * ■r "^ 'V . • '' . * 4 • • '■f « ^i - ' LI . • • f- ^ 1 1 ■■ ■ -MJ 1 i^-«' HE FRUIT OF THE BY THB VeN. W. J. ArMITAGE, M. a., PH.D., RKtor of St. Patd's Church, jjfuid Ar£kd*acon of ' Halifax, Nova Scotia. v WITH INTRODUCTORY NOTB BY TH|« REV. W. li. GRIFFITH THOMAS, D.D. Prineipalo/WycUfft Halt, Oxford. ^ "ttbe fnKt of tbc Wpm to Xwe. »©t, re«ce. lon«.«ttflerin<» •ciittoiwM,«MihMM» Accknett, f aitb. ttcmpcMnce.- Oai. ? . t%. LONDON : MARSHALL BROTHERS, KESWICK HOUSE, PATERNOSTER ROW. E C \ ^ ' n ns X o J. 7-3 1 \, / B- w. sninoir and oo., un. PBIHTnw, hmmSimimmm 4^ ^if vf i^vif^ "^ ' tt ^T'^r '*''f-"-~,«"^^'^»-(S >? f v-r* ST"^ -"^T-r ^ J Contcnte *l Introductory Note Introduction . . I. Love II. Joy. . i III. Peace IV. LONG-SurFERING . V. Gentleness V VI. Goodness VIJ. Faith (Faithfulness) VIII. Meekness IX. Temperance PAUE . Vll. II 21 . 29 37 * 45 53 . 61 69 -■*/'4 f 77 ., , 'X. ^ V ik«. A--, '■W'" '/ 3ntro&uctori? Hole THE author of this little work is a well- | known and honoured -clergyman in Canada, the Incumbent of the oldest Church in the Dominion, St. Paul's, Halifax, and Archdeacon of Halifax in the Diocese of Nova Scotia. It ^yas my privilege to meet him at Keswick lasKy^ear, and I gladly accede to- his request that I should preface his book with a few words of introductidh to Christiansen this side of the water. Not that the book ii^eds an in? trodu(4jgti, for it will quickly introduce itself and» carry ffis'own message of holiness to every reader. It comes quibft evidently from a true personal and pastoral experience, and will elicit a grateful response from all those who desire to jearn the secret of being conformed to the image of Christ. The Person, PresencCj and Power of the Holy Spirit of God constitute the most vi^ I ffl Jt of X^ istiaaity aBd^4he^^bristiaa4il ey and a Ttt "X--' A>^i '• ^1 J* ^i^.- S'^T) * iiv-^ L< 'n viii INTRODUCTORY NOTE practical meditation pf these pages will assuredly, help towards the reproductipn in our lives' of those fruits of righteousness ^hich are by Jesus Christ to the glory and graise of God. { ;Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. W. H. Griffith Thomas. - ^i .^i?^A-»'jii^V' '}■ ':?#' 3suredly^ of those 3 Christ MAS. i \' • > /S I . ' ^ ^ XCbe jfruit of the Sjjfdt i / * 4 i> - »» ' •k. ; ^\-^- - • ■^ " \ •^ 1 % 1 ^ t * ♦• ^ ¥ « •J -. ^ ^ - , ' ) - ^"■/'. • • V "-^-l / rr' . A ^"* 4^ S • ' • — * - " ■■ - -7;=^- . - -*ar- • - 'V.S. ■^"' >' ' ' - • ■ ■.V- '^ . . t A ^' , - -,-.. -_;, ^ '•" - - -» ■ r^' .. -■^/" ' '■ ^ ■ ,y^^.''Xl^A' i , ^^^■!i'h»^i^4f't:.ii.^-f - '*- \ ^ ; * V. ' » »• I > 1 , 4 " What was quickened in me by the tfoly Ghost now had a growth according to God.»~5/. CV/na«. "There is an important sen^e in which the holiness of a Christian means the fruitfulhess of his life."— /?«/. fames Elder Gumming. -fP' ' * " This upright heart and blameless copduct is the work of the Holy Spirit of God."— .ffij^^^ Samuel Horsley. \ ^**P universal renovation, of our natures by the Holy Spirit into*the image of God through Jesus Christ."-V<»^ Owen, "The heavenly fruits of the Spirit." " It is no mere self- development." -Bishop E. H, Bickerstetk. ■ " The Spirit is the eternal and divine personal Vehicle ; Jesus Christ, 'Who is our Life' (Col. iii. 4), is the Thing conveyed, given, united to the regenerate man."— ^w/i^^ H. C. G. Moule. "The God Who abides in us i»a perlon Who. is the essence of the Godhead, and i^ ever translating ift inner qualities and life into the forms of our dependent yet related h^'mg."— Principal A. M. Fairbairn. " Where there is no fruit of the Spirit to be seen, there is no vital religion in the Yit2in»— Bishop /, C, Ryle. "Then there is this Infused Deity, this divine energy in the soul itself taking its capacities and setting them home- ward to the Father the divine Power of Salvation, God the Holy Spirit."— ^w^ Phillips Brooks. " The religion of a sinner consists of two pillars, the work of Jesuf Christ for him and the woidc ofvthe Holy Spirit in Yi\m."—John Newton. ' / lUMS. Wi^^Jf^ "S?' y--. Jntrobuctfon. THE work of the Holy Spirit in the human heart is of perennial interest. It is the sourq^^and secret of all life in the individual, of all spiritual revival, and of every gracious season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. The mind of man can never truly rest, apart from a knowledge of the Person, and power of the Holy Spirit. ^? " The earth-lights never lead us beyond the shadows grim, And the lone heart never resteth till it findeth rest in Him." The life purpose of any human being can never be really, fulfilled, unless the field of the heart bears the gracious fruit of the Divine Spirit. The dangers, which under one form or another threaten Christianity from age to age, gain at any time a measure of seriousness, not so much on account of the attack from without as from the apathy which may exist within on the part of Christians whp forget that the Holy Spirit alone can convert the soul, sanctify the heart, and build up the life* fUt it JLiHii &Ja. Mi- THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT 1' :ff i; * The inestimable gift of the Father is Jesus Christ, through whom He brought salvation into the sphere of our humanity, and life, to every penitent and trustful soul amongst men. But it is the Paraclete, " even the Holy Spirit," Whom the Father sends in the Son's name, Who applies to man's inner being, the perfect salvation wrought out by Jesus Christ. " I am the Life," said the Lord Jesus, and the Church of Christ truly interpreted the Divine Word in the great Nicene Confession, " I believe in the Holy -Ghost the Lord and Giver of Life." Jesus is Himself the Life, the Moly Spirit is the Life-Give^, and Christ Who died for us our atonement, becoipes Christ in us the hope of glory. Thus the fulness of the Divine Life^ revealed in the Son, is com- municated to believing souls by the Holy Spirit. It is because the life-giving Spirit joins us to the living Christ, that our life is hid with Christ in God. The Christian is called into the service of Christ, that he " should go and bring forth fruit." His life is that of a branch in the Vine, and he was grafted there for the sole purpose of fruit-bearing. The chief end of man, it has been truly said, is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever. And the Lord Jesus points the way : ** Herein i4 My Father glorified that ye bear much fruit." If, then, we are to fulfil the supreme purpose of our being, we must look for^i^^ ri f-emptied tm^ n-. ■ INTRODUCTION Spirit.filled.life, a life filled '* unto all the fulnesT^ of God." The whole secret lies in faith in and full surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ, thus ' abiding in Him, as the branch does in the vine* This brings into our life the Holy Spirit in His- fulness and power. And it is the Holy Spirit, Who made the work of Jesus for us effectual. Who now by His indwell- ing power makes the work of Jesus in us pro* ductive of the fruits of His life. Just as the tree grows and bears fruit, by the principle of life with which God endows it, so the Christian lives,* grows, develops, bears fruit through the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The work of the Holy Spirit is manifold. Who can measure His mighty operations-? Who \ can follow His secret influences ? Who can counl His blessed manifestations in the sphere of grace r For He is the heavenly Wind, blowing where ^He - listeth. He is the Water of Life washing and refreshing, He is the Fire of God cleansing and illuminating. His presence and His power going forth into the hearts of believing people, into the Church, "the blessed company of all faithful people," yea, into the wide world itself. St. Paul has furnished God's children with a most apt and beautiful illustration of the work oC the Holy Spirit in Christian hearts and lives, lir his great Epistle to the Galatians. He contrasts Sp iri t" with the" WQrkftQft b i, i 1 1 '- 1 ( i -J 4 THE FRUIT THE SPIRIT i; i¥.-- f Fleah." The very terms are suggestive. Tlie Fruit of the Spirit comes from the Spirit of life ^ u^' «^'^ ^ ^^''^^P ^^«^^*^* P^i^ts out, ■^me flesh is a rank weed which produces no fniit properly so-called." It is signiacant, too, that "Works are in the plural,^ because they are divided, and cause division, rdoted as they are in the Flesh, and often . at variance each with the other; but *' Fruit" is in the singular, for the reason that, borne by the Spirit, and however manifold to outward appearance, there is always an inner unity. The Fruit pf the Spirit is many-sided, as Ue enumeration of the many virtues it produces show^ Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentle- ness. Goodness, Faith (Faithfulness), Meekness, . Temperance, but it is one in rts origin, and one in Its effects upon Kfe. It is as if colour, form, fragrance, flavour, wfre all united in the perfec- tion of the grape upon the vine, or if you will the bunch of grapes, it being impossible to separate one quality from the other without destroying the , There are nine beautiful characteristics of the fhT* tJ"'"'!; ,^^«^"^^^ Webb-Peploe says that They all relate to character 'rather than to conduct."^- This irtrue in the main, for Love.\ Joy. and Peace belong to the inne^ife inwrourht in'^the heart; whJle Long-suffenigV^entlenetia. and Goodness are the outer expression of V INTRODUCTION Spirit of Jesus ; still Faith or Faithfulness, to take its larger sense, Meekness, and Temperance, ^r Self-control, seem to be closely kllied to conduct. Indeed, there is a sense iq which character and conduct are inseparably connected, character always issuing in conduct. ; It would Appear from m^ Lord's own words that character and conduct are inseparably con- nected, however clearly they may be distinguishe4. ** Ye shall know them by their fruits." No state- ment could be more scientifically correct in the sphere of ethics. For character is what a man really is, what St. Peter calls " the hidden man of the heart," and conduct is character expressed in action. In a statement which has almost become classic, Matthew Arnold marked off that part of human activity which has to do ^ith "that three-fourths of a life which is conduct." But can this be true^ if character always issues in conduct, and conduct is but the outward expression of the inner character? Character and conduct are the .complete sum of life. .