Then comes the awful question, Are we at the mercy of these laws?  Is the world a great machine, which goes grinding on its own way without any mercy to us or to anything; and are we each of us parts of the machine, and forced of necessity to do all we do?  Is it true, that our fate is fixed for us from the cradle to the grave, and perhaps beyond the grave?  How shall we prevent the world from overcoming us in this?  How shall we escape the temptation to sit down and fold our hands in sloth and despair, crying, What we are, we must be; and what will come, must come; whether it be for our happiness or misery, our life or death?  Where shall we find something to trust in, something to give us confidence and hope that we can mend ourselves, that self-improvement is of use, that working is of use, that prudence is of use, for God will reward every man according to his work?  St. John tells us—­In that within you which is born of God.

3.  Then, again, in the world how much seems to go by selfishness.  Let every man take care of himself, help himself, fight for himself against all around him, seems to be the way of the world, and the only way to get on in the world.  But is it really to be so?  Are we to thrive only by thinking of ourselves?  Something in our hearts tells us, No.  Something in our hearts tells us that this would be a very miserable world if every man shifted for himself; and that even if we got this world’s good things by selfishness, they would not be worth having after all, if we had no one but ourselves to enjoy them with.  What is that?  St. John answers—­That in you which is born of God.  It will enable you to overcome the world’s deceits, and to see that selfishness is not the way to prosper.

4.  Once, again; in the world how much seems to go by mere custom and fashion.  Because one person does a thing right or wrong, everybody round fancies himself bound to do likewise.  Because one man thinks a thing, hundreds and thousands begin to think the same from mere hearsay, without examining and judging for themselves.  There is no silliness, no cruelty, no crime into which people have not fallen, and may still fall, for mere fashion’s sake, from blindly following the example of those round him.  ’Everybody does so; and I must.  Why should I be singular?’ Or, ’Everybody does so; what harm can there be in my doing so?’

But there is something in each of us which tells us that that is not right; that each man should act according to his own conscience, and not blindly follow his neighbour, not knowing whither, like sheep over a hedge; that a man is directly responsible at first for his own conduct to God, and that ‘my neighbours did so’ will be no excuse in God’s sight.  What is it which tells us this?  St. John answers, That in you which is born of God; and it, if you will listen to it, will enable you to overcome the world’s deceit, and its vain fashions, and foolish hearsays, and blind party-cries; and not to follow after a multitude to do evil.