,,christianity      ,,and      ,,modern 
,,thought4            ,,boston3         
,,american ,,unitarian ,,association4   
#ahgc4            ,entered according to 
,act of ,congress1 in the year #ahgb1 by
      ,,the ,,american ,,unitarian      
,,association1      ,in the ,office of  
the ,librarian of ,congress at          
,washington4            ,,cambridge3    
,,press ,,of ,,john ,,wilson ,,and      
,,son4          ,,introduction4         
,the following discourses were delivered
 in ,boston1 at ,hollis-,street         
,church1 on successive ,sunday evenings1
 and repeated at ,king's ,chapel on     
,monday afternoons1 during the winter of
 #ahga-gb1 in response to an  invitation
 of the ,executive ,committee of the    
,american ,unitarian  ,association1     
whose purpose was thus declared in the  
letter of  invitation3--         ,it is 
not proposed that the course shall be a 
merely popular one1       to awaken the 
indifferent and interest them in        
familiar religious       truths2 but    

rather to meet the need of thoughtful   
people perplexed       amid             
materialistic and sceptical tendencies  
of the time4 ,nor is it       desired   
simply to retrace in controversial      
method the beaten paths       of        
sectarian or theological debate2 but    
rather1 in the interest of       a free 
and enlightened ,christianity1 to       
present freshly the       positive      
affirmations of faith4    ,the several  
discourses were prepared independently1 
without conference  or concerted plan2  
and for their statements and opinions   
the  responsibility rests solely with   
their respective authors4               
,,contents4                             
,,page      ,introduction               
v      ,break between ,modern ,thought  
and ,ancient ,faith      and ,worship   
#c              ,by ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4
        ,a ,true ,theology the ,basis of
 ,human ,progress          #ce          
,by ,james ,freeman ,clarke4        ,the
 ,rise and ,decline of the ,romish      

,church            #fa              ,by 
,athanase ,coquerel1 ,fils4             
,selfhood and ,sacrifice                
#aja              ,by ,orville ,dewey4  
,the ,relation of ,jesus to the ,present
 ,age            #abi              ,by  
,charles ,carroll ,everett4        ,the 
,mythical ,element in the ,new          
,testament           #aeg               
,by ,frederic ,henry ,hedge4        ,the
 ,place of ,mind in ,nature and         
,intuition in ,man    #agi              
,by ,james ,martineau4        ,the      
,relations of ,ethics and ,theology     
#bji              ,by ,andrew ,p4       
,peabody4        ,christianity3 ,what it
 is not1 and what it is        #bca     
,by ,g4 ,vance ,smith4        ,the ,aim 
and ,hope of ,jesus                     
#bgc              ,by ,oliver ,stearns4 
,,the ,,break ,,between ,,modern        
,,thought    ,,and    ,,ancient ,,faith 
,,and ,,worship4    ,by ,,henry ,w4     
,,bellows4      ,there is evidently a   
growing disrelish1 in an important      

portion of the  people of our time1 for 
professional religion1 technical piety1 
and  theological faith4 ,these were     
always unpopular with youth1 and people 
in  the flush of life and spirits2 but  
this was because they called  attention 
to grave and serious things2 and youth1 
as a rule1 does not  like even the      
shadow of truth and duty to fall too    
early or too steadily  upon it4         
,restraint1 care1 thoughtfulness1 it    
resists as long as it can2  and none who
 recall their own eager love of pleasure
 and gayety1 in the  spring-time of     
life1 can find much difficulty in       
understanding or  excusing it4 ,of      
course1 too1 careless1 self-indulgent1  
sensual1 and  frivolous people have     
always disliked the gravity1 and the    
faith and  customs1 of people professing
 religion1 and exhibiting special       
seriousness4 ,they were a reproach and a
 painful reminder to them1 and  must be 
partially stripped of their reproving   
sanctity1 by ridicule1  charges of      

hypocrisy1 and hints of contempt4 ,but1 
all the while this was  going on1 the   
youth and frivolity of previous         
generations expected the  time to come  
when they must surrender their          
carelessness1 and be  converted2 and    
even the worldly and scoffing shook in  
their secret  hearts at the very        
doctrines and the very piety they       
caricatured4 ,the  old relations of     
master and pupil describe almost exactly
 the feeling  which youth and levity    
held toward instituted faith and piety1 
a  generation or two since4 ,the        
schoolboy1 indeed1 still thinks himself 
at  liberty to call his master          
nick-names1 to play tricks upon him1 and
 to  treat with great levity1 among his 
fellow-pupils1 all the teaching and  all
 the rules of the school4 ,but he       
nevertheless sincerely respects his     
teacher2 believes in him and in his     
teachings1 and expects to derive an     
indispensable benefit from them1 in     
preparing himself for his coming        

career4 ,so it was with the religion and
 piety of our fathers4 ,the people      
profoundly respected the creed1 the     
elders in piety1 and the eminent  saints
 in profession and practice1 although   
the young had their jibes  and jests1   
their resistance to church-going1 their 
laugh at sanctimony2  and the majority  
of people then1 as now1 were not fond of
 the restraints  of piety1 or the       
exercises of devotion4    ,but the      
alienation to which ,i wish to draw your
 attention now is  something quite      
different from the natural opposition of
 the young to  serious thoughts2 or the 
gay1 to grave matters2 or those absorbed
 in the  present1 to what belongs to the
 future2 or of those charmed with the   
use  of their lower or more superficial 
faculties and feelings1 to the          
suggestions and demands of their deeper 
and nobler nature4 ,that the body       
should not readily and without a        
struggle submit to the mind2 that       
thoughtlessness should not easily be    

turned into thoughtfulness2 that  youth 
should not readily consent to wear the  
moral costume of maturity1  or the      
feelings and habits of riper years2 that
 the active1 fresh1  curious creature1  
who has just got this world with its gay
 colors in  his eye1 should not be much 
attracted by spiritual visions1 and     
should  find his earthly loves and      
companions more fascinating than the    
communion of saints or the sacred       
intercourse of prayer1--all this1 to    
say the least of it1 is very explicable1
 and belongs to all generations1  and   
hardly discourages the experienced mind1
 more than the faults and  follies of   
the nursery the wise mother who has     
successfully carried many  older        
children through them all4    ,it is    
quite another kind of antipathy and     
disrelish which marks our  time4 ,it is 
not confined to youth1 nor traceable to 
levity and  thoughtlessness4 ,the       
,church and its creed on one side1 the  
world and its  practical faith on the   

other1 seem now no longer to stand in   
the  relation of revered teachers and   
dull or reluctant pupils2 of            
seriousness1 avoided by levity2 of      
authoritative truth1 questioned by  bold
 error2 of established and instituted   
faith1 provoking the  criticisms of     
impatience1 caprice1 ignorance1 or      
folly4 ,an antagonism  has arisen       
between them as of oil and water1--a    
separation which is  neither due to     
period of life1 nor stage of            
intelligence1 nor even to  worth of     
character2 which does not separate youth
 from maturity1 the  thoughtless from   
the thinking1 the bad from the good1 but
 divides the  creeds1 observances1 and  
professions of ,christians1 from a large
 body of  people who insist that after a
 certain fashion they are ,christians   
too1  and yet will have little or       
nothing to do with professions of faith1
 or  pious pretensions1 or religious    
ways of feeling1 talking1 or acting4    
,clearly1 it would not do any longer to 

say that the worth and virtue and       
influence of society1 in this country1  
could be estimated by the number  of    
communicants in the churches1 by the    
degree of credit still given to  any of 
the long-believed theological dogmas1   
deemed in the last  generation the      
sheet-anchors of the ,state4 ,we all    
know hundreds of  people1 who could sign
 no creed1 and give no theological      
account of  their faith1 whom we do not 
count as necessarily less worthy in the 
sight of ,god or man than many who have 
no difficulty in saying the whole       
,athanasian ,creed4 ,nay1 there are some
 millions of people in this  country1   
not the least intelligent or useful     
citizens in all cases1 who  never enter 
a church-door4 ,a generation or two     
back1 you would safely  have pronounced 
all these absentees to be worldly1      
careless people1  infidels1 atheists1   
scoffers4 ,do you expect to find them so
 now8 ,some1  of course1 but not the    
majority4 ,indeed1 you would find a     

great many of  these people supporting  
churches1 to which their families go1   
and not  themselves2 or to which others 
go1 for whom they are glad to provide   
the  opportunity4 ,they would tell you1 
if they could discriminate their own    
thoughts1 something like this3 ,public  
worship and church organizations1  and  
creeds and catechisms1 and sermons and  
ceremonies1 and public  prayers and     
praises1 are doubtless very good things1
 and very useful up  to a certain stage 
of intelligence1 and for a certain kind 
of character4  ,but we have discovered  
that the real truth and the real virtue 
of what  people have been misnaming     
religion is a much larger1 freer1 and   
more  interesting thing than churches1  
creeds1 ministers1 and saints seem to   
think it4 ,here is this present life1   
full of occupations and earnest         
struggles and great instructions4 ,here 
is this planet1 not a thousandth  part  
known1 and yet intensely provoking to   
intelligent curiosity2 and  science is  

now every day taking a fresh and an ever
 bolder look into it2  and we want our  
,sundays to follow these things up4     
,that is our idea of  worship4 ,then1   
again1 the greatest philosophers are now
 writing out  their freest1 finest      
thoughts about our nature2 and1 if we go
 to church1  we are likely to find some 
fanatical and narrow-minded minister    
warning  us against reading or heeding  
what these great men say2 and it is a   
thousand times fresher and grander and  
more credible than what he says         
himself6 ,why1 the very newspapers1 the 
earnest and well-edited ones1  contain  
more instruction1 more warning1 more to 
interest the thoughtful  mind1 than the 
best sermons2 and why should a thinking 
man1 who needs to  keep up with the     
times1 and means to have his own        
thoughts free1 go  where duty or custom 
makes it common to frown upon inquiry1  
doubt1 and  speculation1--to shut out   
knowledge and testimony1 and stamp a man
 with  a special type of thinking or    

professing8    ,for there are1 you      
observe1--in justice to these           
thoughts1--these two  instructors to    
choose between in our generation4 ,here 
is the ,church1  with its ecclesiastical
 usages and its pious exhortations2 its 
,sunday  school for the children2 its   
devotional meeting in the week1 and its 
,sunday teaching and worship1--all      
acknowledged as good for those that     
like them1 and are willing to accept    
what people thought or believed was     
true a hundred or five hundred years    
ago2 and here is the modern press1  with
 the wonderful profusion of earnest and 
able books1 cheap and  attractive1 and  
treating boldly all subjects of         
immediate and of  permanent interest2   
and here are the reviews1 quarterly and 
monthly1  that now compress into        
themselves and popularize all that these
 books  contain1 and furnish critical   
notices of them2 and then1 again1 here  
are  the newspapers1 wonderful in       
variety and ability1 that hint at1      

suggest1  and bring home all the new and
 fresh thoughts of the time4 ,and the   
marvel is1 that most of these books1    
reviews1 papers1 are in the  interest   
of1 and seem inspired by1 something     
larger1 freer1 fresher1  truer1 than    
what the churches and the creeds are    
urging4 ,thus church  religion and      
general culture do not play any longer  
into each other's  hands4 ,if you       
believe what the men of science1 the    
philosophers1 the  poets and critics1   
believe1 you cannot believe1 except in a
 very general  way1 in what the creeds  
and churches commonly profess4          
,accordingly1 the  professors in        
college1 the physicians1 the teachers1  
the scientists1 the  reformers1 the     
politicians1 the newspaper men1 the     
reviewers1 the  authors1 are seldom     
professing ,christians1 or even         
church-goers2 and if  they do go to     
church from motives of interest or      
example1 they are free  enough to       
confess in private that they do not much

 believe what they  hear4    ,assuming  
that this is a tolerably correct        
account--although doubtless  exaggerated
 for pictorial effect--of the existing  
state of things among  the reading and  
thinking class of this country1 what is 
the real  significance of it8 ,is it as 
new as it seems8 ,is it as threatening  
to  the cause of religious faith as it  
seems8 ,reduced to its most general     
terms1 is it any thing more or other    
than this8 ,the faith and worship of    
this generation1 and the experience and 
culture of a portion of this            
generation1 have temporarily fallen out2
 and1 as in all similar  quarrels1 there
 is1 for the time1 helpless             
misunderstanding1 mutual  jealousy and  
misrepresentation4 ,the faith and piety 
of the time  pronounce the culture1 the 
science1 the progressive philanthropy1  
the  politics1 the higher education and 
advanced literature1 to be godless  and 
,christless2 and the culture of the age 
retaliates1 perhaps1 with  still greater

 sincerity1 in pronouncing the faith and
 worship of the  time to be             
superstitious1 antiquated1 sentimental1 
and specially fitted  only to people    
willing to be led by priests and        
hireling ministers4    ,now1 if this    
were a quarrel between experience and   
inexperience1 between  good and bad1    
between truth and falsehood1 it would be
 easy to take  sides4 ,but faith and    
knowledge have both equal rights in     
humanity4  ,people who are sincerely in 
love with knowledge and science and     
philosophy are not thereby made enemies 
of ,god or man2 certainly are not  to be
 discouraged and abused for their       
devotion to practical and  scientific   
truth1 their search for facts1 their    
interest in the works of  the ,creator1 
even if they are not possessed of what  
the church properly  calls faith and    
piety4 ,and1 on the other hand1 however 
shocked  established faith and piety may
 naturally be by the handling which     
religion and its creeds and worship     

receive from modern inquisitors1  ought 
the deeper believers to be seriously    
alarmed for the safety of its  root or  
its healing leaves1 on account of the   
shaking which the tree of  life is now  
receiving8 ,however slow science and    
culture may often show  themselves to be
 in recognizing the fact1 can any       
reasonable and  impartial mind1         
acquainted with history or human nature1
 believe that  faith itself is an       
inconstant or perishable factor in our  
nature8 prayer  a childish impulse1     
which clear-seeing manhood must put     
away8 the  conscience1 not the          
representative of a holiness enthroned  
over the  moral universe1 but an        
artificial organ1 which social          
convenience has  developed1 much like   
the overgrown liver in the ,strasburg   
goose8 ,in  short1 who that considers   
the part that faith and worship have    
played in  the history of the race1 can 
doubt their essential and permanent     
place  in human fortunes8 ,the question 

of some religion1 of some worship1  for 
the people1 does not seem debatable4    
,the only alternative among  nations has
 been a religion in which mystery1 awe1 
and fear prevailed1  clothing themselves
 in dread and bloody sacrifices1 or else
 a religion  in which more knowledge1   
more reason1 more love1 embodied        
themselves in  a simpler and gentler    
ritual4 ,the nations have had only a    
choice--not  always a wholly voluntary  
one--between terrific superstitions and 
more  or less reasonable religions4     
,christianity has prevailed in civilized
  nations1 since ,constantine1 by       
accommodating its theological dogmas and
  external ritual to the needs of       
successive eras2 beginning with coarser 
and more heathenish symbols1 and running
 itself clearer and more clear1  as the 
mind and taste and experience of the    
race have developed  sweetness and      
light4 ,but does this make ,christianity
 only a human  growth1 and so predict a 
coming decay1 which many seem to think  

has  already begun8 ,on the contrary1   
the decisive fact about ,christianity   
is1  that1 while its intellectual       
history is changing1 its early records  
are  in form fixed and permanent1 and   
that its real progress has been         
uniformly a return towards its original 
simplicity4 ,other faiths  develop4 ,it 
is we who develop under ,christianity1  
and are slowly changed  unto the        
original likeness of ,christ4 ,christ's 
statements1 ,christ's  character1       
,christ's words1 do not become          
antiquated4 ,we are not called  upon to 
explain away1 as superstitions of the   
time1 any of the certain  words he said1
 or thoughts he had1 or commandments he 
left4 ,true1 there  are critical        
embarrassments about the record1 and    
room enough to  question how it was made
 up2 and we cannot always trust the     
reporters of  that age1 or our own4 ,but
 when we get1 as we certainly do get in 
hundreds of cases1 at ,christ's own     
words2 or when we really see--as by a   

hundred vistas1 through all the dbris   
and rubbish of the age1 we may  see--the
 true person and bearing and spirit of  
,jesus1 we behold1 we  recognize1 we    
know1 a ,being who1 transferred to this 
age1 and placed in  the centre of the   
choicest circle of saints and sages whom
 culture and  science and wisdom could  
collect1 would bear just the same       
exalted  relation of superiority to them
 that he did to the fishermen and       
publicans and kings and high-priests and
 noble women and learned rabbis  of his 
own day4 ,we should not hesitate1 any   
more than they did1 to call  him ,master
 and ,lord2 to say1 ,to whom else shall 
we go8 ,thou hast the  words of eternal 
life4    ,those1 then1 who fear that    
true culture1 that science or philosophy
  boldly pushed1 that learning and logic
 impartially applied1--whether in       
studying ,god's method in creation1 or  
his method in revelation1--can  injure  
permanently faith and piety1 or endanger
 ,christianity1 as a  whole1 must either

 think the religious wants of man very  
shallow or very  artificial1 or the     
providence of ,god very easily baffled1 
and the  harmony of his word and works  
very badly matched4 ,if there be in     
nature  or in man1 in earth or in our   
dust1 in chemistry1 astronomy1          
anthropology2 in geology1 the language  
of dead eras2 or in language1 the       
geology of buried races1 any thing that 
disproves the existence and  providence 
of a living ,god1 the holiness and      
goodness and  trustworthiness of his    
character2 the moral and religious      
nature of man1  his accountableness1 his
 immortality2 the divine beauty and     
sinless  superiority of ,jesus ,christ1 
and the essential truth of his          
religion1--by all means let us know it6 
,why should we allow ourselves  to be   
beguiled by fables and false hopes and  
make-believes8 ,but the  faith of       
religious experience1 the confidence of 
those who know and love  and have become
 spiritually intimate with the gospel of

 ,jesus ,christ1 is  usually such that  
they would sooner mistrust their senses 
than their  souls4 ,they have found a   
moral and spiritual guidance1 a food and
  medicine in their ,christian faith1   
which enables them calmly to say to     
criticism1 to science1 to culture1 ,we  
do not hold our faith1 or  practise our 
worship1 by your leave1 or at your      
mercy4 ,faith leans  first on the       
spiritual nature of man1 and not on     
demonstrable science4  ,it would not be 
faith1 if it were only a sharper sight4 
,it is insight1  not sight4 ,it springs 
from its own root1 not primarily from   
the  intellect4 ,as we love our wives   
and children with something besides the 
judgment1 or the logical faculty1 so we 
love ,god with the heart1 and not  with 
the understanding4 ,we stand erect1 with
 open eyes1 when we are  seeking truth2 
we fall on our knees with closed        
eyelids1 when we are  seeking ,god6     
,religion is not the rule of three1 but 
the golden rule2 it  is not the major   

and minor premises and copula of logic1 
but the sacred  instinct of the soul1   
which ,jesus ,christ has satisfied1 and 
guided1 and  owned1 and directed1 in an 
inestimable way4    ,but when faith and 
worship have taken this true and        
independent tone1  let them not join the
 foolish bigots1 who think that because 
faith rests  on other foundations than  
science1 therefore it owes nothing to   
science  and culture1 and can wholly    
separate its fortunes and future from   
them4  ,true1 faith and culture1        
religion and science1 in spite of their 
general and permanent agreement and     
connection1 when they cannot get on     
honestly together1 had better for the   
time separate2 for they embarrass  each 
other1 and it is in their insulation    
that they sometimes ripen and  prepare  
in separate crucible elements that are  
ultimately to blend in a  finer compound
 than either ever knew before4 ,thus    
faith1 driving science  and culture out 
of her cell1 and closing the doors on   

fact and  observation1 wrapt in         
devotion1 has sometimes caught visions  
of ,god  through her purely spiritual   
atmosphere1 which sages in their        
laboratories have never seen4 ,the great
 religious inspirations have not  come  
from scholars1 but from seers2 from men 
of soul1 not men of sense4  ,how knoweth
 this man letters1 having never learned8
 said his  contemporaries of ,christ4   
,well1 he knew no letters1 but he had   
what  letters never teach1--divine      
wisdom6 ,he knew ,god1 that end of      
knowledge2  he knew man1 that last of   
philosophy4 ,faith therefore often      
recruits  itself in a temporary divorce 
from science1 just as ,romanism         
profitably  drives her priests into     
periodical retreats for prayer and      
exclusive  meditations on ,god and      
,christ4 ,it is beautiful to study even 
those  humble and uninstructed          
,christian sects1 whose simple and      
implicit faith  is protected1 yes1 and  
exalted1 by their providential          

indifference to  science or             
unacquaintance with speculative         
difficulties4 ,it is not their          
ignorance that kindles their devotion1  
but it is faith's vitality1 which  in   
certain exceptional natures and times   
beams and glows most purely1  fed only  
on its own sacred substance4 ,when you  
have reached the inner  kernel of a true
 ,moravian1 or even a true ,catholic    
heart1 and found a  solid core of faith1
 unsupported by any other evidence than 
that which  the ,scripture described in 
the words1 ,faith is the substance of   
things  hoped for1 the evidence of      
things not seen1 you have gone far      
towards  fathoming the holiest secret in
 our nature1 the well of living water4  
,and1 on the other hand1 how much       
better1 both for faith and science1     
that science should1 at a time like     
this1 go without religious ends into    
physical or metaphysical pursuits1      
investigate1 inquire1 test1 question1   
in absolute independence of theological 

or spiritual results4 ,it is only  when 
thus free and bold and uncommitted that 
her testimony is worth any  thing4      
,think of ,newton1 meditating and       
exploring the solar system1 in  the     
simple love of truth1 without let or    
hindrance from ecclesiastical           
intermeddlers1 and compare him with     
,galileo1 lifting his telescope under   
the malediction of the priesthood of    
,rome4    ,no3 let science be as free as
 light1 as brave as sunbeams1 as honest 
as  photography6 ,encourage her to      
chronicle her conclusions with fearless 
and unreproached fidelity4 ,she will    
doubtless make many things which  have  
been long associated with religion look 
foolish and incredible4 ,but  it is only
 so religion can shed some husks1 and   
get rid of some  embarrassments4 ,it is1
 in short1 only just such assaults and  
criticisms  from science and experience 
that ever induces religion to strain out
 the  flies from her honey2 to          
dissociate what is accidental in faith  

from  what is essential and permanent4  
,and1 when science and culture have     
gathered in the full harvest of this    
wonderful season of discovery and       
speculation1 we may expect to find faith
 stripped of many garments1 now         
worshipped1 which ignorance and fear put
 upon her for protection and  defence2  
but really strengthened in substance1 by
 the free movements  allowed her lungs1 
and the dropping of the useless load    
upon her back4  ,then1 too1 science and 
philosophy will again resume their      
places at the  feet of the              
master-principle in our nature1 until   
again driven away1 by  new              
disagreements1 to return again by the   
discovery of a finer harmony4           
,self-culture will never supersede      
worship1 more than golden lamps  burning
 fragrant oils will ever supersede the  
sun2 more than digging and  hoeing and  
planting will supersede sunshine and    
rain from heaven4  ,self-culture8 ,yes3 
by all means1 and in any amount1 but not

 as an end4  ,when people look to       
ornamental gardening for the crops that 
are to feed  the famine-smitten world1  
and not to the pastures and prairies1 as
 they  lie in the light of the common   
sun1 they will look to self-culture for 
the characters1 the hearts1 the souls   
that glorify ,god and lift and  bless   
the world4 ,thou shalt love the ,lord   
thy ,god with all thy heart1  and thy   
neighbor as thyself4 ,that is the       
irrepealable law of growth4  ,seek first
 the kingdom of ,god and his            
righteousness1 and all other  things    
shall be added unto you4 ,worship1      
faith1 duty1 devotion to ,god1  ,christ1
 humanity1 to justice1 freedom1         
truth1--these1 and not  self-culture1   
have lifted the race and the world4     
,learn1 acquire1  cultivate1 improve1   
develop yourselves1 by art1 music1      
reading1  languages1 study1 science1    
experience1 but do it all in seeking to 
know  and love and serve ,god and man4  
,seek to know ,christ1 and you will     

learn  more1 indirectly1 than though you
 sought all knowledge without this      
thirst4 ,seek to know ,god1 and you     
shall find all science and culture      
healthful1 sacred1 harmonious1          
satisfying1 and devout4    ,the break   
between modern thought and ancient      
creeds and worship1 thus  considered1   
though serious1 and worth the utmost    
pains to heal1 by all  arts that do not 
conceal or salve over1 without curing   
the wound1 is not  permanently          
discouraging to earnest and             
well-considered ,christian  faith4 ,nor 
are all the signs of the times one way4 
,for--after all that  has been said     
about the restless and dissatisfied     
condition of the  critical and conscious
 thought of the time1 and the scepticism
 of the  learned1 or the speculative    
class1 or of the new thinkers born of   
the  physical progress of the age1 and  
the decay of worship in the literary    
and artistic1 the editorial and poetical
 circles--it remains to be said1  that1 

leaving this important and valuable body
 of people aside1--not  badly employed1 
and not without personal warrant for    
their doubts and  withdrawal from       
positive institutions1--there remains a 
mighty majority1  on whom the ,christian
 religion and historical faith and the  
external  church have a vigorous and    
unyielding hold2 whose practical        
instincts  and grand common-sense and   
hereditary experience anchor them safely
 in  positive faith1 while the          
scepticism raves without and blows      
itself  clear1 and passes over4         
,christianity first addressed itself to 
common  people1 not to avoid criticism1 
but to secure the attention of the moral
  affections and the spiritual powers1  
instead of the meaner  understanding4   
,it has lived on the heart and          
conscience and needs and  yearnings of  
the masses1 from and to whom practical  
wisdom and fixed  institutions and      
simple faith always come and always     
return4 ,common  sense is not the sense 

that is common1 but the sense that is in
  common4 ,and popular faith is not the 
faith of private ignorance massed1  but 
of that wisdom which alone enables      
ignorant people to find a basis  for    
feelings and actions that all feel to be
 beyond and above their  private        
ignorance or self-will4 ,the common     
people were the first to hear  ,christ  
gladly3 they will be the last to hear   
any who deny him4    ,it is easy to     
exaggerate the decline of modern faith1 
and to misread the  tendencies of the   
time on which we have been dwelling4    
,thus1 paradox  though it seem1 it were 
just as true to say that more people are
  deliberately interested in ,christian 
faith and worship to-day than at  any   
previous era in the history of our      
religion1 as to asseverate that  more   
people doubt and regret it than ever    
before4 ,both statements are  true2 and 
they are reconciled only by the fact    
that it is only in this  century that   
the claims of faith and worship have    

been popularly  debated1 or that the    
people were expected or allowed to have 
any  independent opinion about them4    
,the general soil of our humanity is for
  the first time surveyed and sown2 and 
it is found that1 with more  wheat than 
ever1 there are also more tares4 ,with  
more intelligent  and convinced         
worshippers1 there are more wilful or   
logical neglecters  of worship2 with    
more genuine believers1 more sceptics2  
with more  religious activity1 more     
worldliness4 ,without an army in the    
field1  there will be no deserters2     
without a common currency of genuine    
coin1  no counterfeits2 without a       
formidable body of affirmers1 few       
deniers4    ,the positive institutions  
of ,christianity decline in one form1 to
 spring  into new life in other and     
better forms4 ,doubtless1 fourfold more 
money  is expended to-day upon temples  
of worship than in what have been       
falsely called the ages of              
faith1--rather the ages of acquiescence4

  ,religion does not decline as a costly
 interest of humanity with the  progress
 of doubt1 freedom1 intelligence1       
science1 and economic  development4 ,it 
is a permanent and eternal want of man1 
and is always  present1 either as a     
vast1 overshadowing superstition1 or as 
a more or  less intelligent faith4      
,nowhere has it a stronger hold on      
society than  in free ,america1 which   
false prophets1 with their faces to the 
past1  muttered was about to become its 
grave4 ,this busy1 delving1 utilitarian 
country1 without a past1 denied the     
influence of ruins and the memory of    
mythic founders1 a land without mystery 
or poetry1--how could so tender  and    
venerable a sentiment as reverence live 
in its garish day8 how so  sweet a nymph
 as ,piety kneel in its muddy marts of  
trade1 or chant her  prayers in its     
monotonous wilderness1 ringing with the 
woodman's axe or  the screeching saw8   
,but now delegates of all the great     
religious bodies  in the ,old ,world are

 visiting ,america1 for religious       
instruction and  inspiration4 ,nowhere1 
it is confessed1 is there to be found a 
people so  generally interested in      
religion1 ready to make so great        
sacrifices for  it1 or so deeply        
convinced that its principles and       
inspirations are at  the root of all    
national prosperity4 ,nowhere do        
churches and chapels  spring up with    
such rapidity1 and in such numbers2     
nowhere is the  ministry as well        
supported1 or its ministers as          
influential members of  society2 nowhere
 do plain men of business and           
intelligence1 ,i do not say  of science 
and philosophy1 participate so freely in
 religious worship4  ,and since all     
political compulsion has been taken off 
from the support  of religion1 and it   
has been made purely voluntary1 its     
interests have  received even more care4
 ,there is little doubt that the decline
 of  religious establishments1 the decay
 of priestly authority1 the complete    

withdrawal of governmental patronage1   
the discrediting of the principle  of   
irrational fear1 the dispersion of false
 dogmas1 the clearing up of             
superstition1 the growth of toleration  
and charity1 instead of weakening  true 
faith or lessening public worship1 will 
greatly increase and  strengthen both4  
,for it is not man's ignorance1         
weakness1 and fears1  that lead him most
 certainly to ,christian worship and    
faith4 ,there is a  worship and a faith 
of blindness and dread2 but they have no
 tendency to  develop a moral and       
spiritual sense of the character of     
,god1 or the  character becoming man1 or
 to survive the spread of general       
intelligence  and mental courage4 ,if   
thought1 if courage of mind1 if inquiry 
and  investigation1 if experience and   
learning and comprehensive grasp1 if    
light and sound reason1 and acquaintance
 with human nature1 tended to  abolish a
 living ,god from the heart and faith of
 man1 to disprove the  essential truths 

of ,christianity1 or to make life and   
the human soul  less sacred1 aspiring1  
and religious1 the world would be on its
 rapid  way to atheism4 ,but ,i maintain
 that science itself1 philosophy and    
free  inquiry1 however divorced from    
religious institutions and dogmas1 were 
never so humble1 reverential1 and       
,christian as since they partly         
emancipated themselves from theological 
or ecclesiastical censure and           
suspicion4 ,for ages science knelt to   
religion as she went to her  crucible or
 laboratory1 like the sexton passing the
 altar in a ,catholic  cathedral1 and   
with as little thought or feeling as he1
 simply to avert  censure1 while she    
pursued inquiries she knew would banish 
the  superstition she pretended to      
honor4 ,faith and knowledge were at     
opposite poles2 religious truth and     
scientific truth1 finally and           
permanently amenable to different       
standards4 ,how dishonoring to religion 
was this distrust of light and          

knowledge6 how faithless in ,god1 this  
faith in him which could not bear       
investigation6 how compromising to      
,christianity1 the sort of trust which  
refuses as blasphemous the  application 
of all the tests and proofs which are   
required in the  certification of every 
other important conviction6 ,religious  
faith rests  on the spiritual nature2   
but its basis is not less real for being
  undemonstrable1 like the axioms of    
mathematics4 ,that is not real faith    
which dares not investigate the grounds 
of its own being4 ,it is  irreverent to 
,god1 to affirm that he does not allow  
us to try his ways2  to demand proofs of
 his existence and righteous government2
 to ask for  the credentials of his     
alleged messengers2 to doubt until we   
are  rationally convinced4 ,if the      
artificial feeling that faith is opposed
 to  reason2 religious truth to         
universal truth2 that belief in unseen  
things  is less rational or less capable
 of verification than the radical       

beliefs of the senses1--if these        
prejudices were sound1 or not the       
reverse of true1 the world would be on  
its inevitable way to universal         
infidelity and godless materialism4 ,but
 is that the tendency of things8  ,is it
 that religion is growing less mystic8  
or only science more so8  ,have not real
 and affecting mysteries been very much 
transferred for the  time from theology 
to philosophy1 from the priest to the   
professor8 ,i  doubt very much whether  
men of science are not more truly on    
their knees  than men of superstition1  
in our days4 ,never did such candor1    
such  confessions of baffled insight1   
such a sense of inscrutable wisdom and  
power1 such a feeling of awe and        
dependence1 seem to prevail in science  
as now1 when so many theologians are    
raising the eyebrow1 and seeking to     
alarm the world at what they call the   
atheism of the most truth-loving1       
earnest1 and noble men4 ,i would sooner 
have the scepticism--reverent and       

honest and fearless--of these solemn and
 awed inquisitors in the inner  shrines 
of nature1 than the faith of            
self-bandaged priests1 who are  thinking
 to light the way to heaven with candles
 on the mid-day altar1  or to keep faith
 in ,god alive only by processions in   
vestments of purple  and gold4    ,nor  
has ,christianity any thing permanently 
to fear from the disposition  which now 
so largely prevails1 to separate it from
 its accidents1 its  accretions1 and its
 misrepresentations4 ,the days have not 
long gone by  when men were counted as  
entitled to little respect1 if they did 
not  wear side-swords and bag-wigs4 ,you
 recollect how our ,benjamin ,franklin  
surprised1 shocked1 and then delighted  
all ,europe1 by appearing at the  court 
of ,france in plain citizen's clothes8  
,religion1 too1 has had her             
court-dress1 and her sounding           
court-titles1 and official robes1 and   
circuitous ceremonies4 ,the world has   
felt horror-stricken whenever any  brave

 and more believing spirit has ventured 
to ask the meaning of one  of these     
theological tags and titles4 ,but how   
much less wholesome is  living water1 if
 drunk out of a leaf1 or the palm of    
one's hand1 than if  presented on a     
salver1 in a curiously jewelled flagon1 
by a priest in  livery8 ,how much has   
theological ingenuity of statement and  
systematic  divinity1 which it takes the
 study of a life to understand1 added to
 the  power of the simplicity of ,christ
 as he unfolds himself in the ,sermon on
  the ,mount8 ,yet1 if any one has dared
 to be as simple as ,christ himself  was
 in his own faith1 he has been said to  
deny the ,lord that bought him4  ,it has
 been called infidelity1 to think       
,christ meant only just what he  said1  
and was understood to say1 in his simple
 parables4 ,you must  believe something 
not less incredible and abstruse than   
the church  ,trinity2 something not less
 contrary to natural justice and common 
sense  than the church vicarious        

atonement2 something not less cruel and 
vindictive than the eternal misery of   
all who through ignorance1 birth1  or   
accident1 or even perversity and pride1 
do not hear of1 or do not  accept1 the  
blood of ,christ as their only hope of  
,god's mercy and  forgiveness1 or you   
are no ,christian4 ,now ,i hold these   
dogmas themselves  to be unchristian in 
origin and influence1 although held by  
many  excellent ,christian men4 ,i      
believe that they are the main obstacles
 with  many honest1 brave1 and          
enlightened men in our day1 to their    
interest in  public worship2 and that   
millions repudiate the ,church1 and     
,christianity1 which is a different     
thing1 simply because they suppose  her 
to be responsible for these barnacles   
upon the sacred ship4 ,it would  be just
 as reasonable to hold the ,hudson      
,river responsible for the filth  the   
sewers of the city empty into it2 or to 
hold the sun answerable for  the changes
 in its beams1 caused by the colored    

