Faith, hope, love, joy, are the fruits of the spirit.

A concluding series is one which concludes a sentence or a clause.

EXAMPLE. (28)

The fruits of the spirit are faith, hope, love, and joy.

Rule ix.—­All the members of a commencing series, when not emphatic, usually require the rising inflection.

EXAMPLES. (28)

1.  War’, famine’, pestilence’, storm’, and fire’ besiege mankind.

2.  The knowledge’, the power’, the wisdom’, the goodness’ of God, must all be unbounded.

3.  To advise the ignorant’, to relieve the needy’, and to comfort the afflicted’ are the duties that fall in our way almost every day of our lives.

4.  No state chicanery’, no narrow system of vicious politics’, no idle contest for ministerial victories’, sank him to the vulgar level of the great.

5.  For solidity of reasoning’, force of sagacity’, and wisdom of conclusion’, no nation or body of men can compare with the Congress at Philadelphia.

6.  The wise and the foolish’, the virtuous and the evil’, the learned and the ignorant’, the temperate and the profligate’, must often be blended together.

7.  Absalom’s beauty’, Jonathan’s love’, David’s valor’, Solomon’s wisdom’, the patience of Job, the prudence of Augustus’, and the eloquence of Cicero’ are found in perfection in the Creator.

Remark.—­Some elocutionists prefer to give the falling inflection to the last member of a commencing series.

Exception.—­In a commencing series, forming a climax, the last term usually requires the falling inflection.

EXAMPLES. (29)

1.  Days’, months’, years’, and ages’, shall circle away,
   And still the vast waters above thee shall roll.

2.  Property’, character’, reputation’, everything’, was sacrificed.

3.  Toils’, sufferings’, wounds’, and death’ was the price of our liberty.

Rule X.—­All the members of a concluding series, when not at all emphatic, usually require the falling inflection.

EXAMPLES. (29)

1.  It is our duty to pity’, to support’, to defend’, and to relieve’ the oppressed.

2.  At the sacred call of country, they sacrifice property’, ease’, health’, applause’ and even life’.

3.  I protest against this measure as cruel’, oppressive’, tyrannous’, and vindictive’.

4.  God was manifest in the flesh’, justified in the Spirit’, seen of angels’, preached unto the Gentiles’, believed on in the world’, received up into glory’.

5.  Charity vaunteth not itself’, is not puffed up’, doth not behave itself unseemly’, seeketh not her own’, is not easily provoked’, thinketh no evil’; beareth’ all things, believeth’ all things, hopeth’ all things, endureth’ all things.