the which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they which practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance against such there is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof."

XXXIV

TAMED TEMPER

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.—Prov. 16; 32.

T

HE text may be regarded as expressing

the general truth that it is difficult to control the passions; but we will now apply it exclusively to the government of the temper.

This does not mean the destruction of the temper. As Fuller says, " Anger is one of the sinews of the soul; he that lacks it hath a maimed mind." There are men and women who would be immensely improved by a little accession of temper, although most of us may think that not many in our particular circle suffer from this defect. The bee cannot dispense with its sting, the rose on occasions proves the serviceableness of the thorn, and the faculty of wrath is a strength and defense to human nature. And so the Christian faith does not enjoin the extinction of temper-only its control. How exceedingly liable it is, however, to become excessive! Just lately, walking in the country, I was impressed with what may be called the bloodthirstiness ex

hibited in our fences. The garden walls were thickly mounted with spikes and broken bottles whose jagged edges threaten you at all angles; the hedgerows were planted, wherever possible, with cruellest thorns, suggesting fish-hooks and penknives; whilst barbed wire everywhere running riot revived the memory of mediæval atrocities, and gave one the sense of being a victim in a colossal inquisition. It seems wrath altogether overdone, a petrified cursing and threatening against all and sundry much in excess of what the situation demands. The precious fields and gardens would be quite safe with a fraction of it. The barbarism of our ancestors survives in this protective savagery. In Cleveland, Ohio, we noticed that the beautiful grounds of the mansions were open to the public pavement— there was not even a red cord to keep them sacred; and yet no one trampled the grass, plucked the flowers, or invaded the privacy. How many of us in our bad temper resemble these ferocious walls and hedges! And yet we see in some fine Christian men and women who are "soft and silken in the handling" that the wrathful girdle is unnecessary, for no one takes any liberties with them-their sweetness is a sign of strength, and they enjoy a more perfect immunity from offense and wrong than they would if from head to foot they were sown with spikes threatening to impale whoever touched them.

It is supremely difficult to keep the mettle of the soul, and at the same time to preserve it within just bounds. It requires more vigilance than the soldier does in a siege. It demands the utmost decision and firmness. The similarity is close between excessive temper and excessive drinking-one being the intoxication of the mind, as the other is the intoxication of the body; and heroic self-denial is necessary to restrain ourselves in moments of provocation. Patience and perseverance must crown the endeavor, or we shall fail. Almost any member of the body may be disciplined into perfection before the tongue and temper. The breast of the warrior blazing with stars of victory still heaves with unconquered rage; the great orator after training his tongue in the laws of eloquence, finds it transgressing those of temperance; the famous painter having painted an angel's face, fails to keep the lines of wrath out of his own. The siege of Jerusalem was so protracted that the soldiers of Titus became bald through the friction of their helmets, but we have known many become bald long before they subdued themselves to habitual reasonableness and moderation.

This task can be achieved successfully only as we receive and use the grace of God. We are accustomed to speak of evil temper as though it were nothing more than a shallow disturbance,

the ruffling of the surface of our nature; this, however, is an utterly mistaken view, for as the steaming waters of hot springs take their rise in the depths of the earth, so our fierce tempers originate in the profoundest places of our nature and show how many unhallowed elements smoulder there. The knowledge, love, and fear of God must penetrate the soul, raising that which is low, softening the harsh, sweetening the bitter, broadening the narrow; and then, and only then, shall we be able to speak and act with spirit and temperance. John once called for fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans, but in later days he displayed the spirit of his Master; Peter was once ready with the sword, yet at last patience had her perfect work; and the young man Saul, breathing out threatenings and slaughter," lived to become "Paul the aged," manifesting only the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Many specifics for the cure of bad temper are sad quackery; the only effectual antidote is a sincere, rich, strong Christian life. "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."