"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5).
It is absurd to deplore the possession of a fiery temper. The temper of Moses was, to the end of his days, one of the secrets of his strength. Aaron and the idolaters trembled when, in a fit of holy wrath, Moses broke the two tables in pieces at the foot of the mount. And, turning from the Old Testament model to the New, we have a vision of Jesus, the meekest of all, who, in his righteous indignation, overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves, and, with a scourge of small cords, drove the cattle from the temple precincts. It is a fine thing to own a dog, provided he does not seize your brother's throat and lick the burglar's hand; it is a good thing to possess a spirited horse, so long as it remains your own prerogative to determine the place and the pace of each journey; it is a good thing to own a gun, so long as it is entirely subject to the cunning of your hand; and, similarly, it is a good thing to possess a temper that feels deeply and acutely and keenly, provided that you have it in complete subjection.
The very word "meekness," one authority assures me, is the word used by the Greeks to describe a colt which had been broken in and harnessed. It was once careering wildly over the waste: but now it is disciplined for service. Its strength is not reduced; but its real value has been developed. The souls that, through the ages, have been the deliverers of Israel, have been the meekest of men--calm men, sensitive men, strong men--not doves, but eagles; not timid hares, but lions with eyes of fire and all their mighty forces under magnificent control.
