990 CHRISTIAN MORALITY. give ourselves leave to be offended, let the anger appear to be directed against the, sin of the offender, if possible, more than against his person. Let our anger be well-timed, both as to the season and the length of it. The seasons of it should be very uncommon ; a christian should seldom awaken his anger, and the continu- ance of it must be very short. Let not the, sungo down upon your wrath, nor give place to the devil; Eph. iv. 2G, 27. The long sullen resentment which is practised by some persons, carried on from day to day with a gloomysilence, and now and then venting itself in a spiteful word, or a sly reproach, is by no means becoming the name and spirit of a Christian. 'I7lis is givingplace to the devil, and makingroom for him to lodge inour hearts. This is as much contrary to meekness, as a short and sudden fury is, and perhaps carries hi it a guiltmore aggravated in the sight of God. Yet neither should our anger indulge itself in loud and noisy practises, nor fill the house with a brawling sound. It is better to dwell in a corner of the house-top, than to cohabit in a palace with such a brawlwg companion of life; Prov. xxi. 9. And the wise man has repeated it again in the xxv. chapter, as a matter worthy of a double notice. St. Paul forbids this prac- tice to the Ephesians ; Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; Eph. iv. 31. Nor should our resentments carry us to any cruel practiceà. Theword of God spends its cursesupon such sort of anger ; Gen. Mix. 7. Cursed be the wrath-ofSimeon,jiff it wasfierce, and the anger ofLevi, for it was cruel. You know what mischiefs'it hurried them into, even to foul treachery and murder, -and the destruction of a whole country. The grace of meekness is an enemy to all these practices, and ahappy preservative from them. V. Patience is a lovely virtue. I am not now speaking of that religious exercise of it, whichconsists in a humble submission to the providences of God, without repining at his hand, or send- ingup our murmurs against heaven ; but apatient conduct to our fellow- creatures, is the thing which I chiefly design here to re- commend. When somepersons stand in need of any of the necessaries or conveniences of life, they must be supplied first, they can brook no'delay ; let all the world stand by waiting till they are served ; and their anger is quickly kindled if their afáirs are not dispatched in a moment. They make no allowances for the necessities or conveniencesof others ; nor for the various acci- dents that attend human life, which may stop the speed of the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=