glass in church-windows4                
,christianity1 the ,christianity of     
,christ1 is simple1 rational1           
intelligible1 independent of1 yet in    
perfect harmony1--if it be often an     
unknown harmony1--with philosophy1      
ethics1 science2 true1 because from     
,god1 the ,god of nature as well as     
grace2 true1 because the transcript of  
self-evident and self-proving           
principles2 true1 because guaranteed by 
our nature2 true1 because of universal  
application1 unimpeached by time  or    
experience4 ,it affirms the being and   
authority of a righteous1 holy1  and    
all-loving ,god1 whom man can serve and 
love and worship because he  is made in 
his image2 can know1 by studying        
himself2 and to whom man is  directly   
related by reason1 conscience1 and      
affections4 ,it affirms  divine science 
and worship to consist in obedience to  
,god's laws1  written on man's heart1   
and for ever urged by ,god's ,spirit4   
,it affirms  the present and persistent 

penalty1 the inevitable consequences1 of
 all  moral and spiritual wrong-doing   
and disobedience2 the present and future
  blessedness of well-doing and         
holiness4 ,it sets forth ,jesus ,christ 
as  the ,son of ,god and ,son of        
,man1--appellations that1 deeply        
considered1  really mean the same       
thing1--the direct messenger1           
representative1 and  plenipotentiary of 
,god1--his perfect moral image4 ,it     
insists upon men's  putting themselves  
to school to ,christ1 honoring1 loving1 
and following  him2 forming themselves  
into classes1--another name for         
churches1--and  by prayer1 meditation1  
and study of his life1 informing their  
minds and  hearts1 and shaping their    
wills in his likeness1 which is the     
ideal of  humanity4 ,its clear object is
 to dignify and ennoble man1 by         
presenting  ,god as his father2 to show 
him what his nature is capable of1 by   
exhibiting ,christ in the loveliness1   
sanctity1 and power of his awful  yet   

winning beauty2 to make him ashamed of  
his own sins1 and afraid of  sin1 by    
arousing moral sensibility in his heart2
 safely to fence in his  path by        
beautiful and sacred customs1--the      
tender1 simple rites of  baptism and    
communion2 the duty of daily prayer1 the
 use of the  ,scriptures1 and respect   
for the ,lord's ,day4    ,here is a     
,christianity without dogmatic          
entanglement2 plain1 direct1  earnest1  
simple1 defensible1 intelligible to a   
child1 yet deep enough to  exhaust a    
life's study4 ,for it is the            
simplicities of religion that are  the  
permanent and glorious mysteries that   
never tire4 ,they draw our  childhood's 
wonder1 our manly reverence1 and age's  
unquenched curiosity  and awe4 ,do we   
ever tire of the stars1 or the horizon1 
or the blue sky1  or the dawn1 or the   
sunset1 or running water1 or natural    
gems8 ,do we  ever tire of the thought  
of a holy1 all-wise1 all-good ,spirit of
  spirits1 our ,god and our ,father1 or 

of hearing of the reverence and  trust1 
the obedience and the love1 due to him8 
,do we ever tire of ,jesus  ,christ1    
considered as the sinless image1 within 
human limitations1 of  ,god's love and  
truth and mercy and purity8 ,do we ever 
tire of hearing  the wondrous story of  
his obedient1 disinterested1 and exalted
 life and  sacrifice8 or of the call to 
follow his graces and copy his          
perfections  into our own hearts and    
lives8 ,are we ever weary of hearing of 
the  blessed hope of immortality1 with  
the comfortable expectation of  throwing
 off the burden of our flesh1 and       
winging our way in spiritual  freedom   
nearer to ,god and the light of our     
,master's face8 ,who can  exhaust1 who  
can add to1 the real force and          
attraction and fulness of  those truths 
and promises8 ,truly received1 they grow
 with every day's  contemplation and    
use2 they fill the soul with an         
increasing awe and  joy2 they prove only
 less common-place as they are more     

nearly  approached1 more copious as they
 are more drawn upon1 and more sacred as
  they are more familiar4    ,it is the 
common1 simple1 universal truths that   
are the great1  inexhaustible1 powerful1
 and never-wearying truths4 ,but        
doubtless it  requires courage1 personal
 conviction1 and self-watchfulness1 to  
maintain personal piety or religious    
institutions under free and  enlightened
 conditions1 when they are just         
beginning4 ,when sacramental  mysteries 
are exploded1 when the official sanctity
 of the ministry is  disowned1 when the 
technical and dogmatic conditions of    
acceptance with  ,god are abandoned1    
when every man's right of private       
judgment is  confessed1 when common     
sense is invited into the inner court of
 faith1  when every man is confessed to 
be a king and a priest in that temple of
  ,god which he finds in his own body   
and soul1 when real1 genuine goodness   
is owned as the equivalent of religion1 
then it is evident that the  support of 

religious institutions1 of public       
worship1 of the church and  the         
ordinances1 must appeal to something    
besides the ignorance1 the  fears1 the  
superstitions1 the traditions of the    
,christian world4 ,they  must fall back 
on the practical convictions men        
entertain of their  intrinsic           
importance4 ,they must commend          
themselves to the sober1 plain1  and    
rational judgment of men of courage1    
reflection1 and observation4  ,they fall
 into the same category with a          
government based not on the  divine     
right of kings1 or the usages of past   
generations1 the artificial             
distinctions of ranks and classes1 owing
 fealty each to that which is  socially 
above itself1 but resting on the consent
 of the governed1 and  deriving its     
authority and its support from the sense
 of its usefulness  and necessity4 ,we  
have not yet achieved fully1 in this    
country1 the  passage of the people over
 from the ,old ,world status of subjects

 to  the ,new ,world status of citizens4
 ,we are in the midst of the glorious   
struggle for a ,state1 a national       
government1 which rests securely on the 
love and service of hearts that have    
created it1 and maintain and defend  it 
on purely rational and intelligible     
grounds4 ,it is so new1 so  advanced1 so
 sublime an undertaking1 that we often  
falter and faint1 as  if man were not   
good enough1 nor reasonable enough1 to  
be entitled to  such a government4 ,we  
often doubt if we can bear the dilution 
which the  public virtue and good sense 
in our native community suffers from the
  flood of ignorance and political      
superstition coming with emigrants from 
other and coarser states of society and 
civil organizations4 ,we are not  half  
alive to the glory and grandeur of the  
experiment of free political            
institutions1 and do not press with the 
zeal we ought the general  education1   
the political training1 the moral       
discipline1 which can alone  save the   

,state1 when it has no foundation but   
the good-will1 the  respect1 and the    
practical valuation of the people4 ,but 
is the ,state or  the nation ever so    
truly divine as when it is owned as the 
voice of ,god1  calling all the people  
to maintain equal justice1 to recognize 
universal  interests1 to embody         
,christian ethics in public law8 ,and   
despite our  local mortifications and   
occasional misgivings1 what nation is   
now so  strong and firm1 what government
 so confident and so promising1 as our  
own8 ,what but freedom1 fidelity to     
rational principles and ideal  justice1 
give it this strength8 ,what is it1 on  
the other hand1 but  traditions that    
represent the ignorance and accidents   
and injustice of  former ages1--what is 
it but authority usurped and then       
consecrated1  social superstitions      
hardened into political creeds1--that is
 now  proving the weakness and peril of 
,european nationalities1 and imperial   
or monarchical governments8 ,knowledge1 

science1 literature1 progress1  truth1  
liberty1 become sooner or later the     
enemies of all governments1  and all    
social institutions1 not founded in     
abstract justice and equal  rights4 ,yet
 how fearful the transition6 ,who can   
contemplate the downfall  of the ,french
 empire1 and then look at the architects
 of the new  republic1 working in the   
crude material of a priest-ridden or    
unschooled  populace1 without dismay8   
,yet the process is inevitable4         
,democratic  ideas are abroad3 they are 
in the air4 ,they corrode all the base  
metal  they touch2 and thrones and      
titles1 and legalized classes1 and      
exceptional prerogatives1 are           
predestined to a rapid disintegration4  
,how  blessed the nation that has       
transferred its political homage from   
traditions to principles2 from men or   
families1 to rights and duties2  from a 
compromise with ancient inequality and  
wrong1 to an affirmation  of universal  
justice and right6 ,yet never had a     

people so grave and so  constant and so 
serious duties as we have4 ,and there is
 nothing in our  principles or          
government that must save our country1  
in spite of the  failure of political   
virtue1 intelligence1 and devotion1 in  
our private  citizens4 ,god has buried  
many republics1 because the people were 
unworthy of them4 ,their failure was no 
disproof of the principle  involved1 but
 only an evidence that the people fell  
wholly below their  privileges and      
ideas4 ,america may add another to this 
list of failures1  but can do nothing to
 discredit the truth and glory and final
 triumph of  the democratic idea4 ,i do 
not believe we shall fail2 on the       
contrary1 ,i  have an increasing faith  
in the sense and virtue and ability of  
the  people of this country4 ,but the   
success of ,american political          
institutions depends very much on the   
success of the ,christian and  religious
 institutions that match them1 and are  
alone adapted to them4  ,we cannot long 

guarantee religious institutions1 in a  
country of free  schools1 public        
lyceums1 unlicensed newspapers1         
unimpeded inquiry1 and  absolute        
religious equality1 if they do not rest 
on grounds of reason  and experience and
 sober truth4 ,mere authority1 mere     
ecclesiasticism1  mere sacred usages1   
mere mystery1 or mere dogmatism1 will   
not long  protect the creeds and        
formularies of the church4 ,they are    
undergoing a  species of dry-rot1 like  
to that which the rafters of my own     
church  lately suffered from the        
confinement and unventilated bondage in 
iron  boxes in which their ends had been
 placed for greater security4 ,they     
wanted air and light1 and more          
confidence in their inherent soundness2 
and1 if they had been permitted it1 they
 would have lasted a hundred  years4 ,it
 is precisely so with the ,christian    
religion1 boxed up in  creeds4 ,it grows
 musty1 worm-eaten1 and finally loses   
its life and hold4  ,a certain timid and

 constitutionally religious portion of  
the community  will cherish any creed or
 usage which is time-honored2 and the   
less  robust and decisive minds of the  
time will rally about what is           
established and venerable1 however out  
of date1 incredible1 or  irrational4    
,but it is what is going on in the      
independent and free mind  of the common
 people1 that should have our most      
serious regard4 ,what is  the faith of  
the fairly educated young men and women 
who are now  springing up in ,america8  
,certainly1 it is not1 in the more      
gifted or the  most thoughtful part of  
it1 in sympathy with any form of        
sacramental or  dogmatic ,christianity4 
,it is not ,trinitarian2 it is not      
biblical2 it is  not technical4 ,it is  
hardly ,christian6 ,it is bold1         
independent1  inquisitive1 questioning  
every thing1 and resolute in its rights 
of  opinion4 ,it is alienated from      
church and worship to a great degree4   
,it  suspects the importance of         

religious institutions1 and reads and   
thinks  and worships in books of poetry 
and philosophy4 ,a timid heart might    
easily grow alarmed at the symptoms1 and
 think that irreligion1 and  decay of   
worship and fellowship in the ,christian
 ,church1 were upon us4  ,but sad and   
discouraging as the present symptoms are
 to many1 ,i see more  to hope than fear
 in these tendencies4 ,they are a rebuke
 to formal and  technical theology1--to 
mere ecclesiasticism1 to outworn ways4  
,they are  bringing a violent assault   
upon the hard crust of a stifling       
belief1 of  which the world must get rid
 before the gospel of ,christ can       
emerge1 and  be received in its         
primitive simplicity4 ,it is the only   
way in which  faith is ever             
purified1--by doubt and denial4 ,the    
gospel requires a new  statement4 ,it   
must come out of its ecclesiastical     
bulwarks4 ,it must  abandon its claim to
 any other kind of judgment than all    
other truth  claims and allows4 ,it must

 place itself by the side of science1   
experience1 and philosophy1 and defy    
their tests4 ,it must invite the  most  
rigid investigation4 ,it must claim its 
foundations in eternal  truth4 ,it must 
prove its efficiency1 not with the weak1
 but the strong2  not with the ignorant1
 but the learned2 not with the bound1   
but the  free4 ,and then it will recover
 its lost ground1 and take a stronger   
and  diviner position than it ever had  
before4    ,this is the work that       
,liberal ,christianity has in hand2 a   
difficult1  slow1 and often discouraging
 work1 but one that is intensely        
patriotic1  intensely practical1        
intensely necessary4 ,that which was the
 mere  fortress into which the          
enlightened and free-minded people of   
,massachusetts fled for refuge from     
ecclesiastical tyranny1 a  half-century 
ago1--,unitarianism1--is now become a   
recognized crusade for  religious       
liberty for the ,american people4 ,the  
liberty is coming fast  enough1 and     

surely enough2 but will the worship1    
will the ,christian  seriousness1 will  
the fellowship of faith1 will the piety 
that gives  aromatic beauty as well as  
health to the soul1 come with it8 ,if it
 were  not to come1 liberty would be    
only license and secularity and         
worldliness4 ,every firm1 well-ordered1 
earnest and religious  congregation of  
the liberal faith2 exhibiting           
stableness1 order1  solemnity2 doing    
religious work among the poor1 and      
cultivating piety in  its own youth2    
making sacrifices to its own ideas1 and 
upholding its own  worship1--is an      
argument of the most solid kind1 an     
example of  contagious power1 an        
encouragement of priceless cheer1 for   
those who  think that ,christian liberty
 necessarily leads to license and decay 
of  worship2 or that ,christ is less    
revered and loved and trusted when he is
  accepted in the derived and dependent 
character he claimed1--the only         
tenable1 rational1 possible character in

 which a century hence he can be        
received by any unsuperstitious persons4
 ,we have a sacred privilege1 a         
glorious opportunity4 ,we only need to  
show ourselves warm1 earnest1  united1  
attached to worship1 fruitful in piety1 
devoted to good works1  zealous for     
,god's glory and man's redemption1      
sincere1 humble1 yet  rational and free 
followers of ,christ1 to win an immense 
victory for the  gospel in this         
inquiring and doubting age4 ,i have no  
great immediate  hopes1 but hopes beyond
 expression in the gracious development 
of  another generation4 ,i bate not a   
jot of heart or hope that absolute      
liberty in religion will favor the      
growth of piety1 as much as political   
freedom has favored the growth of order 
and peace and prosperity4 ,oh6  not a   
thousandth part the power of ,christian 
truth and righteousness has  yet been   
shown in the world4 ,the love of ,god1  
the love of man1 have only  begun their 
glorious mission4 ,christ yet waits for 

his true throne4  ,humanity is just come
 of age1 and1 with some wild festivity1 
is claiming  its heritage4 ,but ,god is 
with and over it2 and ,jesus ,christ is 
its  inspirer and guide4 ,he will not   
lose his headship4 ,he will be more     
followed when less worshipped2 more     
truly loved when less idolized2 more    
triumphant when more clearly understood6
 ,darkness1 wrath1 threats1             
enchantments1 sacraments1 prostrations1 
humiliations of reason1  emotional      
transports1 affectations of belief1     
belief for its own  sake1--none of these
 things are truly favorable to ,christ's
 kingdom or  the glory of his gospel4   
,god is light1 and in him is no darkness
 at all4  ,christ is the ,sun of        
righteousness4 ,when reason1 conscience1
 affection1  rule the world2 when love  
and justice1 and mild and tender views  
of life  and humanity1 of ,god and      
,christ1 displace the cruel terrors and 
superstitions that have survived the    
social and political meliorations  of   

the age1 we shall begin to see that love
 is the fulfilling of the  law1 and     
liberty of thought the greatest friend  
of worship1 the finest  result of       
,christ's coming1 and the throne from   
which he commands the  whole human heart
 and history4          ,a ,,true        
,,theology ,,the ,,basis    ,,of        
,,human ,,progress4    ,by ,,james      
,,freeman ,,clarke4      ,the subject of
 the present lecture is ,a ,true        
,theology the ,basis of  ,human         
,progress4 ,and1 in order to strike the 
key-note1 and to indicate  the object at
 which ,i aim1 ,i will read four or five
 passages from the  ,new ,testament1    
which describe such a ,theology in its  
spirit and root4    ,the ,apostle ,paul 
says3#a ,i count not myself to have     
apprehended3 but  this one thing ,i do1 
forgetting those things which are       
behind1 and  reaching forth unto those  
things which are before1 ,i press toward
 the  mark4 ,so he declares himself a   
,progressive ,christian4    ,footnote   

#a3 ,phil4 iii4 #ac4    ,again he       
says3#b ,we know in part1 and we        
prophesy or teach in part4  ,but when   
that which is perfect is come1 then that
 which is in part shall  be done away4  
,so he declares that all intellectual   
statements1 his own  included1 are      
relative and provisional4 ,he is here   
speaking1 doubtless1  not of rational   
insights1 but of the insight when       
elaborated by the  intellect into a     
statement2 not of intuitional knowledge1
 but that which  comes from reflection4 
,in regard to all such propositions1 he 
would  accept the modern doctrine of the
 ,relativity of ,knowledge2 thus cutting
  up by the roots the poisonous weed of 
,bigotry4    ,footnote #b3 #a ,cor4     
xiii4 #i1 #aj4    ,again3 ,brethren1 be 
not children in understanding3 howbeit1 
in malice  be ye children1 but in       
understanding be men4#c ,he thus        
requires and  authorizes a manly1       
intelligent ,theology4    ,footnote #c3 
#a ,cor4 xiv4 #bj4    ,again3 ,who also 

hath made us able ministers of the ,new 
,testament2 not  of the letter1 but of  
the spirit3 for the letter killeth1 but 
the spirit  giveth life4#d ,he here     
rejects the ,theology of the letter1    
including  the doctrine of ,literal     
,inspiration4    ,footnote #d3 #b ,cor4 
iii4 #f4    ,again3 ,god hath not given 
us the spirit of fear2 but of power1 and
 of  love1 and of a sound mind4#e       
,footnote #e3 #b ,tim4 i4 #g4    ,my    
,thesis to-night is not a truism2 my    
argument is not unnecessary or  uncalled
 for4 ,nothing is more common than to   
undervalue the importance  of ,theology2
 to regard it as having no bearing on   
life1 no influence on  human progress1  
no causative power in regard to         
civilization4 ,mr4  ,buckle1 one of the 
most recent ,english philosophical      
historians1  contends that ,theology is 
the result rather than the cause of     
national  character2 that it is merely  
symptomatic of the condition of a       
people4  ,if they are in a good         

condition1 they have a good ,theology2  
if in a bad  condition1 a bad one4 ,he  
even thinks it owing to a mistaken zeal 
that  ,christians try to propagate their
 religion1 because he believes that     
savages cannot become ,christians4      
,civilization1 ,mr4 ,buckle supposes1   
depends greatly upon soil1 upon climate1
 upon food1 upon the  trade-winds2 but  
not much upon religious ideas4 ,he says 
that1 in  ,england1 theological         
interests have long ceased to be        
supreme4 ,the  time for these things has
 passed by4 ,and this is also a very    
common  opinion among ourselves4 ,many  
reformers have a notion that we have    
done  with ,theology1 that we can do    
without it4 ,some men of science tell us
  that ,theology has nothing to do with 
the advance of civilization1 but  that  
this comes from discovery in the sphere 
of physical science4 ,but ,i  believe   
that the one thing which retards the    
progress of reform is a  false          
philosophy concerning ,god and man1 a   

false view of ,god's ideas  concerning  
this world2 and that the one thing      
needful for ,human ,progress  is a      
deeper1 higher1 broader view of ,god and
 his ways4 ,and ,i hope to be  able to  
show some grounds for this opinion4     
,the religious instinct in man is       
universal4 ,some individuals and some   
races possess more of it1 and others    
less2 but the history of mankind  shows 
that religion in some form is one of the
 most indestructible  elements of human 
nature4 ,but whether this religious     
instinct shall  appear as faith or as   
fanaticism2 whether it shall be a blind 
enthusiasm  or an intelligent           
conviction2 whether it shall be a       
tormenting  superstition or a consoling 
peace2 whether it shall lead to cruel   
persecutions or to heavenly benevolence2
 all this1 and more1 depends on         
,theology4 ,religion is a blind         
instinct3 the ideas of ,god1 man1 duty1 
destiny1 which determine its            
development1 constitute ,theology4      

,the same law holds concerning          
,conscience and ,ethics4 ,conscience in 
the  form of a moral instinct is        
universal in man4 ,in every human breast
  there is a conviction that something  
is right and something wrong2 but  what 
that right and wrong is depends on      
,ethics4 ,in every language of  man1    
there are words which imply ought and   
ought not1 duty1  responsibility1 merit1
 and guilt4 ,but what men believe they  
ought to do1  or ought not to do1--that 
depends on the education of their       
conscience2  that is1 on their ,ethics4 
,conscience1 like religion1 is man's    
strength1 and his weakness4  ,conscience
 makes cowards of us all2 but it is the 
strong-siding champion  which makes     
heroes of us all4 ,savages are cruel1   
pirates are cruel2 but  they cannot be  
as cruel as a good man1 with a misguided
 conscience4 ,the  most savage heart has
 some touch of human kindness left in   
it1 which  nothing can quite            
conquer1--nothing but conscience4 ,that 

can make man as  hard as ,alpine rock1  
as cold as ,greenland ice4 ,the         
torture-rooms and  autos da fe of the   
,inquisition surpass the cruelties of   
the ,north  ,american ,indian4 ,the     
cruelties of instinct are faint compared
 with the  cruelties of conscience4 ,now
 what guides conscience to good or to   
evil8  ,theology1 in the form of        
,ethics1 is the guide of conscience4    
,for1 as  soon as man believes in a     
,god1 he believes in the authority of   
his ,god  to direct and control his     
actions4 ,whatever his ,god tells him to
 do must  be right for him to do4       
,therefore religion in its inward form  
is either  a debasing and tormenting    
superstition or a glad faith1 according 
to the  ,theology with which it is      
associated4 ,and religion1 in its       
outward form1  is either an impure and  
cruel despotism or an elevating         
morality1  according to the idea of ,god
 and ,duty which guide it2 that is1     
according  to its associated ,theology4 

,some persons1 like ,lucretius1 seeing  
the evils of ,superstition1 ,bigotry1   
and ,fanaticism1 and perceiving that    
these have their root in religion1  have
 endeavored to uproot religion itself4  
,but could this be effected1  which is  
impossible1 it would be like wishing to 
get rid of the  atmosphere1 because it  
is sometimes subject to tempests1 and   
sometimes  infected with malaria4       
,religion is the atmosphere of the soul1
 necessary  to the healthful action of  
its life1 to be purified1 but not       
renounced4    ,every one has a          
,theology1 who has even a vague idea of 
a ,god2 and every  one has this who has 
an idea of something higher and better  
than  himself1 higher and better than   
any of his fellow-men4 ,the ,atheist    
therefore may have a ,god1 though he    
does not call him so4 ,for ,god is not  
a word1 not a sound3 he is the ,infinite
 ,reality which we see1 more or  less   
dimly1 more or less truly1 rising above 
us1 and above all our race4  ,the nature

 of this ideal determines for each of us
 what we believe to be  right or wrong2 
and so it is that our ,theology rules   
our conscience1 and  that our conscience
 determines with more or less supremacy 
the tendency  and stress of our life4   
,no one can look at the ,history of the 
,human ,race without seeing what an     
immense influence religion has had in   
human affairs4 ,every race or  nation   
which has left its mark on ,human       
,progress has itself been under  the    
commanding control of some great        
religion4 ,the ancient civilization  of 
,india was penetrated to the core by the
 institutions of ,brahmanism2  the grand
 development of ,egyptian knowledge was 
guided by its  priesthood2 the culture  
of ,china has been the meek disciple of 
,confucius  for two thousand years4     
,whenever any nation emerges out of     
darkness into  light1--,assyria1        
,persia1 ,greece1 or ,rome1--it comes   
guided and inspired  by some mighty     
religion4 ,the testimony of ,history is 

that religion is  the most potent of all
 the powers which move and govern human 
action4    ,such is the story of the    
past4 ,how is it at the present time8   
,has  mankind outgrown the influence of 
religion to-day8 ,has the spread of     
knowledge1 the advance of science1 the  
development of literature1 art1         
culture1 weakened its power in          
,christendom8 ,never was there so much  
of  time1 thought1 effort1 wealth1      
consecrated to the ,christian ,church as
  there is now4 ,both branches of that  
,church1 the ,catholic and ,protestant1 
are probably stronger to-day than they  
ever were before4 ,some few  persons can
 live apart from religious institutions2
 but mankind cannot  dispense with      
religion1 and they need it organized    
into a ,church or  ,churches4           
,religion is a great power1 and will    
remain so4 ,but what is to determine    
the character of this power8 ,it may    
impede progress or advance it2 it  may  
encourage thought or repress it2 it may 

diffuse knowledge or limit  it2 it may  
make men free or hold them as slaves2 it
 may be a generous1  manly1 free1 and   
moral religion or a narrow1 bigoted1    
intolerant1  fanatical1 sectarian1      
persecuting superstition4 ,it has been  
both3 it is  both to-day4 ,what is to   
decide which it shall be8 ,i answer1 its
  ,theology2 the views it holds         
concerning ,god1 man1 duty1 immortality1
 the  way and the means of salvation4   
,religion is an immense power3 how that 
power is to be directed depends on      
,theology4    ,proceeding then with my  
theme1 ,i shall endeavor to show how    
false ideas  in ,theology tend to check 
the progress of humanity1 and afterward 
how  true ideas always carry mankind    
onward along an ascending path of       
improvement4    ,but first let me say   
that my criticism is of ideas1 not of   
sects1  churches1 nor individuals4 ,by a
 true ,theology1 ,i mean neither a      
,unitarian nor a ,trinitarian ,theology1
 neither a ,catholic nor a  ,protestant 

,theology4 ,i do not mean ,calvinism nor
 ,arminianism4 ,i have  nothing to say  
concerning these distinctions1 however  
important they  may be2 and ,i1 for one1
 consider them important4 ,but ,i refer 
to a  distinction more important still1 
lying back of these distinctions1  lying
 beneath them2 a difference not of      
opinions so much as of ideas and        
spirit4    ,by a true ,theology1 ,i mean
 a manly ,theology1 as opposed to a     
childish  one2 a free1 as opposed to a  
servile one2 a generous1 as opposed to a
  selfish one2 a reasonable and         
intelligent ,theology1 as opposed to a  
superstitious one4    ,by a true        
,theology1 ,i mean one which regards    
,god as a father1 and man as  a brother2
 which looks upon this life as a        
preparation for a higher2  which        
believes that ,god gives us freedom1    
inspires our reason1 and is  the author 
of whatever is generous1                
self-forgetting1 and noble4 ,i find     
something of this ,theology in all sects

 and churches2 from the ,roman          
,catholic at one extreme1 to the        
,universalists and ,unitarians1 the     
,spiritualists and ,come-outers1 at the 
other4 ,and the opposite1 the false     
,theology1 dishonorable to ,god1        
degrading to man1 ,i find in all sects1 
and accompanying all creeds4 ,and if ,i 
shall show1 as truth compels me to      
show1 that certain parties and persons  
are specially exposed to danger  in one 
or another direction1 ,i wish distinctly
 to state my belief that  sincere and   
earnest men continually rise above the  
contagion of their  position1 and live  
untainted in an atmosphere which may    
have in it some  special tendency to    
disease4    ,one false idea in          
,theology1 which opposes human progress1
 is that  ,pantheistic view of the      
,deity1 which loses sight of his        
personality1 and  conceives of him as a 
blind1 infinite force1 pervading all    
,nature1 and  carrying on the universe1 
but without intelligence and without    

love4    ,i know indeed that many views 
have been accused of being ,pantheism   
which  are not4 ,i do not believe in a  
,god outside of the universe4 ,i believe
  that he is one in whom we live1 and   
move1 and have our being1 one  from     
whom1 and through whom1 and to whom are 
all things1--a perpetual  ,creator1     
immanent in his world4 ,but this view is
 quite consistent with a  belief in his 
personal being1 in his intelligent1     
conscious1 loving  purpose4 ,without    
such a belief1 hope dies out of the     
heart2 and without  hope mankind loses  
the energy which creates progress4      
,unless we have an  intelligent ,friend 
who governs the universe1 it will seem  
to be moving  blindly on toward no      
divine end2 and this thought eats out   
the courage  of the soul4    ,in some   
poetical natures1 as in the case of     
,shelley1 this ,pantheism  takes the    
form of faith in a spirit of beauty1 or 
love1 or intellectual  power1 pervading 
all things4 ,in more prosaic minds it   

becomes a belief  in law1 divorced from 
love4 ,it turns the universe into a     
machine1 worked  by forces whose mutual 
action unfolds and carries on the       
magnificent  ,cosmos4 ,often this view  
comes1 by way of a reaction1 against an 
excessive ,personality of ,will4 ,when  
the ,christian ,church speaks of the    
,deity as an ,infinite ,power outside of
 the world1 who creates it and  carries 
it on according to some contrivance1 of 
which his own glory is  the end1 it is  
perhaps natural that men should go to   
the other extreme  and omit person1     
will1 and design from their conception  
of ,deity4 ,but  thus they encounter    
other and opposite dangers4    ,a gospel
 of mere law is no sufficient gospel4   
,it teaches prudence1 but  omits        
,providence4 ,this utilitarian doctrine1
 which reduces every thing  to          
law1--which makes the ,deity only a     
,great ,order1 not a ,father or         
,friend1--would soon put a stop to the  
deepest spring of human progress4  ,it  

takes faith and hope out of our life1   
and substitutes observation1            
calculation1 and prudence4 ,but the case
 of ,ecclesiastes and of ,faust  teaches
 us what comes from knowledge emptied of
 faith4 ,he who increases  such         
knowledge increases sorrow4 ,the        
unknown1 wonderful ,father2 the  divine1
 mysterious ,infinite2 the great        
supernatural power and beauty  above    
,nature1 and above all1--these alone    
make life tolerable4 ,without  this     
brooding sense of a ,divine love1 of a  
,heaven beyond this world1 of  a        
,providence guiding human affairs1 men  
would not long have the heart to  study1
 because all things would seem to be    
going nowhere4 ,without such a          
,heavenly ,friend to trust1 such an     
immortal progress to hope1 all things   
would seem to revolve in a circle4 ,not 
to believe in something more than  a    
,god of ,law is to be without ,god in   
the world1 is to be without hope4  ,and 
hope is the spring of all progress1     

intellectual progress as well as  all   
other4 ,intellect1 divorced from faith1 
at last kills intellect  itself1 by     
destroying its inner motive4 ,it ends in
 a doctrine of  despair1 which cries    
continually1 ,what is the use8 and finds
 no  answer4 ,and so the soul dies the  
only death the soul can die1--the death 
of torpor and inaction4    ,another     
false idea in ,theology1 which          
interferes with human progress1 is  that
 of ecclesiastical authority in matters 
of faith and practice4 ,when  the       
,church comes between the soul and ,god1
 and seeks to be its master  rather than
 its servant1 it takes from it that     
direct responsibility to  ,god1 which is
 one of the strongest motives for human 
effort4 ,i know that  this has always   
been done from a sincere desire1 at any 
rate in the  beginning1 to save men from
 apparent dangers4 ,the ,church has     
assumed  authority1 in order to do good 
with it4 ,it has commanded men not to   
think for themselves1 lest they should  

err4 ,but ,god has meant that we  should
 be liable to error1 in order that we   
should learn to avoid it by  increased  
strength4 ,therefore ,christ said1 ,be  
not called ,rabbi2 be not  called       
,masters1 and call no man father on     
earth4 ,his church1 and his  apostles1  
and he himself are here1 not to be      
masters of the soul1 but to  be its     
servants4    ,the ,roman ,catholic      
,church is a great organization1 which  
has gradually  grown up1 during a       
thousand years1 the object of which has 
been to  educate men in ,christian faith
 and ,christian conduct4 ,it has        
sincerely  endeavored to do this4 ,but1 
unfortunately1 it took a narrow view of 
,christian education2 supposing that it 
meant instruction and guidance1         
restraint and tuition1 but not          
development4 ,it has magnified its own  
authority1 in order to produce docility 
in its pupils4 ,it has not  allowed them
 freedom of inquiry nor liberty of      
conscience4 ,it has not  said1 like     

,paul1 ,be not children in              
understanding2 on the contrary1 it  has 
preferred to keep them children1 so as  
to guide them more easily4 ,it  has not 
said1 with ,paul1 ,stand fast in the    
liberty wherewith ,christ has  made you 
free2 for it has come to hate the very  
name of liberty4 ,what  is the result8  
,you may read it to-day in ,france1     
where1 as ,mr4 ,coquerel  tells us1 that
 ,church has prevented the steady       
development of free  institutions4 ,it  
has always supported the principle of   
authority in the  ,state1 as the natural
 ally of authority in the ,church4      
,there are so few  republicans in       
,france to-day1 because the people have 
been educated by  the ,church to blind  
submission4 ,the priests are not to     
blame1 the people  are not3 it is the   
,roman ,catholic ,theology which is to  
blame4 ,that  ,theology teaches that the
 soul is saved by the reception of      
external  sacraments1 and not by vital1 
independent convictions of truth4#f     

,footnote #f3 ,the proof of this may be 
amply found in the famous  ,encyclical  
and ,syllabus of ,pius ,,ix41 ,dec4     
#hth1 #ahfd4 ,in the ,syllabus he       
denounces as errors such propositions as
 the following3--    ,that every man is 
free to embrace and profess that        
religion which  guided by the light of  
reason1 he holds to be true4  #ae4      
,that one may well hope1 at least1 for  
the eternal salvation of those  who are 
in no wise in the true ,church of       
,christ4  #ag4    ,that the ,church has 
no power to employ force4  #bd4    ,that
 men emigrating to ,catholic countries  
should be permitted the  public exercise
 of their own several forms of worship4 
#gh4    ,that the ,roman ,pontiff can   
and ought to reconcile and harmonize    
himself  with progress1 with liberalism1
 and with modern civilization4  #hj4    
,or1 if you wish another illustration of
 the same thing1 look at ,new  ,york4   
,why have republican institutions in    
,new ,york almost proved a  failure8    

,why were a few robbers able to take    
possession of the city1 and  plunder the
 citizens8 ,because they could control  
the votes of the ,irish  ,catholics in a
 mass2 because this vast body of voters 
were unable to  vote independently1 or  
to understand the first duties of a free
 citizen4  ,and why was this8 ,not      
because the ,irish are naturally less   
intelligent  than the ,new-,englanders1 
the ,english1 the ,germans4 ,no2 but the
 ,roman  ,catholic ,church1 which has   
had the supreme control over the ,irish 
conscience and intellect for a thousand 
years1 has chosen to leave them         
uneducated4 ,of course1 the ,roman      
,church1 if it had pleased to do so1    
might long ago have made the ,irish     
nation as enlightened as any in         
,europe4 ,but its ,theology taught that 
education might lead them into  heresy1 
and so take them out of the true        
,church1 and that ignorance in  the     
,church was infinitely better than any  
amount of intellectual and  moral       

culture out of it4 ,the fatal principle 
of ,roman ,catholic  ,theology--,out of 
the true ,church there is no            
salvation--has been the  ruin of the    
,irish nation for hundreds of years1 and
 has very nearly  entailed ruin on our  
own4    ,do you wonder that the priests 
oppose our school system8 ,if ,i were a 
,roman ,catholic priest1 ,i should      
oppose it too4 ,should ,i run the risk  
of  poisoning my child's body by        
accepting as a gift a little better food
  than that ,i am able to buy8 ,and     
shall ,i risk the vastly greater evil of
  poisoning its soul1 by allowing it to 
be tainted with heretical books  and    
teachers in free schools8 ,the ,roman   
,catholic priest is consistent3  it is  
the ,theology which teaches salvation by
 sacraments that is to  blame4 ,it is a 
theology which naturally1 logically1    
necessarily1 stands  opposed to human   
progress4 ,it says1 ,in order to be     
children in malice1  you must also be   
children in understanding4    ,when the 

