Is peace, is rest, so longed for, then, never to be found? Yes! it
has been found, though perhaps but seldom, and somewhat imperfectly.
That is a state of rest for the soul when all man's powers work
harmoniously together, none conflicting with another, none hindering
another. This rest is complete when every special power in man's
nature is active, and works towards some noble end, free to act, yet
acting entirely in harmony, each with all, and all with each. That
is what may be called self-command, self-possession, tranquillity,
peace, rest for the soul. It is not indifference, it is not
sluggishness; it is not sleep: it is activity in its perfect
character and highest mode.
Some few men seem born for this. Their powers are well-balanced. But
to most it comes only by labour and life-struggle. Most men, and
above all, most strong men, are so born and organized, that they
feel the riddle of the world, and they have to struggle with
themselves. At first they are not well-balanced. One part of their
nature preponderates over another, and they are not in equilibrium.
Like the troubled sea, they cannot rest. The lower powers and
propensities must be brought into subjection to the higher.
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