FAITH AND PRAYER

The heart that must not falter in its love for God has two mighty obstacles to contend with, and both are addressed in the novels of the Brontës: the obvious injustice of this life, including the sufferings of the innocent; and the fear of death and damnation. Christianity has a joint solution for both problems: those who mourn in this world will be comforted in the next, and a merciful God will gather his faithful to himself beyond the gates of death. God devised this plan for mankind, tainted by sin; and his chosen agent is his Son Jesus Christ. Contemplation of this scheme should assuage grief, dampen mutiny and take away terror. It was set up by the perfect love which we cannot fully comprehend, but which is evident in the glories of the creation and the warmth and joy of human affections. We only have to believe in this vast design of grace, and our earthly sorrows will become bearable and death will lose its sting.

Even the Victorians, however, found this condition hard to fulfil. Doubt and anxiety would constantly undercut trust in the Divine order. The preceding pages dwelt on the staunch faith of Brontë heroines in times of acute distress and on the solace bestowed on them through that faith.