,protestant ,reformation came1 it       
brought with it a manly  ,theology4 ,it 
put the ,bible into all men's hands1 and
 asserted for each  the right of private
 judgment and liberty of conscience4    
,therefore the  ,reformation was the    
cause of a great forward movement in    
human affairs4  ,it awakened the        
intellect of mankind4 ,science1         
literature1  invention1--all were       
stimulated by it4 ,it ran well1 but     
something  hindered4 ,its reverence for 
the ,bible was its life2 but1           
unfortunately1  it soon fell into a     
worship of the letter4 ,it taught a     
doctrine of  verbal inspiration4 ,it    
forgot the great saying of ,paul1 not of
 the  letter1 but the spirit2 for the   
letter killeth4 ,very soon that saying  
was fulfilled4 ,reverence for the letter
 of the ,bible killed the spirit  of the
 ,bible4 ,that spirit is as free as air4
 ,it teaches no creed1 it  demands no   
blind acceptance of any dogma4 ,it      
declares that where the  spirit of the  

,lord is1 there is liberty4 ,but the    
letter-theology has  opposed nearly all 
the discoveries of science and all moral
 reforms with  the words of the ,bible4 
,it has set ,genesis against geology1   
and the book  of ,psalms against the    
,copernican system4 ,because the ,book  
of ,genesis  says the heavens and earth 
were made in six days1 the              
letter-theology  declared that the      
fossil shells were made in the rocks    
just as they are1  or were dropped by   
pilgrims returning from the ,holy ,land4
 ,because the  book of ,psalms said that
 ,god hath established the earth so that
 it  shall not be moved for ever1 the   
letter-theology denied its daily and    
yearly revolution4 ,because ,noah said1 
,cursed be ,canaan1 the  letter-theology
 defended the slavery of the negro4     
,because ,noah also  said1 ,he who      
sheddeth man's blood1 by man shall his  
blood be shed1 the  letter-theology has 
defended capital punishment as a        
religious duty4  ,because the ,jews were

 commanded to rest on the seventh day1  
the  letter-theology forbids the ,boston
 ,public ,library to be open on the     
first4 ,becoming ever more timid and    
more narrow1 it clings to the letter  of
 the common ,english translation1 and   
the received text4 ,it even  shrinks    
from alterations which would give us the
 true letter of the  ,bible1 instead of 
the false one4    ,some years ago the   
,american ,bible ,society appointed a   
committee of the  most learned scholars1
 from all ,orthodox denominations1 to   
correct the  text and the translation of
 our common ,english ,bible1 so as to   
make it  conform to the true ,hebrew and
 ,greek text4 ,they were not to make a  
new  translation1 but merely to correct 
palpable1 undoubted errors in the old   
one4 ,they did their work2 printed their
 corrected ,bible2 laid it before  the  
,bible ,society1--and that ,society     
refused to adopt it4 ,they had not  the 
slightest doubt of its superior         
correctness2 but they feared to make    

any change1 lest others might be called 
for1 and lest the faith of the          
community might be disturbed in the     
integrity of the ,scriptures4 ,jesus    
had promised them the ,holy ,spirit to  
lead them into all truth1 to take  of   
his truth and show it to them2 but they 
did not believe him4 ,they  preferred to
 anchor themselves to the words chosen  
by ,king ,james's  translators than to  
be led by the ,spirit into any new      
truth4 ,so it is  that the letter       
killeth4 ,it stands in the way of       
progress4 ,it keeps us  from trusting in
 that ever-present ,spirit which is     
ready to inspire us  all to-day1 as it  
inspired prophets and apostles of old4  
,it is an  evidence not of faith1 but of
 unbelief4    ,thus1 this false idea in 
,theology1 that inspiration rests in the
 letter  of a book or a creed rather    
than in its spirit1 is seen to be       
opposed to  human progress4    ,and then
 there is another ,theology which is    
opposed to human progress4  ,it is the  

,theology of ,fear4 ,it speaks of hell  
rather than of heaven2 it  seeks to     
terrify rather than to encourage2 it    
drives men by dread of  danger rather   
than leads them by hope4 ,its ruling    
idea is of stern1  implacable justice2  
its ,god is a ,god of vengeance1 who    
cannot pardon  unless the full penalty  
of sin has been borne by some victim2   
whose  mercy ceases at death2 who can   
only forgive sin during our short human 
life1 not after we have passed into the 
other world4 ,to assuage his  anger1 or 
appease his justice1 there must be      
devised some scheme of  salvation1 or   
plan of redemption4 ,he cannot forgive  
of pure1 free grace1  and out of his    
boundless love4    ,now those who hold  
such a ,theology as this will apply its 
spirit in  human affairs4 ,it will go   
into penal legislation1 into the        
treatment of  criminals4 ,it will make  
punishment the chief idea1 not          
reformation4  ,jesus taught a boundless 
compassion1 an infinite tenderness      

toward the  sinful1 the weak1 the       
forlorn people of the world4 ,he taught 
that the  strong are to bear the burdens
 of the weak1 the righteous to help the 
wicked1 and that we are to overcome evil
 with good4 ,when this principle  is    
applied in human affairs1 the great     
plague spots of society will  disappear3
 intemperance1 licentiousness1          
pauperism1 crime1 will be cured         
radically4 ,society1 purified from these
 poisons1 will go forward to  nobler    
achievements than have ever yet been    
dreamed of4 ,but this  principle will   
not be applied while the fear-theology  
prevails1 and is  thought more of than  
that of love4 ,the progress of human    
society depends  on the radical cure of 
these social evils1 not their mere      
restraint4 ,and  they can only be cured 
by such a view of the divine holiness   
and the  divine compassion as is taught 
by ,jesus in the ,sermon on the ,mount  
and  the ,parable of the ,prodigal ,son2
 showing the root of crime in sin1 and  

inspiring a profound faith in ,god's    
saving love4    ,it may seem to some    
persons that ,i go too far in asserting 
that a true  ,theology is at the basis  
of human progress4 ,they may ascribe    
human  progress to other causes1--to the
 advance of knowledge1 to scientific    
discovery1 to such inventions as        
printing1 the steam-engine1 the         
railroad1 and the like4 ,but ,i believe 
that spiritual ideas are at the  root of
 all others4 ,that which one thinks of  
,god1 duty1 and  immortality1--in short1
 his ,theology1--quickens or deadens his
 interest  in every thing else4         
,whatever arouses conscience1 faith1 and
 love1 also  awakens intellect1         
invention1 science1 and art4 ,if there  
is nothing  above this world or beyond  
this life2 if we came from nothing and  
are  going nowhere1 what interest is    
there in the world8 ,let us eat and     
drink1 for to-morrow we die4 ,but if the
 world is full of ,god1--if we  come    
from him and are going to him1--then it 

becomes everywhere  intensely           
interesting1 and we wish to know all    
about it4 ,science has  followed always 
in the steps of religion1 and not the   
reverse4 ,the ,vedas  went before       
,hindoo civilization2 the ,zend-,avesta 
led the way to that of  ,persia2 the    
oldest monuments of ,egypt attest the   
presence of religious  ideas2 the ,laws 
of ,moses preceded the reign of         
,solomon2 and that  civilization which  
joined ,greeks1 ,romans1 ,goths1        
,vandals1 ,franks1 and  ,saxons in a    
common civilization1 derived its        
cohesive power from the  life of ,him   
whose idea was that love to man was     
another form of love to  ,god4 ,the very
 word humanity1 says ,max ,mller1 dates 
from  ,christianity4 ,no such idea1 and 
therefore no such term1 was found among 
men before ,christ came4    ,but it may 
be said that these instances are from   
such obscure epochs  that it is         
uncertain how far it was religion which 
acted on  civilization4 ,let us1 then1  

take one or two instances1 concerning   
which  there is less uncertainty4    ,in
 the deserts1 and among the vast plains 
of the ,arabian ,peninsula1 a  race had 
slumbered inactive for twenty centuries4
 ,those nomad-,semitic  tribes had      
wandered to and fro1 engaged in         
perpetual internecine  warfare1         
fulfilling the prediction concerning    
,ishmael1 ,he will be a  wild man2 his  
hand will be against every man1 and     
every man's hand  against him4 ,no      
history1 no civilization1 no progress1  
no nationality1  no unity1 could be said
 to exist during that long period among 
these  tribes4 ,at length a man comes   
with a religious idea1 a living1        
powerful  conviction4 ,he utters it1    
whether man will bear or forbear4 ,he   
proclaims  the unity and spirituality of
 ,god in spite of all opposition and    
persecution4 ,at last his idea takes    
hold of the soul of this people4  ,what 
is the result8 ,they flame up into a    
mighty power2 they are united  into an  

irresistible force2 they sweep over the 
world in a few decades  of years2 they  
develop a civilization superior to any  
other then extant4  ,suddenly there     
springs up in their midst a new art1    
literature1 and  science4 ,christendom1 
emasculated by an ecclesiastical and    
monastic  ,theology1 went to ,islam for 
freedom of thought1 and found its best  
culture in the ,mohammedan universities 
of ,spain4 ,bagdad1 ,cairo1  ,damascus1 
,seville1 ,cordova1 became centres of   
light to the world4 ,the  ,german       
conquerors darkened the regions they    
overran3 the ,mohammedans  enlightened  
them4 ,the caliphs and viziers          
patronized learning and  endowed        
colleges1 and some of their donations   
amounted to millions of  dollars4       
,libraries were collected4 ,that of a   
single doctor was a load  for four      
hundred camels4 ,that of ,cairo         
contained a hundred thousand            
manuscripts1 which were lent as freely  
as those in the ,boston ,public         

,library4 ,the ,college ,library of     
,cordova had four hundred thousand4 ,in 
these places grammar1 logic1            
jurisprudence1 the natural sciences1 the
  philosophy of ,aristotle1 were taught 
to students who flocked to them  from   
all parts of ,christendom4 ,many of the 
professors taught from  memory3 one man 
is reported to have been able to repeat 
three thousand  poems4 ,the ,saracens   
wrote treatises on geography1           
numismatics1 medicine1  chemistry1      
astronomy1 mathematics4 ,some1 like     
,avicenna1 went through the  whole      
circle of the sciences4 ,the ,saracens  
invented pharmacy1 surgery1  chemistry4 
,geber1 in the eighth century1 could    
prepare alcohol1  sulphuric acid1 nitric
 acid1 corrosive sublimate1 potash1 and 
soda4  ,their astronomers measured a    
degree of the earth's meridian near     
,bagdad1  and determined its            
circumference as twenty-four thousand   
miles4 ,they  found the length of the   
year1 and calculated the obliquity of   

the  ecliptic4 ,roger ,bacon quotes     
their treatises on optics4 ,trigonometry
  retains the form given it by the      
,arabs1 and they greatly improved       
,algebra4 ,we received from them our    
numerical characters4 ,we all know the  
beauty and permanence of their          
architecture1 and much of our musical   
knowledge is derived from them4 ,they   
also made great progress in  scientific 
agriculture and horticulture1 in mining 
and the working of  metals1 in tanning  
and dying leather4 ,damascus blades1    
morocco1  enamelled steel1 the          
manufacture and use of paper1 the use of
 the  pendulum1 the manufacture of      
cotton1 public libraries1 a national    
police1 rhyme in verse1 and our         
arithmetic1 all came to us from the     
,arabs4    ,all this fruitful           
intellectual life must be traced        
directly back to the  theological       
impulse given by ,mohammed to the ,arab 
mind2 for it can be  derived from no    
other source4    ,it is not quite so    

easy to define the precise influence on 
human  progress given by the doctrines  
of the ,reformation2 for1 before        
,luther1  these were in the air4 ,but no
 one can reasonably doubt that the      
demand  for freedom of conscience and   
the right of private judgment in        
religion  has led to liberty of thought1
 speech1 action1 in all other           
directions4  ,to the war against papal  
and ecclesiastical authority in concerns
 of the  soul we owe1 how much no one   
can say1 of civil freedom1 popular      
sovereignty1 the emancipation of man1   
the progress of the human mind4  ,the   
theses of ,luther were the source of the
 ,declaration of ,independence4  ,and   
modern science1 with the great names of 
,bacon and ,newton1 ,descartes  and     
,leibnitz1 ,goethe and ,humboldt1 is the
 legitimate child of ,protestant        
,theology4    ,it is true that printing 
and maritime discoveries preceded       
,luther4 ,but  these inventions came    
from the same ideas which took form in  

the  ,lutheran ,reformation4 ,the       
discovery of printing was a result1 no  
less  than a cause4 ,it came because it 
was wanted2 because men were wishing to 
communicate their thoughts more freely  
and widely than could be done by        
writing4 ,if it had been discovered five
 hundred years before1 it would  have   
fallen dead1 a sterile invention1       
leading to nothing4 ,and so the         
steam-engine and the railroad did not   
come before1 because they were not      
wanted3 as soon as they were wanted they
 came4 ,that which lies at the  root of 
all these inventions is the wish of man 
to communicate easily  and rapidly and  
widely with his brother-man2 in other   
words1 the sense  of human brotherhood4 
,material civilization1 in all its parts
 and in all  times1 grows out of a      
spiritual root2 and only faith leads to 
sight1  only the things unseen and      
eternal create those which are seen and 
temporal4    ,the two ,theologies at the
 present time which stand opposed to    

each other  here are not ,calvinism and 
,armenianism1 not ,trinitarianism and   
,unitarianism1 not ,naturalism and      
,supernaturalism4 ,but they are the     
,theology of discouragement and fear on 
one side1 that of courage and  hope on  
the other4 ,the one thinks men must be  
driven to ,god by terror3  the other    
seeks to attract them by love4 ,the one 
has no faith in man1  believes him      
wholly evil1 believes sin to be the     
essential part of him4  ,the other      
believes reason a divine light in the   
soul1 and encourages it  to act freely2 
trusts in his conscience enlightened by 
truth1 and  appeals to it confidently2  
relies on his heart1 and seeks to       
inspire it  with generous affections and
 disinterested love4 ,that this         
,theology of  faith is to triumph over  
that of fear who can doubt8 ,all the    
best  thought1 the deepest religion1 the
 noblest aspiration of the age1 flows   
in this direction4 ,whether our handful 
of ,unitarian ,churches is ever to      

become a great multitude or not1 ,i do  
not know2 but ,i am sure that the       
spirit which inspired the soul of       
,channing is to lead the future age1    
and make the churches which are to be4  
,it is not now a question of ,unity  or 
,trinity1 but something far deeper and  
much more important4 ,while  endeavoring
 to settle the logical terms of         
,christ's divinity and  humanity1 we    
have been led up higher to the sight of 
the ,divine ,father  and the ,human     
,brotherhood4 ,like ,saul1 the son of   
,kish1 we went out to  seek our father's
 asses1 and have found a kingdom4    ,we
 have recently been told about a ,boston
 ,theology4 ,if there is any  thing     
which deserves to be called a ,boston   
,theology it is this doctrine  of       
courage and hope4 ,for it is shared by  
all the leading minds of all            
,protestant denominations in this city4 
,whatever eminent man comes here1  no   
matter what he was when he came1 finds  
himself1 ere long1 moving in  this      

direction4 ,the shackles of tradition   
and formality fall from his  limbs1 his 
eyes open to a new light2 and he also   
becomes the happy  herald of a new and  
better day4    ,but a better word still1
 if one is wanted by which to localize  
these  ideas1 would be ,the ,new        
,england ,theology4 ,for in every part  
of ,new  ,england1 from the beginning2  
in every one of the multiform sects1    
whose  little spires and baby-house     
churches have spotted our barren and    
rocky  hills1 there have never failed   
men of this true ,apostolic succession2 
men believing in truth1 and brave to    
utter it2 believing that ,god loves     
truth better than falsehood2 that he    
desires no one to tell a lie for  his   
glory1 or to speak words of wind in his 
behalf4 ,with all our  narrowness1 our  
bigotry1 our controversial bitterness1  
our persecuting  zeal1--of which1 ,god  
knows1 we have had enough in ,new       
,england1--the  heart of ,new ,england  
has been always free1 manly1 and        

rational4 ,yes3 all  the way from ,moses
 ,stuart to ,william ,ellery ,channing1 
all along the road  from the            
lecture-rooms on the hills of ,andover  
to the tribune of  ,theodore ,parker    
standing silent in the ,music ,hall1 we 
have had this same  brave element of a  
manly ,theology4 ,this has been the     
handful of salt  which has saved ,new   
,england4 ,hence it is that from the    
days of the early  ,puritans1 men and   
women1 of ,harry ,vane1 ,mrs4           
,hutchinson1 and ,roger  ,williams1 who 
stood up for the rights of the human    
soul against priestly  tyranny1 down    
through the ministers of the ,revolution
 who went with  their people to the camp
 of ,washington at ,cambridge2 down to  
the days of  the ,beechers1--there has  
never failed a man in the ,new ,england 
pulpit to  stand up for justice1        
freedom1 and humanity4 ,from our bare   
hill-tops ,new  ,england men and women  
have looked up to the sky and seen it   
not always  nor wholly black with       

superstitious clouds1 but its infinite  
depths of  blue interpenetrated evermore
 with the warm living light of a ,god of
  ,love4 ,and therefore has ,new        
,england been the fountain of ,progress1
 the  fruitful parent of ,reforms1 the  
lovely mother of yet more lovely        
children4    ,i have quoted several     
striking passages from the ,apostle     
,paul4 ,one  expresses his longing for  
greater excellence1 and declares that he
  forgets every thing already attained1 
and is reaching out for better  things1 
for more truth and more love4 ,another  
passage calls on his  disciples to think
 for themselves1 and be rational        
,christians1 not  children in           
understanding4 ,a third asserts that he 
is the minister of  the spirit of the   
gospel1 not its letter2 a fourth that   
his religion is  not one of fear1 but of
 power and love and a sound mind2 a     
fifth says1  ,stand fast in freedom1 and
 be liberal ,christians2 and in other   
places he  exhorts his brethren not to  

be narrow1 nor bigoted2 but to look at  
every  thing beautiful1 lovely1 true1   
and good1 no matter where they find it4 
,but a little while before he said these
 things ,paul himself was one of  the   
most narrow1 and intolerant of men1     
opposed to progress wholly4 ,what  made 
this great change in his soul8 ,it was  
that he had found a true  ,theology4 ,he
 learned from ,christ to trust simply in
 the divine love for  pardon and        
salvation4 ,he learned that ,god was the
 ,god of ,heathen and  ,pagans as well  
as of ,jews4 ,he learned that no ritual1
 ceremony1  sacraments nor forms1 but   
only the sight of ,god as a ,father and 
,friend1  can really save the soul from 
its diseases1 and fill it with immortal 
life4 ,a true ,theology was the secret  
of ,paul's immense progress1 and of  his
 wonderful power to awaken and convert  
others4 ,there are many who  suppose his
 ,theology obscure and severe4 ,but when
 we penetrate the veil  of ,jewish      
language1 we find it one of ,freedom1 of

 ,reason1 of ,love1 manly  and tender1  
generous and intelligent4 ,and this same
 ,theology passing in  its essence from 
,paul to ,augustine1 to ,luther1 to     
,wesley1 has always  been the motive    
power of human civilization and human   
development4 ,it  has been the friend of
 free thought1 liberty of conscience1   
and  universal progress4    ,i mean then
 by a true ,theology what ,paul meant   
when he said that ,god  has not given to
 us a spirit of fear1 but of power1 and 
of love1 and of  a sound mind4 ,i mean  
what he said when he declared that ,god 
had made  him a minister of the ,new    
,testament1 not of the letter but of the
  spirit2 for the letter killeth1 but   
the spirit giveth life4    ,i mean the  
,theology which places the substance    
above the form2 the thing  before the   
name2 which looks at the fact1 not at   
the label4    ,let us then1 brethren1   
who call ourselves ,unitarians1 be glad 
and  grateful for the gospel of faith   
and hope which we enjoy4 ,and let us    

give to others what we have ourselves   
received4 ,if it be true1 as we  have   
tried to show1 that human progress      
depends largely on a true  ,theology we 
cannot help mankind more than by        
diffusing widely that which  ,god has   
given us of his truth4 ,freely you have 
received1 freely give4  ,you who have   
always lived in this community1         
surrounded by this mellow  warm light of
 peace and freedom1 do not know1 cannot 
tell1 what those  suffer who have been  
taught from early childhood to fear     
,god1 and to  distrust his light in     
their soul4 ,do your part in spreading  
abroad the  beams of a better day4 ,give
 to the world that religion which is not
 a  spirit of fear1 but of power1 and of
 love1 and of a sound mind4             
,,the ,,rise ,,and ,,decline    ,,of    
,,the    ,,romish ,,church4    ,by      
,,athanase ,,coquerel1 ,fils4      ,we  
live in a time of great and manifold    
changes4 ,there is one church  that for 
centuries has had her principal glory in

 asserting that she  never has          
changed1--that she has at all times been
 exactly the same2 but  now she can     
hardly deny that either in accordance   
with her own will1 or  by the force of  
circumstances1 very great changes have  
been wrought in  her during the last few
 years4 ,this1 if it is true1 must      
change also the  nature1 the system1 the
 course of our controversy with her4    
,the  controversy between the two       
churches has not always1 perhaps1 been  
quite  fair2 and ,i should not like to  
be unfair to any adversary1 whoever he  
may be4 ,i should not be at ease in my  
conscience if ,i thought ,i had been    
unfair to any thing1 especially to any  
thing religious1 of whatever kind  that 
religion may be2 because in any         
religion1 even the most imperfect1      
there is some aspiration from this earth
 to the sky2 at least1 from  human souls
 to what they hope or believe to be     
,god4 ,and especially ,i  could not     
pardon myself for being in any way      

unjust to that great church  which has  
for centuries comforted and sustained a 
multitude of souls1  and made them      
better and happier by her teachings4 ,it
 is a ,christian  church2 and though ,i 
think that ,romish ,christianity has    
been in a very  great degree alloyed1   
and mixed with grave errors1--and that  
is exactly  what ,i wish to show1--yet1 
even under that veil of human errors1 ,i
  recognize1 ,i acknowledge1 religion1  
,christianity2 and therefore ,i bow     
before it4    ,i think1 however1 the    
changes that have taken place have not  
altered the  essential character of the 
,roman ,church4 ,i think the changes    
that have  happened are in conformity   
with the nature of that church2 really  
were  to be expected1 and have nothing  
absolutely new in them4 ,we might1      
perhaps1 for a long time have seen them 
coming2 and1 if we had had  foresight   
enough1 we might have seen them from the
 very first times of  that church4 ,let 
us try to understand exactly what she   

is1 what she  means2 let us try to see  
what there is under that name1 ,roman   
,catholic  ,church4 ,she calls herself  
catholic1 which means universal1 and at 
the same time she has a local name4 ,she
 is for the whole world2 but at  the    
same time she belongs to one city1 and  
she bears the name of that  city4 ,why8 
,this is the question2 and though it    
seems only a question of  name1 ,i think
 we shall find by other ways that it is 
a question of  facts4 ,a second advance 
requires a change in our polemics with  
,roman  authority4 ,a new science has   
been created in our time1 which gives us
  better means of judging and studying  
other churches than our own2 that       
science is called the comparative       
history of religions4 ,in ,england ,max 
,mller1 in ,france ,burnouf1 and in this
 country ,james ,freeman ,clarke1  have 
compared the history of several         
religions4 ,according to that           
comparative history1 there are rules to 
be understood1 to be  acknowledged1 in  

the development of religion4 ,one of the
 rules which ,i  think we can deduce    
from any comparative history of religion
 may be a  startling one2 and ,i will   
use a very homely comparison1 to make   
myself  perfectly understood4 ,have you 
ever seen over a shop door a sign-board1
  where the name of the old shop-keeper 
was painted2 and1 when his  successor   
came in1 he had the same board covered  
with a new color1 and  his own name     
painted over the old one8 ,but in time  
the new paint wore  off1 so that the old
 name reappeared under the new1 in such 
a way that  it became perhaps difficult 
to distinguish clearly which letters or 
lines belonged to the old1 and which to 
the new4 ,if this image appears         
somewhat too familiar1 let me ask you if
 you remember what scholars call  a     
palimpsest4 ,sometimes in the ,middle   
,ages it was difficult to find          
well-prepared parchment on which to     
write1 and there were a great many      
monks who had nothing else to do--and it

 was the best use they could  make of   
their time--but write or copy the ,bible
 or other religious  books4 ,when they  
found parchments where were copied the  
comedies and  tragedies or other works  
of the heathen1 they thought those were 
of very  little use1 and they could very
 easily have the writing on those       
parchments washed out1 or covered over  
with white paint1 in such a way  that   
what had been written there was no more 
visible4 ,then on those  parchments they
 would write the ,bible1 or sermons1 or 
any document they  thought useful4 ,but 
the same thing happened then that       
happened with the  sign-board1--the old 
writing reappeared after a time2 the    
white covering  spread over the page    
disappeared4 ,and thus it happens that  
scholars are  sometimes pondering for a 
long time over a page from a sermon of  
,saint  ,augustine1 or ,john            
,chrysostom1 in which they find a verse 
from some  comedy of ,terence or        
,aristophanes2 then they have perhaps   

some trouble  in making out which is    
comedy and which is sermon1 in          
distinguishing  exactly what of the     
writing is old and what is new2 and they
 have not  always perfectly succeeded in
 that effort4    ,now what we see in the
 sign-board we see also in the religion 
of the  different churches1 when a whole
 multitude1 at one time1 pass from one  
worship to another4 ,then1 against their
 will1 and perhaps without their        
knowing it1 they never come into the    
pale of their new church  empty-handed3 
they carry with them a number of ideas1 
and habits1 and  turns of thought1 which
 they had found in their old worship4   
,and thus1  after a time1 when the      
fervor of the early days is over1 you   
find in the  new religion1 or new       
worship1 a real palimpsest3 the old one 
is  reappearing under the new4 ,that    
makes itself manifest in a good many    
ways2 sometimes in ways the most strange
 and unexpected4    ,if you ask me1 now1
 remembering this rule1 what means the  

name1 ,roman  ,catholic ,church1 ,i     
answer3 ,christianity absorbed into     
itself the ,roman  empire2 the ,roman   
empire became ,christian in a very few  
years1 with a  most rapid1 with a most  
admirable sway2 souls became conquered  
in large  numbers2 they became          
,christian4 ,but afterwards it appeared 
that they  were not so perfectly        
unheathenized as they were thought to   
be1 or as  they thought themselves3 many
 of their heathenish habits of life1    
thoughts1 and customs remained even in  
their very worship4 ,thus1 after        
,christianity had absorbed the ,roman   
world1 it appeared that the ,roman      
world had penetrated and impregnated the
 whole of ,christianity2 and this  is   
the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,she is   
,christian1 but she is full of the      
errors and superstitions that belonged  
to the old ,roman heathenish  world4    
,to understand what this means we must  
now try to comprehend what the old      
,roman genius was4 ,here ,i ask you not 

to confound it with the ,greek  genius1 
which was in many respects highly       
superior1 but which had1 at  that time1 
passed away in a large measure1 and been
 replaced everywhere  by the ,roman     
genius4 ,what were the especial traits  
of character of the  ,romans8 ,the      
first1 and a very striking one to those 
who have travelled  and studied in those
 countries1 is a most vivacious love for
 tradition4  ,in ,rome1 at the present  
day1 you find things that are done1 that
 are  said1 that are believed1 that are 
liked1 because they were two thousand   
years ago1 without the people themselves
 having a very clear notion of  it4     
,their custom--and it is born in their  
flesh1 and in their blood--is  to look  
backwards1 and to see in the past the   
motives and the precedents  for their   
acts and for their belief4 ,of this ,i  
could quote to you a  number of         
instances4 ,i will choose but one4 ,the 
first time ,i was in ,rome  ,i stopped1 
as every traveller does1 on the ,piazza 

del ,popolo4 ,in the  midst of that     
square is an obelisk1 and on one side of
 the pedestal of  that obelisk is       
written3 ,this monument was brought to  
,rome by the ,high  ,pontiff1 ,csar     
,augustus4 ,i went round the monument1  
and on the other  face of the same      
pedestal ,i read3 ,this monument1       
brought to ,rome by the  ,high ,pontiff1
 ,csar ,augustus1 was placed in this    
square by the ,high  ,pontiff1 ,sextus  
,v4 ,and then ,i remembered that one of 
those ,high  ,pontiffs was a ,roman     
heathen1 an ,emperor2 and that the other
 was a  ,christian1 was a priest1 was a 
pope2 and ,i was astonished1 at first   
sight1 to find on two faces of the same 
stone the same title given to  those two
 representatives of very different      
religions4 ,afterwards1 ,i  observed    
that this was no extraordinary case1 but
 that in many other  places in ,rome    
instances of the same kind were to be   
found4 ,i inquired a  little more       
deeply1 perhaps1 than some other        

travellers1 into the  meaning of those  
words4 ,i asked myself why this pope1   
,sextus ,v41 and  this ,emperor         
,augustus1 should each be called        
pontiff4 ,what is the  meaning of       
pontiff8 ,pontiff means bridge-maker1   
bridge-builder4 ,why  are they called in
 that way8 ,here is the explanation of  
that fact4 ,in  the very first years of 
the existence of ,rome1 at a time of    
which we  have a very fabulous history1 
and but few existing monuments1--the    
little town of ,rome1 not built on seven
 hills as is generally supposed2  there 
are eleven of them now2 then there were 
within the town less than  seven        
even1--that little town had a great deal
 to fear from any enemy  which should   
take one of the hills that were out of  
town1 the ,janiculum1  because the      
,janiculum is higher than the others1   
and from that hill an  enemy could very 
easily throw stones1 fire1 or any means 
of destruction1  into the town4 ,the    
,janiculum was separated from the town  

by the ,tiber4  ,then the first         
necessity for the defence of that little
 town of ,rome was  to have a bridge4   
,they had built a wooden bridge over the
 ,tiber1 and a  great point of interest 
to the town was that this bridge should 
be kept  always in good order1 so that  
at any moment troops could pass over it4
  ,then1 with the special genius of the 
,romans1 of which we have other         
instances1 they ordained1 curiously     
enough1 that the men who were a         
corporation to take care of that bridge 
should be sacred2 that their  function1 
necessary to the defence of the town1   
should be considered  holy2 that they   
should be priests1 and the highest of   
them was called  the high bridge-maker4 
,so it happened that there was in ,rome 
a  corporation of bridge-makers1        
pontifices1 of whom the head was the    
most sacred of all ,romans1 because in  
those days his life1 and the life  of   
his companions1 was deemed necessary to 
the safety of the town4  ,things        

changed2 very soon ,rome was large      
enough not to care about the            
,janiculum2 very soon ,rome conquered a 
part of ,italy1 then the whole of       
,italy1 and finally almost the whole of 
the world4 ,but when once  something is 
done in ,rome1 it remains done2 when    
once a thing is said1  it remains said1 
and is repeated2 and thus it happened   
that the  privilege of the              
bridge-makers' corporation1 as beings   
sacred and holy1  remained2 and that    
privilege made everybody respect them2  
gave them a  sort of moral power4 ,then 
kings wanted to be made ,high           
,bridge-makers2  after kings1 consuls2  
later1 dictators2 and1 later1 emperors  
themselves  made themselves ,high       
,bridge-makers1 which meant the most    
sacred persons  in the town4    ,when   
,constantine1 who is generally called   
the first ,christian  emperor1--but who 
was very far from being a real          
,christian1--when  ,constantine became  
nominally a ,christian1 he did not leave

 off being the  high bridge-maker of the
 heathen4 ,he remained high priest of   
the heathen  at the same time he was a  
,christian emperor2 and he found means1 
as well  as his son after him1 to keep  
the two functions4 ,he acted on some    
occasions as high pontiff of the        
heathen2 on other occasions1 he called  
councils1 presided over them1 and sent  
them away when he had had enough  of    
their presence2 declared to the bishops 
that he was in some sense one  of them1 
and acted to all intents and purposes as
 popes have acted after  him4 ,thus that
 title remained the type of whatever was
 most sacred in  ,rome2 and the bishop  
of ,rome1 when an opportunity           
came1--when the title  had been lost in 
,rome by emperors1--took it up again4   
,and thus we see on  the same stone1 at 
the present time in ,rome1 the name of a
 high  bridge-maker who is a heathen    
emperor1 and the name of a high         
bridge-maker who is a pope1 who is the  
head of the ,christian ,catholic        

