The
Gospel and Goodness
The gospel assures us that love is stronger than hatred, peace than
war, holiness than evil, truth than error. It is the marriage of the goodness
of motive and the goodness of attainment; goodness in the soul and goodness in
outward life; heaven hereafter and heaven here. It asserts that the good man is
always in reality successful; that he who humbles himself is exalted, he who
forgives is forgiven, he who gives to others receives again himself, he who
hungers after righteousness is filled.
— James Freeman Clarke (born April 4, 1810)
Being
and Doing
We must be something in order to do something, but we must also do
something in order to be something. The best rule, I think, is this: If we find
it hard to do good, then let us try to be good. If, on the other hand, we find
it hard to be good, then let us try to do good. Being leads to doing, doing
leads to being. Yet below both as their common root is faith, — faith in God,
in man, in ourselves, in the eternal superiority of right over wrong, truth
over error, good over evil, love over all selfishness and all sin.
— James Freeman Clarke (born April 4, 1810)
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| James Freeman Clarke (1810-1888) |
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