^ It is this great ethical principle which gives to character its supreme importance. For character is not passive, but active ; the most secret thoughts and impulses of man's being, issuing in an evef* flowing stream of conduct. C The Fruit suggests the ideal of Christian character^ 4'hi^€aa only be realised i&^t Christ -i ;vj a ' 8 . THE FRUIT OF T^ SPIRIT ^ Mite life. Fosr in a word Christian character is /Christ formed in us through the Spirit. The believer's life, as evidenced in character, should be symmetrical. And while one Christian may show more love for instance than another, or more joy, or a higher standard of faithfulness ; still, the nine characteristics of the Spirit's fruit must be developed in some measure in every heart, as the outcome of the life of Christ within. Is there love? Then joy should also be seen. Is there self-control ? then gentlenete should not be wanting. Is there peace? then faithfulness must also be foiind* ^^ short the Spirit that animated the life of Jesus is to be ours. In Him every virtue was so mingled that love walked hand^in hand with joy and peace, and upon His brow long-suffering, gentleness and goodness, reposed as a fadeless crown, while His every thought and act breathed the spirit of feith, and meekness, and temperance in a life of transcendent perfection. I ■$' ^' \ ri / ,v. » ^ \ .» r >• ' i ^ **Yea, I h^ve loved thee with m everlasting love."— Jer.xxxi.^. _ __ " By loving us, He teaches Love."— Z?r. J^uy^, "Ancient of evfcrlasting days, and God of Love." ^TAomas Oltvers. "-ftie treasures of Thy Love I choose, And Thou art all I cr,iyt»-Richard\Baxter. "Jesus Christ— Love — the same thing."— 5»r /oj. Mackintosh, " Love me Lord, for Thou art Lovt »-^Monse/i. "Love, that is, that joyful sense of recognised union and communion which is the culmination of lift.'^^Pro/essor /*./. A. hort. "This love being life, and animated by the Spirit of life, IS immortal.»~r«wA " Christian love arises from the Holy Spirit, and is ' altogether full of holiness and purity.»-^w;i^ Davenant I fl -v :i'''- . ^«ft -; I:. t Xove / . «, THE Christian is compared in Scripture to a good tree bringing forth fruit to the glory of God. The grstees and virtues of the Christian life are called the "fruit of the Spirit," because they come from the Holy SpiritVas the fruit of the tree does from the root. In nature there is at work an unseen and most mysterious force which is known by its results, causing in the tree, first, the bud, then the blosspm, and culminating in the rich and gracious fruit which makes glad the heart c^ man. In the Christian, too, there is aa? unseen and mysterious spiritual force, or power at work, caus- ing the life to blossom in the fragrance of holy deeds, and to bear the sweet and blessed fruit of love, joy, peace, long-sufFcTing, gentleness, good- ness, faith, meekness, temperance. . One great office 6f the Holy Spirit is to give life. So we confess as saving truth in the Nicene Creed, " I bdieve in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life." This migl»ty operation on \ f % i • -r^^ l« THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT the sinner's heart is not one act alone, a great change wrought, but a continuous effect as well, for the Spirit abides or. inhabits the hearts of God's believing people. The Christian is not only born anew through the Spirit, but he also lives in the Spirit, is indwelt by the Spirit, and brings forth the fruit of-the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is Love, of which all other love is but the reflection. The DJvind Spirit alone understands its meaning, and the souls that are taught by Hirf^ It is through His love that it becomes a fruit -t^ our lives, it *is by loving us that lovfe springs up in our hearts. It IS true love, the very love of God in Hs richest, tenderest, purest expression. ' In comparing man with a tree, it has been said that the heart is the root. According to a man's heart so will the fruit of his life be. It is for this reason that God begins with the heart, taking- away the heart of stone and giving the heart of flesh. He begins at the centre of our being. He makes the acts and deeds right by making ihe heart right. Man wants to change the outside and^work towards the centre. God's plan is the reverse of this. In His plan life precedes all else as Christ taught in his interview with Hicodemai! " Ye must be born again," or " born anew," o^ born from above. But the Scripture imagery is better. The Christian is united to Christ, as the branch in the vine, by faith, t hrough the p ower^ ^ 'V '%. \' ' -^t. LOVE the Holy Spirit. He is brought into a vital cma*" hecti^ with Christ, grafted into the tree of Life, and tMp^gh the life-giving influence of the Spirit becomes a flourishii^ blossomihgi and fruit-bear- ing bratich. The graces and virtues of a holy life are described as the fruit of the Spirit ^cause . theyar^the result of his divine working, just as truly as the fruit is produced by the life-prrncipfe . . in the tree, "t'rom My* runs -the inspic6d Word, "is thy fruit ^oundf' • ^ Tn the Apostle's grand catalogue of Christian gracesi we have a beautiful cluster of fruit. One , Christian grace cannot stand alone,, it seeks companionship. As the grape ^ does not grow singly, there are many m a bunch, so in the . Christian ciS?^S^, as it develops, many vi|tues appear. The chemisl who analyzes the fruit bf the vine finds that it is composed of manyv ele- ments. No single one, nor any two together, would produce the fruit of the grape. It has been well said that the fruit of the true Vine lias also .bieen analyzed^ In the best specimens tnere are nine ingredients tol>e found. There are some Christians that appear to lack ogeor other of ihe^cessary elements. There is a sour kind which^sets the teeth on edge, and which seems to lack a sufficient supply of long-suffering, ^ or of gentle- ness,' or of goodness, or of meekness. There is a poor, watery kind wiiich appears to want the ofja yA ndp e acie. There is a harsh^ ^ har dL ^ -V :. t V, V * M "" '"•u l'«^ if .»tHR FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT * . ifnd which ne^ds faith and temperancIlT it & to be useful. Love is an essential principled ^ ^ Love comes first of all. the leader of the band— ■ "Love is the brightest of the train, . . ^ And strengthens all the rest." Love is exercised towards God, but does not mt3od; from love to God is born love tbWMB ' r °*'«'?.''°»'-- " We love, because he^ loved us." «And this cominandment have we from H.m. That he" who loveth God, love his brother =Uso.- ;d Mmutiu^Felix of the ejy Christians i and Lucan sneerfngly said, " T^j^^ajter makeg them believe thaftsthey are all ^^|E -^ J^hllT'"^'"^- ^ "j'^y'iitSS an event TviU happen, we may even fear its approach or h, ^"^'°1!! <=°°':«"ing the results that m^y follpw. bur^e can only love a person. The of Jesus Chnst has been so attractive and 'ad gylnwwer over the mind of ma n th»t it *■ « .1* -^'.--r i i ., i XOVI has won and kept the undying love of millions. Love to Christ is the strongest, purest, truest, and most enduring of all affections. It has led man's restless heart to its true home,^s only refuge, the true object of its love, even God -Himself. , Love is spiritual. It is born in the spirit and awakened in^ the heart and mind. It is set on things above, on dne "whom, having n^ seen, we |ove." We love Jesus not for the fair beauty of fi^qe or form, nojr for atfy of the earthly attractions which fascinate and win us in earth'# sons and daughters. We love Ilim because H©' sums up in Himself all that is lovely and good and true. The natural feeling of the Kbart t@- those we cherish and hold mo^t dear/is^iSw of flesh #nd blood, but our love to God has God Himsilf for its source and its never-failing fountain of supply^* ;;,,/. :' \ Love is spontaneous. It is not ailed to our nature from without; it is a latent seed pfant eyolved from within, It is the breath of G^ within the ^1. It cannot be bougte. "If a hian wouhi give all the substance of his house for love, It would be utterly contemned." " Love ^ves itself, ft is not bought." There is no power on earth that can create it^ or that can compe^ it. > We cannot force ourselves to love anyone. There m things we can do by an act of will, bit to love another is not one. "1^^ " as a ^rgat C^ftni^- r ^v; ■■"•'; vx • ^4' i6 tA^ fruit of the^ spirit thmker sdys,. " is not a duty, but a virtue." It is the fruit of dod's grace. Love is eternal. It creates the atmosphere of heaven. " God is love." And it is^ eternal life to know God. For " love is heaven, and heaven IS love." Faith will one day be lost in sight, hope in fruition, but love is immortal, and will last for ever. And as we learn the lesson of God's love we become more like Him "whose nature and whose name is love." Love is supreme. It holds all else in its hand. It is all-powerful.'^ All men are compelled at last to acknowledge that its might is irresistible. The genius of man is great. He can chain the winds, utilize the vast forces of nature at his pleasure, measure the stars in their courses, flash his thoughts from continent to, continent, but to the resistless power of love he must bow. It is the stream which, like a river of God, has made earth's* desert fruitful and its wildernesses to blossom like the rose. It is. the chain of gold by which the round world is every way bound about the feet of God. It is like the sun, in that its gracious power turns darkness into light and makes the waste places fertile. It alone satisfies the heart, and satisfies it the more the greater its donlmion over the heart and life. So Michael Angelo confessed : •^Painting and sculpture's aid in vain I crave. My one sole refuge is that love divine Which from the <»oss stretched forth iti armi tn iiav» l, .iaa,.j,'*i»- ,.,ia£i,... ^'.1 -. , \ LOVE J1 i Love IS unselfish. The soul that has 6nce felt . rts power cannot live in isolation and shut itself up m self. For love, as far as it is known in- our* experience, is always social. There is no love of which we know, from the love of God in heaven to the love of one of the children of earth, which IS not social. As Principal Fairbairn says, "God watches sp^ws and cares for oxen, but His love IS for men." Love demands another being to whom It gives its bqst. So the Indian woman on Manitoulin Island gave her life, divesting herself of her clothing in the pitiless winter storn^ to save her child. So the maid of the old border story, as she caught a glimpse of the arrow a rival intended for her lover, threw herself before him and gave her life for his. So the Russian servant cast himself to the wolv/s to' save his master's children. So brave John Maynard stood at the wheel and saved all on the ship at the cost of his own life. Wherever .high and holy deeds are wrought, love stands behind them as the motive- power. " Whatever things are sweet love makes them so." • I The blessed secret of a love-lit life lies in a heart open to the influences of God's Holy Spirit. X-ove is a divine gift, and can come from God alone. WeU is it for us when we realize the emptiness of a h eart that Christ alo ne can fill and ••*■"■ the"sweef singer:— t -f,*- ''W' 18 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT " O love divine, how sweet thou art ! When shall I find my willing heart All taken up by thee?" Happy ! happy ! heart, that self-emptied, looks upwar#jto the true source of supply, and makes the prayer of Dr. Edwin Hatch, in his Spiritus D«f, hisown: — "Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with life anew, That I may love what Thou dost love, And do what Thou wouldst do." ,r A /" Y— **^ m r'K .