“Nay, never falter; no great deed is done
By falterers who ask for certainty.
No good is certain but the steadfast mind,
The undivided will to seek the good;
‘Tis that compels the elements and wrings
A human music from the indifferent air.
The greatest gift the hero leaves his race
Is to have been a hero. Say we fall!
We feed the high tradition of the world,
And leave our spirit in our children’s breast.”
Because a thing is hard is not reason why we should not do it. The limit of duty is not the limit of human ability. We ought to do many things which, with our own strength alone, we cannot do. There is a realm of faith in which a Christian should live which is not under the sway of natural laws. The religion of Christ counts for little with us if it does not enable us to do more than others who know not it’s secret. Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Our achievements and attainments must be of a higher order than those of this world’s people. The true spirit of Christian faith is one of quiet confidence in the presence of any duty, any requirement. It knows no impossibilities. It staggers at no command. It shrinks from no responsibility. It is crushed under no burden.
“So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When duty whispers low, ‘Thou must,’
The youth replies, ‘I can!’”
Two brothers came to the Master with a request that they might have the first place in His kingdom. They were thinking of earthly rank. The Master answered by asking them if they were able to accept His cup and baptism. They did not know what He meant, but they believed so utterly in Him that they calmly answered, “We are able.”
Editor’s Note: JRM might be in error. Possibly this is from George Elliot’s “The Spanish Gypsy”.
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