He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast;
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small:
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
— Coleridge
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the Fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee … that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this (Job 12:7–9).
Emmet Fox
Around the Year with Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings (1952)
Truth is within ourselves; it takes no rise
From outward things, whate’er you may believe.
There is an inmost centre in us all,
Where truth abides in fullness; and around,
Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in,
This perfect, clear perception — which is truth.
A baffling and perverting carnal mesh
Binds it, and makes all error: and to know,
Rather consists in opening out a way
Whence the imprisoned splendour may escape,
Than in effecting entry for a light
Supposed to be without.
— Robert Browning, “Paracelsus.” Part I
… ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
Emmet Fox
Around the Year with Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings (1952)