^.-v : looks makes 'tpiritus ^ ■4- tCbe jfruft ot tbc Spirit is ... 3o^ w jr-f" ' \ " Rejpice in the Lord, alway, and again I say, Rejoice.*— , P/ul.i'v.4, "Joy grows between Love and Peace. It is as someone has well called it, a sheltered fmW'—Jiev. JoAn MacNeill, " Joy is the triumphant overflow of Christian gladness."r— Prof, J. Agar Beet. "Cheerfulness": "It is a very great virtue."— j9m/>^ Mandell Crdghton, •* Joy is a fruit that will not grow in nature's barren soil." — Tohn Newton, " With Love, the highest manifestation of life, Christ . . . associates Joy, its never failing accompdftiimelfit, not as a thing given by His power, but as flowing from His person." — Professor P. J. A. Hart. ■ . f III '■■ ■ . '^ i 1 4 ♦ ' 1. ' f , >' . ! • nI « ■ ^ / TIT hi ■ ■ ' ' ' \ — « • r 1 7 _■ . ■ ' » , 4 . ^'. • 1 . t r.<^i* 2. 3oie n 1"^ HE tendency to think of religion as a gloomy thing is too common. The Christian who considers it a virtue to wear a sad countenance and to frown upon the innocent enjoyments of human life often injures the cause of Christ. It leads the world to think th^t religion is good enough for dyspeptics and invalids, and nervous women, but not fitted for one in whom the full tide of life abounds. ^True religion shoul^ bring with it the highest kind of joy. The Gospel itself is a message oi joy ; so the angelic messenger proclaimed, " Be- hol^ r bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." The fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in the heart of man is "joy." "The kingdom of God is righteousness, and t peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." The life of Jieaven is joy. ** InThy presence is fulness of joy." A religion which knew nothing of joy would be unsuited tb our race ; for mankind everywhere Wish to be happy. Thera is fl ^Ai^ir^ in f iy^r y i aa THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT J" heart for happiness whidh burns in an undying flame. The failure to 'find it is due to a, wrong conception of the meaning and purpose of life. As the old church father so beautifully said, " Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are rest- less till they rest in Thee." The root of the desire is of the divine implanting, but' we lose its fruit '^because too often we set our affections upon earthly things and not upon things above. As Martha Wesley so truly said to the great Dr. Johnson when he was complaining of the unhap- piness of human life, " Doctor, you have always ' lived not among the saints, but among the wit^ who are a r^ce .the most unlikely to seek' true happiness or find the pearl of great price." The heart set free from the burdeh- of its guilt, renewed by the Holy Spirit, consecrated to the ser- vice of God, ought to be one in which the joy bells ring. When Haydn was once asked how it was that his church music was always so cheerful, the great composer made a most appropriate and beautiful reply : *' I cannot," said he, " make it otherwise ; I write according to the thoughts I feel. When I think upon God my heart is so full of joy that the ^notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen ; and since God has giveh me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a chfeerful spirit." Christian joy is not merely earthly gladness. ft does not aris e f rom a fl ow of anima l spirits, a r JOY 23 good digestion, easy circumstances, a pleasant environment, or bright views of human life. It may and does exist without any of these. . Christian joy is not mere excitement. The worldling loves to be in a continual whirl of move- ment. To be alone is to be without enjoyment, to have an afternoon or an evening unengaged often means abject depression. True joy is full of sweet and holy calm ; it anchors the soul in peace and safety amidst all the changes and chances of this mortal life, and all the storms of earth. Christian joy is not emotion or passion. Our emotions and passions are as full of change as a cloud-swept sky, they fluctuate almost every moment, they are made up of elements often the most opposite in their composition. Our emotions and passions soon die away ; they are often fol- lowed by the most complete revulsion of feeling. * Christian joy is only known by experience. It cannot be described. It is like a tune from a heavenly organ, which leaves the impress of its sweetness and the soothing effect of its harmony upon the mind, but which beggars words to express its charm. The heart of man knows no feeling like that happiness which arises from a noble thought, a ^indly Word, a Christlike deed of loving service. It is here that the joy of heaven makes its abode upon earth. It in like the summer sun in its brightn e ss, and fillg •.}r ■* ' ••%H U tHE fRUlT OF THE SPIRIT with holy gladness the whole being. Such joy is independent of all earthly surroundings. It was felt by Ridley as he reached the cruel stake at Oxford, when he said to stout Hugh Latimer, "Be of good heart, brother; for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it." It welled up in Latimer's brave heart when he saw the fire blazing up at Ridley's feet, and said, " Be of good comfort, brother Ridley, and play the man ; we shalj this day light such a candid, by God's grace, in England as, I trust, shall never be put out." It burned brightly in the breast of the martyred Waldensian pastor, Pascali, when he could say, after the horrors of a long imprisonment, and with death by fire in sight: *' My joy is so lovely that I can fancy I see my fetters broken, and I would be ready to bear a thousand deaths, were that neces- sary, for the cause of truth." This joy is the fruit of God's Spirit. Christ speaks of it as " My joy." " These things have I spoken unto you that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." And St. Paul says, " Rejoice in the Lord." The Ethiopian eunuch, when he heard Philip proclaim the way of salvation, found great joy and peace in believing; for we read that " he went on his way rejoicing." The faith which unites the heart to Christ makes us partakers of His joy. " There- fore, being ju stifi ed by faith, we hav6 peace with • "fwC^WT'^Wf^fj^fgiBi^fEf^ Wf.^ JOY «5 God through our Lord Jesus Christ ; by whom also we have acc^ess by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." The secret of Christian joy is to live in Christ as the branch abides in the vine. It is to obey the laws which govern all healthful life and true growth; which are, in the main, right conditions and right relations. Its source is Christ, and its security is Christ. There are many causes at work which result in that strange contradiction — a joyless Christian. One, no doubt, is temperament. This shows itself in a tendency to religious melancholy, of which the poet Cowper is a marked example. Another cause arises from a defective view of the Gospel. Thus Mohler, bne of the ablest theo- logians produceci by the Roman Church, and whose influence ^]pon her teaching has beeninQst profound, shows how utterly comfortless the hope is which rests in self-righteousness when he declares that he " iij the neighbourhood of a man who, without any restriction, declared himself sure of his salvation should be in a high degree uneasy," naj^ *'that he could not repel the thought thar~tl^ere was something diabolical beneath this." Such a statement is surely proof that the writer has not comprehended the words of Christ to the seventy^ *' Rejoice that your names are written in heaven." It was in these ■VeQLWord&^ h e dyi n g Hall e r answcrcd^ia fr iend s yl&l K i w. «6 ' THE FRUIT Of THE SPIRIT when they coilgratulated him upon the honour of having received ^ visit, in his last hours from the Emperor. Still another r^- '^ "HeispurPeace,"-^^^.,-,-,,^ God..i:!?Z: ^i:^"""''"' -y ^ith, w. hav. Peac. with ^ifcl in this Bo6k tu^ ^ TennLn. °?^ ' ' ' the message is one of Peace."- »«r».^::!?X*!?j.:J-^.o ™a.e „. ..ess and "And the Peace „f r\, r* '-^^'"'««<"' •P'-«»'«-. shal, guatd'^^TeL'ts Xur Zt ^" ""'"-»*-^. -/'/J//, iz/. 7. y^""^ thoughts in Christ Jesus." of God, i. is ,ha..he IZZ^^^Z]^'^ "7 '"« Spin'. of great outward pressure "-A^Mfi^ ^^" '" ** ""d" I- sure. -^,^,i^„^ ^^ TJiomson. \ ,- .^ ' U-- 3. peace THER5 are many things ministering to our happiness which iqfcrease it, though they are not necessary to it. But one thing is absolutely essential, and that is peace. It is the one desire of thousands of hearts, at the sight of human sin and need, the misdirected struggles of earth, and the sad perplexities of this mortal life. For peace they are all continudl/j praying and struggling. ' What rs true peace ? It is nbt necessarily freedom from outward cares. God does not promise His people entire immunity from care.. But He does^ teach us the ^ way to rise above it, and to possess peace in4he midst of the anxieties of life. The surface of Lake Superior is often swept by storms, but the tempest's rage affects only its surface. In. its great depths— it is 900 feet deep— calm reigns. The same Contrast is seen in a ChristTan life ruled by trust. It has its outward trials, but it p' ^hasj d siLita inward peace . It haa dc ptha^itn^- ^-^ ' . If- ./• « I 30 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT afifected by the troubled ^aves of this trouble- some world. Peace is not always freedom froiii inward anxiety. The Christian is not taught that his / life is to be without struggle, sorrow, and pain. Rathei' is his life a conflict, and it is through ■ much tribulation that he enters the kingdom oi heaven. The peace promised is Christ's own peace, " My peace," and His life was not free from sorrow and pain. It is not the false ** peace" of self-righteous- ness. The Pharisee in the temple courts was satisfied with ^himself. But his peace was the peace of death. Nor is it the peace of thoughtless apathy or " callous indifference. An ice-bound river is at peace. No breath of earth ruffles its surface. But the sleep of winter is the nearest approath to the sleep of death. It is not the " peace " of a conscience unen- lightened and uninformed. There are many whose spiritual hopes are like a dream which has ^ no foundation in reality. They appear contented in heart and mind, but it is the contentment which lasts only as long as they are able to lull conscience to sleep, or to shut their ears to its Voice. They are not, perhaps, altogether unhappy, . for conscience has lost its power to alarm