The first step of Faith is to
Recognize the existence of the Sacred,
Accept it, and Revere it absolutely—²
We give strenuous souls for Belief.³
In the seat to faith assign’d—
Where ask is Have, where seek is
Find—where knock is Open Wide.⁴
We have something within us Stronger than
Reality or probability—and that is faith in
The Meaning and necessity of our Action—⁵
A person of Faith needs no fortress:
They are not on the defensive.⁶
Faith is the antiseptic of the Soul.⁷
Be mine the faith whose living Flame
Shall pierce the clouds and Banish night!⁸
We walk with feet Faith-Shod.⁹
Thou hast been Faithful over little—
I set thee over Much.¹⁰
¹ Laura Hershey, Faith
² Haruki Murakami tr. Jay Rubin, 1Q84
³ Elizabeth Barrett Browning, The North and the South
⁴ Christopher Smart, Song to David
⁵ Hermann Hesse tr. Hilda Rosner, The Journey to the East
⁶ Alan Watts, The Essence of Alan Watts
⁷ Walt Whitman, Introduction to Leaves of Grass
⁸ Arthur Caswell Porter, Faith
⁹ Ella Wheeler Wilcox, The Things that Count
¹⁰ Matthew 25:23