,church4 ,thus you see an old           
superstition1 an old local superstition1
  established with a political meaning1 
has survived itself1 has survived       
centuries1 has survived the downfall of 
heathenism1 and is at the  present time 
flourishing4 ,you all know that the     
present pope is called  ,pontifex       
,maximus2 it is his title2 and          
everywhere you see1 even on the  pieces 
of money1 that ,pio ,nono is ,pontifex  
,maximus1--the great  bridge-maker1     
which means the highest of all priests1 
of all sacred  beings4 ,thus has        
tradition1 on that special spot1 and in 
connection with  the history and with   
the antiquities of that spot1           
established an  authority unequalled    
anywhere else4    ,though the ,roman    
,catholic ,church is special to that    
place1 and inherits  the local habits   
and traditions1 it pretends also to     
universality4 ,this  is1 again1         
perfectly ,roman4 ,the heathen ,romans  
had thought for centuries  that the     

world was made to be conquered by them2 
that unity was  represented by ,rome2   
that ,rome was all in all2 and at the   
present time  the ,pope1 on ,thursday of
 every ,easter week1 gives his solemn   
blessing1  as you know1 to the town     
first1 and the world afterwards1--urbi  
et  orbi4 ,all countries1 both          
hemispheres1 all nations1 all languages1
 are  lost in that great unity4 ,one    
town and one world1 of which that town  
is  the capital1--that was the wish1 the
 hope of the heathenish ,romans for     
centuries2 and that has been the aim1   
the assumption of papal ,rome for       
centuries also4 ,when the present ,pope 
said1 on a celebrated day1 after        
enumerating the great acts of his       
pontificate1 that he had created more   
bishoprics than any other pope1 he was  
right4 ,he has created1 on his own      
authority1 bishoprics in ,holland1 in   
,england1 and in other countries2  cut  
out bishoprics on the map of those      
countries4 ,and he did that  because1 as

 pope1 he is the spiritual sovereign of 
the world2 because  ,england and        
,holland belong to him2 because ,rome is
 the capital of the  world2 and he cuts 
off a part of any country1 in ,america  
as well as in  ,europe1 in order to make
 of it the see or dominion of a bishop4 
,the old  ,roman idea was that nobody   
knew how to govern except ,romans4 ,they
  assumed--and often1 if an unscrupulous
 government was the best of all1  if a  
tyrannical government was the best of   
all1 they were right--to  govern better1
 more wisely1 and with more acute       
politics1 than any other  nation4 ,they 
said1 ,other sciences1 other arts1 may  
be the share of  other nations2 but our 
share in the great things of this world 
is  government4 ,i hardly dare to speak 
,latin in an ,english country1  because 
,i cannot pronounce ,latin as you do2   
but though ,i pronounce it as  a        
,frenchman1 which is1 perhaps1 a shade  
less bad than to pronounce it as  you do
 in ,england and ,america1 you may guess

 what ,i mean when ,i recall  to the    
memory of some of you the famous lines  
of ,virgil1 where he says  what must be1
 in this world1 the function of the     
,romans3--        ,tu regere imperio    
populos1 ,romane1 memento2      ,h tibi 
erunt artes4    ,that is to say1 ,you   
,romans6 remember that you are made to  
govern the  nations2 that must be your  
office2 all the arts come after this2   
this is  the special ,roman art4 ,i     
declare to you that at this present     
moment  the clergy1 the cardinals1 the  
bishops1 the prelates1 the court of     
,rome1  think1 and have never ceased to 
think1 that they are the people to      
govern better than any other political  
body2 and that the government of  the   
world has been providentially reserved  
to that town2 first1 in a  temporal way1
 for the heathen2 and1 secondly1 in a   
spiritual way1 for  the ,christians1 for
 the ,catholic countries of the world4  
,and as they  believe spiritual things  
are a great deal more important than    

temporal  things1 they think their      
government is a great deal more         
important1 and  greatly superior to any 
government of any kind4    ,let us now  
turn back a little again1 and try more  
fully to understand  what the old ,roman
 genius was in its way of government4   
,they governed by  laws4 ,you all have  
heard about ,roman law1 about ,roman    
jurisprudence4 ,it  has been said for   
centuries that they were men who1 better
 than any  other1 understood the art of 
making laws1--very precise1 full of     
foresight1 forgetting nothing1 or few   
things1 and giving in the most  exact   
terms the decisions to be enforced in   
all possible cases1 at least  in all the
 cases with which they had occasion to  
deal4 ,it is said also1  it has always  
been said1 that their laws were hard2   
but they accepted  them1 though hard3   
dura lex1 sed lex4 ,and certainly there 
was  something noble and good in this   
respect for law1 whatever the law was3  
there was something just1 really in the 

interest of nations1 in this  love of   
law4 ,but at that time this love of law 
was accompanied by the  fact that the   
law was exceedingly hard in a great     
number of cases4 ,yet  that hardness was
 in conformity with the general         
temperament of the  nation at that time3
 the ,romans were hard4    ,i have no   
time to stop to show you how different  
they were from the  ,greeks2 but you    
remember that when the ,greeks assembled
 in one of their  great annual          
festivals1 they heard music1 they       
listened to poetry1 they  listened to   
the works of the historian2 or they saw 
men run races1 or  engage in one of     
those contests that were not cruel1 that
 were only  displays of strength1       
agility1 or training4 ,that was the     
pleasure of the  ,greeks in their annual
 festival4 ,what did the ,romans do8    
,you all know4  ,they had immense       
amphitheatres where they assembled to   
see men kill one  another4 ,their       
pleasure was to see people die1 to see  

people suffer1 to  see people maimed1   
and weltering in their blood3 that was  
their favorite  amusement4 ,and         
ambitious men in that day secured votes 
by bringing  lions1 hyenas1 and tigers1 
in large numbers1 to ,rome1 and by      
giving the  people the diversion of     
seeing those animals killing men1       
devouring  living men1 women1 and       
children1 living ,christians1 often4    
,that was the  punishment in fashion at 
that time3 ,christian men1 women1 and   
children  were killed1 were devoured1   
were mangled before the eyes of the     
people1  and for their pleasure4 ,in    
their hardness they had a taste for the 
formal1 precise execution of their law1 
whatever it might be4  ,christianity    
came and swept away their abominable    
pleasures1--this  cruelty1 which was    
contrary to every human feeling2 but the
 habit of a  sort of hardness1 in the   
infliction of the penalties of law1     
remained in  ,rome more than it did in  
any other place4 ,and this was allied to

 another  feeling of a different nature1
 but which very well connected itself   
with  it4 ,i mean the ,roman love for   
the literal in every thing4 ,they did   
not  like to understand any thing as    
metaphorical1 as poetry3 they liked to  
take every thing literally2 and it was  
in consequence of this  characteristic  
of the ,roman mind that they were able  
to enforce their  law4 ,even if the     
result of what the law demanded was     
absurd1 they  maintained1 for the honor 
of the law1 that it must be literally   
understood1 and literally executed2 and 
they permitted none of those  different 
ways of alleviating the hardships of the
 law that have been in  other places not
 only allowed1 but ordered1 by those in 
command4 ,this is  of extreme           
importance4 ,perhaps at first sight it  
does not strike you so1  but it is4     
,remember from what country             
,christianity came4 ,christianity  came 
from the ,east1 came from ,asia1 came   
from the ,jews4 ,the ,apostles1  the    

first propagators of ,christianity1 were
 ,oriental men1 were ,jews4 ,i  have    
seen part of the ,levant1 ,i have seen  
those very countries1 and ,i  can speak 
of it as a fact known for centuries1    
that the people of the  ,orient never   
speak otherwise than by images4 ,they do
 not like the  shortest way from one    
point to another2 they make the way     
long4 ,they use  flowers1 and rays of   
light1 and moonshine1 or any thing else 
that gives  an image and color to their 
speech4 ,they bring these things in     
continually1 whatever may be the subject
 they speak of4    ,perhaps ,i may give 
here an illustration that will make you 
understand  me4 ,i was in a house made  
of branches of trees1 where lived a     
sheik4 ,he  told me that every thing in 
that house1 his own person1 his own     
family1  were mine2 and he said this    
with the greatest protestations4 ,this  
is  exactly the same as if you should   
say to a foreigner1 coming into your    
house1 ,you are welcome4 ,nothing more4 

,if1 on going away1 ,i had taken  any   
thing from that house1 the man would    
immediately have shot me2  though he had
 given me every thing1 even to his own  
person and his own  family2 because he  
would have had this idea3 ,this man is a
 thief2 ,i  have a thief in my house4   
,if ,i had said1 ,but you gave me every 
thing  in the house1 he would have      
answered me1 ,you come from a country   
where  people have no politeness4 ,i    
gave you these things3 that means       
welcome1 and nothing more4 ,thus a man  
of the ,orient never says any  thing in 
the simple short way that ,western      
nations do3 they always want  some      
poetry1 some rhetoric1 some image about 
it4 ,and you must remember  that many of
 the most admirable teachings of the    
,bible are in images1  are in poetry1   
and are extremely beautiful and eloquent
 by their poetry4  ,we are accustomed to
 this1 so that we know that it is       
poetry2 and we  understand it4 ,but the 
,romans1 accustomed to their principle1 

that the  law may be hard1 but that law 
is law1 and must be understood          
literally1  and executed literally1     
understood every thing literally1 and in
 that  way they spoiled many of the     
great ,christian truths4 ,i will not    
here  quote many instances1 though it   
would be exceedingly easy to bring them 
in large numbers before you4 ,i will    
take the most striking and best  known  
of all4 ,when our ,lord1 a few hours    
before being separated from his         
disciples1 to die on the cross1 gave    
them of the bread that was on the       
table1 and said1 ,eat1 this is my body1 
it was absolutely impossible  for       
,eastern people to misunderstand him2 it
 was impossible for them not  to        
understand that he meant1 ,this         
represents my body4 ,the idea that  what
 he held in the hands of his own body   
was his own body again2 that  he gave   
them his own body to eat1 and that he   
ate some of it himself  with them1--that
 idea could not for a moment have       

entered the head of  one of those who   
were there4 ,and if a multitude had been
 there1 instead  of the twelve          
,apostles1 it would have been exactly   
the same4 ,nobody  would have           
understood1 when the ,lord said1 ,i am  
the way1 or when he  said1 ,i am the    
door1 that he was really1 in fact1 a    
path or a gate2  everybody knew that he 
meant1 ,i am the leader2 you must come  
with me2 ,i  show you the way4          
,everybody in the ,orient understood    
that4 ,but here  comes the ,roman       
genius1 taking every thing literally2   
and they repeat1  ,he said1 ',this is my
 body1' and this is his body4 ,they     
repeat3 ,you  ,protestants do not accept
 the truth coming from the lips of your 
,master4  ,he says1 ',this is my body1' 
but you ,protestants say1 ',no1 it is   
not his  body1 it represents his body4' 
,thus it seems we are convicted of      
crime2  it seems we will not accept the 
teachings of our ,lord2 yet we are      
perfectly true to his own meaning1 to   

his real meaning1 that could not  be    
misunderstood in the ,east1 but that was
 misunderstood when it was  carried to  
,rome1 a country where people gloried in
 taking every thing in  a literal sense4
 ,so they did with many other most      
beautiful and delicate  things in the   
,bible4 ,the ,roman genius--,i cannot   
help saying it--had  something clumsy in
 it4 ,they were like giants1 having very
 strong arms1  and enormous hands1 to   
take every thing1 and to dominate over  
every  thing4 ,but any thing very       
delicate1 very poetic1 like flowers from
 the  ,east1 they could not touch       
without the flowers being broken and    
faded1  losing their charm and their    
color4 ,that was their way of treating  
many  of the most beautiful things of   
the ,bible1 which they did not          
understand2 which they made absurd or   
repulsive1 by taking in a literal  sense
 what was said1 and ought to be taken1  
in a spiritual sense4 ,they  acted      
exactly as we should1 if we received an 

,oriental letter and  understood as     
literal every thing contained in it4    
,i will give another instance to make   
this clear4 ,i remember having seen  two
 letters1 written one by a ,french      
,general1 and another by                
,abd-el-,kader1 the chief of the enemies
 of the ,french in ,algeria4 ,these     
letters were intended to convey         
identically the same thing2 that is to  
say1 that some prisoners on one side    
were to be exchanged for the same       
number of prisoners on the other side4  
,it had been decided that the  ,french  
,general and the ,arab chief should say 
the same thing4 ,i have seen  both4 ,the
 ,french ,general writes two lines2 very
 clear1 distinct1 and  polite1 with     
nothing but the exact meaning he wanted 
to convey4 ,but  ,abd-el-,kader1 meaning
 to write the same thing1 writes a whole
 page1  about flowers1 and jewels1 and  
roses1 and moonshine1 and every thing of
  the kind4 ,his intention was to say   
exactly the same thing1 to convey       

identically the same meaning2 but these 
things1 translated from one  language to
 another1 pass1 as a celebrated ,german 
scholar says1 from  the ,shemitic to the
 ,japhetic2 from the poetic language of 
the sons of  ,shem1 to the precise      
language of the sons of ,japhet4 ,this  
has been the  fault of the ,roman       
,catholic ,church in many dogmas1 in    
many points of  very high importance3   
the sons of ,japhet could not understand
 what the  sons of ,shem meant4 ,they   
thought they understood it1 when they   
were  entirely in error1 and gave to it 
a meaning altogether different from     
what was intended4    ,i must add1 that 
what helped them along in this belief of
 things1 taken  in a literal sense1 was 
,roman superstition4 ,in that town1 and 
in ,italy1  have always prevailed the   
strangest superstitions4 ,the most      
celebrated  ,romans1 men whose wisdom   
and whose glory have filled the world1  
if they  met1 when they went out of     
their house in the morning1 a hare in   

the  way1 re-entered their house on the 
instant1 and renounced any thing they   
had to do1 because meeting a hare was   
ominous of misfortune1 and any  thing   
they should undertake that day would    
result in their confusion or            
misfortune4 ,when they put their foot in
 the wrong way1 the left before  the    
right1 or the right before the left1 on 
the stone at the entrance of  a house1  
they stopped there and returned to their
 house1 because every  thing they should
 do in that house would prove           
unfortunate1 since they  had made a     
mistake in putting the wrong foot       
foremost when they entered  the house4  
,so there were a multitude of           
superstitions4 ,you know when they were 
to  decide the greatest questions of    
peace or war1 they consulted their      
sacred chickens4 ,they gave them grains 
of wheat1 and if the chickens ate  it1  
or if they refused to eat it1 or if they
 ate it too fast1 or if the  chickens   
let fall a grain of wheat from their    

mouths1--these signs meant  that war    
would be successful1 or that it would   
not be1 and they decided  according to  
these whether there should be a war or  
not4 ,and those great  magistrates1 who 
were sometimes men of the greatest      
eminence1 like  ,cicero1 were augurs4   
,you know what ,cicero says1 ,two of us 
cannot meet  without laughing2 because  
they knew that their auguries were      
utterly  worthless1 but the multitude   
thought they were true4 ,so the ,romans 
were  superstitious to the highest      
degree1 and they have never ceased to be
  so4 ,there is superstition in the     
marrow of their bones4 ,many ,romans are
  ready to believe any thing to-day1 at 
the present moment4 ,i shall allude  to 
a single fact4 ,they all believe        
devoutly in the evil eye2 that there    
are people who1 if they look at you1    
will bring upon you some horrible       
misfortune1 disease1 or death4 ,they    
believe this so fully1 that they  have a
 gesture1 representing with their       

fingers a pair of horns2 and1  when they
 meet any one who is supposed to have   
the evil eye1 they  endeavor1 in a      
secret way1 to make that sign1 to       
prevent misfortune from  coming upon    
them4 ,it is believed1 in ,rome1 that   
the present pope1 who is  to them ,god  
on earth1 who is to them the successor  
and vicar of ,jesus  ,christ1 that he1  
as a man1 has the evil eye4 ,and when he
 passes through  the streets of ,rome1 a
 great many women1 devoutly kneeling    
before him1  with their heads almost in 
the dust1 craving to receive his        
blessing1 as  he passes in his carriage1
 will1 under their aprons1 make this    
sign1 to  preserve themselves from the  
effects of the evil eye4 ,this is no    
disparagement to his person2 they think 
that the poor man cannot help  it2 that 
there is no ill will in it2 that it is  
fate2 he has the evil  eye4    ,i could 
cite many other instances of this       
superstition2 perhaps it will  be enough
 to refer to one more1 and one that     

disgusted me completely4 ,it  is the    
worship with which they surround the    
,santo ,bambino4 ,there is on  the      
,capitoline ,hill a church that was     
formerly a heathen temple1 and  which   
has kept an old name1 ,ara ,coeli1 or   
altar of ,heaven4 ,in  that church1 the 
,franciscan monks keep a very ugly doll4
 ,this doll is  said to have been       
sculptured out of one of the olive-trees
 on the ,mount  of ,olives1 and then    
,saint ,luke is supposed to have painted
 it over4  ,saint ,luke must have been  
the painter of the poorest daubs that   
ever  were in the world1 and the angels 
who took it to him must have been very  
far from being connoisseurs of painting4
 ,this doll is covered with  diamonds1  
emeralds1 sapphires1 and other precious 
stones1 of greatest  price4 ,it is kept 
in a box on the altar1 and1 when you ask
 to see it1  the monks pray before the  
door1 they light tapers1 they produce   
the box1  and then the box is opened1   
and you see the hideous little wooden   

image4  ,now1 this ,santo ,bambino is   
supposed to have healing properties4 ,he
  heals people1 when they are rich      
enough to pay a good salary to him2 he  
is not a physician who heals for        
nothing4 ,he has a magnificent carriage 
of his own1 and servants with his own   
livery2 and1 when any rich man  wants to
 be cured by him1 the ,santo ,bambino   
goes in his own carriage  to the man's  
house1 carried on the knees of          
,franciscan monks1 and cures  the       
patient1--if he can4 ,such is the belief
 of the country4 ,but ,i could  not see 
any very great difference between that  
doll and the idols that  the old ,romans
 had1 and used in the same way4 ,the    
idea is this3 they  suppose that the    
,santo ,bambino represents ,christ as a 
little child4    ,not only were the old 
,romans superstitious1 but we know1 by  
historical  testimony coming from the   
heathen themselves1 that at the time    
when  ,christianity appeared there was  
an increase of superstition2 there was a

  general feeling of a want of something
 definite1 something like a sort  of    
atonement2 and at that time all sorts of
 ceremonies1 all sorts of  bloody       
sacrifices1 were introduced from ,syria1
 from ,libya1 from the most  remote     
countries1 and the ,romans tried to find
 for their consciences  some            
satisfaction in those rites4 ,for       
instance1 you all know they had a       
custom of having their sins expiated by 
means of what they called  taurobolium4 
,a man had a grave dug in the ground1   
and then over that  grave was put a     
marble slab1 with a great many holes in 
it1 like a  sieve4 ,in that grave the   
man stretched himself at full length1   
and over  the marble slab a bull was    
killed1 in such a way that the blood    
fell  through the holes into the grave4 
,when the bull was taken away1 and the  
marble slab was lifted1 the man rose out
 of that grave perfectly covered  with  
the blood of the bull1 entirely bathed  
in that blood4 ,then he was  supposed to

 be a new man1 supposed to be washed of 
all his sins4 ,he  believed that from   
that moment the anger of the gods had   
passed to the  bull1 and that the blood 
of the bull had been shed instead of his
 own4  ,we find in ,ovid1 one of the    
poets of the time1 the prayer of a man  
for  whom was about to be offered up the
 sacrifice of the black hen4 ,he asks   
the gods to take the heart of the hen   
instead of his own1 the fibres of  the  
hen's body instead of the fibres of his 
own body4 ,the poor black hen  was      
sacrificed in the most cruel way they   
could find2 she must suffer as  long as 
possible1 because then the anger of some
 god who was supposed to  pursue the man
 found full satisfaction4 ,the ferocity 
of the god had  ample satisfaction in   
the torture of the poor black hen1 and  
the sins of  the man were expiated4     
,then there was superstition upon       
superstition1  because1 when the mangled
 remains of the unfortunate hen were    
thrown  into the street1 if any person  

unconsciously put his foot on that body1
  then he became the inheritor of the   
crimes of the first man1 and of the     
anger of the gods4 ,they had a special  
name for those bloody remains of  the   
sacrificed fowl3 they called them       
purgamentum1 because they  thought that 
such a sacrifice purged a man of his    
sins4 ,as nobody dared  lift or touch   
the body of the victim1 they put a fence
 around it2 and1  as long as there      
remained on the ground in the streets of
 ,rome a vestige  of the poor bird1     
nobody would tread on that place2 and   
the fence was  put there to prevent     
this4 ,these were the superstitions of  
that time2  and ,plutarch wrote a       
treatise to which he gives the title    
,greek3 ,deisidaimonia1 which is        
translated very often by the word       
superstition2 but it means more than    
that1 it means terror of the  gods4 ,it 
means that feeling which was more and   
more prevailing in the  ,roman world1   
that the gods were to be feared2 that   

there was anger in  heaven2 that the    
earth could not defend itself against   
the bad will of a  supernatural power4  
,we can very well understand that when  
,christianity  was preached to those    
people they were happy to take that     
religion of  hope1 that religion of     
regeneration and sanctification4 ,it was
 to them a  marvellous deliverance to be
 out of that old doctrine and in the new
  one4 ,but they carried with them many 
habits of thought1 many things  which   
were inherent in the ancient religion4  
,among those things was the  habit of   
multiplying the divine being4 ,they had 
been for a long series  of centuries    
polytheists1 believing in many gods4    
,with their  superstitious fears1 they  
were always afraid there were not gods  
enough4  ,that was saying a good deal1  
for they had more than #cj1jjj of them  
at  the time of ,christ4 ,it was        
recognized that nobody could even know  
them  all by name4    ,again you will   
excuse me if ,i use here a very familiar

 illustration to  make the leading      
thought of polytheism understood4       
,you know that in fairy tales the       
fairies are always called in to the     
festival at the baptism of the infant   
child4 ,the intention is to invite  them
 all1 but there is always one forgotten2
 and that one curses the  child in some 
way or other2 and then all the gifts of 
all the good  fairies cannot prevent the
 child from suffering1 at least for a   
time1  from the bad will of the one that
 has been forgotten4 ,this involves the 
essential idea of polytheists4 ,they had
 always the thought that all the  good  
gods whom they worshipped could not     
prevent any malevolent one who  had been
 neglected from hurting them2 and they  
were always in search of  that one4     
,they were always making altars to the  
unknown god or gods1  to be certain in  
that way to include them all4 ,they were
 constantly  asking what gods were      
worshipped in such a country1 in such a 
place2 and  if it was a god that was not

 known among them1 straightway they     
prepared  a place for his worship4 ,they
 said1 ,he has no existence1 very       
likely2  but if he has1 if he lives1    
then we must sacrifice to him1 to       
prevent  his spoiling the happiness that
 the other good gods wish to give us4   
,so  there was an incessant adding to   
the immense number of gods4 ,at the time
  of ,christ1 they had so many of them  
that1 from the time a grain of corn  was
 put into the ground to the time the    
harvest commenced1 they had nine        
different deities who in succession took
 charge of the corn that had  been put  
into the ground1 and thus it passed from
 one god to another4  ,nine of them were
 necessary while the grain was in the   
ground4 ,thus1  when the heathen became 
,christians1 they had been in the       
constant habit  of adding gods to their 
heaven1 of adding good men to their     
gods1 and  also men not good1 but whom  
they feared1--for all the emperors were 
made  gods the moment they died1 so that

 one of them1 who was rather a wit1     
when he was dying said1 ,i feel that ,i 
am becoming a god4 ,the heathen  had    
become so habituated to this that1 when 
they became ,christians1 they  continued
 very naturally to multiply the number  
of the objects of  worship4 ,they soon  
ceased to make the slightest difference 
between  ,christ and the ,father4 ,in   
good time they unconsciously put ,mary1 
the  mother of ,christ1 above ,christ2  
now1 without ever having this intention1
  they put1 in fact1 ,mary above the    
,father4 ,and so on1 adding always a new
  god to a new worship1 and always      
making the new worship as binding and   
as efficacious as possible1 to satisfy  
that polytheistic craving4 ,they  did   
not understand their error in keeping   
between the infinite ,god and           
themselves an immense number of minor   
deities4 ,this craving was  unwholesome1
 but very sincere4 ,that unconscious    
wish to multiply gods  and make saints  
has continued to this day2 and no pope  

has canonized so  many saints as the    
present one1 who is always trying to    
show that he  does more in this way than
 any of his predecessors4    ,this will 
suffice to give you an idea of what the 
old spirit of ,rome  was1 the whole     
tendency of the ,roman mind1 and what   
was brought by them  into the church4 ,i
 must now ask you to go in imagination  
with me to the  tomb of one of those old
 ,romans1 who were not burned1 according
 to the  custom of that period1 say the 
,scipios4 ,suppose one of the ,scipios  
taken  out of his tomb2 and bring him   
into a ,roman ,catholic ,church3 do you 
think he will be very much astonished8  
,he will be astonished at one           
thing1--by the crucifix1 the image of   
the crucified ,son of ,god4 ,that was   
completely contrary to the ,roman ideal 
and their habit of thought4 ,but  all   
the other things he will see will not   
astonish him at all4 ,he had  seen them 
all his life in his own time4 ,you      
believe1 perhaps1 that the  shape of a  

,roman ,catholic ,church at ,rome will  
astonish a pagan8 ,not at  all4 ,cato   
had given the ,romans the pleasure of   
enjoying1 for the first  time1 a portico
 with three ranges of columns1 the      
middle aisle being  broader than the    
others2 and at the end was what we call 
an apse1 but  the ancients a conch4 ,the
 end was rounded off1 and thrown into   
the form  of a semi-circle1 and the     
tribunal for the prtor or judge was     
placed in  that half-circle at the end4 
,this portico was called a stoa         
basilica1  and the first ,roman         
,christian churches were built on that  
plan4  ,afterwards1 the idea came of    
making the church in the shape of a     
cross2  and then a smaller basilica was 
placed across the other1 forming the    
transept of the church4 ,but those long 
ranges of columns remained1 with  the   
same wide space in the middle1 and      
narrower aisles on either side4  ,the   
basilica was the form of public         
buildings most in fashion in ,rome at   

that time4 ,there the gothic style was  
never popular4 ,even now1 of four  or   
five hundred churches in ,rome1 only    
one1 the ,minerva1 is gothic4 ,when     
,christian architecture was born1       
,christian architecture accepted the    
heathen plan4    ,in the new church1 in 
that basilica1 what do we find8 ,we find
 holy  water at the door4 ,that was     
exactly what you found in the pagan     
temple1  only it was called lustral     
water4 ,in the temple1 my ,scipio1 who  
goes  with me1 recognizes all his old   
habits of thought1 all the old emblems  
of his religious devotion4 ,he sees a   
number of statues1 or images2 but  he   
has seen those all his life4 ,there is  
not only a central shrine1 but  there   
are small chapels4 ,the saints have a   
golden circle round their  heads3       
,christians call it the aura1 the       
ancients called it the  nimbus2 but it  
was exactly the same thing4 ,they had it
 around the  heads of their deities in  
painting and sculpture1 and so on4      

,there are  censers and there are tapers
 burning there2 and there are all the   
ornaments a pagan was accustomed to see 
in his temple4 ,all those things  had   
been kept1 had been re-established1 and 
the pagans had brought them  with them  
into the ,catholic churches4 ,when ,i   
went for the first time to  ,naples1 the
 man who showed me the museum there     
showed me feet1 legs1 and  arms1 hands1 
eyes1 and ears1 in stone4 ,he said1     
,these are ex voto4  ,people who were   
ill gave to some of the gods1 the ones  
they chose1 these  things as marks of   
gratitude for having been cured4 ,the   
cicerone told  me1 ,you see1 sir1 it is 
exactly the same thing we have in our   
churches4 ,and so it is4 ,in all the    
churches in ,naples and ,rome1 and in   
the ,roman ,catholic churches all over  
,spain and ,france1 you see1 in wax1  in
 gold1 in silver1 and in stone1 such    
legs and arms1 eyes and ears4 ,it  is   
exactly the same thing4 ,the heathen man
 said to his god1 ,i will pay  you by   

this mark of honor and gratitude1 by    
this mark of your power and  your glory1
 if you cure me4 ,the ,roman ,catholic  
says exactly the same  thing to a saint1
 to the ,virgin1 sometimes to ,jesus1   
and very rarely to  ,god4    ,i cannot  
mention here all the other details1 like
 funeral services at  the end of the    
year1 like funeral chapels1 like many   
other institutions  that exist in the   
,roman ,catholic ,church1 that are      
practised every day in  it1 and that are
 exactly the same1 so far as religious  
ideas go1 as were  practised in the     
pagan churches4 ,but ,i must add        
something of more  consequence than     
that1 about the worship of human beings1
 and especially  of the worship of the  
,virgin ,mary4 ,it was nothing new to   
the ,pagans to  worship a woman1 and    
especially to worship a virgin4 ,that   
was one of the  ideas the most familiar 
to their devotion4 ,in ,rome they had   
the temple  of ,hestia or ,vesta1 who   
was supposed to be a virgin2 and she had

 around  her nuns who were pledged to   
live in celibacy1 and punished by death 
if  they did not remain true to their   
vow4 ,in ,greece it was the same thing  
with ,pallas4 ,perhaps you all know that
 in ,athens1 the largest1 most  perfect1
 and most beautiful of the ,greek       
temples--immensely superior to  any     
edifice ,i ever saw in any country--is  
called the ,parthenon1 which  means the 
,virgin ,temple4 ,that temple is the    
temple of ,pallas1--,athene1  or        
,minerva1--who was the principal deity  
of ,athens4 ,thus that idea was         
perfectly familiar to them1 and they    
only kept it1 and brought it with  them 
into ,christianity4    ,i have spoken of
 monks4 ,you must not believe that the  
monks are by any  means a ,roman        
,catholic invention4 ,in the ,east there
 have been monks in  all times and in   
all religions4 ,it seems to have been a 
special habit or  taste of the people of
 the ,east to give some men no other    
business1 no  other work to do1 but to  

live in solitude1 and pray for them2 and
 some  men have always1 in those very   
hot countries1 where it is exceedingly  
tiresome to work1 liked to live in      
perpetual prayer better than any  other 
more fatiguing labor4 ,we find the monk 
in all times and countries  in the      
,east1 then in the ,west2 and he has    
been imported from paganism  into       
,christianity1 like all the rest4 ,i do 
not believe there is a  religion more   
completely contrary to the monastic     
feeling than the  religion of ,christ4  
,i do not think there was ever a type   
more radically  contrary to the type of 
the monk1 than the figure of ,christ as 
we find  it in the ,bible4 ,however1    
that old monkish spirit of the ,orient  
was  always known to the ,romans from   
the beginning2 for they had priests and 
monks from the time their city began4   
,that spirit has1 like other  things1   
been smuggled into the ,church1 though  
it was contrary to the  spirit of       
,christianity4    ,i must recall one    

last rite of great importance4 ,both the
 old ,romans and  the old ,jews had1 as 
a principal part of their worship1 the  
rite of  sacrifice4 ,the origin of it   
was simply this3 that men in the first  
place  possessed nothing but flocks1 and
 they gave to ,god one head of their    
flock1 one sheep1 or one bull1 as being 
the only riches they had to  give4      
,before they had houses1 before they had
 garments1 before they had  any other   
thing1--money they were very far from   
having1--men had to eat1  and they had  
flocks because they wanted to have meat 
to eat2 and thus  they gave to ,god the 
only necessity of life to them1 the only
 thing they  understood the importance  
of4 ,and they gave him the whole animal1
 not  reserving to themselves any part  
of it1 in some cases2 in other cases1 a 
part of it only1 making a meal of the   
rest for themselves4 ,to give a  part to
 ,god was one essential element of their
 worship1 the rite of  sacrifice2 and we
 find that the rite grew out of that1   

and nothing else4  ,it was a habit      
deeply rooted in the ,roman mind1 and at
 the same time  already familiar to the 
,jews2 and when those ,christians who   
had been  ,jews spoke of ,christ to the 
,romans1 they could not prevent that    
,roman or  ,jewish habit from taking    
double force1 and double space in       
religion4  ,what happened8 ,it happened 
that the old ,romans and old ,jews      
wanted a  sacrifice2 wanted to give     
something to ,god2 wanted a victim2 and 
then  came this strange fact1 very easy 
to understand however1 of which we  find
 traces in the first days of            
,christianity1--that there was no better
  victim to offer to ,god than ,christ4 
,when they had identified completely    
,christ with the ,father1 then there was
 no greater victim to offer to  ,god    
than ,god himself4 ,therefore1 they had 
a sacrifice that is called  the mass4   
,you know the official name is sacrifice
 of the mass4 ,it  consists in this4    
,the priest takes the host1 which is    

merely bread1--it  is nothing but a     
little flour and water1 made into       
bread1--he pronounces  the consecrating 
words2 then1 after he pronounces them1  
there is no  bread1 there is no flour2  
instead of the bread1 instead of the    
flour1  there is ,jesus ,christ4        
,according to the ,council of ,trent1   
that is  ,jesus ,christ1 his body1 his  
blood1 his soul1 and his divinity2 it is
  ,jesus ,christ2 is perfect ,god4 ,and 
this has been1 by an old ,roman         
,catholic writer1 very clearly expressed
 in these three words3 ,the  priest1    
what is he8 what does he do8 ,creatus   
,creatorem creat4 ,he is a  creature who
 creates the ,creator4 ,after that comes
 the second great part  of the sacrifice
 of the mass4 ,there is ,god1 and the   
priest sacrifices  ,god to ,god4 ,and   
how8 ,sacrificat manducando4 ,that is to
 say1 according  to the formal          
explanation1 he sacrifices ,god by      
eating ,god4 ,this is the  sacrifice of 
the mass4 ,if the ,roman mind had not   

been accustomed1 as ,i  have shown you1 
to superstition1 to all literalism1 to  
the love of the  law and the letter1    
even when the law or the letter was     
absurd1 they  would not easily have     
accepted all this2 but with their turn  
of mind1  with their way of taking      
things1 that was exactly what they      
wished for1  and that was what they     
adopted4 ,not at once3 it was very long 
in  elaborating itself4 ,it was so      
completely1 ,i cannot say otherwise1 so 
completely absurd1 that it required a   
great deal of time to make it so        
precise2 but they attained to that at   
last1 and they could not but do  so4    
,see1 then1 what a man the priest is4   
,he has before him bread1 and he  makes 
,god2 he afterwards sacrifices ,god2 he 
is almost a ,god himself4 ,at  the      
moment when he makes ,god1 he seems to  
be superior to ,god2 at the  moment when
 he sacrifices ,god1 by eating him1 he  
seems superior to ,god4  ,thence comes  
the immense power of the priesthood1 of 

priestcraft4 ,and as  if this were not  
enough1 in the mass1 as you know1 the   
priest has not  only the host1 but he   
has the wine1 the cup4 ,the other       
members of the  church have not the cup1
 because they must not be equal to the  
priest  even in the communion2 even in  
the act of uniting themselves with ,god4
  ,laymen cannot arrive at the height of
 glory to which the priest arrives2     
they must eat the host when it is given 
to them1 but they cannot touch  the cup2
 that is reserved to the priest1 a sort 
of heavenly1 or divine1  or godlike     
character4 ,even as the ,romans had     
respected their old  bridge-makers1     
their old pontifices1 their old priests1
 whom they  considered the bulwarks of  
their town1 they respected afterwards   
the  priests of the ,roman ,catholic    
,church4 ,so the mass was established1  
with  all its consequences4    ,this is 
not all4 ,i must explain exactly how a  
part of the heathenish  religion        
answered1 in the time of ,jesus1 the    

wants of the heathen better  than the   
more natural religion of the            
,christians4 ,at the time of ,christ1   
many ,romans did not believe in thirty  
thousand gods and in all the  absurd and
 indecent history of those thirty       
thousand deities1 but they  had a form  
of worship that had become purer and    
purer4 ,they had what  they called      
,mysteries4 ,in ,greece1 and in ,rome   
also1 there were  ,mysteries4 ,these    
were ceremonies in which great          
philosophic and  religious lessons were 
given4 ,there exists a very touching    
letter from  ,plutarch to his wife1     
written at the time he lost his only    
daughter1 and  when they were in the    
deepest affliction and desolation4 ,he  
writes to  his wife1 who was separated  
from him at that time1 a very kind and  
loving letter1 trying to give her       
comfort and hope4 ,he says to her1      
,remember the beautiful things we have  
seen together in the ,mysteries of      
,bacchus4 ,you must not believe1 as many

 would at first believe1 that the       
,mysteries of ,bacchus were nothing but 
drunkenness and disorder3 they  were    
something else4 ,they were like the     
,mysteries of ,ceres1 the ,goddess  of  
,corn1 and like the representations1 in 
other cases1 of the  immortality of the 
soul4 ,they were a sort of tragedy in   
which1 less by  word than by singing1   
and by acting especially1 was shown to  
men that1  when the body is interred in 
the ground1 the soul lives1 and the soul
  shall rise to fulness of life4 ,a     
grain of wheat hidden in the ground     
remained hidden there for weeks before  
coming to life4 ,that was the  emblem of
 the new life of immortality4 ,now1 this
 teaching1 good in  itself1 true in     
itself1 but given in dramatic images1   
was at that time  the very best1        
soundest1 most human1 and most natural  
part of  heathenism4 ,and then it       
happened that ,mysteries were acted1 not
 only in  the heathen churches1 but in  
,christian churches2 that the history of

