The Use of Evil.^203
can draw from the surrounding Divine life is
limited only by our capacity to receive and
hold.
Thereistheuse ofevil. Thelifethatisin
youcannot manifest its highercapacitiesunless
you are placed underconditionsinwhich you
can develop yourselves by struggling against
opposition. Evil is, as it were, the weight
opposing the muscle, and as you develop the
bodybystrugglingagainsttheopposingexternal
weight,sodoyou developthe moral character
bystrugglingagainst evilwhich is the opposite
of every virtue. Every virtue has its oppo-
site evil. Truth and falsehood, courage and
cowardice,compassionandhatred,humilityand
pride. Allthesethings arepairs of opposites.
Howcan youdeveloptruth savebystruggling
against the false, save by realising that in the
world around youthere is falsehoodon every
side of you? What can you do when you
realisethe force of this, save contradictit and
place yourself in opposition to it,and yourself
betrue? Neverlet a falsewordescape your
lips; neverletafalsethoughtfindhabitationin
yourbrain,neverletafalseactiondisfigureyour
conduct, and the result of the recognition of
falsehoodwill betodevelop inyou the neces-
sarypowerfortruth. As youstruggle against
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