The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-03-06


social being; the ties whicn bind fami-
les and communities in happy unity
would be dissolved; life would become
stagnant for want of Impulse to stir it;
gratitude, sympathy, emulation, enter
prise would be unknown;f whatever is
generous or magnanimous In action what
ever is noble in Achievements would per-
ish and existence itself wotld be robbed
of its chief charm.
The men who have made their mark
on the communities or on the ages in
which they have lived and who have
been the acknowledged leaders of, the
great changes which have cen wrought
in society have been dis, oguished by
strong emotional natures, ana all that
philanthropy or religion can require is
the regulation and proper restraint of
these powers and not their extinction
Among these original emotions we find
anger. 1t is confessedly an infammable
passion, and of course all danger from it
would be prevented by it's extinction. So
fire is dangerous element. 1t some.
times consumes house; sometimes city.
Of course if it could be eliminated from
the four elements there would be no con
hsgrations. A SaOord is a dangerous
weapon. In the hands of madman it
is murderous implement; but would we
avert danger by decreeing that there
shall be no sword? Water is danger
GUS element when a swollen river bursts
It's banks and sweeps away crops and
cattle and dwellings, or when man falls
overheard in the midst of the sea. Were
there no water, these desolations could
not occur, and there would be no death
by drowning. The tongue is a danger.
Gus weapon when filled with malice it
stabs reputation. Says the Apostle, the
tongue is little member and yet world
of iniquity. Itsetteth on fire the course
OF nature, and is itself seton fire of hell.
Of course the excision of the tongue
would prevent the mischief
And yet the fire, the water, the sword
and the tongue all have their uses; all
are the servants of man when under con-
troll and all are gifts of Gods benefi-
cence
Anger may be as innocent as love.
There are times when we do well to be
angry, though not In the sense in which
Jonah made the assertion. The text
says, Be ye angry and sin not. Then
some anger is not sinful Indeed it never
is sinful when there is just cause for it
and when it is unmixed with malice and
does not thirst for revenge.
Anger untainted with malice, and
awakened only by that which is morally
evil, may exist in holy beings. God, the
infinitely patient, is often said to be
angry. Indeed, He could not be holy
were He to look with equal indifference
upon right and wrong Our divine Lord
himself, the pattern of meekness, gentle
ness, and forbearsnce, could yet expert
ence the emotion of anger. When the
Pharisees murmured at Him because He
healed man on the Sabbath day, and
when they would not accept His explana-
tion that He was performing work of
necessity and mercy, we are told that
He looked round about on them in anger.
as If his rebuking glance fell on them one
by one.
There are frequent occasions men
toned in the Scriptures where men loyal
to truth and duty were filed with righte-
Gus anger at the spectacle of wrong and
injustice. Such was the anger of Moses,
when descending from Sinai he came in
sight of the camp filled with the ido!a.
trous worshippers,, of the golden calf Such
was the anger of Phineas, who entailed
upon himself and his descendants for long
generations the Divine blessing because
Of his holy zeal in executing Judgments.
Such was the anger of Jonathan when in
hot displeasure he left the table where
his friend David was vilely slandered.
Such being the possible sinlessness of
the passion, the INTERESTING question now
arises, for what purpose was anger i'm.
! planted in the bosom and made a part of
mans original constitution.
Bishop Butler, in his celebrated SER
mon on resentment, argues that anger is
weapon pnt into our hands by Nature
~ protection against Injury, injustice,
and cruelty, and irasmuch NJ compassion
tor the offender night interfere with the
execution OF Jnstice, indignation is i'm.
planted in the soul as balance against
the weakness of pity which might allow
the culprit to escs~e, Evil men are thus
awed and restrain / from the commission
Of offences from which they would not be
deferred by lear Of God or regard tor man
Another distinguished teacher oil
ethics, Bro 0n, of the University NJ Edin.
burgh, reasons in bis way. He says: Man
was formed Tor society not Tor Que stage
Of 1t, but for all stages, FROM the begin.
ming Of civilization, when laws are imper
tect to its most complete develop
ment, when laws undertake to protect
A