---

Crown pride, and cause it to walk through the chambers of the soul, and there are many faculties which hide themselves and say, "I will not bow down to Pride, if it be king over me." Crown vanity, and there will be many parts of the soul that will not yield to this newly-crowned king, but will say, "Nay, I am higher than thou, and I will never bow down to King Vanity." Crown the reason, and there are many feelings that will say, "We will no more rise up before crowned Reason, and own it our king, than the flowers will rise up before an iceberg and call it summer." Crown beauty, and there will be commotion in all the soul; but there is not in all the soul one single faculty that, under stress of temptation, under provocation, or under trial, will call out, "O King Beauty, save me!" Crown the conscience, and although more of the faculties of the soul will follow that than any other of the leaders I have assumed, yet what will ensue? Crown conscience — its crown is of iron; its sceptre is relentless. If conscience be king, the soul has a despot on the throne; and often and often there be many members of a man's nature that reluct, and resist, and refuse to obey. Bring into the ascendancy love, and crown it, and there is not one part of reason that doth not before love say, "It is my master." There is nothing in all the imagination that is not willing to twine round about love and say, "Love rules; and it truly inspires." Pride and vanity, and all the ambitious forces of the soul, will bow down in the train of love; and if that stand king in the soul, all the fortuities can find their place, and harmoniously move round about the well-adjusted centre. It is the only feeling around which you can reconstruct the human character.

(H. W. Beecher.)

---

---

KJV: And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

WEB: But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.