  ,christ1 that the death of ,christ1   
that the resurrection of ,christ1 took  
the place of the resurrection of        
,proserpine1 the daughter of ,ceres1 who
  represented wheat and corn2 and then  
,christianity became a sort of  subject 
of sacred myths1 sacred plays1 that were
 very devoutly acted1  and that kept    
their title of ,mysteries4 ,as soon as  
we see something of  the dark ages1 and 
what the practice of worship was1 we see
 this same  thing4 ,it is going on in   
all countries in some measure4 ,you may 
see it  in the ,roman ,catholic churches
 during ,easter week4 ,you may see then 
that1 when ,christ dies1 all the lights 
are put out1 save one very small  light1
 because that represents the moment when
 the sky was covered with  darkness at  
his death4 ,and you hear in a choir some
 persons sing the  words of the people  
who screamed ,crucify him6 and others   
repeating the  words of ,caiaphas and   
the words of ,christ4 ,this ,mystery1   
this serious1  devout play1 is acted in 

all ,roman ,catholic churches4 ,when    
,christ is  dead1 the host is taken away
 from the altar1 and it is carried into 
the  tomb1 carried into some lower      
chapel1 from which it comes back to the 
great altar on ,easter morning1 on the  
day of the resurrection4 ,that  solemn  
play is going on in all ,roman ,catholic
 countries at the present  time1 and    
that is a ,mystery4 ,such is also the   
,mystery that was  played in ,germany1  
at ,oberammergau 7,bavaria71 during the 
last year1 and  is played there every   
ten years4 ,it is a devout1 religious1  
serious1  dramatic representation of our
 ,lord's suffering1 death1 and          
resurrection4 ,the mass in itself was in
 the beginning a ,mystery2 it is  often 
called so2 it is often called in old    
,roman ,catholic books and  often in    
modern ones the ,mystery of the ,mass4  
,it was a representation  of the death  
and sacrifice of ,jesus2 but the ,roman 
,catholic spirit  coming in declared    
that this ,mystery was not1 like others1

 a mere  representation1 a sacred play1 
but a reality2 and according to the     
doctrine proclaimed by the ,council of  
,trent1 three hundred years ago1  the   
sacrifice of the mass is much more than 
a representation of ,christ's  death1 of
 ,christ's sacrifice1 for he is         
sacrificed anew1 he suffers  death      
really anew4 ,and it has been declared1 
because some ,protestant  opponents were
 astonished at it1 that every time any  
priest says  mass1--and every priest    
must say mass at least once every       
day1--every  time a priest says mass1   
,christ suffers again1 and dies again1  
sacrificed by the priest for the        
redemption of human kind4 ,this is the  
doctrine of the mass1 and this gives it 
a very tragic1 grand1 and solemn  effect
 in the eyes of those who believe in it4
 ,yet this again is nothing  but ,roman 
literalism1 the ,roman way of taking    
every thing literally4    ,is all this  
real ,christianity8 ,at all events ,i   
have said enough1 ,i hope1  to give you 

an idea of the way in which the religion
 of ,jesus of  ,nazareth1 as he was     
called1 preached by him on the hills of 
,galilee1--a  religion that was quite   
spirit1 and quite truth2 a religion that
 had at  that time no bleeding1 no      
consecrated man1 but that was alive by  
the  ,spirit of ,god in the conscience  
and in the hearts of men1--how that     
religion1 purely spiritual as it was1   
became all the pomp1 all the  exterior  
complications1 all the dramatic         
intricacies of the ,church of  ,rome4   
,and here ,i stop to ask again1 ,can all
 this suit the urgent necessities  of   
our times8 ,is that the truth after     
which our souls hunger and thirst8      
,now ,i must1 before ,i end1 say a few  
words to you about the late changes4    
,do those changes make matters better or
 worse8 ,let us pass over ages and      
centuries1 and come to the present day1 
because ,i say we must make some  change
 in our way of resisting the ,church of 
,rome4 ,i must state1 and  very rapidly1

 what these changes are4 ,there are     
three of them4 ,the first  is1 that a   
new dogma has been established4 ,the new
 dogma amounts to  this1 without going  
into details1 that ,mary1 the mother of 
,christ1 was  created1 at the moment she
 began to exist1 exempt from original   
sin4 ,all  human beings are guilty of   
,adam's sin1 with one exception1 and    
that  exception is ,mary4 ,that         
exception dates from the very first     
instant of  her existence4 ,she never   
was1 even in thought or in feeling1 a   
sinner2  she is consequently out of the 
pale of humanity2 she is not a human    
being2 she is more than a woman1 she is 
something godlike from before  her      
birth4 ,that is the dogma4 ,it is not   
new2 it was invented in ,spain2  it is a
 ,spanish1 an ,andalusian dogma4 ,it was
 invented at a time when the  ,catholics
 in ,spain were laboring very hard to   
expel from their country  the ,moors1   
the ,african ,moslems1 who were masters 
of a great part of  ,spain1 and who had 

more science1 more art1 and more        
literary culture  than the ,christians  
of ,spain1 but who had absurd doctrines 
about the  family and about religion1 as
 well you know4 ,nothing could displease
  them more1 could astonish them more1  
or could confound all their ideas  more1
 than to tell them that a woman was     
godlike4 ,they thought1 as all  ,moslems
 have thought1 that a woman had no soul2
 and here was a woman who  was a goddess
 before her birth1 who was always a     
goddess4 ,this was  something absolutely
 incredible to them1 and it showed the  
great  difference between ,christians   
and ,moslems1 between ,spaniards and    
,arabs4  ,this became the general rule  
among the ,spaniards of the southern    
part of  the country1 in ,andalusia     
especially2 and when they met one       
another they  did not salute with words 
of good greeting1 but for centuries it  
was the  habit in ,andalusia1 when one  
,spaniard met another1 to say to him1   
,ave  ,maria purissima1 and the other   

answered1 ,sin pecado concepida1 which  
means that that dogma was proclaimed    
every time two persons met4 ,this  dogma
 has been taken into special favor by   
the very powerful order of  ,jesuits4   
,they thought it was important to the   
church2 it was putting  ,mary in the    
highest honor1 to have that dogma become
 the law of the  church4 ,but up to the 
present century1 up to last year in the 
,roman  ,catholic ,church1 people could 
believe it or not2 now the ,pope has    
declared that henceforth every man who  
does not believe that dogma is          
eternally lost and damned4 ,this he has 
decreed1 after consulting with  some    
bishops1 with whom he conferred about   
it1 but declaring that he did  so of his
 own accord1 because1 as pope1 he had a 
right to decide on  that4 ,he said1 it  
is no new doctrine2 it has always been  
in the church4  ,as the great writer    
,father ,perrone wrote1 ,that dogma has 
been  developing itself in the church a 
long time4 ,when ,i saw the ,church of  

,rome speaking of a dogma developing    
itself1 ,i thought1 ,this is the        
beginning of the end4 ,if they          
understand that dogmas develop          
themselves1  that they have not fallen  
like aerolites from the heavens1 it     
seems to  me that that is the end of    
infallibility4 ,some people think it was
 the  beginning of infallibility1 that  
it was the ,pope for the first time     
declaring a dogma for all men without   
consulting officially or legally  any   
one1 and that when he had done this he  
had augmented his power4 ,i  must remark
 here1 that when a pope is very weak1   
the general rule is1 he  does something 
extremely strong4 ,when he is extremely 
weak1 politically1  materially1 he      
generally makes some great demonstration
 of spiritual  power4 ,when ,pope       
,gregorius ,,vii4 kept ,henry in his    
shirt a whole night at  the door of the 
castle of ,canossa without opening the  
door to him1  saying1 ,you are a sinner1
 do penance1--when he did that1 the     

,pope had  been expelled from ,rome1 he 
had lost ,rome1 therefore he must prove 
his  immense spiritual power1 because   
his temporal power was lost4 ,and when  
the present ,pope has done acts of      
authority greater than any other pope1  
it has not been because he was strong1  
but because he was weak2 to  remain on  
his throne he wanted to have the        
bayonets of ,louis ,bonaparte  to keep  
him in power4 ,his own subjects would   
very soon have shown him a  second time 
the way to the frontier1 if they had not
 been prevented by  the bayonets of that
 man4 ,thus the ,pope did more towards  
asserting and  confirming his own power 
than any of his two hundred and fifty   
odd  predecessors4 ,when afterwards he  
took a new step1 it was in continuance  
of this4 ,he called a council when three
 hundred years had elapsed since  an    
oecumenical council had been called4 ,i 
know old ,roman ,catholic  families who 
had been waiting for centuries for the  
moment when an  oecumenical council     

should assemble1 to denounce before that
 council  the encroachments of the      
,pope1 and to ask that the popedom be   
kept  within bounds for the future4 ,pio
 ,,ix4 had an oecumenical council       
called1 and held it in his own house1 in
 the ,vatican4 ,and there1 in one  end  
of one of the transepts of the immense  
church of ,saint ,peter1 the  ,pope had 
himself declared infallible by the      
council4 ,thus all the other  councils  
which had been the hope of such persons 
in the church as could  not accept every
 word of the ,pope1 all those councils  
have been  sacrificed1 have abdicated1  
in the last of them1 at the foot of the 
,pope4 ,now1 the ,roman ,catholic       
,church has become very logically1 what 
it  ought to become1 the same thing in  
the spiritual world that the ,roman     
,empire became in the temporal world4   
,the ,roman ,emperor was every thing2   
there had been priests and magistrates  
who had great powers2 then the  emperor 
made himself dictator1 consul1 tribune  

of the people2 made  himself high       
bridge-maker2 took upon himself all     
dignities4 ,he was every  thing2 and    
then the whole ,roman ,empire was one   
man2 and sometimes it  happened that    
that man was a mad man like ,caligula1  
who said1 ,i am  sorry that all men have
 not one head that ,i might cut it off4 
,such was  the unity of the ,roman      
,empire1 and we see the same fact in the
 ,roman  ,catholic ,church to this      
extent1 that there is one human brain   
that  thinks for all ,roman ,catholics  
in the world1 and if that human brain   
decides that such a thing is or is not1 
all other human brains must  believe it1
 or be damned eternally2 there is no    
choice4 ,this is  perfectly logical2    
this is not an unexpected change2 this  
must have come  to pass4 ,as the ,pope  
became physically weak1 the more        
absolute became  the necessity that this
 should be done4 ,now1 he is weak1 he   
has lost  ,rome4 ,although it was not in
 my way1 ,i passed through ,rome a few  

months  ago for the purpose of seeing   
,rome free1 and it was an immense joy to
  see that4 ,i had seen ,rome groaning  
under that proud1 domineering           
government of the priests1 who declared 
that their government was the  best in  
the world1 while the whole world called 
it emphatically il mal  governo4 ,now ,i
 have seen it free2 and ,i think no     
,bonaparte of ,france1  nor any ,french 
,government1 nor any other government1  
had any right to  give up ,rome to the  
priests1 to prevent the ,romans from    
being masters in  their own house1 from 
being free in their own city4 ,i must   
declare to  you1 that if in one sense   
the ,roman ,catholic ,church has lost a 
great  deal because she has lost that   
great tradition1 lost that long habit of
  ruling in ,rome1 and the high prestige
 that comes from it1 yet the ,roman     
,catholic ,church has gained more       
perhaps than she has lost in this4 ,you 
must not believe that the ,roman        
,catholic ,church is to disappear       

to-morrow1 or the next day3 that shall  
not happen4 ,there are hundreds of      
thousands of souls who like better to   
have one man on a throne thinking  for  
them1 taking on his conscience and his  
honor the question of their             
salvation1--they like that better than  
to think for themselves2 and  there will
 be ,roman ,catholic churches for a long
 time to come4 ,they will  even be      
stronger in one sense1 because that     
temporal power was so  exercised that it
 caused great weakness2 and now the     
,pope will be  strengthened2 will find  
more interest and sympathy1 because he  
is a king  without a crown1 a king      
without a throne3 in his weakness he    
will find  new strength4    ,what must  
we do1 we ,protestants1 in the presence 
of this fact8 ,must we  exaggerate1 must
 we be unfair in our attacks8 ,no4 ,must
 we go to sleep1  thinking there is     
nothing to do8 ,no1 not that either4 ,we
 must work2 we  must work steadily to   
give light and instruction to all4 ,we  

have  here1--and ,i have tried in a very
 rapid way to give you an idea of       
it1--we have here history4 ,that is the 
greatest of weapons in such a  case as  
this4 ,usurpers never like history1     
because they know very well  that       
history condemns them4 ,we must make    
history known1 make the facts  known1   
and proclaim liberty and the rights of  
the human conscience4 ,we  must do that 
over the whole world4 ,i do not believe 
that ,protestantism1  as it has often   
been said1 is nothing else but ,roman   
,catholicism  stripped of some of its   
abuses1 and without some of its errors4 
,it is  something else4 ,if there were  
time1 and ,i could begin now instead of 
ending1 ,i would try to show you that in
 the history of ,protestantism1  and    
even before ,protestantism appeared1    
there has always been1 next to  that    
stream of power of ,roman ,catholicism1 
always becoming stronger and  more      
encroaching up to these last days1      
another current of protest2  there have 

always been men struggling for faith    
with liberty1 who said1  ,that cannot   
be2 who understood better the ,gospel1  
who liked the spirit  of the ,gospel1   
the spirit of ,god in ,christ1 better   
than the spirit of  ,rome4 ,for         
centuries their mouths may have been    
closed2 their speaking  and teaching    
punished by death2 but always they      
became more and more  numerous1 and     
active1 and vigorous2 and then came the 
great day of  ,luther4 ,protestantism   
has not been a negation1 a remnant of   
,roman  ,catholicism1 the negative side 
of ,christianity4 ,i cannot adopt that  
idea  in the least4 ,true ,protestantism
 is full of the spirit of the ,gospel2  
it  is the living soul of ,christ in the
 ,church1 it embodies the perfect       
conviction that there is truth1 that    
there is salvation1 that there is       
liberty1 in the ,gospel1 and nowhere    
else so completely4    ,now1 we must    
consider the ,roman ,catholic ,church as
 being an organization  of power1 the   

most dreadful1 the most tyrannical1 the 
most crushing  organization of power    
that ever was4 ,it is the master-piece  
of ,roman  genius4 ,it has been         
preparing during centuries1 and it has  
been complete  only since yesterday4 ,it
 is a great organization against        
liberty1  against man's rights1 against 
man's conscience1 for the honor of a    
church and of a man4 ,and this we must  
resist1 too4 ,in my country1 ,i  declare
 that the cause of all our ills1 the    
fact that is at the basis of  all our   
suffering and all our misfortunes1 is   
nothing else than ,roman  ,catholicism4 
,this is against the conscience of many 
souls2 this throws  many people into    
sheer ,atheism1 because they see no     
choice between  kissing the shoe of the 
,pope1 as is done in ceremonies1 and    
denying the  existence of ,god4 ,so they
 deny ,god rather than submit to the    
,pope4 ,we  must give them sound        
teaching1 religious teaching2 we must   
give them  the ,gospel4 ,and ,i came to 

this country to say these things to you2
 to  ask you to help us with all your   
might1 and with all your heart1 to do   
what is necessary should be done in     
,france to-day2 what will be  necessary 
to be done in this country sooner or    
later1 and what will be  necessary to be
 done in all countries1 to show more and
 more that where  is the ,spirit of the 
,lord1 there is liberty4                
,,selfhood ,,and ,,sacrifice    ,by     
,,orville ,,dewey4      ,the title which
 ,i have chosen for this discourse1 is  
,selfhood and  ,sacrifice4 ,my purpose  
is1 to consider what place these        
principles have  in human culture4 ,i   
use the word1 selfhood1 rather than     
self-regard or  self-interest1 because  
,i wish to go back to the original      
principle--selfhood1 according to the   
analogy of our language1  describing the
 simple and absolute condition in which 
self exists2 as  manhood does that of   
man1 or childhood1 that of a child4 ,and
 ,i say  sacrifice1 rather than         

self-sacrifice1 because the true        
principle does  not require the         
sacrifice of our highest self1 but only 
of that which  unlawfully hinders       
outflow from self4    ,the subject of   
culture has been brought before the     
public of late1 by  ,professor ,huxley1 
and ,matthew ,arnold1 and ,mr4 ,shairp4 
,i do not propose  to enter into the    
questions which have engaged their able 
pens1 but to  go back to those primary  
and foundation principles1 which ,i have
  proposed to consider--the one of which
 is the centre1 and the other1 the      
circumference of human                  
culture1--,selfhood and ,sacrifice4     
,it is the object of this course of     
lectures1 in part at least as ,i        
understand it1 to discuss this          
subject--to discuss1 i4e4 the           
principles and grounds1 on which right  
reason and rational ,christianity       
propose to build up a good and exalted  
character4 ,now with regard to  what    
,christianity teaches1 has it never     

occurred to you1 or has it never  seemed
 to you1 in reading the ,gospels1 that  
they appeal to  self-interest1 to the   
desire to be saved1 in a way that is at 
variance  with the loftiest motives8    
,but it is appealed to1 and therefore   
is1 in  some sense1 sanctioned4 ,and    
yet1 as if this self-interest were      
something  wrong1 the prevalence of it  
in the world1 the world's selfishness in
  other words1 is represented by many   
preachers1 as if it were the sum of  all
 wickedness1 the proof indeed1 of total 
depravity4 ,here then1 it  seems to me1 
whether we look at ,christianity or at  
the teachings of the  pulpit1 there is  
urgent need of discrimination4 ,and     
there is another  aspect of the same    
subject1 which seems to require         
attention2 and that  is what is called1 
individualism--the mentally living1 if  
not for1 yet  in and out of ourselves2  
claiming to find all the springs and    
forces of  faith and culture within     
ourselves1 to the exclusion of the      

proper  influence of society1 of        
,christianity1 of the whole great realm 
of the  past1 by which we have been     
trained and formed2 individualism1 which
  says1 ,i belong to myself1 and to     
nobody else1 and do not choose to be    
brought or organized into any system of 
faith or action with anybody  else4     
,this1 indeed1 is an extreme to which1  
perhaps1 but few minds go2  but there is
 a tendency of this kind1 which needs to
 be looked into4    ,now there is a way 
of thinking1 in matters of practical    
expediency1 to  which ,i confess that ,i
 am committed by my life-long           
reflections2 and  which has always      
prevented me from going to the extreme  
with any party1  whether in reforms1 in 
politics1 in religious systems1 or in   
any thing  else2 and that is1 to look to
 the mean in things2 to look upon human 
nature and human culture1 as held in the
 balance between opposing  principles4  
,with this view1 ,i shall first         
undertake to show that the  principle of

 self-regard1 or of individualism1 is   
right and lawful--is  indeed1 an        
essential principle of culture4         
,there is a remarkable passage in the   
old ,theologia ,germanica1 which  hits1 
,i think1 the very point in this matter 
of self-regard4 ,speaking of  its       
highest man1 it says1 ,all thought of   
self1 all self-seeking1  self-will1 and 
what cometh thereof1 must be utterly    
lost1 surrendered  and given over to    
,god1 except in so far as they are      
necessary to make  up a person4 ,this   
personality1 this stand-point1 we must  
hold to1 go  where we will4    ,but let 
me state more precisely what it is1 that
 is here conceded1 and  must be         
maintained2 and why it is important to  
defend and justify it4 ,i  call it      
selfhood2 and the word1 ,i conceive1 is 
philosophically necessary  to meet the  
case4 ,because it is a principle1 that  
goes behind  selfishness2 and of which  
selfishness is the excess and abuse4    
,selfishness calculates1 overreaches1   

circumvents4 ,but selfhood is  simpler4 
,it is the instinctive1 instantaneous1  
uncalculating rush of our  faculties1 to
 preserve1 protect and help ourselves4  
,selfishness proposes  to take advantage
 of others2 selfhood only to take care  
of itself4 ,it is  not1 as a principle  
of our nature1 a depraved instinct2     
animals possess  it4 ,it is not moral1  
or immoral1 but simply unmoral4 ,it is a
 simple  force1 necessary to our        
self-preservation1 to our individuality1
 to our  personality4 ,the highest moral
 natures feel it as well as the lowest4 
,the martyr1 who gives up every thing   
else1 holds his integrity fast and      
dear4 ,it is written of the great       
,martyr1 that1 for the joy that was set 
before him1 he endured the cross1       
despising the shame4 ,no being that  is 
not an idiot1 can be divested of all    
care and regard for himself4 ,and  not  
only does necessity enforce1 but justice
 defends the principle4 ,if  happiness  
is a good1 and there are two equal      

amounts of it1 the one of  which is     
mine1 and the other my neighbor's1 ,i   
may in strict justice1  value and desire
 my own as much as his4 ,if ,i love his 
more than my own1  ,i go beyond the     
commandment4 ,it is not worth while to  
put any ,utopian  strain upon the bond  
of virtue2 nay1 it does positive harm4  
,yet this is constantly done2 to the    
injury of virtue1 of conscience1 and  of
 a proper self-respect4 ,in our theories
 of culture1 we demand of  ourselves1   
what is impossible1 what is unjust to   
ourselves1 what  repudiates a part of   
the very nature we would cultivate4 ,we 
demand of  ourselves1 and we suppose    
that ,christianity demands of us1 a     
certain  unattainable perfection1--or   
what we call perfection1--a sinking of  
ourselves out of sight1 and an          
absorption into the love of ,god and    
men1  quite beyond our reach3 and       
failing of that--thinking it entirely   
out of  our sphere1 we give up the      
proper rational endeavor to be          

,christians4 ,we  make the highest      
virtue something exceptional1 instead of
 regarding it  as a prize for us all4   
,we imagine that some few have attained 
it2 that  ,jesus did1 and that a few    
persons1 denominated saints1 have       
approached  him2 but that for the common
 run of men1 this is all out of the     
question4 ,the fact is1 that            
,christianity is regarded by many1 as an
  enigma1 a secret of the initiated1 as 
an idle vision or hard  exaction--not as
 a rational culture4 ,listen to the     
conversation of the  mart or the        
drawing-room1 you will find that the    
high ,christian law is  but a mocking   
dream in their eyes4 ,giving to him that
 asketh1 and from  him that would       
borrow1 turning not away1 and to him    
that takes from us  our coat1 giving our
 cloak also2 and turning the other cheek
 to the  smiter2--what is this1 they    
say1 but extravagance and fanaticism8   
,as if  they did not know that there is 
such a figure of speech as hyperbole2   

and that it was perfectly natural1 in a 
society where the poor and the  weak    
were trodden under foot1 for the        
greatest heart that ever was1 thus  to  
pour out itself in pleadings for        
sympathy1 commiseration and  kindness4  
,but the same ,master said1 ,it is      
profitable for thee--it is  better for  
thee1 to have some of thy pleasures cut 
off--thine offending  hand or eye2      
rather that1 than to have thy whole     
being whelmed in  misery4    ,it is     
really necessary in this matter1 not    
only to vindicate  ,christianity as a   
reasonable religion1 but to vindicate   
human nature to  itself2 to save it from
 the abjectness of feeling that the     
necessity of  self-help is an ignoble   
necessity4 ,men say1 ,yes1 we are all   
selfish1 we  are all bad2 and they sink 
into discouragement or apathy1 under    
that  view4    ,the conditions of true  
culture are attracting increased        
attention at the  present time2 and it  
is natural that they should1 when men's 

minds are  getting rid of theologic     
definitions and assumptions1 and are    
coming to  take broad and manly views of
 the subject4 ,i am endeavoring to make 
my  humble contribution to it2 and with 
this view1 to show1 in the first  place1
 what part our very selfhood1 both of   
right and of necessity1 has  in it4     
,this principle lies in the very roots  
of our being2 and it is developed       
earliest in our nature4 ,before the love
 of right1 of virtue1 of truth1  appears
 this self-regard4 ,disinterestedness is
 of later growth4 ,infancy  comes into  
the world like a royal heir1 and takes  
possession1 as if the  world were made  
for itself alone4 ,itself is all it     
knows2 it will by and  by1 take a wider 
range4 ,there is a natural process of   
improvement in the  very progress of    
life4 ,you will get better1 says a      
dramatic  satirist1#g as you get older2 
all men do4 ,they are worst in          
childhood1  improve in manhood1 and get 
ready1 in old age1 for another world4   

,youth  with its beauty and grace1 would
 seem bestowed on us1 for some such     
reason1 as to make us partly endurable1 
till we have time to become so  of      
ourselves1 without their aid1 when they 
leave us4 ,the sweetest child  we all   
smile on1 for his pleasant want of the  
whole world to break up1  or suck in his
 mouth1 seeing no other good in         
it--would be roughly  handled by that   
world's inhabitants1 if he retained     
those angelic1  infantile desires1 when 
he has grown six feet high1 black and   
bearded2  but little by little1 he sees 
fit to forego claim after claim on the  
world1 puts up with a less and less     
share of its good as his proper         
portion1 and when the octogenarian asks 
barely for a sup of gruel or a  fire of 
dry sticks1 and thanks you as for his   
full allowance and right  in the common 
good of life1--hoping nobody will murder
 him--he who began  by asking and       
expecting the whole world to bow down in
 worship to  him--why1 ,i say1 he is    

advanced far onward1 very far1 nearly   
out of  sight4    ,footnote #g3         
,browning3 ,a ,soul's ,tragedy1 p4 #bej4
    ,this advancement1 thus springing   
out of the very experience of life1 ,i  
am yet to consider1 and have it most at 
heart to consider4 ,it is of such       
priceless worth1 it so embraces all that
 is noble in humanity1 that the         
importance of the opposite principle1 is
 liable to be quite overlooked4         
,selfishness1 which is the excess of a  
just self-regard1 is the one form  of   
all evil in the world4 ,the world cries 
out upon it1 and heaps upon it  every   
epithet1 expressive of meanness1        
baseness and guilt4 ,and let it  bear   
the branding scorn2 but let us not fail 
to see1 though selfishness  be the      
satirist's mark1 and the philosopher's  
reproach1 and the  theologian's         
argument1 the real nature and value of  
the principle1 from  which it proceeds4 
,selfhood ,i have preferred to call it2 
self-love1 be it1 if you please4  ,it is

 that1 which satire and false criticism 
have misconstrued1 when  they have said 
that love of kindred1 of friends1 of    
country1 of ,god  himself1 is but       
self-love4 ,the mistake arises from that
 primal and vital  part and             
participation which ourself has in every
 thing that we enjoy or  love or adore4 
,this magnificent ,i--and ,i emphasize  
it1 because all  meanness is thought to 
be concentred in that word--this        
mysterious and  magnificent ,i--this    
that one means1 when he says ,i--we may 
utter1 but  can never explain1 nor fully
 express it4 ,there are great men in the
  world1 whose lives are of far more    
importance than mine--statesmen1        
commanders1 kings--but ,i--no being can 
feel an intenser interest in  his       
individuality than ,i do in mine2 no    
being can be of more importance  to     
himself than ,i am to myself2 the very  
poles of thought and being turn  upon   
that slender line2 that simple unity1   
like the unit in figures1  swells to    

infinite multiplication2 that one       
letter1 that single stroke  of pen or   
type1 may be varied and complicated1    
till it writes the  history of the      
world4 ,i think1 therefore ,i am1 said  
the philosopher2  but the bare utterance
 of the word ,i1 yields a vaster        
inference4 ,no  animal ever knew what   
that word means4 ,it is some time before
 the little  child learns to say1 ,i4   
,it says1 ,willy or ,ellen wants this or
  that--will go here or there4 ,what is 
insanity1 but the wreck of this         
personality8 ,the victim loses himself4 
,and the morally insane1 the  prodigal1 
when he returns to reason and virtue1   
comes to himself4    ,a man's self1 says
 ,thackeray1 must always be serious to  
him1 under  whatever mask or disguise or
 uniform he presents it to the public4  
,yes1  though it were as mime1          
harlequin1 jester fool almost2 nor could
 there  be a more deplorable or         
desperate condition for a human being1  
than to  account himself nothing1 or    

nothing worth1 or worthy only to be the 
butt  of universal scorn and contempt4  
,from this utter ruin1 every man is     
protected by that mysterious and        
momentous personality that dwells       
within him4 ,we may be little in        
comparison with the general mass of     
interests1 little in comparison with    
kingdoms1 little in comparison with  the
 swelling grandeur of thrones and       
empires1 little in comparison with  the 
great orb that rolls round the sun1 and 
bears millions of such2 but  we are     
forever great in the sense of individual
 destiny4 ,this swells  beyond          
kingships1 grandeurs1 empires1 worlds1  
to infinitude and  eternity4    ,there  
is another element in this selfhood1 to 
be considered1 besides its  conscious   
importance1 and that is free            
will--itself also unmoral1 but          
indispensable4 ,for imagine a rational  
being to be placed in this world1       
without free will4 ,he can choose       
neither wrong nor right4 ,he has a      

conscience1 but no freedom2 no power to 
choose any thing4 ,it is1 ,i  think1 an 
incongruous and impossible kind of      
existence2 but imagine it4  ,evils1     
troubles1 temptations press against this
 being1 and he can do  nothing2 he      
cannot even will to resist4 ,could there
 be a condition more  horrible8 ,no2 man
 is a nobler and happier being than this
 amounts to4  ,free will is put in him1 
on purpose to fight the great battle    
against  evil4 ,he could not fight1 if  
he could not will4 ,he could not choose 
the  right1 without being free to choose
 the wrong2 for choosing one path       
without being at liberty to take the    
other1 would be no choosing4 ,free  will
 is to fight the battle4 ,it is a       
glorious prerogative4 ,and man1 ,i      
believe1 is out of all proportion1      
happier1 with this power1 all its       
aberrations included1 than he would be  
without it4 ,i am glad for my  part1    
that ,i am not passing through this     
world1 like a car on a  railroad1 or    

turning round like a wheel in a mill2   
that ,i can go1 this  way or that1 take 
one path or another2 that ,i can read1  
or write1 or  study1 or labor1 or do    
business2 and that when the great       
trial-hour1  between right and wrong1   
comes1 though ,i may choose the wrong1  
yet that  ,i can choose the right4 ,what
 better would there be for me than      
this--what better constitution of a     
rational nature8 ,i know of no better   
possible4    ,selfhood1 then--this      
interest in ourselves1 being seen to be 
right1 and  the play of free will which 
is a part of it desirable2 let us turn  
finally to the useful working of the    
principle4 ,you may have said in        
listening to me thus far1 ,what need of 
insisting so much upon  self-regard1    
which we all perfectly well understand8 
,i doubt whether it  is so well         
understood2 and this must be my apology4
 ,we have seen that  the principle is   
native and necessary to us2 let us look 
a moment1 at  its utility4    ,i am put 

in charge of myself--of my life1 first  
of all4 ,so strong is the  impulse to   
keep and defend it1 that                
self-preservation has been called  the  
first law of our being4 ,but that argues
 an antecedent  fact--self-appreciation4
 ,why preserve that which we value not8 
,we  defend ourself1 because we prize   
ourself4 ,we defend our life1 with the  
instant rush of all our faculties to the
 rescue4 ,very selfish1 one may  say2   
,and why does a man care so much for    
himself2 he isn't worth it4  ,he can't  
help it4 ,he obeys the primal bond2 he  
is a law to himself4 ,is  it not well8  
,man's life would perish in a thousand  
ways1 if he did not  thus care for it4  
,the great1 universal and most effective
 guardianship  over human life          
everywhere1 is--not government nor law1 
not guns nor  battlements1 not sympathy1
 not society--but this self-care4    ,i 
am put in charge of my own comfort1 of  
my sustenance4 ,i must provide  for it4 
,and to provide for it1 ,i must have    

property--house1 land1  stores1         
means--something that must be my own1   
and not another's4 ,if ,i  were an      
animal1 ,i might find food and shelter  
in the common storehouse  of nature's   
bounty4 ,but ,i have other wants2 if ,i 
have no provision for  them that is my  
own2 if some godless ,international     
,league1 or ,agrarian  ,law1 could break
 down all the rights of property1 there 
would be an end  to industry1 to order1 
to comfort1 and eventually to life      
itself4  ,whatever evils1 whatever      
monstrous crimes come of the love of    
gain1 its  extinction would be          
infinitely worse4    ,i am put in charge
 of my good name1 my place among men4 ,i
 must regard  it4 ,i am sinking to      
recklessness about virtue if ,i cease to
 value  approbation4 ,even the martyr1  
looking to ,god alone1 seeks approval4  
,and  good men's approbation is the     
reflection of that4 ,to seek honor from 
men  at the expense of principle1 is    
what the ,master condemns--not the      

desire  of honor4 ,it has been made a   
question whether the love of approbation
  should be appealed to1 in schools4 ,it
 cannot be kept out1 from there1  nor   
from anywhere else4 ,if it could1 if the
 vast network of social  regards1 in    
which men are now held1 were torn       
asunder1 society would  fall to pieces4 
,finally1 ,i am put in charge of my     
virtue--of that above all4 ,and that ,i 
must get and keep for myself2 no other  
can do it for me4 ,another may  stretch 
out the hand to defend me from a fatal  
blow2 another may endow  me with wealth2
 another may give me the praise ,i do   
not deserve2 but no  friendly           
intervention1 no deed of gift1 no       
flattery1 no falsity1 can  give me      
inward truth and integrity4 ,that solemn
 point in human  experience1 that       
question upon which every thing         
hangs--shall ,i do  right8--or shall ,i 
do wrong8--is shrouded in the secrecy   
and silence of  my own mind4 ,all the   
power in the world1 cannot do for me the

 thing that  ,i must do for myself4 ,to 
me1 to me1 the decision is committed4   
,now what ,i have been saying1 is this2 
it is well that that self-regard1  upon 
which so much is devolved1 should be    
strong2 that there should be  no apathy1
 no indifference1 upon this point2 that 
if ever a man wanders  away into        
recklessness1 into idleness1 into       
disgrace1 into utter moral  delinquency 
and lawlessness1 he should be brought to
 a stand1 and  brought back again1 if   
possible1 by this intense and           
uncontrollable  regard for himself--for 
his own well-being4 ,i do not resolve   
every thing  in human nature1 into the  
desire of well being4 ,i do not say that
 the  love of life1 of property1 of     
reputation1 still less of virtue1 is the
  same as the love of happiness2 but ,i 
say that to the pursuit of all  these a 
man is urged1 driven1 almost forced1 by 
this love of his own  well-being2 nay   
more to the pursuit of the highest      
eventually1 and that1  by the very laws 

of his nature4    ,let us now turn to   
the other principle which ,i propose to 
discuss--that  which opens the whole    
field of our culture--the principle that
 carries  us out of1 and beyond         
ourselves4    ,it has been no part of my
 design1 in discussing the principle of 
selfhood1 to show the hinderance to     
culture1 and the evil every way1  that  
come from the abuse of it4 ,that will be
 sufficiently manifest1 if  it be made  
to appear1 that all culture and         
happiness are found in the  opposite    
direction4 ,but if ,i wanted to put this
 in the strongest light1  ,i should     
point to the pain and obstruction which 
are experienced in a  diseased          
self-consciousness4 ,it would be a      
powerful argument for that  going out of
 self1 which ,i am about to speak of4   
,self1 if it is a  necessary            
stand-point1 is yet liable to be always 
in our way4 ,a morbid  anxiety about our
 position1 our credit with men1 the good
 or ill opinion  others have of our     

talents1 tastes or merits1 causes more  
misery1 ,i am  inclined to think1 than  
any other form of human selfishness4    
,see a  company of persons1 inthralled  
with music1 charmed by eloquence1       
transported by some heroic action set   
before them2 and they forget            
themselves2 they do not think1 how they 
look1 how they are dressed1 what  others
 think of them1 in their common delight4
    ,the sense of this1 ,i believe it   
was1 that lay at the bottom of the old  
,buddhist doctrine of ,nirwana--i4e41   
self-oblivion4 ,to lose this  wearisome1
 diseased self1 seemed to ,gautama1 the 
great apostle of  ,buddhism1 to be the  
chief good4 ,nirwana has been taken to  
mean absolute  annihilation4 ,i do not  
believe the ,buddhists meant that2 for  
to me1 it  is incredible1 that any great
 sect1 numbering millions1 should have  
so  totally given up the natural love of
 existence1 and desire of  immortality2 
and ,max ,mller and others have brought 
that construction  of the ,buddhist     

