The Christian's pathway Author:John Ross MacDuff Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: and saying in gentle accents, " Thy will be done." And so with all the other fruits of the Spirit; we behold in them a living embodiment of this crowning grace, ... more »and a practical manifestation of its diversified operations. This love exists in very different degrees in the hearts of true Christians. In some it is full of life and vigour, while it is in a low and languishing condition in others. As regards the latter, how important is it that their love should be kindled afresh; for, if the preceding representations be correct, where love decays, it will affect the spiritual life in all its branches. It is true that an apparent weakening of the mere feeling, or sensible enjoyment of love, is no decisive evidence of its actual decline. There is a distinction to be observed between the passion of love and the principle of love; and it is quite possible for the one to be strong and deep, while the other seems to besomewhat faint and feeble. In proof of this a familiar illustration may be employed. Let us think of an affectionate father, who has to labour hard to gain a livelihood for his family. After he has finished his daily duties he returns home to his humble dwelling: his children gather around him, and their innocentprattle, and the many winning ways in which they court his smiles, call forth his tenderest affection, 0n the following morning he goes forth to his work, and bears cheerfully the heat and burden of the day; and why ? It is that he might have wherewith to supply the wants of his wife and little ones. Now it is very probable that he did not feel his love operate during the labours of the day in so sensible a manner as he did the evening before. Having had many things to do, he may have passed several hours without once thinking of them: but this is no proof that h...« less