them, but of true peace they know nothing. " There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." .X"> PEACE S» > ■ , * The peace of God is His own gracious gift. The I-ord Jesus called it JHis own peace, " My peace I give unto you." It is the fruit of the life-giving Spirit in the soiil. How truly blessed is the experience of the soul that can say :— X " H« found within my heart \ Unrest and heedless sin, But when I bowed in penitence He graciously came in.' " Where tumult reigned is peace, And like a healing balm , There settles down upon my head A holy heavenly calm." The peace of God is rest. It is the effect of the indwelling of God's own Spirit in the heart, the life of man brought into harmony with the life of God. It is the heart set free from guilty fear, the conscience unburdened of the heavy load, the mind filled with a heavenly calm. Such peace is only known by being possessed. In its fulness it passes man's understanding. The deaf man knows nothing, in his experience, of the concord of sweet sounds. The blind man knows nothing of the glorious colours of earth and sky and sea. So the earthly mind fails to compre- hend the meaning of God's precious gift of peace. The mosque of St. Sophia, in Constantinople, was once the Christian church of the Divine Wisdom. Over its western door may still be read» in Grftck rharartftrf^, Chriat's invitation; s« THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy' laden, and I will give you rest,*' For hundreds of years the followers of the false prophet have brought all their anxieties and their cares, their griefs and their sorrows, into that house of prayer, while the most precious words of Christ have remained unknown to them. They need to be Spirit-taught. There, in that inscription, they possess the secret of rest, but its power to bless remains outside of their experience. They go as they came, with the burden of their guilt upon them, and their sorrows still unconsoled. So the world hears of God's "peace," but, to understand It, it must be possessed. The peace of a quiet cooscience, as the great dramatist ha^ told us, i» far above all^ earthly dignities. For the honours of earth may be thick upon a man, and yet he may never know one hour's happiness. But with the conscience^ at rest, and its light shining like a very candle of the Lord, the believer's life is well balanced. * He knows no fear of God save filial and holy fear, no fbar of man, no fear of the future, and no fear of hell. Where it dwells the peace of God shuts out all fear. " Peace, perfect peace, in this (folk world of tin ? - .^ The blood ci Jesut whispers peace within." ^ There is a common opinion, which has wide ^Lm ongst Christia n peoplf, that \ d! V PEACE 43 peace is hardly to be expected here on earth, but that we must patiently wait until we pass into that happy region of the truly blest, where :-r "Beyond these voices there is peace." It is not for this world many think, but for the next. The thought has found perhaps its most . beautiful expression, in the spiritual song by .Henry Vaughan, entitled " Peace " :— " My soul, there is a country Far beyond the stars, Where stands a winged sentry All skilful in the wars : There above noise and danger Sweet Peace sits crown'd with smiles. And One bom in a manger ^^ Commands the beauteous files. He is thy gracious Friend, And — O my soul awake I — Did in pure love descend To die here for thy sake. If thou canst get but thither, There grows the flower of Peace, The Rose that cannot wither, I'hy fortress and thy ease. Leave then thy foolish ranges ; For none can thee secure, But One who never changes— Thy God, th^ life, thy cure." Th^ blessed secret of peace^s completely revealed in Jesus Christ. The fruif of His Spirit IS peace. It is the gift of Jesus to His believing • people here and now. " My peace I i^ive unto yn,i," « / /I k -a THE FRUIT OF^THE SPIRIT 34 This peace Is Himself. " He is our peabe.** He ^ speaks peace to the heart. " ThSse things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye may have peace." It is a result of the trust of our hearts in the Saviour. * It is by the Holy Spirit's power that the fruit of Christ's peace is borne. in our lives. "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." It is perfect in its nature and never-failing in its results. "Like a. river glorious , Is.God's perfect peace, ^ . Over all victorious ' > In its bright increase. , Perfect, yet it floweth > Fuller every day ;, Perfect, yet it groweth Deeper all the way." There is an old promise upon which God's people have leaned, i^ every age and found it steadfast and suret .*!Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee." « "Stayed upon Jehovah Hearts are fully blest, ' < . Finding, as He promised, Perfect peace and rest." -^ J , ) r^ ■N>- J Zbc gxixit of tbe Spirit is . . ; Xong Sufferifng v?.- M " A- . "Wj^lk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye, are called ... with Long-?uftering. "—-£>>%. iv. 4. " Put on therefore as the elect of God . . . Long-suifer» mg."— Col. ULi2._ " Long-sufiferiftg is the self-restraint that docs not hastily retaliate a wTQng.'—BisAop Lightfoot. , " Long-suffering , . ^. . means long-mindedness as opposed to shortness of temper ki the midst oC irritation.''— Z?r. /. Spence* ' " Long-suffering will be found to express patience in ^ respect of persons, and ' patience * the same in respect of thipgs." — Archbishop Trench. "It is the opposite of .irascibility in relation to persons who deal- with us unreasonably or unkindly." — Dr. J. Morisort' 4. \ %onQ^mttctinQ LONG-SUFFERING may seem to be a negative kind of virtue, but it requires Christian character to produce it. It is not natural to man; it is a fruit of the Holy Sp,nt s work and influence. His goodness never infini. ' ^"<*'"«« daily. His great mercy and mamte long-soffermg are ever exercised towards us. The Christian in his" sphere is to show the same spirit, and this requiresVthe grace and strength of Christ. ^ «.e ana _Long.suffering is patience bnder a sense of mjury. Sir Walter Raleigh, the type of an fnTu*? K*"^ ^t"''"' Englishman. Ls once chaHr„tJ'''v'' ^°'-^^^'^ you^g man. who ^a enged him to mortal tombat. When Sir WaJter refused to fight hTm. the young man spat hl-nHlf T'r ^"f ^"''" •'"ight.^taking out his SS« T'*' ""' ''"'y-- "Young man. if I could as easily wipe your blood from my con- >"!°-,^' ^ ■'='^.*''' ^ '"J^-y fr<"° "y face. I would ... -v —J'" J *.viii my lace, i would' tn ia m o men t ta lw away you r life." It required /^ 38 THE :^RUlt OF THE SMkit . ■ ■< - great patience to bear such an insult, and the ' self-restraint shown marked out a high type of character. It is only charity, Christian < love in exercise, that knows how to suffer long and to , be kind. Long-suffering is the power to resist anger, to smother hate, and to disarm revenge. It will not quarrel. It will meet harsh, hard, and unkind words, either by not answering them, or by the soft answer which turneth away wrath. It will refuse to meet evil with evil, to fight fire witl^ fire. Long'suffdring is the spirit of forbearance to- wards others. It was constantly shown by Jesus Christ to His disciples. He was met by their want of faith, by the narrowing influences of their early environment, and had to bear with much dulness of understanding, and • many shortcomings. " How long shall I be with you? how long*shall I suffer you ? '* Yet He ever showed a patience which nothing could weary, and a long-suffering which covered all the shortcomings of men. Long-suffering makes ns approachable and easy of access. There are some Christians who are so impatient of faults in others, or arc so quick to discern them, that they keep ordinary people at a distance. They mayihave many excellences of life and character, but, to say the least, they are not lovable. Mt long-suffering brings divine patience with the ftmlts and failings of others into daily life ; itteachS s us tosusp^d ourludgme n tSil ■':V t' 1 i -■/■ 0i:>i ^ ' -a;. A^'-f*' ^ LONG SUFFERING ^ 39 to hope for the best, and not to be too ready to censure others. The question now arises, How is long-suffering gained t It is a. plant which grows from a divine seed, in a soil prepared for its reception. But it requires constant care and diligent cultivation. The Christian has often a hard struggle against his, natural disposition. There are some people born into the world with such a kind nature that It seems easy ground in which to develop the "Christian virtues. Others, again, have a very dif- ferent temperament. They are high strung,^sil5^ moved by passion, perhaps even quick t6take offence. f . Dr. Isaac Barrow well called ChristianW the academy of patience. We need to renumber that in the school of Christ the Holy Spirit is the great Teacher. The secret of strength is with God, but the means of obtaining divine grace are within our own reach. It was said of Richard of the Lion- heart that when moved to anger by his naturally quick and imperious temper, he made it a rule to say the Lord's Prayer before he gave utterance to his thoughts or play to his feelings. Long before he reached the " Amen," generally when the petition, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us," was upon his lips, his temper subsided, and gave place to a calm a nd cool frame 4)f mind. ^ ^ ■ " = .\ 40 THE FRUIT OF THE SHRiT / The long-suffering of God chines out in almostV fevery pagip of the Bible. It is seen in the long record of Hisi dealings with His people. He has ever stretched forth His hands in entreaty, and offered the rich blessings of His love to the children of men. He has borne with alt^i^r shortco^nings. So .the spirit of Christian love which is gained from union with Christ, and is a fruit of His spirit, is to be shown by the children' of God in their daily walk and conversation. Christians n«6d to remember continually that they are the world's Bible. The world does not judge' the Christian's doctrine by the doctrine, but from his daily conduct, his everyday actions, his ordinary life. It is not enough to talk aboiuvthe Christian virtues ; we must make an effort to translate them into action. In the well-known novel We T'dJulEdna Lyall pictures her heroine, " Erica," as brought to Christ through the influence of Livingstone's Christian character. Erica assisted her father in editing an infidel journal. She was- given tlie ** Life of Livingstone " to review, and told to leave out all reference to his rejigion. But she found that she could not divorce the religion from the life. She could no more draw a true portrait of Livingstone without his religion than of Cromwell without his Puritanism, or Napoleon without his ambition, or Pitt without his politics. She saw that his religion was a real factor in hia 'lAy- 'i'^-^M LONG SUFFERING ^ -At life, and when in the darkest hour, surrounded by savages thirsting for his blood, she read that he sought guidance from the pages of God's Word t".?.. fu "^"^ P'*y^'' '""^ **« >We to come forth w,th untroubled brow, as if no danger were near, she was compelled to confess that God was behmd .t all and to say, "I believe in God." Professor Blaikie, who was the author of Living- to him to the effect that when she incorporated the incident into her story, she felt that it had Bi^H."""