creed1 into doubt4 ,individuals may go  
that length4  ,unhappy ,blanco ,white1  
tortured in body and mind1 could say    
that he  desired no more of life1 here  
or hereafter4 ,a ,german naturalist     
could  say1 ,blessed be the death       
hour--the time when ,i shall cease to   
be4 ,but  this revolt against self and  
very self-existence1 whether ancient or 
modern1 ,i advert to1 only to show the  
necessity of going out from it1 in      
order to build up the kingdom of ,god   
within us4 ,it is notable2 it is        
suggestive2 but it is neither healthy1  
nor true to human nature4 ,far  truer is
 that admirable little poem of ,david   
,wasson's1 originally  entitled ,bugle  
,notes1 which in unfolding the blessing 
and joy of  existence1 touches1 ,i      
think1 the deepest and divinest sense of
 things4    ,but let us proceed to      
consider the law of sacrifice--not      
sacrifice of  happiness nor improvement1
 but the finding of both1 in going out  
from  self1 to that which is beyond and 

above it4    ,a man's thought starts    
from himself2 but if it stopped there1  
he would  be nothing4 ,all philosophy1  
science1 knowledge presuppose certain   
original faculties and intuitions2 but  
not to cultivate or carry them  out1    
would leave their possessor to be the   
mere root or germ of a man4 ,a  line in 
geometry presupposes a point2 but unless
 the point is extended1  there can be no
 geometry2 it is a point barren of all  
science1 of all  culture4    ,every     
intellectual step is a step out of one's
 self4 ,the philosopher who  studies    
himself1 that he may understand his own 
mind and nature1 is  but studying       
himself objectively2 his very self then 
lies out of  himself1 and is an         
abstraction to him4 ,and the            
mathematician1 the  astronomer1 the     
naturalist1 the poet1 the artist1 each  
one goes out of  himself4 ,his subject1 
his theorem1 his picture it is1 that    
draws  him--not reward1 not reputation4 
,doubtless ,newton or ,herschel1 when he

  left his diagram or his telescope1 and
 seated himself in the bosom of  his    
family1 might say1 ,we must live2 ,i    
must have income2 and if public  or     
private men offer to remunerate and     
sustain me1 it is right that they       
should do so4 ,but the moment he plunges
 into deep philosophic  meditation1 he  
forgets all that4 ,nature has more than 
a bridal charm1  science more than      
golden treasures1 truth more than       
pontifical  authority1 to its votaries4 
,not wooing1 but worship1 is found at   
its  shrines and altars4 ,in the grand  
hierarchies of science1 of literature1  
of art1 there is a veritable priesthood1
 as pure1 as unworldly1 as can  be found
 in any church4 ,it is delightful to    
look upon its work1 upon its  calm and  
loving enthusiasm4 ,the naturalist      
brings under his microscope1  the       
smallest and most unattractive specimen 
of organized matter1 and  goes into     
ecstasies over it1 that might seem      
ridiculous2 but no1 this is  a piece of 

holy nature--a link in the chain of its 
majestic harmonies4    ,and so every    
intellectual laborer1 when his work is  
noblest1 forgets  himself--the lawyer in
 his case1 the preacher in his sermon1  
the  physician in his patient4 ,is it   
not true then1 and is it not noteworthy1
  that all the intellectual treasures   
that are gathered to form the  noblest  
humanity1 all the intellectual forces   
that are bearing it  onward1 come of    
self-forgetting8    ,equally true is    
it--more true if possible1 in the moral 
field4 ,the man  who is revolving around
 himself1 must move in a very small     
circle4  ,vanity1 self-conceit1 thinking
 much of one's self1 may be the foible  
of  some able and learned men1 but never
 of the greatest men3 because the  wider
 is the circle of a man's thought or    
knowledge1 at the more points  does he  
see and feel his limitations4 ,vanity is
 always professional1  never            
philosophic4 ,it belongs to a narrow1   
technical1 never to the  largest1 moral 

culture4 ,and all the moral forces in   
the world1 are  strongest1 divinest1    
when clearest of self4 ,when the public 
man seeks  his own advancement1 more    
than the public weal1 he is no more a   
statesman1 but a mere politician2 and   
when the reformer cares more for  his   
own opinion than for the end to be      
gained1 the people will not  regard nor 
respect him4 ,the world may be very     
selfish1 but it will have  honesty in   
those whom it permits to serve it4      
,the truth is that the whole culture of 
the world1 is built on sacrifice2  and  
all the nobleness in the world lies in  
that4 ,to show that1 it is  only        
necessary to point to those classes of  
men and spheres of action1  which exert 
the widest influence upon the           
improvement and welfare of  mankind4    
,they will all be found to bear that    
mark4    ,look1 first1 at the           
professional teachers of the world--the 
authors1  artists1 professors1          
schoolmasters1 clergymen4 ,in returns of

 worldly  goods1 their services have    
been paid less1 than any other equal    
ability  and accomplishment in the      
world4 ,doubtless there have been       
exceptions2  some ,english bishops and  
,roman prelates have been rich2 and some
 authors  and artists have gained a     
modest competence4 ,more are doing it   
now1 and  yet more will4 ,but the great 
body of intellectual laborers1 has been 
poor4 ,the instruction of the world1 has
 been carried on by perpetual           
sacrifice4 ,a grand army of             
teachers--authors1 artists1             
schoolmasters1  professors1 heads of    
colleges--have been through ages1       
carrying on the  war against ignorance2 
but no triumphal procession has been    
decreed to  it2 no spoils of conquered  
provinces have come to its coffers2 no  
crown  imperial has invested with pomp  
and power4 ,in lonely watch-towers the  
fires of genius have burned1 but to     
waste and consume the lamp of life1     
while they gave light to the world4     

,it is no answer to say that the victims
 of intellectual toil1 broken  down in  
health or fortune1 have counted their   
work1 a privilege and joy4  ,as well    
deny the martyr's sacrifice1 because he 
has joyed in his  integrity4 ,and many  
of the world's intellectual benefactors1
 have been  martyrs4 ,socrates died in  
prison1 as a public malefactor2 for the 
healing wisdom he offered his people1   
deadly poison was the reward4  ,homer   
had a lot so obscure1 at least1 that    
nobody knew his birthplace2  and indeed 
some modern critics are denying that    
there ever was any  ,homer4 ,plato      
travelled back and forth from his home  
in ,athens to the  court of the         
,syracusan tyrant1 regarded indeed and  
feared1 but  persecuted and in peril of 
life2 nay1 and once sold for a slave4   
,cicero  shared a worse fate4 ,dante1   
all his life knew1 as he expressed it1--
        ,how salt was a stranger's      
bread1      ,how hard the path still up 
and down to tread1      ,a stranger's   

stairs4    ,copernicus and ,galileo     
found science no more profitable than   
,dante found  poetry4 ,shakspeare had a 
home2 but too poorly endowed to stand   
long in  his name1 after he left it2 the
 income upon which he retired was barely
  two or three hundred pounds a year2   
and so little did his contemporaries    
know or think of him1 that the critics  
hunt in vain for the details of  his    
private life4 ,the mighty space of his  
large honors1 shrinks to an  obscure    
myth of a life in theatres of ,london or
 on the banks of the  ,avon4    ,i might
 go on to speak1 but it needs not1 of   
the noble philanthropists  and          
missionaries1 often spoken of lightly in
 these days1 because what is  noblest   
must endure the severest criticism2 of  
inventors1 seldom  rewarded for their   
sagacity and the immense benefits they  
have conferred  upon the world2 of      
soldiers1 our own especially1 buried by 
thousands1 in  unknown graves--green1   
would we fain say1 green forever be the 

mounds  that cover them6 ,let           
processions of men and women and        
children1 every  year1 bring flowers1   
bring garlands of honor1 to their lowly 
tombs6    ,but there is another form of 
self-consecration which is yet more     
essential1 and which is universal4 ,and 
yet because it is essential and         
universal1 the very life-spring of the  
world's growth2 because it is no  signal
 benefit1 but the common blessing of our
 existence2 because it  moulds our      
unconscious infancy1 and mingles with   
our thoughtless  childhood1 and is an   
incorporate part of our being1 it is apt
 to be  overlooked and forgotten4 ,the  
sap that flows up through the roots of  
the  world--it is out of sight4 ,the    
stately growths we see2 the trees that  
drop balsam and healing upon the        
nations1 we see2 the schools1 the       
universities1 the hospitals1 which      
beneficence has builded1 we see2  but   
the stream that1 through all ages1 is   
flowing from sire to son1 is a  hidden  

current4    ,it is one of the miracles  
of the world--this life that is forever 
losing1 merging itself in a new life4   
,we talk of martyrdoms2 but there  are  
ten thousands of martyrdoms1 of which   
the world never hears4  ,beautiful it is
 to die for our country2 beautiful it is
 to surrender  life for the cause of    
religious freedom2 beautiful to go      
forth1 to  bear help and healing to the 
sick1 the wounded1 the outcast and      
forlorn2  but there are those who stay  
at home1 alone1 unknown1 uncelebrated1  
to  do and to bear more than is ever    
done1 in one brief act of heroism or    
hour of martyrdom4 ,in ten thousand     
homes are those1 whose life-long care   
and anxiety wear and waste them to the  
grave4 ,they count it no praise2  they  
consider it no sacrifice4 ,i speak not1 
but for the simple truth1 of  that which
 to me1 is too holy for eulogy4 ,but    
meet it is1 that a  generation coming   
into life1 which owes its training and  
culture and  preservation to a          

generation that is passing away1 should 
be sensible of  this truth--of this     
solemn mystery of ,providence--of this  
law of  sacrifice1 of this outflow from 
self into domestic1 into social life1   
which lies at the very roots of the     
world4    ,there is one further         
application of the principle of         
disinterestedness1  which goes beyond   
classes and instances such as ,i have   
mentioned1 and  embraces men simply as  
fellow-men4 ,much has been said among us
 of late  years1 and none too much1 of  
the dangers of an extreme individualism4
 ,we  began as a religious body1 in a   
strong assertion of the rights of       
individual opinion2 and we went on in   
that spirit for a considerable  time2   
till it seemed1 at length1 as if we were
 liable to lose all  coherence and to   
fall to pieces in utter disintegration4 
,but a few years  ago1 moving in that   
zig-zag line which marks all human      
progress1 we  awoke to the dangers of   
the situation2 and happily found that if

 we  could not agree upon any technical 
definition of ,christian faith1 we      
could combine for ,christian work4 ,the 
,national ,conference was formed2  a new
 impulse was given2 new funds were      
poured into our treasury2 we are        
circulating books and tracts more widely
 than we have ever done before2  we are 
helping feeble churches and founding new
 ones1 besides doing  something for     
missions abroad3 in short1 we are trying
 to do the work  which1 in common with  
other ,christian communions1 properly   
belongs to  us4    ,but there is another
 movement1 which ,i regard with equal   
interest1 and  which promises in fact1  
to go deeper than any thing else we can 
do4 ,i  allude to those ,unions1 in     
which1 ,i think the city of ,providence 
leads  the way3 and in which ,new       
,bedford1 ,worcester1 and ,brooklyn have
 followed  the example4 ,these          
associations provide a public room or   
rooms1 well  lighted and warmed1 for    
those who will1 to resort to them2 but  

especially for the young1 who most need 
good culture1 entertainment and         
encouragement2 and in these rooms are   
found books1 pictures1 games1 and  music
 perhaps2 and classes for regular       
instruction may be formed1 and  lectures
 occasionally given1 or discussions     
held2 in fact1 whatever will  contribute
 to the general improvement and to the  
pleasant and profitable  passing of     
social evenings1 may be introduced4     
,this kind of institution  is especially
 adapted to our smaller cities2 and may 
be extended to our  country villages4   
,our people in the country1 live too    
much apart and  alone2 and besides the  
direct advantages of these gatherings   
together1 a  mutual acquaintance and a  
kindly feeling would be promoted1 which 
are of  scarcely less importance4       
,let me add that there is a new ideal of
 life1 which1 ,i think1 is slowly       
arising among us2 and which1 when it is 
fully carried out1 ,i believe1  will    
make an impression upon society1 never  

before seen in the world4  ,this is the 
idea of mutual helpfulness2 of every    
man's living not to  himself1 but to    
,god1 in loving and helping his kind4   
,helpfulness1 ,i  say--that which ,mr4  
,ruskin describes as the most glorious  
attribute of  ,god himself2 and which   
has so seized upon his imagination1 that
 he  ventures to substitute for ,holy1  
holy1 holy is the ,lord1 ,helpful1      
helpful1 helpful1 is the ,lord ,god     
,almighty6 ,this will not do2 but it    
indicates a glorious tendency of modern 
thought4 ,the old ideal of life  has    
been1 to get together the means of      
comfort and enjoyment2 to get  wealth1  
to get a fine house1 to get luxuries for
 wassail and feasting1  or to get books 
and pictures2 and then to sit down and  
enjoy all this  good estate1 and        
transmit it to fortunate heirs1 with    
little thought of  others--with some    
charities perhaps1 but without taking   
into heart or  life1 the common weal1   
happiness and improvement of all around4

    ,what a millennium would it begin1  
if1 instead of this1 every man should   
be thinking1 just so far as he can go   
beyond taking care of his own body  and 
soul1 what he can do for others--not in 
any merely eleemosynary way2  not merely
 to instruct and improve men1 with the  
pharisaic assumption of  being better or
 better off than they2 but by acting a  
brotherly part  towards them1 speaking  
neighborly words1 doing neighborly      
deeds1  smoothing the path1 softening   
the lot1 seeing all erring and sorrow1  
and  joy and worth1 as if they were     
their own2 and wherever there is any    
difficulty or trial or need1 to lend a  
hand4 ,whenever such a spirit  enters   
into and pervades society1 it will make 
a world1 compared with  which1 our time 
will sink back among the dark ages4     
,in short1 when is it1 that a man does  
and is1 the highest that he is  capable 
of8 ,the answer is1 when forgetting     
himself1 forgetting  advantage1 gain1   
praise1 fame1 he pours himself out1 in  

intellectual or  moral1 and1 any way1   
beneficent activity4 ,when does culture 
or art in  him attain to the highest8   
,it is when going beyond all thoughts of
  culture and art1 he flings himself1 in
 perfect sympathy and free  communion1  
into the great mass of human interests4 
,it is so that the  greatest things have
 been achieved in all the higher fields 
of human  effort--in writing1 in        
eloquence1 in painting and sculpture and
 music2  and it is so1 especially1 that 
the doers of great things1 have become  
the noblest men4 ,art for art's sake1   
has been the motto for culture1  with   
some4 ,and to a certain extent1 that is 
true4 ,it is fine to work for  the      
perfection of the work1 and without any 
intrusion of self4 ,but a man  may work 
so1 upon a theme of little or no        
significance to the world's  improvement
 or welfare4 ,he may work so1 with small
 thoughts1 small  ideals1 for which     
nobody cares1 or has any reason to care4
 ,but so can he  not work grandly1      

however finished be the result4 ,art is 
for the sake of  something beyond       
itself4 ,only when it goes out into     
great ideals that  mingle themselves    
with the widest culture and improvement 
of men1 only  when it strikes for the   
right1 for liberty1 for country1 for the
 common  weal1 does it achieve its end4 
,we have had literature enough1 and have
 it now1 in which the writer  seems     
hardly to go beyond himself--writing out
 of himself and into  himself--occupied 
with making fine sentences1 without any 
earnest  intent2 and which readers1 used
 to feed upon the honest bread of plain 
,english speech1 hardly know what to    
make of4 ,very fine1 these sparkling    
sentences may be1 very beautiful1 very  
apt to strike with admiration2  but they
 divert attention with surprises1 or    
cover up thought with  coruscations4    
,they are like gems that lie scattered  
upon the table2 they  are not wrought   
into any well-woven fabric2 they do not 
move on the  subject to any conclusion4 

,men may win great admiration and great 
fame1 but not great love2 though  they  
gain1 perhaps1 as much as they give4    
,only by writing out of the  bosom of a 
great humanity to the great humanity1   
can one fill the  measure of good art or
 good culture4 ,even ,goethe1 of whom   
,professor  ,seeley says1 that he found 
every thing interesting except the fact 
that  ,napoleon was trampling upon      
,germany--a fatal exception3 even       
,goethe1  with all his art1 his         
marvellous versatility and fine         
accomplishment1  failed to reach the    
highest place1 either in the best       
self-culture1 or  in men's best love4   
,savant1 poet1 novelist1 of high mark1  
as he was1  he has no such place as     
,newton1 ,wordsworth1 and ,walter       
,scott1 in men's  love4 ,schiller and   
,richter1 ,i believe1 are more beloved  
in ,germany1 than  ,goethe4    ,in mere 
art1 in perfection of style1 no writers 
have equalled ,homer and  ,shakspeare4  
,but they did not say1 ,art for art's   

sake4 ,they had no  thought but to      
communicate their thought4 ,if singular 
felicities appear  in their style1      
little eddyings of exquisitely turned   
conceits1 as  especially in ,shakspeare1
 they made a part of1 and swept on the  
strong  current of their ideas4 ,they   
were not introduced for their own sake1 
or  merely to please the writer4    ,it 
has been said that great authors are    
born of great occasions4 ,some          
remarkable era1 some turn or tide in    
human thought1 or in human affairs1     
have borne them on to their supreme     
greatness4 ,will not the time come1     
when men shall so look into the depths  
of the human heart1 into the  tragic or 
blissful experiences of all human life1 
that no great era  shall be necessary to
 make great writers8    ,i believe it4  
,i believe in a perpetual human         
progress--progress in every  kind1      
material1 mental1 moral1 religious1     
divine2 and ,i greatly desire  to say a 
few words in close1 if you will indulge 

me upon this point4 ,for  ,i found this 
faith in progress1 on the two principles
 which ,i have been  considering in this
 lecture4 ,selfhood obliges a man to    
take care of  himself4 ,to go out of    
himself is the only way1 in which he can
  take care of himself--can take care1  
that is to say1 of his own  improvement 
and happiness4 ,in selfhood1 necessary  
as it is1 there is  no virtue1 and      
little joy4 ,outflow from it--love1     
generosity1  disinterestedness--embraces
 the whole sphere of our culture and    
welfare4    ,can there be any doubt upon
 either of these points--either the     
culture  or welfare8    ,upon the       
culture1 ,i say2 upon what makes for    
human improvement4 ,there is  evil      
enough in the world2 but what nation or 
age ever approved of it8  ,what people  
ever praised selfishness1 injustice1    
falsifying of speech or  trust8 ,no     
literature ever celebrated them4 ,no    
religion ever enjoined  them4 ,no laws  
ever enacted them4 ,imagine a law that  

proposed to reward  villains and to     
punish honest men4 ,the world would spit
 upon it4 ,imagine  a book or essay or  
poem or oration1 that plainly set about 
to tell what  a beautiful and noble     
thing it is1 to lie1 to defraud1 to     
wrong1  corrupt1 and ruin our fellows4  
,no man ever had the face to do such a  
thing4 ,no2 books may have taught such  
things1 but they never taught them  as  
noble things4 ,the man never lived1 that
 would stand up and say1 ,it  is a      
glorious thing to betray trust1 or to   
ruin one's country1 or to  blaspheme    
,god4 ,men do such things1 but they     
don't reverence nor respect  themselves 
for doing them4    ,this then being     
settled--and it is a stupendous         
fact--the right  principle about        
culture1 being thus set up1 high and    
irrepealable in the  human conscience   
and in the sentiments of all            
mankind--what says the  common judgment 
of men about the happiness or misery of 
following the  right8 ,does it say--,it 

is a blessed thing to be a bad man2 it  
is good  and wise to be a base or cruel 
man4 ,does it say--,happy is the miser1 
the knave1 the drunkard4 ,no1 it does   
not4 ,there is temptation to do  wrong2 
that all know2 there is a notion that it
 may promote some  temporary interest or
 pleasure2 there is a disposition in    
many1 to  prefer some sensual           
gratification to the purer satisfactions
 of the  higher nature2 but there is1 at
 the same time1 a deep-founded          
conviction1 that misery in the long run 
must follow sin2 that the  everlasting  
law of ,god has so ordained it to be2   
and that only the  pure1 the noble1 the 
heroic1 the good and godlike affections 
can ever  make such a nature as ours1   
content and happy4    ,here then is     
another stupendous principle settled4   
,and now1 ,i say1 this  being is a lover
 of happiness4 ,he is not wise2 he is   
not clear-seeing2  he is not good       
either--i4e41 he is not fixedly and     
determinately good2  he is weak too2 he 

is easily misled2 he is often rebellious
 to the  higher laws of his nature2     
but--,i hold to that--he is a lover of  
happiness2 and happiness1 he knows1 can 
never be found1 but in obedience  to    
those higher laws4 ,he is a lover of    
happiness1 ,i say2 he cannot be  worse  
off1 without wishing to be better off2  
if he is sick1 he wants to  be well2 if 
his roof lets in the rain1 he will have 
it repaired2 if the  meanest implement  
he uses1 is broken1 he will have it     
mended4 ,is it not  natural--is it not  
inevitable1 that this tendency should   
yet develop  itself in the higher       
concerns of his being8 ,is it not in the
 natural  order of things1 that the     
higher should at length gain the        
ascendency  over the lower1 the stronger
 over the weaker1 the nobler over the   
meaner8 ,how can it be thought--how can 
it be1 in the realm of ,infinite        
,beneficence and ,wisdom1 that meanness 
and vileness1 sin and ruin should  be   
strong and prevail1 and gain victory    

upon victory1 and spread curse  beyond  
curse1 and draw their dark trail over   
the bright eternity of  ages6    ,no1 in
 the order of things1 this cannot be4   
,grant that there are evils1            
difficulties1 obstacles in the way4 ,but
 in the order of things1  principles do 
not give way before temporary           
disturbances4 ,law does not  yield to   
confusion4 ,gravitation binds the earth1
 notwithstanding all the  turmoil upon  
its bosom4 ,light prevails over         
darkness1 though cloud and  storm and   
night interrupt its course4 ,the moral  
turmoil upon earth's  bosom1 war and    
outbreak and widespread disaster1 the   
cloud and storm and  darkness of human  
passions and vices1 the bitter struggles
 and sorrows  of humanity1 the dark     
shadows of earthly strife and pain and  
sin1 are  yet to give place to immutable
 law1 to all-conquering might and right1
  to everlasting day4    ,i am as sure  
of it1 as ,i am of the being of ,god--as
 ,i am of my own  being4 ,the principles

 of progress are laid in human nature4  
,if man did  not care for himself1 ,i   
should have no hope of him4 ,if he could
 not go  out from himself1 and find     
therein his improvement1 virtue and     
happiness1 ,i should have no hope of    
him4 ,but these two principles yoked    
together1 in the ,heaven-ordained frame 
of our being1 will draw on to  victory4 
,,the ,,relation ,,of ,,jesus    ,,to   
,,the    ,,present ,,age4    ,by        
,,charles ,,carroll ,,everett4      ,the
 writer to the ,hebrews affirms that    
,jesus ,christ is the same  yesterday1  
to-day1 and for ever4 ,paul exclaims to 
the ,corinthians1  ,though we have known
 ,christ after the flesh1 yet now       
henceforth know we  him no more4 ,christ
 was the same2 yet before the generation
 that he  left upon the earth had passed
 away his relation to the earth had     
changed4 ,thus does the work of ,christ 
shape itself afresh to meet the  needs  
of every generation4 ,compare together  
the ,christ of the first  century1 the  

,christ of the thirteenth1 the ,christ  
of the sixteenth1 and  the ,christ of   
the nineteenth centuries1 and you would 
hardly think they  all represent the    
same personality4 ,christ is always the 
same4 ,his work  is always substantially
 the same2 but because the ages change1 
the  method of this work changes4 ,the  
same needs always exist in the heart of 
humanity1 but in different ages these   
needs manifest themselves in  different 
ways1 and are to be met by different    
instrumentalities4 ,and1  further1 it is
 not merely because the needs of        
humanity continually  change their      
aspect that the work of ,christ is ever 
changing4 ,no age is  a recipient alone4
 ,there is no action without reaction   
,each age  contributes something to the 
work of ,christ4 ,it adds new forces1   
new  methods1 new machinery4 ,its       
spirit1 and by this ,i mean its real1   
vital1  energizing spirit1 becomes      
united with the spirit of ,christ1 as it
 is  present and active in the world4   

,in considering the relation of ,christ 
to the present age1 we have then  to    
consider it under two aspects4 ,we have 
to consider each as a giver1  and each  
as a receiver4 ,we may help to make this
 double relation clear  by saying that  
,christ is present to this nineteenth   
century at once as a  problem and as a  
power4 ,no questions have stirred more  
deeply the heart  of the age than those 
which have to do with the person and the
 office of  ,christ4 ,the answers to    
these questions shape the aspect in     
which he  stands to the age1 and become 
therefore parts and elements of the     
power  by which he acts upon the world4 
,but this statement does not exhaust the
  twofold relation of which ,i speak4   
,that which the age gives to ,christ is 
not merely its thought about him4 ,the  
secular thought and life of the  age    
bring their contribution1 they are      
themselves a contribution to him4  ,they
 furnish one part of that complete      
organism of which ,christ  furnishes the

 other4 ,if the age1 in any fundamental 
forms of its thought  and life1 seems to
 stand in opposition to ,christ1 this   
apparent  opposition is only the        
antithesis of elements which belong     
together4 ,if  what we call the spirit  
of the age seems1 in any respect1 to    
stand in  opposition to the spirit of   
,christ1 this only shows the need that  
each  has of the other4 ,the spirit of  
this nineteenth century needs the spirit
  of ,christ1 and the spirit of ,christ 
needs the spirit of this nineteenth     
century4 ,it is not then merely that the
 thought of the age clears away         
something of the obscurity and the      
misconception that have gathered  about 
the person and the work of ,christ4 ,if 
all he said and did were as  truly      
comprehended now as they could have been
 at the first1 no less  real1 no less   
important1 would be the offering which  
this age would  bring to him4 ,neither  
does the fact1 that the work of ,christ 
needs the  work1 and that his spirit    

needs the spirit1 of the century in     
which we  live1 necessarily imply any   
imperfection in his original work1 or   
any  thing originally lacking in his    
spirit4 ,the question as to what he had 
in reserve1 as to the limit1 or the lack
 of limit1 of his insight and           
comprehension1 is one that ,i do not    
need1 and do not intend here to  raise4 
,there is a kind of work that cannot be 
done all at once4 ,there is  a fulness  
of spirit that cannot manifest itself   
all at once4 ,it is  sufficient to know 
that ,christ recognized this fact as    
well as we can4  ,he affirmed it as     
clearly and as confidently as it is     
possible for us to  do4 ,i have1 he said
 to his disciples1 yet many things to   
say unto  you1 but ye cannot bear them  
now4 ,howbeit1 when he1 the ,spirit of  
truth1  is come1 he shall lead you into 
all truth4 ,all1 so far as we can see1  
that it was possible for any spirit to  
do at one moment1 ,christ did4 ,he      
infused into the world a spirit of love 

and faith and consecration1 a  principle
 of enthusiasm for humanity4 ,he added  
to these the vitalizing  power that came
 from his personality4 ,this he did1 and
 with this he was  forced to be content4
 ,he told us the nature of his work1 and
 foretold to  us its history4 ,it was to
 be as a little leaven which a woman    
hideth in  a measure of meal till the   
whole is leavened4 ,he hid in the world 
the  leaven of his truth4 ,that was all 
that he could do4 ,it is for us to      
witness1 and to contribute to1 the      
completion of his work4    ,in          
considering the theme before us1 ,i     
shall speak1 first1 of the  external    
history of ,christ1 next of his         
teaching1 and finally of his            
personality1 in their relation to the   
present age4    ,in considering the     
relation of ,christ to the present age1 
we are met1  then1 first by the most    
external form of this relation4 ,the    
external  history of ,christ1 the very  
framework of many of his highest and    

purest  teachings1 contains elements    
that are utterly opposed to the habits  
of  thought which are most peculiar to  
the present century4 ,i refer to        
whatever in the history of ,christ      
implies the exercise of any miraculous  
power by him4    ,the idea of a miracle 
is opposed to the fundamental axioms of 
the  popular thought of the present4    
,the writers who best represent this    
thought do not hold it necessary to     
disprove the fact of miracles4 ,they    
simply affirm1 with ,strauss1 that the  
time is past when a miracle can be      
believed4 ,on the other hand1 the       
miraculous is inextricably intertwined  
with the history of ,christ4 ,we find   
miracles recognized1 not merely in      
records the genuineness of which has1   
with or without reason1 been  suspected4
 ,in ,epistles of ,paul1 the genuineness
 of which no critic of  repute has ever 
dreamed of assailing1 the miraculous    
element is  recognized as distinctly as 
in the ,gospels4 ,we have at least the  

testimony of ,paul--one of the grandest 
souls that ever lived1 a man whom  we   
know and honor as we know and honor     
few--that he believed himself to  have  
wrought miracles1 and that he believed  
the other apostles had done  and were in
 the habit of doing the same4 ,and we   
further have his  testimony1 with that  
of others indorsed by him1 in regard to 
the most  important of the miracles of  
,jesus2 namely1 the manifestation by    
,jesus  of himself to his disciples     
after his death4    ,here is a collision
 between the form of the external       
manifestation of  ,christ and the spirit
 of the age4 ,the age itself has given  
such  prominence to this that we cannot 
overlook it4 ,the idea of miracle is so 
foreign to the spirit of the age that it
 has a fascination for it4 ,it  has less
 importance than any thing else in the  
history of ,jesus1 and yet  nothing has 
more occupied the thoughts of the       
thinkers of the present  generation4    
,for the reasons already stated1 we must

 concede a certain degree of  right to  
both sides of the great controversy4 ,if
 we cannot eliminate the  miraculous    
from the history of ,jesus1 neither can 
we1 nor would we if we  could1 eliminate
 from the spirit of the age that element
 which finds it  hard to accept a       
miracle4 ,the very antagonism between   
the two1 the right  which each maintains
 being granted1 shows the need that each
 has of the  other4 ,each has a         
contribution for the other which could  
be received  from no other source4      
,in the first place1 the absolute       
incredulity with which the most         
thorough representatives of the thought 
of the time receive any story of  the   
miraculous shows that now1 for the first
 time1 a miracle is seen to  be in the  
truest sense of the word a miracle4 ,to 
the child or the savage  a miracle is   
hardly possible4 ,either every thing is 
a miracle or nothing  is4 ,it is only as
 the absoluteness of law is recognized  
that a miracle1  which is in appearance 

a violation of this law1 begins to      
produce its  full impression4 ,the      
present age has placed behind miracle a 
mighty  background of law4 ,from out    
this does miracle first stand forth in  
its  true nature1 as something demanding
 yet defying credence4 ,those who  blame
 the spirit of the age for lack of faith
 in this direction should  at least give
 it credit for this immense contribution
 to the idea of  miracle1 by which1 for 
the first time1 a miracle stands forth  
absolutely  in its true nature4    ,not 
only does the spirit of the age thus    
furnish to miracles the  background that
 they need3 it furnishes to them also a 
content4 ,the  thought of law does not  
stop with the background of laws of     
which ,i  spoke4 ,laws may be finite3   
law is infinite4 ,the miracle sets at   
defiance  the great background of       
recognized laws2 but itself can be only 
the  manifestation of some higher1      
grander1 more comprehensive law4 ,thus  
does  a miracle more truly than ever    

before come as a real revelation4 ,for  
the  first time it has its full and     
logical meaning4 ,it was before expected
  to prove something which from the     
nature of the case it could not prove4  
,no miracle1 however stupendous1 can    
prove the truth of a principle in       
morals4 ,it can show1 indeed1 some      
superiority1 in some respect1 in him    
who works the miracle2 but this         
superiority may not be of a nature to   
demand implicit confidence towards the  
person in all respects4 ,it may be  like
 the superiority of the ,european over  
the ignorant savage4 ,the  missionary   
may win the trust of the simple         
barbarian by sending a  message written 
upon a chip2 but the sailor1 bringing   
the seeds of all  the vices of          
civilization1 can make the chip speak as
 well as the  missionary4 ,but when the 
miracle testifies of the comprehensive  
law  which it manifests1 then first does
 it have a meaning which cannot be      
wrested out of it4 ,nay1 then first does

 it become really sublime4  ,before1 it 
was a single meteor flashing in         
short-lived brightness across  the sky4 
,now1 it is the first manifestation of a
 vast system of worlds  of which we had 
not dreamed4 ,such is the contribution  
which the spirit  of the age1 through   
the very antagonism of which ,i spoke1  
makes to the  miracles which constitute 
so much of the external form in which   
,christ  meets it4    ,on the other     
hand1 miracle brings a no less important
 contribution to  the spirit of the age4
 ,this spirit tends1 not only to look   
upon law as  absolute1 but to look upon 
the system of laws which it has         
discovered as  final4 ,these laws tend  
continually to become narrow and hard4  
,they tend  to become merely a system of
 physical forces4 ,there is danger that 
the  spirit may become shut up within   
these physical laws as in a             
prison-house4 ,the miracle demonstrates 
to the senses that these physical  laws 
are not absolute1 even in their own     

realm2 that these physical  forces are  
encompassed and interpenetrated by      
spiritual forces2 that  matter is at the
 last subordinate to spirit4 ,it may not
 reveal the  nature of these spiritual  
forces2 but it does reveal their        
presence4 ,all  do not need this        
demonstration4 ,the same truth may be   
reached in other  ways4 ,the laws of    
thought reveal it4 ,the spiritual       
consciousness may be  sufficient unto   
itself4 ,christ himself regarded his    
miracles as of  comparatively small     
account4 ,he wrought them because he was
 moved to use  whatever power he had to 
bless mankind4 ,if he healed the sick1  
it was  because he loved to heal them4  
,he sympathized with sorrow and         
suffering1  and1 so far as he could1    
would remove their cause4 ,but the      
miracles  carry1 as we have seen1 their 
own revelation with them2 and they have 
their place1 however lowly1 in regard   
even to the spiritual  consciousness4   
,the albatross1 we are told1 with all   

its magnificent  sweep of wing1 cannot  
lift itself from the flat surface of the
 deck on  which it may be lying4 ,just  
because its wings are so strong and     
large1  it needs to be lifted a little1 
that they may have space to move1 that  
they may have freedom to smite the air4 
,when this freedom has been given  it1  
then it mounts upward1 sustained by its 
own inherent strength4 ,so is  it1      
sometimes1 with the spirit4 ,it has     
strength of its own4 ,it has a          
self-sustaining power4 ,but it sometimes
 needs to be lifted a little way  above 
the dead level of its daily life1 above 
the plane of physical  relations1 before
 its wings find strength and freedom to 
beat the air4  ,then1 leaving its       
temporary support behind it1 it mounts  
in glad flight  heavenward4 ,such help  
many have found1 and may yet find1 in   
the miracles  of ,jesus4 ,the miracle   
may lift the level surface of life as if
 into a  wave1 from the crest of which  
the spirit may start upon its flight4   

