Consecration

IT is no bondage to be free to give
Our all to Him who first so freely gave,
That in his living we may ever live;
For, losing all, the all we lose we save.
It is not folly to become so wise
That earthly wisdom shall be known a snare,
Nor are they blind who have the light to rise
Where science stumbles in its dark despair.
The seed corrupted in the humid soil
Sends yet its flower to the bewildering sun:
Strong without will and perfect without toil,
Helpless yet doing all that may be done.'
So we, through God, though doing naught, do all,
Nor grope in darkness nor in weakness fall.

Analysis (ai): The poem centers on spiritual surrender framed as liberation, positioning self-negation through divine alignment as both rational and transcendent.
It redefines sacrifice not as loss but as paradoxical preservation, echoing Christian mystical traditions where emptiness enables fulfillment.
Contrary to common readings of self-denial as ascetic struggle, this version presents yielding as effortless power, aligning with early 20th-century liberal Protestant ideals emphasizing inner transformation over ritual.
Religious Context and Era Norms: Compared to contemporaneous religious verse, which often stressed moral duty or emotional piety, this poem favors intellectual resolution, countering materialist skepticism with spiritual certainty.
It reflects early modernism’s crisis of faith not through doubt but by asserting spiritual knowledge as superior to empirical limits, particularly in the line where science “stumbles in its dark despair.”
Form and Style: The Shakespearean sonnet structure is loosely followed with a volta after line 8, though rhyme and meter serve doctrinal clarity over innovation.
The compressed logic and abstract diction are typical of McArthur’s essays and sermons, where philosophical precision outweighed aesthetic flourish.
Place in Author's Work: Among McArthur’s less-discussed poems, this stands out for its systematic theology, diverging from his usual nature-based reflections and rural imagery.
Unlike his popular journalistic style, here he adopts a scholastic tone, possibly influenced by his time at Knox College, aligning more with didactic devotional writing than regional realism.
Modern Engagement: Though not formally experimental, the poem prefigures modern existential concerns by framing identity through relinquishment rather than assertion.
Its emphasis on action-through-inaction resonates with contemporary critiques of productivity culture, suggesting an early precedent for anti-utilitarian spirituality in Canadian literature. (hide)