which are drawing us in the downward road of death. It is the Lord alone that can rescue us; it is the Lord alone who gives to us a banner, if we fear Him, "that it may be displayed because of the truth." But what is this fear which it appears we must have before the banner can be given to us? The fear we must have, is, lest evil should gain the dominion—a fear, a perfect hatred of evil of every kind, an abhorrence of sin, and a determination to surrender our whole souls to the Divine Guidance; a negation of self; a laying down of our own life, and "counting everything as dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord;" an elevation of our Lord's love to the inmost place in our affections, and of his wisdom to the inmost place in our understandings; distrust of ourselves, and supreme trust in Him, so that our every affection and desire, from inmost to external, our every power, talent, and faculty, from highest to lowest, may be brought into devout obedience to the precept, "Ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing that is evil." This is to fear the Lord, and to such as do this, the banner to be displayed because of the truth, is given.
This banner is nothing else than love of the Supreme Good and Truth, and an elevation of these sublime principles to the highest place in the affections and thoughts, so that they may be constantly beheld, and the fear of them be continually before our eyes; for he whose heart and understanding are in constant elevation to the Lord, who is confident in the Lord's help, who feareth the Lord and obeyeth his voice, "who sets his face like a flint against his evils or adversaries;" he it is who receives the banner, which he constantly "displays because of the truth."
