Orange Spider

Having been tenant long to a rich Lord,      
        Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,

        And make a suit to him, to afford

A new small-rented lease, and cancel th'old.

In heaven at his manor I him sought:

        They told me there, that he was lately gone

        About some land, which he and dearly bought

Long since on earth, to take possession.

I straight returned, and knowing his great birth,

        Sought him accordingly in great resorts;

        In cities, theatres, gardens, parks, and courts:

At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth

        Of thieves and murderers: there I him espied,

        Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, and died.

-Redemption, George Herbert

"Christianity does not provide a God's Eye View of our circumstances. Christianity does not demand that you unpack all your intricate pathologies. In terms of faith, Christianity stands in solace with the sufferer beyond the ring of understanding and control. It is a simultaneous widening and tightening of the borders of belonging. The circle has tightened upon one man, Jesus, to whom no one else belongs. And simultaneously, absurdly, the circle is inverted upon him, the outsider brought into the power of his death. It is in this way that the Christian understands the cost of his or her life -- a deepening sense of wonder and possibility in the wilderness of not 'getting it.'"

-Ethan Richardson in The Mockingbird

“Wherefore, in this regeneration, we are restored by the grace of Christ to the righteousness of God, from which we fell in Adam; in which manner the Lord is pleased completely to restore all those whom he adopts to the inheritance of life. And this restoration is not accomplished in a single moment, or day, or year; but by continual, and sometimes even tardy advances, the Lord destroys the carnal corruptions of his chosen, purines them from all pollution, and consecrates them as temples to himself; renewing all their sense to real purity, that they may employ their whole life in the exercise of repentance, and know that this warfare will be terminated only by death.”

“As if, indeed, when any thing is to be defined, we are not to inquire after the completeness and perfection of it. It is not denied that there is room for further advances; but I assert, that as far as any man approaches to a resemblance of God, so far the image of God is displayed in him. That believers may attain to this, God assigns them the race of repentance to run during their whole life.”

“We maintain, therefore, that sin always exists in the saint, till they are divested of the mortal body; because their flesh is the residence of that depravity of concupiscence, which is repugnant to all rectitude.”

-John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion: Chapter III, On Repentance

Simul lustus Et Peccator

"In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had compleatly overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility."

-Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

"Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion! But of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst not turn one hair to thy dread purposes, or make one feature odious. It is not that the hand is heavy and will fall down when released; it is not that the heart and pulse are still; but that the hand was open, generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; and the pulse a man's. Strike, Shadow, strike! And see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal!"

-A Christmas Carol

"Heaven will never let her die so young."

"Hush!" said Mrs. Maylie, laying her hand on Oliver's head. "You think like a child poor boy. But you teach me my duty, notwithstanding. I had forgotten it for a moment, Oliver, but I hope I may be pardoned, for I am old, and have seen enough of illness and death to know the pain they leave to those behind. I have seen enough, too, to know that it is not always the youngest and best who are spared to those that love them; but this should give us comfort in our sorrow; for Heaven is just; and such things teach us, impressively, that there is a brighter world than this; and that the passage to it is speedy."

"But now he was enveloped in the old calico robes, that had gone yellow in the same service; he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once - a parish child - the orphan of a workhouse - the humble, half-starved drudge - to be cuffed and buffeted through the world, despised by all, and pitied by none."

-Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist is a passive character, not exhibiting any serious change in his demeanour, yet is important as a naive and innocent child for evoking the moral degradation of others. One does not necessarily consider the weight of the crime and immorality in the city unless it is against what is so naturally and obviously good. Oliver Twist is just such a character. Surely he comes in contact with benevolent people, however, the exchange and juxtaposition of his circumstances only intensifies the extremity of the crimes of Fagin and Sikes. What other narrative purpose does Oliver serve? His passivity lends little to the development of his character, and still he is pitied. He affects nothing, yet everything prevails him. One cannot help but suspend judgment on such a poor creature, who "badged and ticketed," succumbs to the patterns of the world; is regarded as nothing more than a mark on someones ledger. Forgotten and alone, he is pitiful.