/. 'T"*^'''^"' " that "even Mr. Bradlaugh himself would at least pause over it and, perhaps, ponder." ' It is a Christ-like grace. Only Christ can give ■t, and the Holy Spirit made it an abiLg possession. "nuug -« ■Ki HI •:V' > « f • \ ■^ \ ^ # ) %■: ^ • \ r Vciz /ruit ot the %lr« / .'^" m J^ -K, /' i /• ■/. . ■ ■ ■\^- ■ . ■ : ■■ ■ , ■ \ ' \ *' The gentleness of Christ."— 2 Cor, x. i. " The gentleness hath made me great."— /*j. jtviiV. 35. " The servant pf the Lord must .• . .be gentle unto all men."— 2 Tim. it. 24. ^ " Gentleness is Pow«r.»'—Mp. Whipple. " That he is ge|»til that doth gentil dedis."— Obtwf^r. "The gentle^nde by gentle deeds is knowne.— 5^<^r. •*AChris^j^« God Almighty's gentleman."— /«/i«j C, Hare. , j^^ " Gentleness is like the silent influence of light, which gives^^lour to all nature ; it is far more powerful than loud- ness'di? force, and far more fruitful." > 3 r> f 1 .^''W' I '.35. unto all cer, ilius C. , which in loud- 5* (Gentleness IT is the first principle of fchristianity that the ^ Christian is to be Christlike in his life and character. Christ came into the worid not ^ only to teach us the truth about God, but also the meaning of the^ife of man. And His life is the perfect pattern for His followers. The Christian life is to reflect the light which shines from the face of Jesus Christ. It is the moon • and not the sun that is the symbol of the Christian church. The moon is like a great mirror. It reflects from its surface the light of the sun, for it has no light in itself. So the Christian is te be a reflector. His light is not in himself, it comes from Christ, ^esus Christ has furnished His followers with th^ perfect pattern of a holy "life. And St. Paul appeals to his Corinthian converts by the "gentleness of Christ." True gentleness can only be learned in Christ's school. It is a fruit of grace, and not of nature. We cannot imitate th« great acts of ou* Saviour's life, but vv :M^ M m 1 , ^ 4.,. > '# f,- 4« THE FRUIT OF TIJE SPIRIT we can learn from Him the spirit through which they were accomplished. Gentleness is grandly positive. It is not merely passive. It is not a soft and enervating sentimentalism. It is not that weakness which yields from sheer want of force, nor that indiffer- ence which is careless about consequences if only selfs will is not crossed, nor that indolence which gives way from pure laziness. Gentleness is a power which acts through a heart made kind and good, the strength of a noble nature, irradiated with the spirit of unselfish love. Henry Martyn found it' was the only weapon which could break down pride and prejudice in his dealings with the Brahmins. "And this also I learnt/* he says, ** that the power of gentleness is irresistible'" Gentleness is the spirit of self-restraint in action. It leaves no room in the heart for anger, no matter what the provocation. It is free from that abruptness and harshness which often mar characters which would otherwise be beautiful. It leaves vengeance to Him to whom it belongs. "Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord.*' ' ^ ; In his Epistle to the Phil^ppians (iv. 5) St. Paur urges the duty of Christian moderation, or, as it is in the Revised Version, forbearance. In the margin of the Revised Version it'^is translated " gentleness." Luther saw that the Greek con- veyed the thought, not of control, but of giving Jl* *^ /%•{ 4 '•■ (ft, i GENTLENESS a9 ZZ' .f^"^^.!^ ^^ translated it in the German Bible "yieldmgness." It is that spirit of "self- lessness " which lives for others' good. It was exemplified in the life of Jesus x:hnst. "The best of men . Tli^t e'er wore earth about Him was a sufferer ; ■ A soft, meek, jiatient, humble, tranquil spirit, The first true gentleman that ever breathed" Gentleness is the richest ornament of man or woman. The old terms of "gentleman" and ^ gentWoman," anS " lady," are, to an extent, losmg their meaning. Gentle meant at first well born, which carried with it the thought of mild- ness m character and refinement in manners. Now in some quarters the terms are used some- times in true, sometimes in false, politeness as equivalents for man and woman. The highest types of manhood and womanhood are the result l^r",v'"'^u.^*^" 'P^"* of gentleness uplift, ingthe life. This is what makes the "gentle- man or " gentlewoman." in the truest and best sense.' fi.l^''*c f** C''"s"an possesses gentleness, he TJ^'a^^ ?'"^ "°*' »'*''°°e'' his life is surrounded by those whose lives are full of all the teeth, a. ,f ,ts motto were both defence and tlmr*^- ."""""'"""'y of spearmen. Some time, u, dMt« w sharp ;, th>,| gr. poino..uu». 'p. •i M '.»- THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT f V y Or it is like the Scotch thistle and the Scotchi motto, " No one sh&U touch me with impunity/* But the lily fears its head and lives but to _ sweeten life. It sheds its gracious perfitme abroad, and brightens earth's desert witih its smile. So the Christian should bring to Uffe's trials the spirit of Christ, and should be gentile and tender to all. - J^ ^ Gentleness is. -«^ most necessary part in ^ character building. No life is really noble witb- ^ but it. Nothing compensates for its absenc^ It may seem a small thing, and yet it is essential. And the world often notices in us the absence of graces which, wjth all its unbeiief, it expects in the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. A very r^atkable testimony was once borne to the fact that a consistent Christian is the best ^ argument* for the truth of Christianity* The Rev. Henry Townley was in his early day^ of a scepticsd tui^ of mind. This youthful tendency led him to watch with cafe the currents of infidel opinion. In his old age he held a -^ubljc discussion with Mr. George Jacob Holyoake. Mr. Holyoake confessed at the close of ,th^ discussion that Mr. Towpley's temper and Chris- tian courtesy had affected him more powerfully than all the arguments in favour of Christianity he had ever listened to. I^ was said of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tha\ his whole life was bathed in sympathy, the love that suffers long \ #■ - and envies not, whieh forgives unto seventy times- seven. This gentleness of character left its mark lipon his m^st expressive face. Charles Kirigsley said it was the most beautiful human face he had ever seen. He was gentle to those who injured him, and most forgiving. Edgar Allan Poe, whose great genius could cot lighten the dark places of his morbid nature, accused Long- fellow of plagiarism and utter want of prigirtality. Longfellow's reply to his tirade of abuse was to lecture to his class at Harvard upon the- rich poetic genius of Poe and th^mai^ellous music of his poems. It vv^s the only reply his heart could give. Like our own gr6at Cranmer, to injure him was the surest way to secure his good viAl Tenj^son puts uppn the lips of Thirlby,ln *rQu<^en Mary," this, splendid tribute to Cranmer :— ' v "To do hiift itny wrong was to beget A kindness from him, for his heart was rich,' Of such fine mould, that if you sowed therein ^ fh?»eed of hate, it blossom'd Charity." Christian gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. It is the gift of God. to His children. It is one' of the results of the felessed work of the indwell- ing Spirit. It is thf Holy Spirit alone, Who can make the heartof man gentle, and keep it so. .LKJqgfellQw was a Unitarian. He held what we believe to be an imperfect view of religious truth, JHe was shut gut by his system ■ — ■■■•■- " ■" ——' r -ir — T ■«■ '■■ - — — '■ —I — .. I..I .11, — ■ .,- ..I , i fe. u i_L- J. v"^'^ •■:?.■ m p i rj- K > THE FRUIT OF THE SPlRIX -> from fulness pf belief in TOths we' hold mo^t precious, and Ichow to be post fruitful in their upliftmg power. Yet his character was richly endowed and his life was sweetened by the Chris- tian graces. And so it is, some lives are .richer and better than the creed they profess. But we may, be sure of this,- that the good which we are able to trace in him was God's gift. He lived up to his light. And it was with him, as it is with us, for ' * '. ;^ • : , -. . " Every virtue we possess, ^ And every victory won, - " ^ And every thought of holiness, I Are His alone/' ° ( i V, I =r ' I St- f *, !« A*. iM T s ■ i . ttbe fruft of tbe Spirit is **^ *- ^ ^j^^ ^■^^K ^*W A,i ■" X ' \ < r-i "O how great is Thy Goodness."— />j. xxxi. 19. " Guard my fit-st springs of thought and will, And with Thyself my spirit fill." . i, Bishop Kin, " Character and conduct, crepd and deed, ^rd and' work, should always be united."— ^^. Evan H, Hopkins. ' *' Sublimer in this ^orld know I nothing than a pleasant saint."— T/ft^yj. Carlyle. " The supremacy of Goodness."— /^ W. Robertson, * " Goodness is Love in action. — Dr. J. Hamilton. . V ■ \ i ■ 1 . . -s / ( • ■^ _«iW*^ s« \ .lii ■/"■' 6* (3oobne68 vork, isant %^.': T't^E Christian i$ oft6n compared to a rich, strong, healthy, fiaiit-bearing tree. The mysterious process in nature by which a good tree brings forth good fruit, while a corrupt tree bears evil fruit, is not without its counterpart in the sphere of grace. The comparison, how- ever, like many illustrations from the book of nature, is not perfect, and has its limitations. For when we assume that a tree may be bad, and do not blame it for not producing good fruit whep it is not its nature to do so, for we do not expect figs from thistles, why, it may be asked, should we blame man, who may be naturally bad, for bearing the natural fruit of liis life ? The answer is simple. Man may be changed, indeed must be, if he is to fulfil God's purpose; his heart, the centre of his being, made clean and new. This change is the work of God's Spirit. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." " Mtrvf I nnt/' 4:?.. t ^^■■',:".jjfis«'lsi r - r I K 54 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIJ said Jesus, " that I said unto tlyji^; Ye naust be born anew.** Goodness is a fruit of Gpd!