WILL OF GOD. 115

which the faith of the Christian is intended to con-
duct him. Every separate fruit of the Spirit is dis-
tinctly set before us ; and is pressed upon our atten-
tion for its own sake, and, as it were, on its own
merits — love and loyalty to God, reUance on his
goodness, devotion to the service of Christ, the fixing
of the soul on heaven, watchfuhiess, perseverance in
prayer, purity of heart, integrity, temperance, forti-
tude, patience, meekness, forbearance, long-sufiering,
the return of good for evil, gentleness, lowliness of
mind, and that universal charity which is the bond of
perfectness.
From the view which has now been taken of the
manifestations of the will of God, in nature, in provi-
dence, and in grace, some conception may be formed
of the comprehensiveness of that short petition — so
often used, but so little understood-— << Thy will be
dene on earthy as it is in heaven/* In heaven the
will of God is done perfectly. No murmurs against
his laws, either natural or moral, find their way into
the breasts of angels and glorified spirits; no weakness
of the flesh, no lingering comiption, interrupts their
obedience to the King of kings. Such then is the
mark, at which it is our duty constantly to aim, A
perfect submission to the will of our Heavenly Fa-



116 SUBMISSION TO THE

ther, is the only practical standard proposed to us by
Christianity.
Now submission to the divine will consists of two
parts — first, resignation in suffering ; and secondly,
obedience in acting.
