conduct. In another place, the same apostle informs us more particularly
what are the fruits of the Spirit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance." Let us, then, carry out these principles, and see what
influence they will have upon the Christian character. _Love_ is
something that can be _felt_. It is an outgoing of heart towards the
object loved, and a feeling of union with it. When we have a strong
affection for a friend, it is because we see in him something that is
lovely. We love his society, and delight to think of him when he is
absent. Our minds are continually upon the lovely traits of his
character. So ought we to love God. The ground of this love should be
the infinite purity, excellence, and beauty of his moral perfections,
independent of our relations to him. He is infinite loveliness in
himself. There is such a thing as feeling this love in exercise. In the
Song of Solomon, love is said to be "_strong as death_." Surely, this is
no faint imagery. Is it possible for a person to exercise a feeling "as
strong as death," and yet not be sensible of it? Love takes hold of
every faculty of soul and body. It must, then, be no very dull feeling.
Again; the warmth and the settled and abiding nature of love are
represented by such strong language as this: "Many waters cannot quench
love, neither can the floods drown it." Surely this can be no fitful
feeling, which comes and goes at extraordinary seasons. It must be a
settled and abiding principle of the soul; though it may not always be
accompanied with strong emotions. We may sometimes be destitute of
emotion towards the friends we love most. But, the settled principle of
esteem and preference is abiding; and our attention needs only to be
called to the lovely traits in our friend's character, to call forth
emotion.

David, under the influence of this feeling, breaks forth in such