^ Spirit, and is seen in the Christian life, in aefs of kindness, in deeds of loving service. It^^that spirit of beneficence which aims at delng good. Benevolence is well- wishing, welKwilling, it wishes others well ; but beneficence is well-doing, it is the outcome of benevolence, it is benevolence in action. Bene- volence may exist without beneficence, may be in the heart and mind without resulting in the loving deed, ^but beneficence always presupposes benevolence. In the Pastoral Epistles, the ** good works " the Apostle speaks of are literally " beautiful works." Just as in St. John's Gospel, Jesus is called " The good," that is to say, ** The beautiful Shepherd." Goodness is sometimes seen in actions which seem to be spontaneous, the heart acting upon its own natural impulses. There are some lives which breathe the spirit of goodness, it is tl^ element in which they live. They have caught something of the spirit of the great Master " who went about doing good." Wordsworth had such in his mind when he wrote of " That best portion of a good man's life,— His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love." ^_ The power of goodness lies in the fact that it brings something of the life of God into the world. ,/ 1 \ r" GOOPMESS >I^S Si Whenever it is exercised, it reveals something of the spirit of the Father. It was Lord Bacon who pointed out that goodness, of all dignities and vhrtues of the mind, is greatest because it is the character of God. It was the life of David Livingstone which won the way for the Gospel in Africa. There was " a daily beauty in his life." The life was, like John the Baptist,' ^paring the way for the Christ. Livingstone found that nothing impressed the savage heart like the Christiaojife in action. And so he made ** Goodness and unselfishness impress them more ^an any skill or power." Goodness commands respect. It wins its way when beauty may possess no spell, and knowledge may exercise no power. It was a saying o^Yictor Hugo that the only thing to which he Jbad learnt to bend the knee was goodness. Ijts power was acknowledged when, as by a neural instinct, every gentleman in England/put on mourning when the news of the 4^th of Svf Philip Sidney^ the flower of English thivalry, was received. William the Silent pronounced him one of the first statesmen c^ Europe. Elizabeth called him " one of the jewels of her crown." He lost his life on the field of Zutphep. As he lay wounded upon the field,/ with parched lips, h6 was about to put a cup of water to his lips when he heard the cry of a dying soldier, and, agonizing with thirs t i^ h^_ ja?aS r passed it tg - ^ %. .-%- /' 14. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT ■ '■ ■ . - ■ , « " . -'' another wkdse necessity was greater than his own. . Goodness brings happiness. The Sage ot iSreece said : " No man ought to be called happy till he dies," but one who breathes the atmosphere of goodness partakes already of heaven's happi- ness. The Christian's citizenship is in heaven, even while he remains a scholar ip earth's great school. The life of our late ifejoved Queen Victoria the Good, '• " Who held, where heroes might have failed, the fates oi many lands, Softly and safely in her gentle hands," V ' . '■_...■ was happy, perhaps, above that of all other earthly sovereigns. Even the clouds only brought into contrast the richness of her life in all that made fdjir happiness, like the clear shining after rain. It began in the noble resolve of early life, confirmed in the y^ars of responsibility, " I will be good.? ^ '^^'v-^ \^". ■ Goodness overconies e^^Jt works in the way which Chalmers indicated wh(^%e speaks of the expiilsive powe^ of a new ai!e6mn, which dis- places the evil \an4 leaves it no place. The old Grecian fable i^ that when Ulysses sailed past the island of thip Sirens, he listened to that fatal music which raviished the ear and weakened the will. To save liWself and his crew from being lured to the shoreL he stopped their ears with wax, and had himself Itied to the mast. But when Orpheus, in se^rCjh of the Golden Fleece, passed ^' Ll^^^^ % /" ,% GOODNESS Wl that way, he played a sweeter tune, and produced diviner music than the Sirens knew, and by this means entranced the crew, so that they sailed past in safety. The way to overcome the evil is to have the life filled with the good. The Holy Spirit alone can do that. > Gopdness reigns supreme. In the kingdom of. "^'^ is the only patent of nobility.^ In this •e have been other ideals. We have fistocracy of force, of inteltect, of truth, of^ipilff . But in the spiritu# kingdom the gr^«est are those who are most willing to offer loving service. Christlikeness is the mark of heaven's aristocracy. As Tennyson so truly said, '* Tis only noble to be good." The truest great- ness is f hat " goodness " which is the fruit of the Spirit; it alone makes the character beautiful, the heart happy, the life useful; fatal .} . ' - ' '-# . ■ ' ■'■■ ' I the * - "^ - ^.,^. )eing , ■ ' wax, - Vv,_ * . , • \ ' . \ .. . . .,-- vhen "V, ■• • ,. r ' < issed ; ( ■X ' ■' * ■'■I' y\' '■'/:'"' :.' ■:*;,::;■.:■;.. ^i.-- \,i ' ■ ■; ^ " ■ ' . 'tUMOM.:.. ' . •^ .* ; i r r- \ -1 .v ^,. . **r -..■i.-:.---..:.. ■I .; > -, ^ -■ ,■ . - ■■ .-1 r-v ) :" ** '1 ^ . ■• -■ -^ . ¥ A . % * ■K i^ > .,3f ' ^ \ / >^ P - V r- ■I *■ ■^ "f'-. Ubc f tutt of ibc Spidt te ... Jaitb - V t -" i , ■i \ ' • V / \ » « » h- • \ vJ * ~-r ■■ — 1 . - • \. 'A--'' \ . -.x-.?^' -. •■ Y4 "^ ft ' « -r A. « ^ / "Faithfulness the glrdle.»--/j.;w'. 5. ^ " Be that which you would make others."--^i»ii>/. "The finest piece of artistry in the ^forld is the spectacle of faith working upon a personality, and producing its results." *• One never mounts so high as when he knows not whither he is gomg.^—O/iver CrommlL • •\ . V > JrJ .'^ t ky ■ >■■■ #■ "<- f..f artb (f aitbfttlnese, HID.) JT was LutHIr who pointed out, long ago, that, " It is manifest the Apostle speaks, not of faith which is in Christ, but of the fidelity and humanity of one man towards another." This seems to be the meaning which the Ittvisers hi^ve taken as the best English equivalent for St. Paul's thought. Bishop Light- foot ^d that faith was not used here in its theological sense of *' belief in God;" but rather with a passive meaning of "trustworthiness," " fidelity,^ " honesty." He thought it po^le that it might <,be best expressed as "tr^pfl- ness;* reliance *1n one's dealings with others." Professor Beet thinks that it is "A disposition on. which others can fely." And Rendall says that it is not "the caf^dinal grace of faith%hicb is the very root of all religion, but rather good faith in deal- ings with men, apd due regard (or just claims." Even so, we are led back to first principles, and to foundation truths. For Faithfulness •prjpgs froii^ Faith, »nd the trust that unites 4 %■ \ * f lijj^ii. •ftr dfl ■ -m THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT r* than to God, brings him i&to right relation^ with his fellow-men. - * And so we go back to faithj which God Him- self has been pleased to appoint as the means by ^ which we receive the Holy Spirit, by Whos^ •■ mighty power alone the fruit -of the Spirit is ; developed in our livesr^ ^s it not thus that the character of trustfulness is forfned ? And as we trust, the Holy Spirit makes us trustful and trustworthy. * "^^^ '^ . When the late Professor Drummond^ who h'adk' genius for selecting apt and suggestive titles, called love " the greatest thing in the world," there' were many Christians, Spurgeon amongst the number, who were jealous lest faith should be put in the background, or have assigned to it too low a place in the system of Christian truth. . Dr. Gordon stood out, amongst others, as the champion of faith, and called his book "The First Thing in the World,, or The Primacy of Faith." For faith stands first, and the primacy of faith must be unquestioned. ]U>ve may be, and is, greatest, because it is God*s nature. " His nature and His name is Love," while faith is part of man's nature, for he is born to ' trust, but faith is first. For love is born of trust. We must trust before we can love^ Faith> hope, and lo^e are peitna^ent Christian graces. They are so distinguished from the other giftB enumerated by St. Paul ia hii -. i: 1 • .W' ^^ d \ Ife^ 'I » rr FAITH 63 1^ with I Him- jans by ^ Whosg'' pirit IS lat the as we ul and. , called re'were umber, in the low a Dr. IS the " The acy of rimacy Ay be, " His is part [t faith I must ristian n the . B bii immortal hymn of loi^e (i Cor. xiii.), for, while it isAsaid that prbpheties will fail, tongues cea^, ^ and knowledge/ y^ish away, it is declared that faith, hope, and^harity will ibide. X(iere is one V^spec^ it is^aimed, in wW^h love is greatest, because faith/and hope wilf not be needed in heaven, and,Jtherefore, will disappear. In this view love is the end, and faith and hope but the means. -Faith will have dpne its perfect work, and wUl haVe been lost in vision, while hope will have gaine^ its fruition., So we sometimes smg : / X " Faiith will vanish into sight, ^ • Hope be emptied in delight, Jove in heaven will shine more bright ; I Therdbre give us love." And P^ior writes : .. 'f len 6onstant faith and holy hope shall vi&| )ne lost in certainty, and one in joy." The Clearer view, and the deeper in spiritual meaning, seems to be t^ faith and hope also ^de eternal and imperi^ble, as distinguished from gifts that faij^ that cjpase, that vanish away. ?***^ ^^mS^ forevfer, for it is concerned with immorta^uths as w^ as with bare facts. It is not only belief in thit|P unseen, whMfcnay need no exercise of faith in the presence of^ reaJitlK but it IS also trust in a Person which ca^^ver die. Hope abides forever, and, even when all that it l<>ok« for jw ffa lirH, i t will i till live on ,««■, # / \ 1^' « ^1 64 '% r- \ JHE FRUIT OF •W ^m' atioil thro^hout eternity in t ffuflregood. ' It iiay be sai% thl| faii|fi!titf^^%#plBepar- able, M^ed tp^^ther ^ Gol|rand wfsdae^in holy bonds "^chil^^ng <^!8kJ:t}): can ^ver. ^^^Wb^t Qodc%h joihi^ ^g^t;h«liMeUii^S^ lerr'Qf Faitl#te'fei "jk^^yl&^b^^inciple, c^ies in ijts h|^^%^^oil|||^d^ppe ,and jtt^'lovei ]^afthl^|^M^lfortnist l>re?pedes ^Faith is the foundation/ the building is together by lovdi^/ Faith is the TOot, the !i- of the tree is love. vyFaith is alone in justifi- cation, it is supreme i^his spiritual province, ^and through it the souifs accounted righteous ^^ Wore God, but love is ^&test in the activities • otlife. There is the spiritW holy jealousy in our , eleyiimth article, which d^lares, " that ,we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine." Love is not wedded to faith in -justifying. It is rather the way it shows its energy, the living jprinciple of the works which follow after Justification by faith. Faith is a fruit of God's Spirit. It is not a result of human effort. It ic born of God. Wlwt is Faith ? is a natural question, (i) It is trust. WhenJiaced td its origin, as Bishop Lightfoot has reflttped, it is simply trust, «e trust of a little duldKKS mother. An infant ust trust his iwMK ^^ evei^ything, food, clQthinp;^ care, and WBie, Its life is a fif« of ^ '"^ ^ FAITH • . ttust, as natural to it as it is to breathe or to' walk. So we are to trust God. ; Faith, then, is not mierely intellectual assent to certain ^)eliefs as true. It is not a combination of all the Christian virtues. Its main, indeed its vital, characteristic, as Bishop Handley Moule, of Durham, says, is an act of accepting reliance. It is the repdse of the soul in God. It is, as Bishop O'Brien pointed out in his masterly work on its nature and effects, an attitude of childlike confidence and implicit trust in the Eternal Father". We believe in a thing when we are sure that it is true, in a perspri when we learh to trust him. (2) Faith is the acceptance of God's Word. ' It believes the truth of God's Word. It rests u^on the divine promise. It gives its- assent to something as credible because God witnesses it to be trqe. The truth, we believe, is divine, and it rests- upon divine authority: To refuse to , believe the ^ivine record is to make God a liar, which is an awful thought. (3) Faith is the acceptance of God'$ gift of eternal life. When Jesus was asked, '*^What ^"^^st we do, that we may work the works of Goa?" He replied, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." ^ The same thought is brought out by the Psalmist when he asks, " What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" and re plica,/ * I w ill take t he c up of sa lvation." -^^ /' i ■ (^ 1 "^n *■ » , .t, \ ■ ■ - ' . ■ ) 66 ' THE FRUIT OF THE SPIiyLT ^ cannot work for God's gifts, it is beyond ou^ power to merit them, to deserve them in any sense. We can only accejit them.' This is faith. It is the appropriation of God's gift of eternal life.'