,from the external manifestation of the 
history of ,christ1 and the  external   
relations in which through this he      
stands to the present age1  we pass to  
the inner power of this life4 ,within   
these external  manifestations we find  
his teachings4 ,we have1 then1 next to  
consider  the relation in which ,christ 
stands to the present age as a teacher4 
,we  shall find here the same twofold   
relation which we have found before2    
and the external may thus stand as a    
type and illustration of the  internal4 
,we will first consider1 under this     
aspect1 the basis and form  of the      
teaching of ,christ1 and next its       
substance4    ,the spirit of the age is 
truth-seeking4 ,we speak often of the   
eagerness  for wealth that marks the    
age4 ,i think that when1 from the       
distant  future1 men shall look back    
upon this period of the world's history1
 the  search for wealth will not be seen
 to fill the place that to us it seems  
to occupy4 ,the age will be seen to be  

animated by a nobler quest than  this4  
,the search for truth will be seen to be
 the quest by which it is  marked most  
really4 ,we speak of the corruption of  
the age1 of the  trickeries of trade1 of
 the unscrupulousness of speculation1 of
 the  pretence and display of fashion1  
of the venality of politics4 ,all this  
is true4 ,these things deserve the      
denunciation of the moralist and the    
preacher4 ,but behind all this is the   
life which truly marks the age4 ,it  is 
the life of patient1 earnest1 honest    
search for truth4 ,i believe that  never
 and nowhere has there been manifested1 
to so great extent1 such  conscientious 
and self-forgetful love of truth for its
 own sake as may  be found in the       
scientific investigations of the present
 day4 ,such  accuracy of research1 such 
microscopic delicacy of measurement1    
such  patient and unprejudiced          
examination1 ,i believe to be unequalled
 in the  history of man4 ,this proves   
that1 in spite of the frauds and        

falseness  of which ,i spoke1 the age is
 really sound at heart4 ,theologians    
sometimes speak of the flippancy and    
conceit of the science of the day4  ,the
 terms would be more true applied in the
 opposite direction4 ,theology  is more 
open to such charges than science4 ,a   
love of truth that would  fling away    
even the highest glory of the earth and 
the hope of heaven1  if so be truth may 
stand pure and perfect1 has something   
sublime about  it4 ,well might the      
theologian take a lesson from the man of
 science in  regard to this consecration
 to truth4 ,for theology1 with its      
presumption1 its prejudice1 its         
pretence1 its glossing over of          
difficulties1 its leaning upon authority
 which it feels at heart is not         
authority1 its saying what it does not  
exactly believe1 that it may not        
contradict those who perhaps do not     
believe exactly what they say1 may  well
 stand ashamed in the presence of the   
science of the day that has  left all to

 follow truth4 ,theology should give to 
science not  tolerance1 not patronage1  
but reverence4 ,while it utters         
fearlessly the  truth that is given it  
to speak1 it should in its turn seat    
itself as a  learner at the feet of     
science1 and seek not only to gather the
 facts  which it has to teach1 but to   
catch something of its spirit1 the      
spirit  that loves truth1 and that will 
suffer nothing to take the place of     
this4    ,but ,christ was not a         
truth-seeker4 ,it does not appear that  
he ever  doubted or questioned4 ,pilate 
asked the question1 ,what is truth8 ,it 
does  not appear that ,jesus ever did4  
,jesus came not to seek the truth1 but  
to  announce it4 ,to this end1 he cried1
 was ,i born1 and for this cause  came  
,i into the world1 that ,i should bear  
witness unto the truth4 ,he  came to    
bear witness unto the truth1 but it was 
truth that came to him  without his     
seeking4 ,neither does it appear that   
,christ loved truth  above all things4  

,to the ,jesuit there is something      
better than truth1  and to this he will 
sacrifice truth itself4 ,i assert       
nothing like this  in regard to ,christ4
 ,truth was to him fundamental and      
essential4 ,he  would not accept or     
tolerate what was false4 ,but still to  
know was not  the great object of his   
life4 ,there was something better to him
 than  truth2 namely1 life4 ,he would   
rather be than know4 ,at his touch truth
  sprang into life4 ,if he came to bear 
witness to the truth1 this was only  a  
step in his grander work1 the work which
 he proclaimed at the very  beginning of
 his mission1 when he cried1 ,i am come 
that they might have  life1 and that    
they might have it more abundantly4     
,and1 further1 ,christ  did not merely  
teach life through truth3 he taught     
truth through life4  ,if any man1 he    
said1 will do his will1 he shall know of
 the  doctrine4 ,and ,john was full of  
the spirit of his ,master when he cried1
  ,the life is the light of men4    ,we 

see more clearly the antithesis between 
,christ as a teacher on the  one side1  
and the present age on the other1 in    
this fact3 viz41 that  ,christ speaks   
with authority to an age which rejects  
authority4 ,the cry  of the age1 in the 
world of the intellect as well as in    
that of  politics1 is for liberty4 ,but 
to this age1 as to every age1 ,christ   
comes  as a master4 ,my yoke1 he says1  
is easy2 but it is a yoke none the      
less4    ,if the relation of ,christ to 
his truth is so different from that of  
the  spirit of the age to its truth1 it 
must follow that the two forms of  truth
 rest on different bases4 ,the faculties
 by which the age seeks  truth must be  
different from those through which the  
truth came unsought  to ,jesus4 ,this   
age seeks truth by the discriminating   
and investigating  power of the         
understanding4 ,truth came to ,jesus    
through the intuitions  of the soul4 ,in
 him the moral and spiritual faculties  
were full of  strength4 ,he lived as    

naturally in the world of spiritual     
realities as  other men live in the     
world of physical realities4 ,as we need
 only open  our eyes and see1 so his    
spirit had only to open its eyes and it 
saw4 ,as  the voices of the outward     
world come to us without our listening  
for  them1 so the voice of ,god came to 
him whether he would or no4 ,and this   
was the ground of the authority with    
which he spoke4 ,whoever speaks from    
the moral and spiritual consciousness to
 the moral and spiritual  consciousness 
may and must speak with authority4 ,we  
may illustrate this  by an extreme case4
 ,when a man is lurking for the         
commission of some  crime1 or after he  
has committed it1 he feels the mastery  
of all  innocent things4 ,the rustle of 
a leaf may excite his dread4 ,to a voice
  denouncing his crime1 or crime like   
his1 he listens as to the voice of      
,god4 ,this recognition of the mastery  
of a higher degree of life after  its   
own kind is felt at every stage of moral

 and spiritual development4  ,if the    
soul be comparatively guilty1 it        
recognizes this mastery with  dread4 ,if
 it be comparatively innocent1 it       
recognizes it with joy4 ,such  was the  
authority with which ,jesus spoke4      
,though he spoke with  authority1 what  
he said did not rest on this authority4 
,it was the  authority with which the   
awakened calls to the sleeper1 bidding  
him  awake1 for the world is bright with
 the morning4 ,the voice penetrates to  
the obscured consciousness of the       
sleeper4 ,he stirs himself1 he opens    
his eyes1 and rejoices for himself in   
the morning brightness4 ,so ,christ     
called to a sleeping world4 ,nay1 he    
called to those who were dead in        
trespasses and sin1 and they that were  
dead heard the voice of the ,son  of    
,man and lived4    ,if the truth taught 
by ,jesus and the truth that is sought  
by the present  age rest on such        
different bases1 they must be1 we should
 suppose1 in  some respects different   

each from the other4 ,but1 if each be   
truth1 they  must be the complements    
each of the other4 ,and1 if they are the
  complements each of the other1 they   
must need one another4 ,each must be    
imperfect without the other4 ,each must 
find a certain confirmation and  support
 from the other1 and each must complete 
for the other the circle  of truth4 ,we 
are thus led to look at some points in  
the teaching of  ,christ1 and to see how
 these complete and are completed by the
 truth  which the present age seeks and 
finds4    ,in the first place1 ,christ  
teaches us of the loving providence of  
,god4  ,he awakens in our hearts all    
childlike instincts of trust and        
confidence4 ,he tells us that ,god is   
our father1 that his love watches  over 
all his children1 that it follows the   
prodigal in his wandering  and greets   
him on his return1 that even a sparrow  
does not fall to the  earth without it4 
,this teaching is sufficient for the    
spiritual  necessities of our nature4   

,the spirit that has adopted these      
principles  into itself will live a     
strong and blessed life4 ,they have been
 the  inspiration of the centuries ever 
since ,christ uttered them4 ,they       
contain all that could be told of ,god  
in the age when ,jesus lived4 ,but  they
 do not exhaust the truth of ,god4 ,they
 leave space for  misconception4 ,love  
may be universal1 and yet be not without
 caprice4  ,providence may watch over   
all1 and yet in every case be only a    
special  providence4 ,god may watch over
 every individual of the race1 but over 
each merely as an individual4 ,if there 
may be the caprices of love1 then  it is
 not a long step to the possibility of  
caprices which spring from  the lack of 
love4 ,love may alternate with hate4 ,if
 each individual be  dealt with singly1 
as though he existed by himself1 the    
step is not a  long one to the thought  
of discrimination between individuals4  
,the  caprices of love may become       
favoritism1 and the special favor shown 

to  one implies the neglect of another4 
,all these things are foreign from  the 
spirit and the teaching of ,christ4     
,they contradict the fundamental        
principles of his teaching4 ,and yet1   
men's habits of thought being such  as  
they were1 the teaching of ,christ could
 not be absolutely fortified  against   
them4 ,he told men that the love of ,god
 was like the sunshine  that visits all 
alike1 but the words passed through     
their ears unheeded4  ,thus             
,christianity all along has been        
corrupted by misrepresentations of  its 
truth in which the thought of love had  
suggested caprice1 and the  thought of  
special love and special providence had 
suggested the thought  of favoritism1   
and favoritism had suggested            
discrimination and neglect4  ,all men   
were seen to stand in the presence of   
,god as individuals1 which  is true2 and
 merely as individuals1 which is false4 
,the truth that ,god is love needs to be
 supplemented by another truth2  namely 

this1 that ,god is ,law4 ,the great     
truth of the absoluteness of law  cannot
 be taught in a single lesson4 ,no man  
can tell it to another4 ,it  must be    
demonstrated to be believed4 ,it must be
 shown in its myriad and  unvarying     
applications to all forms of being      
before it can be felt as a  reality4    
,one must see for one's self the grand  
march of the order of the  universe1 the
 unfailing sequence of cause and effect1
 the mathematical  exactness of the     
correlation of all the forces of the    
world1 before one  can have a sense of  
the truth which lies at the basis and   
forms the  culmination of scientific    
thought to-day4 ,this truth has not been
  reached suddenly4 ,the ages have been 
groping after it4 ,this age has         
reached1 by slow and patient thought1 a 
comprehension of this truth  which is   
its inspiration4 ,the ages to come will 
only add to it new  illustrations as    
they follow its mighty sweep4 ,this     
truth is what seems  at times to put    

this age into antagonism with the spirit
 of ,christ4 ,it  is really the offering
 which the thought of the age brings to 
,christ4  ,the teaching of ,christ      
needs1 as we have seen1 this truth as   
its  complement4 ,the antithesis between
 the two shows the intimate             
relationship between them4 ,when we     
bring the two together in one  thought1 
we have the most sublime conception that
 ever dawned upon the  mind of man4 ,the
 truth of ,christ finds a body3 the     
truth of the age  finds a soul4 ,on the 
one side1 all possibility of caprice is 
driven from  our thought of ,god4 ,the  
love of ,god1 as strong and tender as   
the lips  of ,jesus could describe it1  
is seen to be as regular and as calm as 
the  movements of the heavens4 ,this    
truth only adds to the strength and the 
clearness of our thought of the love of 
,god4 ,we see demonstrated before  us   
how his care pursues all things1 how not
 a sparrow falls to the earth           
unfollowed by this watchful providence1 

how every grain of dust that  floats in 
the summer sun has its place and work in
 the great whole1 not  a single mote    
forgotten4 ,we learn in what direction  
to look for the  action and succor of   
this providence4 ,we do not look for it 
to come to  us in weakness1 but in      
strength4 ,we see that this perfect     
order is the  truest providence1 that   
the care of each is most perfect that   
recognizes  each in its relations to all
 the rest4 ,so soon as we recognize the 
divinity of law and the love that is    
enshrined in it1 we feel the            
omnipresent might of this divinity1 the 
omnipotence of this love4 ,the          
restlessness and passion of our hearts  
are stilled4 ,trust in ,god takes  on   
the peace and the calmness of the       
heavens4 ,such is the offering which    
the age brings to ,christ4 ,it brings a 
body in which his spirit may  incarnate 
itself afresh4    ,the result of the    
union of the thought of the age with the
 thought of  ,christ may be seen in all 

the relations in which the soul stands  
to ,god4  ,christ bade his followers    
preach his gospel to every creature4    
,the age  has taught us the necessity of
 educating and civilizing the barbarian1
  if we would christianize him4 ,christ 
taught us to love the sinner while      
hating sin4 ,this has seemed to some    
paradoxical2 but the age has removed    
some of the difficulty by showing how   
much of what we call character is  the  
result of inherited tendencies and      
outward circumstances4 ,jesus  taught   
the doctrine of immortality4 ,men have  
tended to look upon the  future life as 
something standing over against the     
present4 ,the age  teaches us that such 
a break in life is impossible1 that if  
there be an  immortality it must lie    
hidden in the present4 ,it teaches1 too1
 that the  judgments of ,god1 if there  
be a ,god1 are never arbitrary4 ,he does
 not  hold blessing in one hand and     
cursing in another1 and give each1 by an
  outward bestowal1 as he may see that  

it is deserved4 ,men's acts drag  their 
consequences after them4 ,thus the old  
,scripture phrases are just  coming to  
their meaning4 ,it is not an angry ,god 
that pursues the sinner3  it is his own 
sin that has found him out4 ,men do reap
 the fruit of their  own sowing4 ,there 
is no scientific truth of the day that  
stands in any  stronger antagonism to   
the truth of ,christ than is implied in 
such  antitheses as have been referred  
to4 ,even the theories of development1  
so rife at present1 do not stand in the 
way of ,christ4 ,christ looks not       
downward but upward1 not backward but   
forward4 ,such theories1 if             
established1 would only show the        
progressive power of spirit1 the        
omnipotence of life4    ,but if the     
thought of ,jesus needs that of the     
present age1 still more  does the       
thought of the age need that of ,jesus4 
,if the spirit needs a  body1 still more
 does the body need a spirit4 ,the laws1
 the forces on  which the thought of the

 age dwells1 until this divineness is   
added to  them are hard and cold4 ,the  
body1 which could carry on all the      
functions  of its life1 yet without     
life1 would be a machine1 perfect indeed
 and  wonderful1 but a machine none the 
less4 ,the thought of the age1 taken by 
itself1 uninspired by ,christian truth1 
tends to drag down the soul1 to         
imprison it in mere mechanism1 to take  
from it its divine inspiration2  and    
while we need the thought of the present
 age to illustrate to us the  methods of
 ,god's dealings with the soul1 none the
 less does the thought  of the age need 
the knowledge that there is a soul4     
,among all the forces  of the universe1 
the power of the soul1 the culmination  
of them all1 is  apt to be lost sight   
of4 ,the thought of the age tends to    
look upon  things from without1 and to  
lose that which is their essence4 ,it   
needs  the voice that shall awaken its  
own inner life1 and thus bring it to a  
consciousness of the life that lies at  

the heart of all things4    ,thus we see
 how the thought of ,christ and the     
thought of the age need  and complement 
each other4 ,the thought of ,christ is  
spiritual1 the  thought of the age tends
 to become material4 ,in this world we  
are  neither wholly spiritual nor wholly
 material4 ,and we must bear in mind    
that the two elements should not exist  
over against one another in our         
thought4 ,we must not hold the two      
conceptions1 however opposite they may  
appear1 as two4 ,in life the spirit and 
the body do not exist as two but  as    
one4 ,as soon as they exist as two1     
there is death4 ,so must the truth  of  
,jesus and the truth of this present age
 be blended in one thought4 ,we  must   
not say love and law1 but love in law4  
,we must not see the divine  power      
setting at work forces that by their    
natural operation shall  reward or      
punish the spirit4 ,we must see the     
divine power working in and  through    
these forces4 ,then1 as science makes us

 feel that we are  encompassed by law1  
the words will not need translating to  
us2 for we  shall feel that we are      
encompassed by ,god4    ,the relation   
which we have found to exist between the
 intellectual  teaching of ,christ and  
the thought of the age is no less marked
 between  the moral teaching of ,christ 
and the life of the age4 ,the moral     
teaching  of ,christ is absolutely true4
 ,it is as true as his thought of ,god2 
yet  like that it needs its complemental
 truth4 ,further1 the moral teaching  of
 ,christ needs instrumentalities4 ,love1
 however strong1 cannot work  without   
means4 ,the heart needs the hands and   
the feet4    ,in both of these respects 
the age brings its offering to ,christ4 
,christ  teaches love and               
self-sacrifice4 ,he bids us do for      
others as we would  have them do for us4
 ,he bids us give to him that asks1 and 
lend to him  that would borrow4 ,these  
principles are the very life of society4
 ,they  are the very truth of ,god4 ,but

 yet these principles carried out1      
without  explanation and qualification1 
would produce harm as well as good4 ,the
  church of every age1 in striving to   
carry out these precepts1 has done  much
 good2 but it has done much harm also4  
,it has done good by bringing  succor to
 the lives that needed it4 ,it has done 
immeasurable good by  keeping alive on  
the earth the spirit of ,christian love4
 ,men have been  blest by the power of  
the spirit1 even more than by its       
specific acts of  mercy4 ,but1 while it 
has relieved the poor1 it has too often 
tended to  perpetuate poverty4          
,indiscriminate alms-giving1 mere       
alms-giving1 is the  very mother of     
pauperism4 ,we see in some ,catholic    
countries how the  alms-giving which the
 church has taught in the very words of 
,christ has  degraded whole populations1
 has taken from manhood its real dignity
 and  strength4 ,we need1 then1 not only
 the principle of love1 but also a      
knowledge of all social laws4 ,the      

science of political economy must be    
understood2 but this1 like physical     
science1 cannot be taught in a day4     
,ages must teach the lesson4 ,the       
present age has only half learned it4   
,but it has learned enough to bring a   
magnificent contribution to ,christ4    
,christ bids us help men3 the age1 in   
its poor blundering way1 is just        
beginning to tell us how to help them4  
,it teaches that the best way to  help  
the poor is to strike at the root of    
poverty4 ,no less does the age  furnish 
means for carrying out the principles of
 ,jesus4 ,it brings the  ends of the    
earth together4 ,christ bids us love our
 neighbor4 ,this age  has made those    
from whom the sea parts us our          
neighbors4 ,there is  famine1 or some   
more sudden calamity1 on the other side 
of our  continent1 or in a foreign land4
 ,christ bids us help those who need4   
,how  shall we carry sudden help unless 
we hear at once the story8 ,how shall   
we send prompt help if there be no      

strong and swift messenger waiting at   
our door8 ,but now the lightning tells  
the story the moment in which  there is 
a story to be told1 and the unwearied   
steam bears our gifts as  soon as they  
can be gathered4 ,the commands of ,jesus
 are absolute4 ,the  power of the age to
 fulfil these commands is approaching   
absoluteness4  ,thus does the age add to
 the teaching of ,christ the            
completeness that it  needs4    ,but    
does not the age in turn need this      
teaching8 ,materialism and  mechanism in
 thought are bad enough3 they are worse 
in life4 ,the life of  the age has a    
tendency to materialism and mechanism4  
,the science of  political economy tends
 to become a hard system of rules1 in   
which the  spontaneous sympathy of the  
helper and the individuality of the     
helped  are lost together4 ,the         
eagerness of the world after material   
prosperity  tends to a practical        
absorption in these ends4 ,thus we have 
the greed1  the excitement1 the madness1

 the display1 the corruption that to so 
great an extent characterize the age4   
,we have seen that there is a  deeper   
life beneath this superficial one2 but  
these evils1 however  superficial1 need 
prompt and constant care lest they eat  
into the very  heart4 ,the body needs   
the spirit1 or it will sink into decay4 
,i have spoken of the two elements which
 we are considering as if they  stood   
simply over against one another4 ,this  
is in some respects true4  ,the thought 
and life of the age are1 indeed1 largely
 indebted to the  stimulus of           
,christianity2 but they are not1 like   
the painting and  architecture of the   
,middle ,ages1 the direct outgrowth of  
it4 ,the science  of the present day is 
self-developed and self-sustained4 ,the 
machinery  of the world has been        
invented for the world's uses4 ,its     
political  economy has been thought out 
to facilitate its own ends4    ,but     
though the two elements1 to some extent1
 stand over against one  another1 yet   

each1 by its natural development1 is    
approaching the other1  and each is     
becoming penetrated by the other4 ,on   
the one side1 religion  is catching the 
spirit of the age1 and is approaching   
the clearness and  accuracy of          
scientific thought4 ,on the other side1 
science is becoming  conscious of truth 
which is unattainable by its methods1   
and which is to  it therefore the       
unknowable4 ,already does ,herbert      
,spencer1 who  represents the foremost  
thought of the time1 feel the awe of    
this  mystery1 and see gleaming through 
it something of the presence of the     
infinite love4 ,the life of the age1    
also1 by bringing men near to one       
another1 tends to produce the sense of  
human brotherhood4 ,its vast  business  
enterprise1 in some of its aspects1 does
 more for the cause of  humanity than   
many a professed charity4 ,further1 the 
age is1 to some  extent at least1       
directly inspired by ,christianity4 ,its
 zeal for  humanity1 its sympathy with  

the oppressed and suffering everywhere1 
its  gigantic and unparalleled          
charities1 show it to be more truly     
,christian  than any age that has       
preceded it4    ,if however1 in spite of
 all this1 we are sometimes tempted to  
doubt  whether the power of the truth   
which ,christ represents is to win the  
mastery1 or whether it is destined to be
 lost in the great struggle1 we  must   
remember that its authority is that of  
elements that are  fundamental in human 
nature4 ,the spiritual instincts may be 
repressed3  they cannot be exterminated4
 ,as in every little creek and inlet    
along  the shore the water answers to   
the call of the ocean1 and feels the    
might of the outgoing and the incoming  
tide1 so in human life deep  answers    
unto deep4    ,we must remember1 too1   
that ,christ is not a mere teacher4 ,his
 power is  not alone that of the truth  
he utters4 ,it is no mere accident of   
history  that the higher truth and life 
which we have been considering confront 

the age as ,christian truth and life4   
,they receive a power from their  union 
with ,christ which they could not have  
received1 even had the  thought of men  
attained to them1 without this4 ,we have
 looked at the  external form of his    
life and at his teaching in their       
relation to the  age4 ,there is yet     
another step to take4 ,there is still an
 inner reality  to be unveiled4 ,behind 
the power of his teaching is the power  
of his  personality4 ,in this is found  
the climax of the antithesis in which he
  stands to the present4 ,the tendency  
of the present age is1 consciously  or  
unconsciously1 to disown personality4   
,the laws which make the  substance of  
its thought1 the mechanism that makes   
the framework of its  life1 both tend to
 assert themselves against the power of 
a free  personality4 ,we may illustrate 
this by the modern method of warfare4   
,in  ancient times the victory depended 
on the strength of the individual arm   
and the courage of the individual heart4

 ,now it depends more upon the  drill of
 the army and the clear head of the     
general4    ,this tendency of the       
thought of the age is not based on      
error4 ,it brings  to our thought of    
personality the correction that it      
needs4 ,the tendency  of the past has   
been to look upon personality as        
existing by and for  itself4 ,it has    
recognized no limits to the power of    
freedom4 ,each  individual stood by and 
for himself in the universe4 ,now we see
 a common  element in all lives4 ,all   
lives are entwined together4 ,we see    
limits  which freedom cannot pass4 ,we  
understand something of the limits of   
each  individual4 ,we understand        
something of the laws of descent and of 
the  power of education4 ,even the      
personality of ,jesus does not stand by 
itself as it seemed to once4 ,we see in 
him the power of the common  nature4 ,we
 see in him the effect of forces which  
had been in operation  since the world  
was4 ,he was no stranger upon the earth4

 ,he was the ,son  of ,god1 but he was  
no less the ,son of man4 ,he was the    
flowering of a  nation's history1 the   
flowering of humanity4 ,the flower is   
drawn forth  by the sun1 but it is drawn
 out from the plant4 ,even the sun can  
kindle  the flame of no rose upon the   
bramble's stalk4 ,while1 however1 the   
age  teaches us what is the background  
out from which the power of  personality
 stands forth1 and what are the elements
 that are fused  together in it1        
personality itself remains too much     
unrecognized4 ,but1 ,i  repeat1 the     
integrity of human nature can never be  
violated2 and  personality is the       
culmination of human nature4 ,the power 
of a modern  army1 we have seen1 depends
 largely on its drill2 yet even here the
  impetuous courage of a leader may     
infuse a life into this vast machine    
that shall decide the victory4 ,mere    
signals1 it is found1 upon a ship  will 
not answer the purpose of communication 
between the captain and the  men4 ,in   

times of peril1 in the midst of the fury
 of the storm1 the  sailor needs the    
inspiration of the captain's voice1     
ringing with a  force that is mightier  
than the tempest2 namely1 the force of  
human will  and courage4 ,no matter how 
mechanical the age may become1 no matter
 how  the idea of freedom may be        
eliminated from its thought1 the great  
heart  of humanity beats still in its   
bosom1 and the voice of a strong1 free  
personality will sooner or later arouse 
it to an answering  consciousness4 ,the 
very bands which it sets about          
personality will make  its power more   
strongly felt when it is perceived4 ,its
 very knowledge of  the elements that   
are united in it will make it feel more 
really the  might of the force which can
 fuse these into one burning point4     
,personality involves three elements4   
,the first is freedom2 the second1 a    
purpose freely chosen2 the third1       
devotion to this purpose4 ,there is no  
slavery like sin4 ,absolute freedom1 and

 thus absolute personality1 can  be     
found only in a nature wholly pure and  
unselfish4 ,christ was thus  free4 ,his 
purpose was the vastest that any human  
soul has grasped2 and  he gave himself  
to it with all the power of his nature4 
,thus ,christ  possessed the most       
intense personality ever felt upon the  
earth4 ,his  teaching came forth glowing
 with its fire4 ,we feel to-day the     
effect  which his personality produced  
upon those who came into direct contact 
with it4 ,this influence has propagated 
itself from age to age4 ,the  ,church   
grew out of it1 and its influence is    
felt to-day far beyond the  limits of   
the ,church4 ,besides this indirect     
power of the personality of  ,jesus1 we 
may feel its force directly1 as we bring
 ourselves into  personal relation with 
him4 ,it has not lost its original      
might4 ,it still  tends to reproduce    
itself in the present4    ,the form in  
which truth first utters itself has a   
power which no  subsequent repetition   

can equal4 ,there is a kind of work that
 can be  done only once4 ,the first     
discoverer or announcer of any truth    
stands in  a relation to it which no    
other can ever fill4 ,many navigators   
have  crossed the sea1 but there is only
 one ,columbus4 ,many astronomers have  
searched the heavens1 but there has been
 no second ,newton4 ,this fact is  most 
noticeable in regard to truths that     
represent not merely the  intellect1 but
 the whole moral and spiritual nature of
 him who first  uttered them in their   
fulness4 ,there is a fact in science    
strange1  apparently illogical1 but yet 
unquestionable4 ,it is this3 ,the power 
of  heat-bearing rays to pass through   
any resisting medium depends not upon   
the temperature of the rays1 but upon   
that of the body from which they  come4 
,the heat-bearing rays of the sun that  
approach the earth hardly  differ in    
temperature from the rays that are      
reflected from it2 but the  former pass 
almost unimpeded through the atmosphere 

by which the latter  are to a great     
extent imprisoned4 ,the rays reach the  
earth without  difficulty1 but are      
entrapped by the principle referred to1 
and remain  to bless the world4 ,the    
first have this power to pass through   
the  atmosphere because they come direct
 from the burning body of the sun4  ,the
 reflected rays have lost this power1   
because they proceed from the  colder   
earth4 ,this law is as true in the      
intellectual and spiritual as  it is in 
the physical world4 ,the power of moral 
and spiritual truths to  penetrate to   
the hearts of men has this strange      
dependence upon the  moral and spiritual
 power of him who utters them4 ,the very
 spontaneity  of this utterance is a    
revelation of this power4 ,it is because
 the truth  that ,jesus uttered came    
forth from his glowing heart of love1 it
 is  because it sprang fresh and        
spontaneous from the intensity of his   
spiritual life1 that it has such power  
to-day to touch the hearts of  men4 ,as 

the sun's rays preserve their           
penetrating force through all the       
interplanetary spaces1 so the teachings 
of ,christ have preserved it  through   
all the reaches of history4 ,no         
subsequent repetition of these  truths  
can ever have quite the power that their
 first complete utterance  still        
retains4 ,and the power that they       
exercise is largely in this1 that  they 
excite in the hearts of men a spiritual 
life akin to that from  which they      
originally sprang4 ,scientific truths   
are taught by  demonstration4 ,spiritual
 truths are taught chiefly by           
stimulating the  spiritual life4 ,when  
we live merely in the contemplation of  
laws1 in the  study of external         
relations1 our intellect is stimulated1 
but our moral  and spiritual nature may 
be comparatively dormant4 ,our life is  
stimulated as we are brought into living
 relationship with the universe4  ,as   
our inner nature is thus stimulated1 as 
it rounds itself into  completeness1 the

 moral and spiritual consciousness is   
awakened4 ,this is  the reason why it so
 often happens that spiritual truths are
 so real in  moments of sorrow4 ,in its 
sorrow the soul lives wholly in love1   
and it  receives the enlightenment of   
love4 ,our nation had almost forgotten  
,god2  but in those terrible years of   
war1 when every soul was full of life   
and  earnestness1 the earth and the     
heavens were full of ,god4 ,our nation's
  history became transparent to us1 as  
the history of the ,hebrews was         
transparent to them1 and we saw ,god's  
providence in it all4 ,theology has     
wrestled vainly with science4 ,in such a
 struggle it will always be the  loser4 
,christian theology can never conquer   
science4 ,christian life must  absorb   
science into itself4    ,the truths that
 ,jesus uttered1 as they have been      
absorbed into the  common thought of    
men1 or as they are received directly   
from the record  of his life1 have a    
mighty power to purify the thought and  

elevate the  hearts of men4 ,but ,i     
think that the greatest power of ,christ
 to-day is  that of imparting his life  
to the men and women who are now living 
in  the world4 ,the power of the ,church
 will depend upon its power to receive  
this life and to impart it4 ,it is well 
to have a true theology2 but the  church
 that has the most of the life of       
,christ will accomplish the most  for   
men4 ,it brings to this truth-seeking   
and law-investigating age the  pure     
personality which it needs4 ,and it will
 at last possess the truest  theology1  
for now and evermore it is the life that
 is the light of men4          ,,the    
,,mythical ,,element    ,,in ,,the      
,,new ,,testament4    ,by ,,frederic    
,,henry ,,hedge4        ,greek3         
,philosophteron kai spoudaioteron poisis
 historias estin4                       
,aristotle4      ,when ,dr4 ,strauss1   
thirty-five years ago1 in his ,life of  
,jesus1  advanced and applied to the    
narrative of the ,new ,testament a      

theory of  interpretation1 in principle 
the same with that which a ,christian   
,father  of the third century had       
employed in his treatment of the ,old1  
the  theological world was profoundly   
shocked by what seemed to be the last   
impiety of criticism4 ,a hundred        
champions rushed with drawn pen to the  
rescue of the old interpretation of the 
text4 ,the truth of ,christianity  was  
supposed to be assailed2 the belief in  
,christianity as divine  revelation was 
felt to be imperilled by a theory which 
substituted  mythical figment for       
historic fact4 ,that no such harm was   
intended1 or  was likely to ensue from  
his labors1 the author himself assures  
us in  the preface to that extraordinary
 work4 ,the inner kernel of ,christian  
faith1 he declares1 is entirely         
independent of all such criticism4      
,christ's supernatural birth1 his       
miracles1 his resurrection and          
ascension1 remain eternal truths1       
however their reality as facts of       

history may be called in question4      
,in this declaration ,i find a fitting  
text for the following discourse4       
,how far does the cause of ,christianity
 depend on the facts1 or alleged  facts1
 of the ,gospel narrative8 ,or1 to state
 the question in other  words1 ,is the  
truth of ,christianity identical and    
conterminous with the  literal truth of 
its record8    ,it is obvious at the    
start that a certain amount of historic 
truth must  be assumed as implied in the
 very existence of any religion which   
dates  from a personal founder whose    
thought it professes to embody1 and     
whose  name it bears4 ,christianity     
purports to be founded on the ministry  
of a  ,jewish teacher1 entitled by his  
followers the ,christ4 ,we have the     
testimony of a nearly contemporary      
,latin historian to the fact that an    
individual so named was the leader of a 
numerous body of religionists1  and was 
put to death by command of ,pontius     
,pilate1 in the reign of  ,tiberius4    

