: the mark of a noble spirit, and he who could brook insult and injury without attempting to call down vengeance upon the head of his enemy, has been esteemed ignoble, mean, and weakminded. But how opposite the sentiment of the text-" It is the GLORY of a man to pass over a transgression!" That which impulsive man has reckoned a decisive mark of pusillanimity is thus avowed to be his highest and truest glory. And my object shall be, in a few words, to show that it is so. It is in obedience to the highest dictates and noblest sentiments of the human soul. Humanity presents us with a strange compound of the animal and the spiritual; of passion, and propensity, and appetite on the one hand, and reason and conscience on the other. Which of these two classes of principles was designed to be supreme, and which subordinate, is evident as well from reason as from revelation; and which, as a matter of fact, has been subordinate, and which supreme, the history of man too sadly and clearly teaches. The fall of man has reversed the order which God established. Passion and animality have been exalted to the throne, and reason and spirituality have been stripped of the sceptre, and trampled in the dust. The dictate of passion is self-gratification; and that dictate is the law for unregenerate man-called in the Scriptures the law of the flesh. The dictates of the intelligence or of reason are in accordance with the teachings of the Spirit of the Almighty; and hence are spoken of by the Apostle as the law of the Spirit. When man exalts to the throne the mere animal propensities, he brutifies his soul, and infinitely degrades the lofty powers with which his Maker has endowed him. When he places the reins of government in the hands of conscience, and makes the soul pre-eminent over the body, he realizes the end for which God designed him. In breathing the spirit of revenge he does the former; in exercising meekness and forgiveness he does the latter. Then it is that he appears as man, and not as a beast. Then it is that he stands up in the dignity of his moral and spiritual nature, " a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor." It is thus that he is shown to be possessed of true nobility by Heaven's own patent. Then does he most magnify his office as lord of creation, when it is seen that he can govern himself. Every passion is humbled into submission, and bows respectfully to the authority of that inner law which the finger of God has written upon the soul. When the cries of revenge for the blood of an enemy are hushed into silence, and the raging storm of the baser passions is quelled at the voice of command, then is seen the majesty of the divine in man. The spirit of retaliation springs indigenous in the human heart. No disposition is more strongly marked, or more universally prevalent. It is seen from the first opening development of the animal being, and, unextinguished by influences from above, it burns on till 23 death. Constant indulgence gives it strength. And when we see the man who displays such power of self-control and such a nobleness of spirit as are demanded to quell the risings of turbulent passion, and to conquer the power of inveterate habit, we mark it as a notable instance of self-government, and a memorable triumph of the spiritual over the animal nature. And as the soul is nobler than the body, and an angel more glorious than a beast, so is meekness nobler than revenge. We cannot but admire and honor this nobility of spirit wherever exhibited; and this is itself a proof of the doctrine of the text. A meek and forgiving spirit is consonant with the noblest sentiments that ever found a home in the bosom of man, and cannot fail to awaken the highest respect. It is said of the renowned Henderson that the oldest of his friends never beheld him otherwise than calm and collected; it was a state of mind he retained in all circumstances. During his residence at Oxford, a student of a neighboring college, proud of his logical acquirements, was solicitous of a private disputation with the distinguished Henderson. Some mutual friends introduced him, and having chosen his subject, they conversed for some time with equal candor and moderation; but Henderson's antagonist perceiving his confutation inevitable, forgetting the character of a gentleman, and with a resentment engendered by his former arrogance, threw a glass full of wine in his face. Henderson, without altering his features, or changing his position, gently wiped his face, and then coolly replied, "This, sir, is a digression; now for the argument !" "All that is great and good in the universe is on the side of clemency and mercy." If we look into the history of mankind we shall find that in every age those who have been most respected as truly worthy, have been distinguished for this virtue. Revenge dwells in little minds; a noble and magnanimous spirit is superior to it. It has been beautifully said that "the greatest man on earth can no sooner commit an injury, than a good man may make himself greater by forgiving it." Philip of Macedon was a king and a warrior. Such was the path of honor in his day. But his acts of moderation, when sometimes addressed in injurious and insulting language, were the most truly kingly of any that gave lustre to his reign. At the close of an audience which he gave to some Athenian ambassadors, who were come to complain of some act of hostility, he asked whether he could do them any service. "The greatest service thou couldst do us," said Demochares, "would be to hang thyself." Although the persons present were all of them highly offended at these words, Philip, with the utmost calmness of temper, made the following answer: "Go tell your superiors that those who dare make use of such insolent language are more haughty and less peaceably inclined than those who can forgive it." And we cannot forbear thinking that if his son Alexander had displayed more of this clemency, he would have been far more deserving than he was of the appellation he bore. But the sacred Scriptures furnish us more notable illustrations of this greatness of soul. The conduct of David in his treatment of Saul is a striking one. David had been anointed king, and well understood that he was to be the successor of Saul. He was exceedingly popular with the nation at large, and might with perfect impunity have taken the life of his enemy. Saul thirsted for his blood, and pursued him with deadly vengeance. David and his men were in a cave among the rocks of the wild goats in the wilderness of Engedi. Thither Saul with his three thousand men pursued after him. Unsuspicious of any immediate danger, the king turned aside into the very cave where David and his men were concealed. "And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou maeyst do unto him as it shall seem good