^ - . ;. ' ■ ' ••■/-:-. (4) Faith is trustfulness, ^n aitit' of personal re- liance. It is confiding reliance in a person. In this sense Abraham was the "father of the faithful," as well as in the other sense of influence, by which he impressed his own fai,th on the chosen fiamily. His faith ever bore in it the idea of personal •reliance, the perfect confidence of a child in a Father's love, the trustfulness of one who ever realizes a Father's goodness, the strong belief and th^ self-surrender of one who ever leaned upon Him who is invisible. .' * Faith is God's good gift. It is the fruit of His Spirit's work. It is ^once our greatest need and our highest happiness. Faith that saves, vfoith that aspires, faith that nerves the soul, faith that overcomes, faith that triumphs. It is through faith that we know God. It is the power that brings us to Christ and keeps us in Christ. It iJ the *' hand of the heart,'' by which we accept God's rich blessings and appropriate them to n^eet .the needs of our spiritual life. ■A \ ■ -tM^i---^- /; / Ube gxuit oitbe Spftit is meelrtess t* V" ■iff I y «t It- **• ^W», •'^ 1 " Blessed are the Meek : for they shall inherit the eart —5/. Mtitt. V. 5^ " It is that tajheness of spirit which jensues on*the deatifi of self-righteousness."— y?^./- Oswalm^ykes "The Lord Jesus . . . means those who are of a j)ai 5;^and contented s^mV —Bishop J. C. RyU, ^ " U is best described as humility towards God."— f*i i> 1 ''■«^.. -*-•- m .'* *^~ M '«* i0: M- ■■•aKi^ -■•5* -#. 1 d^a ■l^ r /^" ♦ W' , ' il < at» ^ ■«W!a% %5 --«-- i^. #■ Sv 8. Meekness 'HE world does not appreciate its greatest men. It often worships at the shrine of success, or gives the highest place to those qualities which gain success, quite re- gardless of moral ends. It fails in many cases, too, to understand the highest qualities of he^d and heart. ^^ When j€^s Cfifist began His wonderful ministry of love and mercy, many were astonished at His teaching, for He spake as never man spake. But the fault-finders of the day heard nothing in His words that breathed of heaven, or that was potent with |ruth. " Is not this the carpenter, the son of Maii|and brother of James and Joses, and Judasf^Rl Simon ? " was theie estimate of the Man and of His teaching. When Luther raised his voice of thunder, which echoed through the world, there were many found who heaped a^bi^e upon him and his cause. Joh^ Milton only lived to be misunderstood. A bishop M the church could say, " Get thf behind me. v \ Tf V fAi # t- 70 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT Milton, thoa cankerworm, thou Shimei, a dead dog, thou savourest of pride, bitterness^ajjdrfalse- hood!" Oliver Cromwell was coupled with Judas Iscariot a&one of the wbrst men that eveir lived, yet Carlyle ranked him as one of the world's truest heroes. Professor Reynolds calls him ** the greatest of Englishmen," and one who understood his character declared, ** A larger soul I think hath seldom dwelt in a house of clay than his was." It is the same with the noblest virtues, the, highest qualities of the heart. Humility is no virtue to the world. Before the Gospel trans- formed the meaning of the word it meant some- thing that crawled upon the ground. Dickens has held up to scorn its counterfeit as seen in Uriah Heep, who was so very "*umble"; and meekness, which is in reality a very high develop- ment of Christian character, has been considered to be but tameness, or insensibility, or want of proper self-respect. It runs counter to the pride of man's natural heart, and the' hard, resentful spirit of the world, and is considered an amiable madness, if not indeed a sign of cowardice, rather than a lofty and noble virtue. What, then, is true meeknes^ ? It is the spirit of Jesus Chrfst brought to bear upon human life in all its relations. It is the gentle, loving spiril of the Christian whose mind jas been brought^nto-harinony with the mind of K^:% " '"" ^^^^IL^i -.m • ' MEfiKNESS ''" — Christ, who was meek and lowly of heart. ' It is the sweet forbearance of a soul that, through Christ, has won the victory over the lower seli^ ' has tamed its natural tendency to anger, violence, and resentment, has curbed the hateful passions which, when given rein, trample and destroy, which knows how divine f thing it is to suffet and be strong, and so returns good for evil. ■ It is that moral strength which, linked with -patience and contentmei^t, endows th6 soul with a might which" is irresistible. Dean Stanley, in his. exposition of the meaning of *' the meek," points out that it is not merely a passive virtue in the character. ** Happy," he says, " are the gracious, graceful Christian characters who by their . courtesy win all hearts around them, and smooth all the rough places of the world." It is -not, as some seem to think, a quiet resignation alone, which is chiefly marked by an uncomplaining attitude towards the acts of others, no matter how trying to flesh and blood ; it is rather love in quiet but yet persistent action. ' Meekness k love in action. So Jeffreys wro^e: .** Meek and lowly, pure and hol;5Ji- i ' „ Chief among the * blessed three;* ** " Jjs seen in the life that has gained something irist's spirit. It is what has been called a virtue. There is only one place in Sddp- ture, I believe, where the heart of Jesus it mentioned, and it is in connection wi^b the spirit . - ■ )i "X '* ^"s"*? 7* THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT 4 s: of meekness which He ever showed, " I am ^ -meek and lowly in heart." (Matt. xi. 29). Meekness is a disposition of mind which see«j its own faults in contrast with the perfect life of Christ, and seeks to improve them^ Lord ^ ^ Brougham ortce confessed, in a l^ter to a friend, that pride was his besetting siiiV^ut he added, *'I try to conquer it and sometimes , succeed.'" Calvin said that for sixty years he had struggled to master his temper, and had only parfciajly succeeded. But what i|ian cannot do, the i» indwelling Spirit is ^le to accomplish; It, is when the selftlife is crucified with Christ, and Christ lives in the soul, that the fruit of meekness will be found. This .the Holy a)irit alone, can ' ' i produce! ' ^ ' ^ ' ' Meekness is power wedded to gentleness* ^"l^* ,'X see it not only in gentle, trusting women, but T| . 1^= strong and forceful men. ^ It is often a i:<|^|y^ power, which is only used in time of trial. VWpl a speaker \n the House' of Qommons endeavou^t> to disparage Williafi .Wilberfofce as " the ' honorable and religious gentlemartj^' the taunt brought out the biting sarcasm that it was^stinnge that a "British senate should b». requited to "^ consider piety a reproacfi." A member expressed * his as^nishmfent at the . power of sarcasm >\ ^ Wilberforce had sliown fpr the 'first time, when '* Romilly ^remarked that it illustrated the virtue ' ' even more than the genii^s of Wilberforce ;, " for " ■ • • ^'•■'\ • -^ - '■ ■ n %K V / r'^j irS!^-- (■-.- k " ara V sees 1 fe of Lord ^ lend, \ [ded, led:" ' 1 thef. 1 tt,is - •| and - 1 ness .can ^1 *■■■** . ireci^',K the bunt ngre I tO" 5sed ISQl hen tue for i». • \. !• m MEEKNESS "\ 1$ who but he has ever possessed so forniidabk a weapon and never used it ? " Meekness blends the harmlessness' of the dove with the courage of the lion. Just as a/ quick temper is often ^allied with strong .affections, so ineekness is oft^ joined to a bold and courageous nature. ^Moses is an example. 'Meekne^ i$ mentioned , in Scripture ' as his prevailing - ch4ratteristic. He was the meekest of the sons " of me^. This meekness did not arbe from a placid nature, or from a tame spirit. The old Ada.m in him Was strong and fierce, when he ", smote the Egyptian'* (Ex. ii. 12); when he stood up single-handed and alone against the^ shepherds of Midian and projected the daughteiS* ofReuel from their insolence (Ex. ii. 17-19); when in his anger he broke the sacred tables of the law (Ex. xxxii. X9); when at the waters of strife he spoke unadvisedly with his lips fNpm. ^x. 13). Meekness was the fruft of God's Spirit working in his hojirt and life. It mellowed his disposition, so that he was able to forgive those^ who injured him, to speak and act gently towards the erring, and to return good for evil. He sought no honours.no place, for himself or Ejs descendants, but, ^as Professor Rawlinson polttts out, •'the^ meek inherit the earth,'' and Moses, who Was g, highly esteemed during life, gained, after death,* ^f^ name and fame, more than national^^. as the J^ emandpator%h^s race, the great leadek- of hii %. 4- 1 :3,\ ••^i, ."^ '« »\ ^.. M [i^p^J^k ^,< . > .'h \ 74. THE FRUIT OF THE' SPIRIT )■ people, and a legistator whose laws have pro-v fbundly influenced all subsequent ages. v>m* Meekness bears with it exceeding ricji and precious promises. " The meek shall eat and be satisfied" (Ps. xxii. 26) j "The meek will he guide in judgment, and t'he meek will he teach his / way " (Ps. XXV. 9) ; " The meek shall inherit the earth " (Ps. xxxvii.^ 11) ; " He will beautify the ^ meek with salvation " (Ps. cxlix. 4) ; " The Lord liflfeth up the meek " (Ps. cxlvii. 6) ; " The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel" (Is. xxix. 19). -'f:i- ■■■i # . >?♦ <»* .^ ' Ube jprbit of the Spirit is ^ ' . ♦ * TTemperancc . r ^ ,:■-- ■ ■ ..■ * f 1 *» • ■' « — ..