SYMMETRY OF CHARACTER.

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things. The greater things of religion take such strong possession of their souls, that they overlook many minor things of essential importance. In seasons of special religious awakening, this mistake is very common; in consequence of which many important interests suffer, and the derangement which follows makes an unfavorable impression as to the influence of revivals. The spirit of the Christian religion requires that every duty should be discharged in its proper time.

The beauty of the Christian character greatly depends on its symmetrical proportions. A person may be very zealous in some things, and yet quite defective in his Christian character; and the probability is, that he has no more religion than shows itself in its consistent proportions. The new energy imparted by the regenerating grace of God may unite itself with the strong points of his character, and produce a very prominent development; while, in regard to those traits of character which are naturally weak, in his constitutional temperament, grace may be scarcely perceptible. For instance, a person who is naturally bold and resolute will be remarkable, when converted, for his moral courage; while, perhaps, he may be very deficient in meekness. And the one who is naturally weak and irresolute will, perhaps, be remarkable for the mild virtues, but very deficient in strength and energy of character. The error lies in cultivating, almost exclusively, those Christian graces which fall in with our prominent traits of character. We should rather bend our energies, by the grace of God, chiefly

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ONE-SIDED RELIGION.

to the development of those points of character which are naturally weak, while we discipline, repress, and bring under control, those which are too prominent. This will prevent deformity, and promote a uniform consistency of character.

There is, perhaps, a peculiar tendency to this onesided religion in this age of excitement and activity; and the young convert, whose Christian character is not matured, is peculiarly liable to fall into this error. The mind becomes absorbed with one object. The more exclusively this object is contemplated, the more it is magnified. It becomes, to his mind, the main thing. It is identified with his ideas of religion. He makes it a test of piety. Then he is prepared to regard and treat all who do not come up to his views on this point as destitute of true religion, however consistent they may be in other respects. This leads to denunciation, alienation of feeling, bitterness, and strife. But one of God's commands is as dear to him as another; and we cannot excuse ourselves before him for disobeying one of them, on the ground that all our energies are absorbed in securing obedience to another. The perfection of Christian character consists in the harmonious development of the Christian graces. This is the "stature of a per

a man who has no de

fect man in Christ Jesus," formity, who is complete in all his faculties and members.

CHAPTER VI.

ON THE READING AND STUDY OF THE HOLY

SCRIPTURES.

To a true child of God, nothing is so precious as the volume of inspiration. It is like a mine of all sorts of metals and precious stones, overlaid with gold and silver. That which is most necessary for the common purposes of life lies on the surface. These are the simple truths of the gospel, which are essential to salvation. But below these are the iron, the tin, the copper,the strong truths, the doctrines, the practical principles, which tax the powers of the mind to develop, but which give strength and consistency to the Christian character. Yet beyond these is an inexhaustible treasure of precious stones, every examination of which discovers new gems of surpassing lustre and surprising beauty.

The Bible is the charter of the Christian's hopes, the deed of his inheritance. Is he a wayfaring man in a strange land? This book contains a description of the country to which he is bound, with a map of the way, on which all the cross-ways and by-paths are designated. Is he a mariner on the stormy ocean of life?

This is both his chart and compass. Here he finds all the shoals and reefs distinctly marked, and

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SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.

monuments placed upon many dangerous places, where others have made shipwreck.

Seeing, then, we have such a treasure put into our hands, it cannot be a matter of surprise that we should be directed to search after the precious things it contains, nor that Christians should love to ponder its sacred pages. "Thy word," says the Psalmist, "is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." It is like a lantern, which sheds light on our path, amid the darkness of the night, to direct the steps of our feet. The sincere Christian will therefore search the word of God, for a knowledge of his will, with more eagerness than he would search for hidden treasures of gold and silver. In obedience to the command of God, he will set his heart to the work. After the giving of the law, Moses says, "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day." To set our hearts upon any object, implies such a love for it, and desire after it, as leads to a strong determination to make every possible effort to obtain it; and this ought to be the settled and permanent feeling of our hearts, in regard to a knowledge of the will of God, as revealed in his word. And, as we obtain this knowledge, we should imitate the Psalmist, who said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." His object, in hiding the word in his heart, was to know how to regulate his conduct so as not to sin against God. So must we hide the word of God in our hearts, and for the same reason. We must study it as the directory of life. Whenever we open this blessed book, this should be the sincere inquiry

READ IN THE CLOSET.

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of our heart: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Let us come to it with this childlike spirit of obedience, and we shall not fail to learn the will of God. But when we have learned our duty in God's word, the next thing is, to do it without delay. First, there must be an earnest desire to know present duty, and then a steadfast and settled determination to do it as soon as it is known. The pressure of obligation rests upon the present moment; and, when present duty is ascertained, the delay of a single moment is sin.

With these remarks, I submit a few practical directions for the profitable reading and study of the Holy Scriptures.

I. Read the Bible in your closet, or under circumstances which will secure you from interruption, either by the conversation of others, or the attraction of other objects. Do not attempt to fill up little broken intervals of time with the reading of God's word. Leave these seasons for lighter reading. Reading the Scriptures is conversing with God, who speaks to us when we read his holy word. His all-seeing eye rests upon our hearts; and he knows whether we are engaged in solemn trifling. If we read his word so carelessly as not to understand its meaning, and drink in its spirit, we treat him as we should disdain to be treated by an earthly friend. Let us, then, never approach the word of God but with feelings of reverence and godly fear.

II. Go to the word of God with a preparation of heart. If we were going to visit some person of great consequence, whose favor and esteem we wished to