Discipleship.^241
overtongueorthought,no endurance,nofaith,
noliberality,nowishforfreedom, hecouldnot
enter. Thecompletionof thequalitiesmaybe
leftfortheotherside,ifthebeginningsareseen;
buttheinitiatemustfillupthefulltale,andthe
more thereis lackingthe morewillthere beto
bedone.
Itisnotwell tominimise theurgencyofthe
demand, for these qualities must be reached
sometime,andfarbetternowthanlater. Every
weaknessthat remains in the initiated disciple,
who has entered the path, affords a point of
vantage to the Dark Powers, who are ever
seekingforcrevicesinthe armourof thecham-
pions of the Light. No earnestness is too
greatinurgingtheuninitiateddiscipletoacquirethese qualities; no effort is too great on his
part tocompass theirachieving. For thereis
somethingof pathos in thecase ofa hero-soulwho has "taken the kingdom of heaven by
violence" and has to pause togive alife-time
to the building up of the lesser perfections
whichinthepastheneglectedtoacquire.
Though themills ofGod grind slowly
Yetthey grindexceeding small;