unto thee." Now observe the temptation. David anointed king, and destined to occupy the throne as soon as Saul was out of the way. Saul seeking his life. Himself sustained by the people. His enemy perfectly in his power. And his men using their best endeavors to induce him to put an end to his severe calamities of which Saul had been the sole author, and quoting in support of their advice the word of the Lord! Was ever such a cluster of temptations so nobly resisted, save in the history of the Son of David, the Saviour of the world? David merely drew near and cut off a part of Saul's robe, that he might give him a convincing proof of his own innocence. And even for this his tender conscience seemed afterwards to smite him. "And when Saul rose up out of the cave, David also rose up after him, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My Lord, the King! And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. And David said unto Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord hath delivered thee to-day into mine hands in the cave; and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed! Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not; know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it." Such is the boldness with which conscious innocence and virtue inspire their possessor. Scarcely could we find in the history of this king or any other a grander illustration than this of a truly heroic and magnanimous spirit. "Surely the discretion of a man deferreth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression." And we are not surprised that even Saul's stern heart was deeply moved by such an exhibition of magnanimity and clemency; and that, "when David had made an end of speaking these words unto him, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil." Strange that so soon after this there should have been occasion for another manifestation on the part of David of the same noble spirit. But so it was. Saul and his three thousand pursued him again. He was by a deep sleep thrown into the power of David. And Abishai asked only that he should be allowed to smite him once, with the promise that he would not smite him again. But no. "David said to Abishai, Destroy him not. As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed." Repeated and malicious persecutions could not embitter his heart, nor stir him up to vindictive measures. Noble man! A king indeed! "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." The prayer of the dying Stephen is a sublime illustration of the highest glory to which man may attain. "Lay not this sin to their charge," is a prayer for one's murderers which never could have proceeded but from a heart beating full in sympathy with him who on the cross of Calvary lifted his dying cry"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." It could only be the prayer of him who not once merely saw the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God, but who had daily intercourse with the unseen world, who lived as seeing him who is invisible, and like Enoch walked with God. And this is the true secret of such meekness of spirit, and such self-subjection as our subject contemplates. It is the realization of the Divine existence, and an unwavering confidence in the integrity of the Divine character and of the Divine government, that can allay effectually the spirit of revenge, and leave to the King of kings and the Judge of all the vindication of our rights, and the redress of our wrongs. Hence even Michael when contending with the devil, did not bring a railing accusation against him, but only said, "The Lord rebuke thee." And hence the fitness of the inspired exhortation, "Beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him: if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good." And yet we are not to understand that the Divine mind, in the administration of law, exercises a vindictive spirit, or retaliates even upon the humblest of his creatures, the wrongs they have done. Far, far from it. On the contrary, the character and conduct of God furnish us with infinitely the highest illustration of the doctrine of the text, and the mightiest motive to embody it in our lives. Mercy is Jehovah's darling attribute; judgment is his strange work; and never at all is it entered upon, except upon the demand of infinite benevolence itself, and in no case from the impulses of revenge. And what is the glory of the Creator, may surely be esteemed the highest honor of the creature. The noblest impulses and the highest conceptions of the human mind; the greatness of the greatest of earth, the greatness of angel and archangel, are on the side of meekness and clemency. But all these vanish into infinite littleness when contrasted with the greatness of him who is the Maker of them all. We often place before us the example of the good and the great, that by contemplation, our characters may become assimilated to theirs. We think it an honor to be like such: how much more to be like God. The best advice which the heathen stoic philosopher Epictetus could give to his pupils was this: "Propose to yourself the example of wise and good men, whether alive or dead; and compare your conduct with theirs. When you are going to confer with any one, represent to yourself how Socrates or Zeno would behave in such a case, and you will not be at a loss to make a proper use of whatever may occur." But with the light of divine revelation shining upon us, we discern another and a higher way cast up for us, and the voice from Heaven speaks to us-"Be ye followers of God." And here we discover the footsteps of Him who was "God manifest in the flesh," and who, "when he was reviled, reviled not again." We are taught not merely by precept, but by example, that the wisdom which is from above, is full of mercy. We behold Immanuel, amid the death-groans of Calvary, crying in his agony, while the rocks were rent around him, and heaven and earth were bearing witness to his Divinity, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Here was displayed the transcendent glory of the Godhead! Surely it is the glory of A MAN to pass over a transgression. A gentlemen once went to Sir Eardly Wilmot, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, exceedingly angry and indignant in view of an injury which he had received from a person high in the political world, and which he was meditating how to resent in the most effectual manner. After relating the particulars, he asked the Chief Justice if he did not think it would be manly to resent it. "Yes," said the knight, "it will be man-like to resent it; but it will be God-like to forgive it." The gentleman declared that this had such an instantaneous effect upon him, that he came away a different man and in a very different temper from that in which he |