THE Apostle speaks of "forbearing one another in love." In this sinful world, forbearance is necessary. If some did not practice forbearance, there would be little else than unmitigated strife. The great source of forbearance is love. Prudence, self-interest may prompt to it in some degree, but only love can furnish an adequate motive. Love prompts us to forbear despising the weakness of others. The intelligent mind is prone to be impatient with the dull mind. The slow apprehension, the defective discrimination, the feeble will, provoke the contempt of him who is rapid, clear-sighted, and decisive in his mental operations. Scorn of intellectual weakness is one of the natural tendencies of the unrenewed heart. Who does not perceive its unkindness, injustice, and evil tendency? And yet, love alone can correct that tendency, and cause us to feel a sincere respect for our brothers of low degree. Love enables us to forbear to speak evil of any, except when fidelity to Christ requires it. Probably no uninspired writer ever had an adequate conception of the evils of an unbridled tongue. Those who wholly avoid sins of the tongue are happy indeed. But this is a very rare attainment. It may not be difficult to avoid the sin of slander and falsehood. It may not be difficult to preserve habits of exact truth in all that we say. We may say much that is evil of others, and yet speak nothing but truth. But we should not speak of their faults, except when required by manifest duty. Love will enable us to observe this rule. We do not blazon the faults of those we love. We do not make known the short-comings of our children. Love prompts us to be silent, or to administer, in secret, affectionate reproof. As Christians, we are bound to love all men, especially the household of faith. If we always practice towards their faults the forbearance of love, a great source of evil would be dried up. Love will enable us to forbear to assert our just rights when the cause of peace can be promoted by silence. It is often the duty of Christians to suffer wrong, and to commit their cause to Him who judgeth righteously. But by nature we are exceedingly sensitive to our rights. He who wrongs us in our reputation or our property, is deemed a just object for punishment. We are apt to demand "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." We have a great regard for justice when our rights are invaded. It is true that we were made to love justice, and it is also true that we have forfeited all claim to whatever rights we may have been endowed with. Sinners condemned by the justice of God, whose execution is demanded by justice, should not be loud in their claims for justice from their fellow-sinners. Love alone can enable us to relinquish our supposed rights, and "take joyfully the spoiling of our goods," or the blackening of our name. A sense of duty is not sufficient love—the love of Christ shed abroad in the heart, love purified by the influences of the Holy Spirit, can alone enable us to forbear threatenings and demands for redress, when the injustice of man touches us to the quick.