borne your rudeness, your officiousness, your conceit, your pride, your waywardness? As Christians we are bound to bear one another's burdens. Your friend's faults may be different from yours, he may be changeable, selfish, melancholy: notwithstanding, whatever they be, remember the injunction: “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."*

* Gal. vi, 2.

CHAPTER VII.

GENTLENESS.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”—GAL. v. 22, 23.

GENTLENESS is a mild virtue, tranquil and selfpossessed, sweet in language, and friendly in intercourse. It is a softness in our temper, speech, and actions: it is the quality of our acts rather than an act itself.

The possession of this manner constitutes a gentleman,—a character oftentimes arrogated by the world of fashion; yet true gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit in a renewed and ennobled nature. It is a great tribute to the Christian grace that it is imitated by the world; and though it often degenerates into compliment, being cultivated on inferior motives, yet this, like all other imitations, proves the value of the original.

Christian Gentleness is sometimes mistaken for feebleness or imbecility. This misleads a superficial observer, and occasionally tempts him into an unwary contest with strong gentleness. Then he discovers how much latent strength there may be in apparent weakness.

Energy is not debilitated, but only refined, by

"that gentleness

Which, when it weds with manhood, makes a man.'

Who was ever more gentle? Who was ever more manly than Christ? At the ruler's house, he expelled the minstrels and people making a noise.† At another time, when he saw the Temple desecrated into a cattle-market and an exchange, he made a scourge of small cords, and drove all out of the temple,-buyers and sellers, sheep and oxen. Under an uniform and habitual gentleness lay dormant this extraordinary force which was exerted to purify His temple and to reform a great public abuse.‡

King David seems likewise to have combined the two qualities. In war, full of energy and

* Idylls of the King, p. 91.

† Matt. ix. 24. Αναχωρεῖτε.

‡ John ii. 15.

heroism in peace, full of amiability and gentleness was this conqueror of Goliath, this "sweet psalmist" of Israel.*

Of the occasions which call for the exercise of gentleness, one of the most frequent is the visitation of the poor. We ought never to visit them unless we go clad in gentleness.

We should be gentle also to the fallen. It has too often been the fashion to treat them with contempt and scorn; yet their case is one demanding pity and tenderness. Their fall is their loss. They have lost their good name, their peace of mind, their respectability. We know not how great was their temptation, nor how long and how much they resisted. If at any time they are touched with compunction, gentleness will tend to cherish; whereas harshness would tend to extinguish their repentance.

More especially is this treatment appropriate to penitent enemies; and we should be more scrupulous to act generously towards them, because we are in danger of being biassed in an

* 2 Sam. xxiii, 1.

opposite direction by personal feelings. Gentleness so applied will destroy our enemies by converting them into friends.*

Roughness of manner is often, doubtless, more inconsiderate than unfeeling. Were we to reflect on the trials of the poor, on the remorse of the erring, and on the shame of enemies, we should be loath to add to their feelings of wretchedness. As Admetus says in the tragedy: Do not add sickness to one already sick.†

It is on this very principle that we should use gentleness in refusing. For the refusal is in itself a sufficient disappointment, and should not be aggravated by harsh language and repulsive manners. Gentleness is the grace of a refusal.

It does sometimes happen that we must be the bearer of evil and disagreeable tidings. Milton represents the Archangel Michael as

* Geneva expelled Calvin: afterwards she recalled him. On his arrival he intended to enter upon a justification of himself; but he found the people so touched with remorse, and so ready to confess themselves guilty, that he felt such a proceeding would be superfluous and cruel.

† μή νοσοῦντί μοὶ νόσον

προσθῆς.

Euripides: Alcestis, 1046.