Page:Moral Pieces in Prose and Verse.pdf/105

 exposed him to danger in his journeys among different nations, but his firmness pursued fearlessly the path which the rectitude of his heart pointed out. "He had in him," says a judicious critic, "the spirit of an old martyr." Our temptations to depart from good resolutions, and the wavering temperament of our own hearts, teach us the necessity of striving for a habit of firmness. With calm deliberation we should examine the position we are to take, we should be influenced by pure and innocent motives; and because our strongest determinations are weak, and our highest wisdom fallible, we should seek by prayer the counsel of God. Thus resolving, we should be less subject to errors in judgment; thus practising, we should save ourselves many hours of regret, self-accusation, and hopeless repentance. The scriptures contain frequent reproofs of a changeable temper, and excitements to integrity: "My beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for ye know that your labour is not in vain."