They have their being in the fear of the Lord and
in the departing from evil without even knowing in words what the
Lord is, nor the fear of the Lord, nor yet evil.
Common straightforwardness and kindliness are the highest points that
man or woman can reach, but they should no more be made matters of
conversation than should the lowest vices. Extremes meet here as
elsewhere and the extremes of vice and virtue are alike common and
unmentionable.
There is nothing for it but a very humble hope that from the Great
Unknown Source our daily insight and daily strength may be given us
with our daily bread. And what is this but Christianity, whether we
believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead or not? So that
Christianity is like a man's soul--he who finds may lose it and he
who loses may find it.
If, then, a man may be a Christian while believing himself hostile to
all that some consider most essential in Christianity, may he not
also be a free-thinker (in the common use of the word) while
believing himself hostile to free-thought?
XXIII--DEATH
Fore-knowledge of Death
No one thinks he will escape death, so there is no disappointment
and, as long as we know neither the when nor the how, the mere fact
that we shall one day have to go does not much affect us; we do not
care, even though we know vaguely that we have not long to live.
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