The Stuff of Manhood: Some Needed Notes in American CharacterSpeer, Robert E. (Robert Elliott)
Philosophy
The Stuff of Manhood: Some Needed Notes in American Character
Speer, Robert E. (Robert Elliott)
Character; Christian life; Conduct of life; Moral education
And not only did Elijah’s principle determine his conduct and pour
inspiration into it; it was this principle of a God Who is alive that
made him absolutely fearless. He was not only unafraid of physical
harm, but he had none of that subtler fear that every man knows――the
fear that he himself will fail, the fear that he cannot carry himself
safely through. What you and I are afraid of is not the things that are
without; our enemy is inside. Treachery within the walls is all that we
need to dread, and our deepest fear is of our own failure. That was the
great thing in Elijah’s life, that he dared to stand on Mount Carmel,
before all that crowd of priests, confident and fearless. He knew he
would prevail, that he had not promised in vain that God would answer.
The man who knows that he is living his life before a God Who is alive
and doing his work in the name of a God Who is alive is not afraid
either of what men can do to him or of the failure that he may make
himself.
There is a story in the life of Dr. Schauffler that illustrates how
to-day too men can rise into just such fearlessness. The missionaries
were being bothered a great deal in Constantinople by Russian
machinations against the Protestant missions in the empire, and Dr.
Schauffler went to see the Russian ambassador. “I might as well tell
you now, Mr. Schauffler,” said the ambassador, “that the Emperor of
Russia, who is my master, will never allow Protestantism to set its
foot in Turkey.” The old missionary looked at him for a moment and then
replied: “Your Excellency, the kingdom of Christ, who is my Master,
will never ask the Emperor of all the Russias where it may set its
foot.” And he went on with his mission unintimidated by any agencies
working in the dark against him, because he was confident that the
living God Whose work he was doing would achieve for him His own
victory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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