Year: 1861

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tured. He fills the measure of useful


life, and dies in peace with the world.


But here is third, who by nature is


ardent, excitable; whose passions are


easily aroused and inhamed. He is full


of impulse; quick to conceive and quick


to execute. He does everything on the


spur of the moment; and his piety is fitful.


To-day he scars with the apostle to the


third heavens tomorrow he sinks with


David to the lowest hell. Indeed, we


have thought that David, in the Old Test


ament, and Peter, in the New, were types


of this class. Read the Psalms, and


beautiful as they are in many Of their


passages, there are others which spring


from heated passions. David hates with


a perfect hatred, and loves with all the


intensity of a saint. He is man OF


extremes; self-willed, impetuous, on


rushing, daring. But can we doubt the
genuineness of the piety of David How
touching that passage, which equally il
lustrates the impulsiveness of his nature,
and the ardor of his feelings: As the


hart panteth after the water-brooks, so
panteth my soul after thee, O God. My
soul thirsteth for God when shall |
come and appear before God|


And looking into the New Testament,


we find Peter sensitive at imputations
on the sincerity of his attachment, and
exclaiming Though | should die be-
cause of thee, yet | will no. deny thee :
but a few hours after, he denies Jesu
with oaths and cursings. Yet, after all,
was Peter as bad as the traitorous Judas !?
Did not Jesus, after his ascension, give
him commission to feed his lamb" -" He
saw through the fiery ardor of his soul,
and recognized lis loyalty, although he
once fell, beset by sore aud sudden
trial.


And these men Of impulse are the
most contradictory in their general con-
duct of any we meet. Persons Of a
staid and sober temperament are apt to
them. Great-hearted men are
invariably men of strong feeling quick,
ardent, moving swiftly, with maximum
pressure on every passion. They do
not stop to look at consequences they
are not always sticklers for consistency.
They do what is in them with all their
might; and if generally right, are often
wrong. Now, we do not say that men
Of such a temperament are better or
more pious than the meek and gentle
spirits of whom John is a type-full Of
love; full of reverence bending low in
prayer to God. We do not say impetu-
Gus men make the best Christians; neither
are we ready to style them the worst.
If they have much to contend with, they
also gain splendid victories. The world
will never sleep while they are about.
They keep things stirring and are as
exctabe in their piety as in everything
else. But they come very often quite
near heaven. They catch glimpses of
the New Jerusalem. They soar up high
towards the throne of the Eternal; and
love Jesus with ardor and enthusiasm.


We think such piety is not always
Indeed, we know it is not
And yet, few men strive harder, or have
more to contend with than this very class.
They wrestle with Satan. They throw
out their arms in the strength OF their
will to battle against the hosts of evil.
And though they are often up, and often
down: have moods of fire, and moods Of
residence and bless with one breath
and curse with the next there are ele-
ments of greatness latent within such,
and all that is wanted is that the Mystic |
Dove should brood over their souls, with
healing in his wings, and temper the
throes and agones within.


Lastly, there is a class of gentle Chris
iians, pure, serene, beautiful, holy mild
as a moon-Ht scene at midnight; calm as
The twilight of a sweet summers eve.
Such spirits shed around a healing balm
wherever they go. They are the imper-
;onation of angelic beauty. We are
blessed in their presence. All our low
ness melts away, and we rise with them
% heavenly things. We call such saints.
We look upon them as of superior
mould. But how much Of all this may
De properly attributed to natural tenn
Are there not some who
;eem by nature to be endowed with the
yraces of the Christian spirit? ? who are
gentle from infancy? who walk with
lngels from their earliest years God
loes not cast all in one mould of charac-
er. And he shows us these, the saints
If earth in whom the spirit Of holiness