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For it is their part not only to pay and enforce the tribute of obedience; but to make it lawful and right; whereby to pay it upward in the lawful coin of the kingdom, which is righteousness; not in tokens and counterfeits. A spurious, unauthorized obedience is no payment; it will not acquit either party, i, e. either the payer or the collector; and therefore both are interested in opposing it if one should require, the other must not pay-and if one should offer, the other must not receive it; but treat the fawning sycophants as Jehu treated the prophets of Baal (Kings II. x. 18, &c.), if he should have an opportunity.

We may also observe of these kindred characteristics, as we have observed already of some others, and might, perhaps, as well of most, that while their quality rises with the rank of their objects, as from domestic and conjugal fidelity to patriotism and loyalty, and still higher, from these to godliness or piety, it is still found that the higher species will not stand without the lower, any more than the lower without the highest. "He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much" (Luke xvi. 10): and it would be absurd for any to pretend to the highest fidelity, who were deficient in common honesty. A man might as well pretend to be flesh at one time and spirit at another. We should therefore aspire to be perfect like Moses in point of fidelity, and who was, therefore, regarded by the Lord on different terms from an ordinary prophet, as Aaron and Miriam for example. For while such as these are enlightened in visions and dreams only: "My servant Moses, not so; (says he) who is faithful in all mine house (or in all the relations of my household). With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the SIMILITUDE OF THE LORD shall he behold" (Num. xii. 7, 8). And in point of obedience it should be our ambition to imitate as far as possible the example of one who was as much greater and more honoured than Moses, as he than Aaron and Miriam; of whom it is circumstantially recorded, how he "became

obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. ii. 8). In all our inferior appetitive properties, whether twofold and reciprocal like fidelity, or simple and direct like obedience, as well as in our equal and superior, we should endeavour and delight to imitate that blessed model of universal righteousness; who, as he left us an example generally, that we should follow his steps (Pet. I. ii. 21), so among other points humbled himself especially, and became obedient unto death, that he might give to mankind the most perfect example of fidelity and obedience.

-2, Only mentioning the good appetitive characteristic, Respect, which stands in our enumeration next to fidelity and obedience, may be enough to exemplify the importance, if not necessity, of one good spirit to the perfection of another. It must not be said, that fidelity and obedience may not be perfect to the letter by themselves: for if a man fulfil his obligations in either way, he cannot be required to do more; but he may to feel, he may to demonstrate; without which his fidelity and obedience would not be perfect as to the spirit. And no one can help feeling the difference only between duty discharged as a matter of course, and the same discharged with love and respect; much more, between a grudging and a voluntary, a respectful and a slavish obedience.

For respect may be either inward or outward in relation to its subject: the inward, being the true beginning of the outward, and consequently of a respectful obedience altogether, is the sort that we are chiefly to consider. By this principle or beginning as well as perfection of respect, is to be understood the feeling of a respectable presence before us: which does not always imply an inferiority on the side of the subject or sentient who looks up to such presence in any view; but rather a superiority over the depraved multitude in one respect at least, the principle of respect; of which depraved

characters generally are not susceptible in any degree. For there are in this property, as in most of those surrounding Perfection, steps or degrees: and without setting our foot on the lowest, we cannot ascend to the highest in either; consequently, not to the next property above. The lowest degree of this property is simply Respect, as we name it; of which, and also of the second or mean degree, named Reverence, the object is man: but the highest degree is named Worship, and its object properly, God alone. Therefore, if a man be incapable of respecting, not to say reverencing man, how shall he be capable of respecting God; since the query of St. John respecting the combination of the good appetitive characteristic in general is peculiarly applicable to this type or species. "He that loveth (or respecteth) not his brother, whom he hath seen; how can he love (or respect) God whom he hath not seen?” (John I. iv. 20.) If a man be so deficient in point of morality, what signifies his talking of godliness?

-3, Allied to respect, and frequently as its issue or production, is Hope with its shades and degrees also; such as expectation, reliance or dependence, confidence, and other characteristics, which, like they, may be thought rather foreign to the general property, although their appetitive quality is obvious enough. It must be owned indeed very possible for one of that abject sort, of which there are but too many who properly belong to the world, to hope for good, even from one whom he hates or at least for the time, and if it be only in hoping to overreach him; as there can be no thought of overreaching without a degree of hate. In such cases, however, it is not pure hope, but hope alloyed and debased; it is not hope proper for men, but for mongrels, for those who approach the canine species in disposition. Pure hope is the hope of its object's confidence, esteem, and friendship, of the sight of his virtues, of the music of his sentiments, the fra

grance of his example, the beauty of his precepts; in short of all the characteristic constituents of the person, which is the person himself; rather than of any foreign property of his, or even of any domestic: for as the hope towards the object's foreign property is covetousness, and that towards his domestic, lust-in neither case can such hope be the purely good appetitive characteristic under consideration. The confidence, esteem, friendship, virtues, sentiments and example of a superior object will seldom go alone indeed, but be most likely to draw on material evidences of their existence in acts, information and edification suited thereto; consequently these will be added as an accompaniment to the principal object even in purest hope; but only as an accompaniment, and not as a part or share of the same.

So our Saviour comparing foreign advantages with constituent as objects of hope and research, tells his disciples thus, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness (i. e. the most desirable constituents) and all these things (foreign property or mere incidentals) shall be added unto you" (Mat. vi. 33). So David, "The Lord HIMSELF is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup: thou shalt maintain my lot. The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground: yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Ps. xvi. 6, 7): and again where he says, "Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousness, O God of our salvation; Thou that art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of them that remain in the broad sea” (Ib. lxv. 5). Persons on the broad sea could not well have God for their hope without a good liking towards Him, however desirous they might be of his salvation, and particularly in time of peril on that unstable element; neither on the other hand would they be likely to esteem, trust and confide in him; in short, to love him, without reckoning on his protection or salvation. "We love Him because he first loved us" (John I. iv. 19); this is gratitude;

and as we hope in him especially, we hope especially to love him; this is hope or trust. "And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward" (Cor. II. iii. 4).

This trust, calculation, or reckoning gives an air of intellect to hope and the other properties of its class, rather beyond what appears in faith, and still further beyond what appears in charity; but not enough to affect the character on which its description turns of a more spiritual property. For if there be a calculation in hope, much more is there feeling; and which may be so intense as to destroy calculation, making a man fairly to hope against hope, as they say; or, as it would be better said, even desperately.

-4, Faith, hope, and charity, are generally considered as three peerless graces of the moral kind; and that as it were traditionally after the great authority of St. Paul; but is there not another grace as becoming in the same way that may deserve to rank with these three, and cannot be properly included with them, yes; there is that Gratitude; as amiable and becoming a characteristic as either, being also at the same time perhaps rather more intellectual on account of a property of that class, the memory which it implies more directly than they. For GRATITUDE CONSISTS IN LOVE WITH A GOOD MEMORY, with the remembrance of benefits, or a sense of obligations; a memory particularly applicable to One Object, and He, most lovely.

Gratitude is very compatible with the other two inferior shades of love before mentioned, and rather conducive to one of them; as a grateful recollection of past favours is very likely to raise and support a confidence in their author. Gratitude differs from hope as far as receiving differs from expectation: but however these may differ in themselves, we generally find them agreed in their objects; and if the more we receive from any one the greater object he will be to us of hope and expectation, so will he be likewise of gratitude when hope is well founded:

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