„ ^ . *' • - • V ■ t ■* 1 ., '_ rt ,-. .. .... :■ -^ t , ■' . " - t.- - T- ..r., . f \ 9 " Quit you like men, be strong."— i Cor. xvt\ 13. " He that ruleth^his spirit ft better than he that taketh a City.'—Prov. xvi. 32, " Saintship is not innocence ; it is conquest." "Self-government which is essential to our own happi- ness and contributes greatly to that of those around us.*'— SoUthey to Miss Bronte. ... «♦ By whatever name we call The ruling tyrant, Self, is all in all." ChurckilL " Lo«e not thyself, nor give they humours way ; God gave them to thee under lock and key.* Ge^ Htrbert. '• Self-reverence, self-knowledge, seM^control, These three alone lead life to sovereign power." "Tho' I look old, yet am I stroair and lusty, For in my youth I never did apply Hot aad rebellious liquors in my blood." Ssakisptare. ** Control* th«n and subdues, transmutes, bereavct, Of tbeir bsd mfluence, and their good receives." fVordsworfA. **AIa«, I have civiliMi my own subjects; I have con- quered other aatiaas ; y«t teve I aot been able to civilize or to conquer myaetf." -Pfigr the Grtmi, r r»-': '»- '7\ ^*.'*'-iit;'' f-\ . \ eth a lappi- is.*'— th, ccmi icor ir \ ^f'S^fy-^W^ % .'-)■ 9. Uempetance THE word "tfemperance," as it occurs in Gal. V. 23, i^ translated "self control** in the margin of the Revised Version. The Greek root implies self-restraint as to one's desires, natural appetites and passions. This is its meaning in Scripture. In everyday language it has gained a d^rent significance, and is lodsely used to mean total abstinence from all intoxicants, which greatly narrows its meaning. Temperance* in \\M scriptural and wid# mean- ing, covers a large sphere of charactw* It meails self-government, ^elf-control, self-restraint. The Christian is to show sobriety of conduct in all the relationships of life. Whether he eat» or drinks, he is to eat and drink unto the Lord, dding aU things in, the name of the Lord Jesus. For in temperance may be shown in many . ways, may be shown in thci want .oif control of natural appet.it&» If mm^ be'^own M f^i (or to eat. to excess, ||tt^, jMi «Mi things ag injure the system, is 1ntem^erMa% want o# . ■ . n ■-.„.'" •<\ ^ 1 ■< I 1 t V .. 7 * , X'- n^ssmammmmm ' ' i /" 78 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT N self-restraint, and is a sin against the body.^ It may be seen in the habit of smoking, which tnay gain such a hold upon a ntian as to be- come almost a necessity, and make him a slave to tobacco. And no man whose appetite is his master can adequately perform the duties of dife. It may be show%|n dress, when it is beyond .the means, results m*1»travagance, and absorbs the mind. It may be seen jn want of control of" the temper, for self-n^slilry . is tlie truest teniperance. , v * . The spirit of Chtist in the life changes tlie\ natural disposition, and produces self-govern- ^ment. The world expects the Christian to possess self-control. Self-control is a large term, and includes temperance in every possible form, the mastery of every appetite, temper and passion. It is the fruit of the Spirit, and not the least important, in its effects on character and conduct. The self- life is restrained/ and the wrong desire fcurbed^ before it issues iq action. The Holy Spirit brings the whole man, his mind and will, into perfect liarhiony with the mind and will of Christ. This is self-con^ol, the life controlled by Christ, • "no forger I, bui Christ Jiveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, th^ faith which is in the So» of s pto d\|c=^ jjr 1 ■^'^^gsaf: FIIUIT OF THE SPIRIT case, n& indirectly but diW^y, these offences were attributed to excessive drinking." The testimony, of English physicians should carry very great weight. Dr. Norman Kerr says : " To drink I have been able to trace three-quarters of my cases of heart disease.** ^^ _ _ ^ ^ Sir William Gull, physician to Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, declared: "Alcohol is the most destructive agent we are aware of in this country.** ' # Sir Henry Thompson, writing to the Arch- bishop of Canterbury^ said : " There is no greater cause of evil, moral and physical, in this country than the use of alcoholic drinks.'* And at another ttime he said : " But if I venture one step farther it would be to express a belief that-there is no single habit in this country which so much tends to deteriorate the qualities of the race, and so much disqualifies it for endurance in that com- petition which in the nature of things must exist, and in which struggle the prize of superiority must fall to the best and to the strongest." Dr. Carpenter said: "The habitual use of alcoholic liquors is unfavorable to the permanent enjoyment of health.'* Sir Andrew Clark said that in his hospital experience, when he saw that seven out of ten owed their diseases to alcohol, he " could but lument .that-:th& teaching -4ibQut this^guestio a^ I /•■ TCMPERANCS it was not more direct, more decisive, more home- thrusting than even it had been. . . . Can I," said he, " say any words stronger to you than these of the terrible effects of the abuse of alcohol? It is when I myself think of all this that I am disposed, as I have said elsewhere, to rush to the op^^e extreme, to give up my pro- fession, to gi^PK everything, and to go forth! upon a holy criisade, preaching to all men — Beware of this enemy of the race,** Sir Frederick Treves, the King's surgeon, standing at the head of his profession, says : "Alcohol is certainly inconsistent with what might be called fine work. It is absolutely, inconsistent with a surgeon's work, and with anything that requires a quick, acute, and alert judgment." This for the operator, but what has science to say of the person operated upon ? Sir James Paget declared, " Of all people I surgically dread it is the secret drinker." While Sir Victor Hdfsley, the pioneer of brain JUrgery, holds that the causes of physical deterioration are bad housing and alcohol, and that alcohol is directly responsible for bad housing. Professor Debore, of Paris, doyen of the Faculty of Medicine, has signed a declaration, which is more remarkable still, containing this clear-cut statement : " In actual fact alcohol is useful to no atfsr^nd is hurtful to everybody." , The old heresy, that if soldiers are to march % ^#- I : ■ ..j^ifpl >*■* ■V*, X ^^^^^^^H ^^^H ^^^^^^^^1 ^^H ■ ^^^H ^^^H ^^^■^H ^^^^1 ^^H ^^^^^^■PP^ ' m m HHi ■ 1 ■ ■ m I P ■, ■ , * ^ ". fl r^. • ^ * - 1 t.- .-. • ' ? > ' ", , ■- * •1 * • i^ ' ^ ( f » > i,,- ' 1 , ■/■- '■ /' . \ 1 ■'■^ - * ' • « % -" * « , r > • 1 t 4 « - - „ • • ' ♦ .■„.^-,._ ■,(, . , ., ■ .,.,■■■„„ .. . ■.:&• 1 '"■'I \ / - « J. f <►, ^V»^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 5' ^S /. ^ ^ . * < \ Ui ■I ./:• ^ .» 1.0 £fv£ y^ IL25 11 1.4 1 16 t #"• \ f '■Jf.' \ "/. ^^vV^ Htotograiiiic .Sciences Cdrporation , 1» MKT MAM tTMn ' WltlTII,N.V. I4IM 71* ) m-4»03 ■• hi I t . • * ^H r--^^ ' ,4 « H . • f ^ ^^%i -i '■ 'V- '■«*.?. ' V "^v t? — ' ^^ . *k*: \ *"»" V ,.•' U ' THE Ji-RUlt OP TItfi SPIRIT .well and fight well they should have an allowance of spirits, has been disproved by Canadian ex- perience. Speaking of our Northwest expedition, • General Middleton said at Regina: "The total absence of crime/l believe, was due to the absence of intoxicating liquors." And this in the face of the fact that our citizen soldiers had to face the rigours of a Canadian winter, and the changes incident upon passing from4he winter to the summer montliSi Sir Frederick Treves, who wasi with the Ladysiihith relief column in South Africa, noticed that amongst the 30,000 men who composed it, the first to drop out were the drinkers, who might as well have been labelled so easily^cpuld they be told." There stood up at a meeting in Paris Colonel Lehmanousky, who was thirty-two years in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte, and who said that he had fought in two hiindred battles, received fourteen wounds, lived thirty days on horseflesh, with tht bark of trees for bread, with snow and ice for drink, the canopy of heaven for covering, without shoes or stockings, and only a few raga for clothing, during that terrible retreat from Moscow ; who marched for days in Egypt, a burn- ing sun beating upon his naked head, hia feet blistered by scorching sand; eyes, nostrils, and mouth filled with dust, the thirst so tormenting that he had opened his own veins and suckad his uuw uc uuiiiTCU sra^tr '- -'Tv » 5<>. I" TtMPERANCB «5 horrors ? He declared that it #as becaute he had nev6r dmnk a drop of intoxicating liquor in his life 1 At one of the annual *nieeting^ of the Army Teinperance Association General Sir George White, the defender of Ladysmith, presiding, a letter from Lord Roberts, dated Bloemfontein, was read, in which the writer says: "There never was a more temperate army than that which marched under my command from the Modder River to Bloemfontein. Nothing but good can result from ^6 many soldiers being brought together in an arduous campaign, ^hen they see how splendidly our temperance men ha^e borne up against the hardship and dangers they have had to face." . • The causes at work to produce intemperance are mainly heredity, the child inh^iting the weak- ness of the parent in an inborn love for stimulants ; the social instinct, which has so large a place in some natures, and the desire, to drown trouble. Its cure lies in the Gospel of Christ. The pledge may, however, often serve the place of John the Baptist, and prepare the way for the Christ. But the pledge should be in the form of a religious obligation, with the thought prominent that we can only stand through Christ's grace. The Hon. Thomas Marshall, of Kentucky, once made a fiery temperance speech, in which, with the glowing eloquence df Southern oratory, he ■M_ 1* I; • "m," Iffy I- =xvffr •-sf-'^-'J'^Sife**^" 1 SRT»T5!»j, ■, « 86 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT ^ I offered the possession if I would drink ox^ glass of brandy, I would refuse it with scorn', and / want no religion, I want thie* temperance pledge." W|th increasing fervour he cried : " We want no religion in tjliis movement ; let it be purely secular^ and keep religion where it belongs.'* But, aS Gough sadly confesses, Marshall, with all his confidence, fell, and died in clothes given him by , Christian charity. The pledge is helpfial in its place, and to many total abstinence is the only way of safety, but the cure of intemperance lies in the Work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, in the glad recognition of the truth : ** The fruit of the Spirit is . . . tem- perance," or, literally, self-controlled. I / a f.' ''I HI > '♦ \ • .(p *.r* »^fl»-' ' « - »• .m • • » ■•■ ■ ' ■■ ■ f / « \ * • .-uu^iu^. _ It ' 'j^/i-Jt*'^ '*(* If .^r»^^^^. »C^^'^'-''3• » 1 ;. i .. • ■' . ' ; ' -i.. t • 'X V o \,