SERSION XXVIII. 591 most diligent servant, and constrain him unwillingly to delay his message or his work. But the patient christian considers all things; desires but his share of the attendance of his fellow- creatures, and waits without clamour till the proper season. I-Ie Makes wise and kind allowances for every incident of life that may give just occasion toa delay ; and gains the love of all that are about him by hismost engaging carriage. How lovely is it to see a teacher waiting upon those that are slow of understanding, and taking due time and pains to make the learner conceive what he means, without upbraiding himwith his weakness, or reproaching himwith the names of stupid and senseless? This is to imitate God, the God of long sufferingand patience, Who giveth wisdom to all that ask, and upbraideth not; James i. 5. The patient man attends and waits upon those that are slow of speech, and hears an argument fully proposed before he makeshis reply. This is an honourable and lovely character ; But he that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame untohim; Prov. xviii. 13. Perhaps he is utterly mistaken in the objection which his friend was going to make, then he is justly put to the blush for his follyand impatience. The virtue of patienceteaches us to be calm and easy toward our fellow-creatures, while we sustain sharp and continuedafflic- tions from the hand of God. It is the unhappy conduct of some christians, that when the great God puts them under any sore trial or chastisement, they are angry with all their friends around them, and scatter abroad their discontentsin the family, andmany times make them fall heaviest upon their most intimate friends. If one were to search this matter to the bottom, we should find the spring of it is an impatience at the sovereign hand of God ; but because their christianity forbids them to vent their uneasi- ness at heaven, they divert the stream of their resentment, and make their fellow- creatures feel it : So a piece of unripe fruit pressedwith a heavy weight from above, scatters its sour juice on every thing that stands near it, and gives a just emblem of the impatient christian. But what a lovely sight is it to behold a person burdened with many sorrows, and perhapshis flesh upon him has pain and anguish, while his soul mourns within him ; yet his passions are calm, he possesses his spirit in patience,,he takes kindly all the relief thathis friends attempt to afford him, nor doeshe give them any grief or uneasiness but what they feel through the force of Mere sympathy and compassion ? Thus, even in the midst of ca lamities, he knits the hearts of his friends faster to himself, and lays greater obligations upon their love by so lovely and divine a conduct under the weight of his heavy sorrows. VI: Love to mankind in the various branches of it, isamost lovely quality, and well becomes a christian.
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