Thus, the power of exercising the will promptly, in obedience to
the dictates of conscience, and thereby resisting the impulses of
the lower nature, is of essential importance in moral discipline,
and absolutely necessary for the development of character in its
best forms. To acquire the habit of well-doing, to resist evil
propensities, to fight against sensual desires, to overcome inborn
selfishness, may require a long and persevering discipline; but
when once the practice of duty is learnt, it becomes consolidated
in habit, and thence-forward is comparatively easy.
The valiant good man is he who, by the resolute exercise of his
freewill, has so disciplined himself as to have acquired the habit
of virtue; as the bad man is he who, by allowing his freewill to
remain inactive, and giving the bridle to his desires and
passions, has acquired the habit of vice, by which he becomes, at
last, bound as by chains of iron.
A man can only achieve strength of purpose by the action of his
own freewill. If he is to stand erect, it must be by his own
efforts; for he cannot be kept propped up by the help of others.
He is master of himself and of his actions. He can avoid
falsehood, and be truthful; he can shun sensualism, and be
continent; he can turn aside from doing a cruel thing, and be
benevolent and forgiving. All these lie within the sphere of
individual efforts, and come within the range of self-discipline.
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