,but1 without this confirmation1 the    
very existence of the  ,christian       
,church compels us to accept as historic
 facts1 the ministry of  ,jesus1 the    
strong impression of his word and       
character1 his purity of  manners and   
moral greatness1 his life of beneficent 
action1 his martyr  death1 and his      
manifestation to his disciples after    
death1 however that  manifestation be   
conceived1 whether as subjective        
experience or as  objective reality4 ,so
 much1 beyond all reasonable question1  
must stand  as history1 vouched by      
documentary evidence1 and by the        
existence1 in  the first century1 of a  
church universally diffused1 which      
affirmed  these facts as the ground of  
its being1 and in the strength of them  
overcame the world4    ,but1 observe1 it
 is ,christianity that assures the truth
 of these facts1  and not the facts that
 prove ,christianity4 ,to base the truth
 of  ,christianity on the credibility1  
in every particular1 of the ,gospel     

record2 to measure the claims of the    
religion by the strict historic  verity 
of all the narrative of the ,new        
,testament1 is to prejudice the         
,christian cause in the judgment of     
competent critics4 ,it is to challenge  
the cavil and counter-demonstration of  
unbelief4    ,christianity assures the  
truth of certain facts2 but by no means 
of all  the facts affirmed by the       
writers of the ,new ,testament4 ,faith  
in  ,christianity as divine dispensation
 does not imply1 and must not be held   
to the belief1 as veritable history1 of 
all that is recorded in the  ,gospel4   
,not the historic sense1 but the        
spiritual import2 not the facts1  but   
the ideas of the ,gospel1 are the       
genuine topics of faith4                
,christianity1 like every other         
religion1 has its mythology1--a         
mythology  so intertwined with the      
veritable facts of its early history1 so
 braided  and welded with its first     
beginnings1 that history and myth are   

not  always distinguishable the one from
 the other4 ,every historic religion1   
that has won for itself a conspicuous   
place in the world's history1 has       
evolved from a core of fact a nimbus of 
legendary matter which criticism  cannot
 always separate1 and which the popular 
faith does not seek to  separate1 from  
the solid parts of the system4 ,and in  
one view the  legends or myths which    
gather around the initial stage of any  
religion  are as true as the vouched and
 substantial facts of its record3 they  
are  a product of the same spirit       
working1 in the one case1 in the acts   
and  experiences2 in the other1 in the  
visions1 the ideas1 the literary        
activity of the faithful4 ,it is one and
 the same motive that inspires  both the
 writer and the doer4    ,when ,i speak 
of historic religions1 ,i mean such as  
trace their origin  to some historic    
personage1 and bear the impress of his  
idea1 in  contradistinction to those    
which have sprung from unknown sources1 

the  wild growths of nature-worship as  
found in ancient ,egypt1 in the ,indian 
and ,scandinavian peninsulas1 and in    
,greece4    ,no distinction in religion 
is so fundamental as that between the   
wild  religions and those which have    
sprung from the word of a human sower   
going forth to sow2 the religions of    
sense and those of reflection1 the      
natural and the revealed4 ,the prime    
characteristic of the former is         
polytheism2 that of the latter1         
monotheism4 ,mosaism1 ,mohammedism1     
,buddhism1--so far as it knows any      
,god1--even ,parsism1 is monotheistic in
  as much as its dualism is resolvable  
into the final triumph and  supremacy of
 the good4 ,no founder of a religion    
ever taught a plurality  of gods4       
,another characteristic of the wild     
religions is their transitoriness4  ,the
 ,egyptian1 the ,greco-,roman1 the      
,scandinavian1 perished long ago4       
,bramanism1 the last survivor of the    
ancient polytheisms1 is fast melting    

beneath the advancing heats of ,islam   
and the ,brahmo ,somaj4 ,the  revealed  
religions on the contrary are permanent4
 ,no religion of  historic origin1 so   
far as ,i know1 has ever died out4      
,judaism1 the  eldest of them1 still    
flourishes3 never since the destruction 
of  ,jerusalem has it flourished with a 
greener leaf than now4 ,mohammedism is  
pushing its conquests faster than       
,christianity in the ,east1 ,parsism is 
still strong in ,bengal1 ,buddhism in   
one or another form calls a third  part 
of the population of the globe its own4 
,all religions have their mythologies1  
but with this distinction3  polytheism  
is mythical in principle as well as     
form1 in soul as well as  body1 and     
mythical throughout4 ,its whole being is
 myth4 ,whatever of  scientific or      
historic truth may be hidden in any of  
its legends1 such  as the labors of     
,herakles1 the fire-theft of            
,prometheus1 or the rape of  ,europa1 is
 matter of pure conjecture4 ,in the     

revealed religions1 on  the contrary1   
the mythical is incidental1 not         
principial1 and always  subordinate to  
doctrine or fact4 ,always the truth     
shines through the  myth1 explains it1  
justifies it4    ,before proceeding any 
farther1 ,i desire to explain what ,i   
mean by myth  in this connection4 ,i    
shall not attempt a philosophic         
definition1 but  content myself with    
this general determination4 ,i call any 
story a myth  which for good reasons is 
not to be taken historically1 and yet is
 not a  wilful fabrication with intent  
to deceive1 but the natural growth of   
wonder and tradition1 or a product of   
the ,spirit uttering itself in a        
narrative form4 ,the myth may be the    
result of exaggeration1 the  expansion  
of a veritable fact which gathers       
increments and a posse  comitatus of    
additions as it travels from mouth to   
ear and ear to mouth  in the carriage of
 verbal report2 or it may be the        
reflection of a fact  in the mind of a  

writer1 who reproduces it in his writing
 with the color  and proportions it has 
taken in his conception2 or it may be   
the poetic  embodiment of a mental      
experience2 or it may be what ,strauss  
calls the  deposit#h of an idea1 and    
another critic an idea shaped into fact4
 ,i  think we have examples of all these
 mythical formations in the ,new        
,testament2 and ,i hold that the credit 
of the ,gospel in things essential  is  
nowise impaired1 nor the claim of       
,christianity as divine revelation      
compromised1 by a frank admission of    
this admixture of fancy with fact  in   
its record4 ,on the contrary1 ,i deem it
 important1 in view of the  vulgar      
radicalism which confounds the          
,christian dispensation and its  record1
 soul and body1 in one judgment1 to     
separate the literary  question from the
 spiritual1 and to free the cause of    
faith from the  burden of the letter4   
,footnote #h3 ,niederschlag4    ,it has 
been assumed that the proof of divine   

revelation rests on  precisely those    
portions of the record which are most   
offensive to  unbelief4 ,on this        
assumption the ,christian apologists of 
a former  generation grounded their     
plea4 ,prove that we have the testimony 
of  eye-witnesses to the miracles       
recorded in the ,gospels1 and           
,christianity  is shown to be a divine  
revelation4 ,in the absence of such     
proof 7the  inference is7 ,christianity 
can no longer claim to be1 in the words 
of  ,paul1 the power of ,god unto       
salvation4 ,this is substantially       
,paley's  argument4 ,planting himself on
 the premise that revelation is         
impossible  without miracles1 in which  
it is implied that miracles prove       
revelation1  he labors to establish two 
propositions3 #a4 ,that there is        
satisfactory  evidence that many        
professing to be original witnesses of  
the ,christian  miracles passed their   
lives in dangers1 labors1 and           
sufferings1  voluntarily undergone in   

attestation of the accounts which they  
delivered1 and solely in consequence of 
their belief in those accounts2  and    
that they also submitted from the same  
motives to new rules of  conduct4 #b4   
,that there is not satisfactory evidence
 that persons  pretending to be original
 witnesses of any other similar miracles
 have  acted in the same manner in      
attestation of the accounts which they  
delivered1 and solely in consequence of 
their belief in the truth of  those     
accounts4 ,the argument is stated with  
the characteristic  clearness of the    
author1 and as well supported perhaps as
 ,anglican  church-erudition in those   
days would allow2 but the case is not   
made  out1 and1 if it were1 the argument
 fails to satisfy the sceptical mind  of
 to-day4 ,to say nothing of its gross   
misconception of the nature of          
revelation1 which it makes external     
instead of internal1 a stunning of  the 
senses instead of mental illumination1  
an appeal to prodigy and not  its own   

sufficient witness1--waiving this       
objection1 the argument fails  when     
confronted with the fact that1 in spite 
of the evidence which  scholars and     
critics the most learned and acute of   
all time have arrayed  in support of the
 genuineness of the ,gospels1 the number
 is nowise  diminished1 but rather      
increases1 of intelligent minds that    
find  themselves unable1 on the faith of
 any book1 however ancient1 to receive  
as authentic a tale of wonders which    
contradict their experience of the      
limits of human ability and their faith 
in the continuity of nature4 ,for       
myself1 ,i beg to say1 in passing1 ,i am
 not of this number4 ,i do not feel  the
 force of the objection against miracles
 drawn from this alleged  constancy of  
nature1 which it seems to me reduces the
 course of human  events to a dead      
mechanical sequence1 makes no allowance 
for any  reserved power in nature or any
 incalculable forces of the ,spirit1 and
  virtually rules ,god1 the present     

inworking ,god1 out of the universe4 ,i 
can believe in any miracle which does   
not actually and demonstrably           
contravene and nullify ascertained laws1
 however phenomenally foreign to        
nature's ordinary course4 ,but the      
possibility of miracles is one thing1   
the possibility of proving them another4
 ,with such views as these  objectors   
entertain of the constancy of nature1 ,i
 confess that no  testimony1 not even   
the written affidavit of a dozen        
witnesses taken on  the spot1 supposing 
that we had it1 would suffice to        
convince me of the  truth of marvels    
occurring two thousand years ago1 of the
 kind recounted  in the ,gospels4 ,my   
,christian prepossessions might incline 
me to believe  in them3 the weight of   
evidence would not4 ,no wise defender of
 the  ,christian cause1 at the present  
day1 will rest his plea on the issue to 
which ,paley committed its claims4      
,after all that ,biblical critics and   
antiquarian research have raked from the

 dust of antiquity in proof of  the     
genuineness and authenticity of the     
books of the ,new ,testament1           
credibility still labors with the fact  
that the age in which these books  were 
received and put in circulation was one 
in which the science of  criticism as   
developed by the moderns--the science   
which scrutinizes  statements1 balances 
evidence for and against1 and sifts the 
true from  the false--did not exist2 an 
age when a boundless credulity disposed 
men  to believe in wonders as readily as
 in ordinary events1 requiring no       
stronger proof in the case of the former
 than sufficed to establish the         
latter1--viz41 hearsay and vulgar       
report2 an age when literary honesty    
was a virtue almost unknown1 and when1  
consequently1 literary forgeries  were  
as common as genuine productions1 and   
transcribers of sacred books  did not   
scruple to alter the text in the        
interest of personal views and          
doctrinal prepossessions4 ,the newly    

discovered ,sinaitic ,code1 the         
earliest known manuscript of the ,new   
,testament1 dates from the fourth       
century4 ,tischendorf the discoverer1 a 
very orthodox critic1 speaks  without   
reserve of the license in the treatment 
of the text apparent in  this           
manuscript1--a license1 he says1        
especially characteristic of the  first 
three centuries4    ,these              
considerations1 though they do not      
discredit the essential facts  of the   
,gospel history1--facts assured to us1  
as ,i have said1 by the  very existence 
of the ,christian ,church1--might seem  
to excuse the  hesitation of the sceptic
 in accepting1 on the faith of the      
record1  incidental marvels of a kind   
very difficult of proof at best4 ,i     
recall  in this connection the          
remarkable saying of an ,english divine 
of the  seventeenth century4 ,so great1 
in the early ages1 says ,bishop ,fell1  
was the license of fiction1 and so prone
 the facility of believing1  that the   

credibility of history has been gravely 
embarrassed thereby2  and not only the  
secular world1 but the ,church of ,god1 
has reason to  complain of its mythical 
periods4#i    ,footnote #i3 ,tanta fuit 
primis seculis fingendi licentia1 tam   
prona in  credendo facilitas1 ut rerum  
gestarum fides graviter exinde          
laboraverit1  nec orbis tantum terrarum 
sed et ,dei ecclesia de temporibus suis 
mythicis merito queratur4    ,it is not 
in the interest of criticism1 much less 
of a wilful  iconoclasm1 from which my  
whole nature revolts1 but of ,christian 
faith1  that ,i advocate the supposition
 of a mythical element in the ,new      
,testament4 ,i am well aware that in    
this advocacy ,i shall lack the  consent
 of many good people who identify the   
cause of religion with its  accidents1  
and fancy that the sanctuary is in      
danger when a blind is  raised to let in
 new light4 ,i respect the piety that   
clings to idols  which ,truth has       
outgrown1 as ,paul at ,athens respected 

the religion which  worshipped          
ignorantly the unknown ,god4 ,but ,truth
 once seen will draw  piety after it1   
and new sanctities will replace the old4
 ,no ,protestant  in these days feels   
himself bound to accept as history the  
ecclesiastical legends of the           
post-apostolic age4 ,some of them are   
quite  as significant as some of those  
embodied in the canon2 but no           
,protestant  scruples to reject as      
spurious the story of the caldron of    
boiling oil  into which ,st4 ,john was  
thrown by order of the ,emperor         
,domitian1 and  from which he escaped   
unharmed1 or that of the lioness which  
licked the  feet of ,thecla in the      
circus at ,antioch1 or ,peter's         
encounter with  ,christ in the suburbs  
of ,rome4 ,if we talk of evidence1 ,i do
 not see but  the miracles said to be   
performed by the relics of martyrs at   
,milan1  attested by ,st4 ,augustine1   
and those of ,st4 ,cuthbert of ,durham1 
attested  by the venerable ,bede1 are as

 well substantiated as the opening of   
the  prison doors and the liberation of 
the ,apostles by an angel1 attested by  
,luke4 ,the ,church of ,rome makes no   
such distinction between the first and  
the following centuries3 she indorses   
the miracles of all alike4 ,but  modern 
,protestantism draws a line of sharp    
separation between the  apostolic and   
the post-apostolic ages4 ,on the farther
 side the portents  are all genuine     
historic facts3 on the hither side they 
are all  figments4 ,while ,john the     
,evangelist1 the last of the twelve1 yet
  breathed1 a miracle was still         
possible3 his breath departed1 it became
  an impossibility for evermore4 ,and   
yet when ,conyers ,middleton first ran  
this line between the ages1 and         
published his refutation of the claim of
  continued miraculous power in the     
,church1 religious sensibility          
experienced a shock as great as that    
inflicted in our day by ,strauss1  and  
resented with equal indignation the     

affront to ,christian faith4 ,the       
author of the ,free ,inquiry published  
in #agdh was assailed by  opponents1 who
 insinuate he tells us fears and        
jealousies of ,i know  not what         
consequences dangerous to ,christianity1
 ruinous to the faith of  history1 and  
introductive of universal scepticism4   
,the larger work had  been preceded by  
an ,introductory ,discourse put forth as
 a feeler of  the public pulse2 for ,i  
began1 he says1 to think it a duty which
  candor and prudence prescribed1 not to
 alarm the public at once with an       
argument so strange and so little       
understood1 nor to hazard an  experiment
 so big with consequences till ,i had at
 first given out some  sketch or general
 plan of what ,i was projecting4 ,the   
experiment which  required such careful 
preparation was to ascertain how far the
 ,english  public in the middle of the  
eighteenth century would bear to have it
  said that the miracles affirmed by    
,augustine and ,chrysostom and ,jerome1 

as occurring in their day1 were not as  
worthy of credit as any of the  wonders 
recorded in the ,new ,testament4 ,up to 
that time1 ,english  ,protestants as    
well as ,romanists had given equal      
credence to both1 and  esteemed the     
former as essential to ,christian faith 
as the latter4 ,men  like ,waterland and
 ,dodwell and ,archbishop ,tillotson    
held that miracles  continued in the    
,church until the close of the third    
century1 and were  even occasionally    
witnessed in the fourth4 ,whiston1 the  
consistent  ,arian1 maintained their    
continuance up to the establishment of  
the  ,athanasian doctrine in #cha1 and  
that as soon as the ,church became      
,athanasian1 antichristian1 and popish1 
they ceased immediately2 and the  ,devil
 lent it his own cheating and fatal     
powers instead4    ,to me1 ,i confess1  
the position of the ,church of ,rome in 
this matter  seems less indefensible    
than that of ,middleton and modern      
,protestantism4  ,either deny the       

possibility of miracles altogether to   
finite powers1 or  admit their          
possibility in the second century1 and  
the third century1 as  well as the      
first1 and in all centuries whenever a  
worthy occasion  demands such agency4 ,i
 can see no reason for separating1 as   
,middleton  does1 the age of the        
,apostles from all succeeding4 ,had he  
drawn the line  between the miracles of 
,christ and those ascribed to his       
followers1 the  principle of division   
would have been more intelligible1 and  
more  admissible on the ground of       
ecclesiastical orthodoxy4           99  
99       99       99       99    ,but   
the question here is not of the         
possibility or probability of  miracles1
 as such1 in one age rather than        
another4 ,it is a question  simply of   
,biblical interpretation1--whether the  
literal sense of the  record is in every
 case the true sense1 whether history or
 fiction is  the key to certain         
,scriptures4 ,those who insist on the   

verbal  inspiration of the ,new         
,testament will be apt to likewise      
insist on the  literal historic sense of
 every part of every narrative4 ,and yet
 that  mode of interpretation is by no  
means a necessary consequence or logical
  outcome of that theory4 ,origen       
believed in the verbal inspiration of   
the  ,old ,testament1 but ,origen did   
not accept in their literal sense the   
,hebrew theophanies3 he allegorized     
whatever seemed to him to degrade the   
idea of ,god4 ,the ,spirit can utter    
itself in fiction as well as fact1 and  
in communicating with ,oriental minds   
was quite as likely to do so4 ,and      
surely1 for those who reject the notion 
of verbal inspiration1 the way  is open1
 in perfect consistency with ,christian 
faith1 for such  interpretation as      
reason may approve or the credit of the 
record be  thought to require4 ,the     
credit of the record will sometimes     
require an  allegorical interpretation  
instead of a literal one4    ,it is a   

childish limitation which in reading    
stories can feel no  interest in any    
thing but fact2 and a childish          
misconception which  supposes that where
 the form is narrative1 historic fact   
must needs be  the substance4 ,recount  
to a little child a fable of ,pilpay or 
sop1 and  his questions betray his      
inability to apprehend it otherwise than
 as  literal fact4 ,he has no doubt of  
the truth of the story2 what did the    
lion say then8 he asks2 and what did the
 fox do next8 ,the maturer  mind has    
also no doubt of the truth of the story1
 but sees that its  truth is the moral  
it embodies4 ,of many of the ,gospel    
stories the moral  contained in them is 
the real truth4 ,in the height of our   
late civil war  there appeared in a     
popular journal a story entitled ,a ,man
 without a  ,country1 related with such 
artistic verisimilitude1 such minuteness
 of  detail1 such grave official        
references1 that many who read it not   
once  suspected the clever invention1   

and felt themselves somewhat aggrieved  
when apprised that fiction1 not fact1   
had conveyed the moral intended by  the 
genial author4 ,but those who saw from  
the first through the veil of  fiction  
the needful truth and the patriotic     
intent were not less edified  than if   
they had believed the characters real1  
and every incident  vouched by          
contemporary record4 ,the story of      
,william ,tell was once  universally    
received as authentic history3 it was   
written in the hearts  of the people of 
,uri1 and so religiously were all its   
incidents  cherished1 that when a book  
appeared discrediting the sacred        
tradition  it was publicly burned by the
 hangman at ,altorf4 ,for five centuries
 the  chapel on the shore of the ,lake  
of the ,four ,cantons has commemorated a
  hero whose very existence is now      
questioned1 of whom contemporary annals 
know nothing1 of whose tyrant ,gessler  
the well-kept records of the  ,canton   
exhibit no trace1 whose apple placed as 

a mark for the father's  arrow on the   
head of his child is proved to have done
 a foregone service  in an elder ,danish
 tale4 ,the story resolves itself into  
an idea4 ,that  idea is all that        
concerns us2 and that idea survives1    
inexpugnable to  criticism1 a truth for 
evermore4 ,in the world of ideas there  
is still a  ,william ,tell who defied   
the tyrant at ,altorf1 and slew him at  
,ksnacht1  and whose image will live    
while the mountains stand that gave it  
birth4    ,and so all that is memorable 
out of the past1 all that tradition has 
preserved1 the veritable facts of       
history as well as the myths of         
legendary lore1 pass finally into ideas4
 ,only as ideas they survive1  only as  
ideas have they any abiding value4 ,the 
anecdote recorded of  ,aristides--his   
writing his own name at the request of  
an ignorant  citizen on the shell that  
should condemn him--embodies a noble    
idea  which has floated down to us from 
the head-waters of ,grecian history4 ,do

  we care to know the evidence on which 
it rests8 ,if by critical  investigation
 the fact were made doubtful1 would that
 doubt at all  impair the truth of the  
idea8 ,the story of ,damon and ,pythias1
 reported  by ,valerius ,maximus1 for   
aught that we know1 may be a myth3      
suppose it  could be proved to be so1   
the truth that is in it would be none   
the less  precious4 ,we do not receive  
it on the faith of the historian1 but on
 the  faith of its own intrinsic beauty4
 ,there is scarcely a fact in the       
annals of mankind so vouched and        
ascertained as to be beyond the reach   
of historic doubt1 if any delver in     
ancient documents1 or curious  sceptic1 
shall see fit to call it in question4   
,but1 however the fact may  be          
questioned1 the idea remains4 ,we have  
lived to see apologies for  ,judas      
,iscariot1 and the literary             
rehabilitation of ,henry ,,viii4 ,but   
,judas  is none the less1 in popular    
tradition1 the typical traitor1 the     

impersonation of devilish malice2 and   
,henry ,,viii4 is no less the           
remorseless tyrant whose will was his   
,god4 ,when ,napoleon ,i4 pronounced    
all history a fable agreed on1 he       
reasoned better perhaps than he knew4   
,the agreement is the thing essential2  
but that agreement is never  complete1  
is never final4 ,every original writer  
of history finds  something to qualify1 
and often something to reverse1 in the  
judgment of  his predecessors4 ,how can 
it be otherwise1 when even eye-witnesses
  disagree in their observation and     
report of the same transaction2 when    
even in a matter so recent as the siege 
of ,paris1 or the conflagration  of     
,chicago1 the verification of facts is  
embarrassed by contradictory  accounts8 
,the best that history yields to        
philosophic thought is not  facts1 but  
ideas4 ,these are all that remain at    
last when the tale is  told1--all1 at   
least1 that the mind can appropriate1   
all that profits in  historical studies1

 the intellectual harvest of the past4  
,a fact means  nothing until thought has
 transmuted it into itself3 its value is
 simply  the idea it subtends4 ,homer's 
heroes are as true in this sense as     
those  of ,plutarch4 ,ajax and ,hector  
are as real to me as ,cimon or          
,lysander2 ,don  ,quixote's battle with 
the windmills which ,cervantes imagined 
is as real  as the battle of ,lepanto in
 which ,cervantes fought2 and           
,shakespeare's  ,hamlet is incomparably 
more real than the ,prince of ,denmark  
whom ,saxo  ,grammaticus chronicles4    
,i do not underrate the importance of   
facts on their own historic plane4  ,the
 historian1 as annalist1 is bound by the
 rules of his craft with  conscientious 
investigation to ascertain1             
substantiate1 and establish1  if he can1
 the precise facts of the period he     
explores4 ,i only contend  that historic
 truth is not the only truth2 that a    
fact1--if ,i may use  that term in this 
connection for want of a better1--that a

 fact which is  not historically true   
may yet be true on a higher plane than  
that of  history1 true to reason1 to    
moral and religious sentiment and human 
need4 ,the story of ,christ's temptation
 is none the less true1 but a  great    
deal more so1 when the narrative which  
embodies the interior  psychological    
fact is conceived as myth1 than when it 
is interpreted as  veritable history4   
,the truth that concerns us is that the 
,son of ,man  was tempted in all points 
as we are1 not that he was taken by the 
,devil and set on a pinnacle of the     
,temple1 and thence spirited away  into 
an exceeding high mountain4    ,we have 
now attained a point of view from which 
to estimate on the one  hand the real   
import of what ,i have ventured to call 
the myths of the  ,new ,testament1 and  
on the other hand to overrule the       
petulant radicalism  which1 not         
distinguishing truth of idea from truth 
of fact1 contemns  these legends1 and   
perhaps contemns the ,gospel1 on their  

account4 ,i have  wished to show how    
unessential it is to the right enjoyment
 or  profitable use of those portions of
 the record that we receive them as     
fact2 to show that1 if we seize and     
appropriate the idea1 those  narratives 
are quite as edifying from a mythical as
 from an historical  point of view2 in  
other words1 that the ,holy ,spirit may 
and does  instruct by fiction as well as
 fact4 ,if ,i am asked to draw the line 
which separates fact from fiction1 or to
 fix the criterion by which to          
discriminate the one from the other1 ,i 
answer that ,i do not pretend to  decide
 this point for myself1 much less should
 ,i presume to attempt to  settle it for
 others4 ,i am not disposed to dogmatize
 on the subject4 ,it  is a matter in    
which each must judge for himself4 ,i   
will only say that  for myself ,i do not
 place the line of demarcation between  
miracle and  the unmiraculous1 for the  
reason that it seems to me1 as ,i said  
before1  unphilosophical to make our    

every-day experience of the limits of   
human  power and the capabilities of    
nature an absolute standard by which to 
measure the possible scope of the one or
 the other4    ,i content myself with a 
single illustration of what ,i regard as
 a  mythical formation4 ,my example is  
the story known as ,the ,annunciation4  
,luke alone1 of all the evangelists1    
records the tale4 ,the angel ,gabriel   
is sent to a virgin named ,mary1 and    
surprises her with the tidings1  ,thou  
shalt conceive in thy womb1 and shalt   
bring forth a son1 and shalt  call his  
name ,jesus4 ,he shall be great1 and    
shall be called the ,son of  the        
,highest4 ,and the ,lord ,god shall give
 unto him the throne of his  father     
,david4 ,and he shall reign over the    
house of ,jacob for ever1 and  of his   
kingdom there shall be no end4 ,this    
beautiful legend1 the most  beautiful1  
,i think1 of all the legends connected  
with the birth of  ,christ1 the favorite
 theme of ,christian art1 so lovingly   

handled by ,fra  ,angelico1 by          
,correggio1 ,raphael1 ,titian1 ,andrea  
del ,sarto1 and a host of  others1 is   
best understood as a ,jewish-,christian 
conception1 taking an  historic form and
 shaped into a fact4 ,the legend        
represents the  humility and faith of a 
pious maiden communing with the heavenly
  ,presence1 drawing to herself divine  
revelations of grace and promise1  and  
thus sanctioning the hope so dear to    
every ,jewish maiden1--that of  becoming
 the mother of the ,messiah4 ,the sudden
 inspiration of that hope  is the angel 
of the ,annunciation4    ,a word more4  
,how far is our idea of ,christ affected
 by a mode of  interpretation which     
supposes a mingling of mythical with    
historic  elements in the ,gospel       
record8 ,that idea is based on the      
representations  of the evangelists4    
,will not our confidence in those       
representations be  impaired by this    
view of their contents8 ,i see no cause 
to apprehend a  result so distressing to

 ,christian faith4 ,the mythical        
interpretation of  certain portions of  
the ,gospel has no appreciable bearing  
on the  character of ,christ4 ,the      
impartial reader of the record must see 
that  the evangelists did not invent    
that character2 they did not make the   
,jesus of their story2 on the contrary1 
it was he that made them4 ,it is a  true
 saying that only a ,christ could invent
 a ,christ4 ,the ,christ of  history is 
a true reflection of the image which    
,jesus of ,nazareth  imprinted on the   
mind of his contemporaries4 ,in that    
image the spiritual  greatness1 the     
moral perfection1 are not more          
conspicuous than the  well-defined      
individuality which permeates the story1
 and which no  genius could invent4     
,if the ,christ of the ,church1 of      
,christian faith1 is1 as some will have 
it1 an ideal being1 it was ,jesus of    
,nazareth who made the ideal4 ,the      
ideal in him is simply the result of    
that disengagement from the earthly     

vestiture which death and distance work 
in all who live in history4 ,by  the    
very necessity of its function1 history 
idealizes4 ,the historic  figure and the
 individual represented by it1 though   
inseparably one in  substance1 are not  
so identical in outline that the one    
exactly covers  the other1 no more and  
no less4 ,the individual is the bodily  
presence as  it dwells in space2 the    
historic figure is the image of himself 
which  the individual stamps on his     
time1 and1 so far as his record reaches1
 on  all succeeding time1--his import to
 human kind4 ,that image is a  veritable
 portrait1 but not in the sense of a    
fac-simile4 ,a material  portrait1 a    
portrait painted with hands1 if the     
painter understands his  art1 is not a  
fac-simile3 it presents the chronic idea
 or  characteristic mode1 not the       
temporary accidents1 the fallings off1  
the  vanishings1 of the person          
portrayed4 ,in the hero-galleries of    
,tradition1 as in the visions of the    

,apocalypse1 they are seen with white   
robes1 and palms in their hands1 and    
unwrinkled brows of grace1 who in  life 
were begrimed with the dust and furrowed
 with the cares of their  time4 ,st4    
,paul is there without his thorn in the 
flesh1 ,luther without  his impatience1 
,washington without his fiery choler1   
,lincoln without his  coarseness1 ,dante
 and ,milton without their scorn4       
,history strips off the  indignities of 
earth when she dresses her heroes for   
immortality4 ,and  the transfigurations 
she gives us are nearer the truth than  
the  limitations of ordinary life4 ,the 
man is more truly himself in the epic   
strain of public action1 with spirit    
braced and harness on1 than in the      
subsidence and undress of the closet4   
,it is not the gossiping anecdotes1  the
 spoils of the ungirt private life1 so  
dear to antiquaries and  literary       
scavengers1 but the things which history
 hastens to record1  that show the man4 
,we must take the life at full-tide2 we 

must view it  in its freest             
determination1 in its supreme moment1 to
 know the deepest  that is in him4 ,and 
the deepest that is in him is the true  
man4 ,that is  his idea1 his mission to 
the world1 his historic significance4   
,it is  this that concerns us in all the
 great actors of history1--the historic 
person1 not the individual4 ,and the    
more the historic person absorbs the    
individual1 the higher we rise in the   
scale of being until we reach the  idea 
of ,god1 from which all individuality is
 excluded1 and only the  ,person        
remains1 filling space and time with the
 ceaseless procession of  his being4    
,we misread the ,gospel and reverse the 
true and divine order1 if we  suppose   
the ideal ,christ to be an essence      
distilled from the historical4  ,on the 
contrary1 the ideal ,christ is the root 
and ground of the  historical2 and      
without the antecedent idea inspiring1  
commanding1 the  history would never    
have been4    ,it has not been my       

intention in any thing ,i have said to  
make light of  the record4 ,the record  
to me is a literary relic of inestimable
 value1  aboriginal memorial of the     
dearest and divinest appearance in human
 form  that ever beamed on earthly      
scenes4 ,i sympathize with every attempt
 to  clear up and verify its minutest   
details1 with the labors of all critics 
and archologists devoted to this end4 ,i
 rejoice in all topographical           
adjustments and illustrations2 in all   
that local researches1 following  in the
 steps of those blessed feet1 have      
gleaned from the soil of  ,palestine4   
,but all this is important only as it   
draws its inspiration  from and leads my
 aspiration to the ideal ,christ1 the   
same yesterday1  to-day1 and for ever4  
,dissociated from this idea1 the acres  
of  ,palestine are as barren as any     
which the ebbing of a nation's life has 
left desolate4          ,,the ,,place   
,,of ,,mind ,,in ,,nature    ,,and      
,,intuition ,,in ,,man4    ,by ,,james  

,,martineau4        ,behold1 there went 
forth a ,sower to sow4--,mark iv4 #c4   
,that the universe we see around us was 
not always there1 is so little          
disputed1 that every philosophy and     
every faith undertakes to tell how  it  
came to be4 ,they all assume1 as the    
theatre of their problem1 the  field of 
space where all objects lie1 and the    
track of time where events  have reached
 the ,now4 ,but into these they carry1  
to aid them in  representing the origin 
of things1 such interpreting conceptions
 as may  be most familiar to the        
knowledge or fancy of their age3 first1 
the  fiat of ,almighty ,will1 which bade
 the void be filled1 so that the  light 
kindled1 and the waters swayed1 and the 
earth stood fast beneath  the vault of  
sky2 next1 when the sway of poetry and  
force had yielded to  the inventive     
arts1 the idea of a contriving and      
adapting power1  building and balancing 
the worlds to go smoothly and keep time 
together1  and stocking them with       

self-moving and sensitive machines2 and 
now1  since physiology has got to the   
front1 the analogy of the seed or  germ1
 in itself the least of things1 yet so  
prolific that1 with history  long       
enough1 it will be as spawn upon the    
waters1 and fill every waste  with the  
creatures as they are4 ,the prevalence  
of this newest metaphor  betrays itself 
in the current language of science3 we  
now unfold  what we used to take to     
pieces2 we develop the theory which we  
used to construct2 we treat the system  
of the world as an  organism rather than
 a mechanism2 we search each of its     
members  to see1 not what it is for1 but
 what it is from2 and the doctrine of   
,evolution only applies the image of    
indefinite growth of the greater  out of
 the less1 till from some datum         
invisible to the microscope arises  a   
teeming universe4    ,in dealing with   
these three conceptions1--of ,creation1 
,construction1  ,evolution1--there is   
one thing on which ,religion insists1   

viz41 that  ,mind is first1 and rules   
for ever2 and1 whatever the process be1 
is  its process1 moving towards         
congenial ends4 ,let this be granted1   
and  it matters not by what path of     
method the ,divine ,thought advances1 or
  how long it is upon the road4 ,whether
 it flashes into realization1 like      
lightning out of ,night2 or fabricates1 
like a ,demiurge1 through a  producing  
season1 and then beholds the perfect    
work2 or is for ever  thinking into life
 the thoughts of beauty and the love of 
good2 whether  it calls its materials   
out of nothing1 or finds them ready1 and
 disposes  of them from without2 or     
throws them around as its own           
manifestation1  and from within shapes  
its own purpose into blossom1--makes no 
difference that can be fatal to human   
piety4 ,time counts for nothing  with   
the ,eternal2 and though it should      
appear that the system of the  world and
 the ranks of being arose1 not by a     
start of crystallization1  but1 like the

 grass or the forest1 by silent and     
seasonal gradations1 as  true a worship 
may be paid to the ,indwelling ,god who 
makes matter itself  transparent with   
spiritual meanings1 and breathes before 
us in the  pulses of nature1 and appeals
 to us in the sorrows of men1 as to the 
pre-existing ,deity who1 from an        
infinite loneliness1 suddenly became the
  ,maker of all4 ,nay1 if the poet      
always looks upon the world through a   
suppliant eye1 craving to meet his own  
ideal and commune with it alive2  if    
prayer is ever a feeling after ,him to  
find ,him1 the fervor and the  joy of   
both must be best sustained1 if they are
 conscious not only of  the stillness of
 ,his presence1 but of the movement of  
,his thought1 and  never quit the date  
of ,his creative moments4 ,in the idea1 
therefore1 of  a gradual unfolding of   
the creative plan1 and the maturing of  
it by  rules of growth1 there is nothing
 necessarily prejudicial to piety2 and  
so long as the ,divine ,mind is left in 

undisturbed supremacy1 as the  living   
,all in all1 the belief may even foster 
a larger1 calmer1 tenderer  devotion1   
than the conceptions which it           
supersedes4 ,but it is liable to  a     
special illusion1 which the others by   
their coarsely separating lines  manage 
to escape4 ,taking all the causation of 
the world into the  interior1 instead of
 setting it to operate from without1 it 
seems to  dispense with ,god1 and to    
lodge the power of indefinite           
development in  the first seeds of      
things2 and the apprehension seizes us1 
that as the  oak will raise itself when 
the acorn and the elements are given1 so
 from  its germs might the universe     
emerge1 though nothing ,divine were     
there4  ,the seeds no doubt were on the 
field2 but who can say whether ever a   
,sower went forth to sow8 ,so long as   
you plant the ,supreme ,cause at a      
distance from ,his own effects1 and     
assign to ,him a space or a time where  
nothing else can be1 the conception of  

that separate and solitary  existence1  
however barren1 is secure4 ,but in      
proportion as you think of  ,him as     
never in an empty field1 waiting for a  
future beginning of  activity1 as you   
let ,him mingle with the elements and   
blend with the  natural life of things1 
there is a seeming danger lest ,his     
light should  disappear behind the      
opaque material veil1 and ,his ,spirit  
be quenched  amid the shadows of        
inexorable ,law4 ,this danger haunts our
 time4 ,the  doctrine of ,evolution1    
setting itself to show how the greatest 
things  may be brought out of the least1
 fills us with fear whether perhaps     
,mind  may not be last instead of first1
 the hatched and full-fledged form of   
the protoplasmic egg2 whether at the    
outset any thing was there but the  raw 
rudiments of matter and force2 whether  
the hierarchy of organized  beings is   
not due to progressive differentiation  
of structure1 and  resolvable into      
splitting and agglutination of cells2   

whether the  ,intellect of man is more  
than blind instinct grown               
self-conscious1 and  shaping its beliefs
 by defining its own shadows2 whether   
the ,moral sense  is not simply a       
trained acceptance of rules worked out  
by human  interests1 an inherited record
 of the utilities2 so that ,design in   
,nature1 ,security in the ,intuitions of
 ,reason1 ,divine ,obligation in the    
law of ,conscience1 may all be an       
illusory semblance1 a glory from the    
later and ideal days thrown back upon   
the beginning1 as a golden sunset       
flings its light across the sky1 and1 as
 it sinks1 dresses up the ,east  again  
with borrowed splendor4    ,this doubt1 
which besets the whole intellectual     
religion of our time1  assumes that we  
must measure every nature in its        
beginnings2 admit  nothing to belong to 
its essence except what is found in it  
then2 and  deny its reports of itself2  
so far as they depart from that original
  standard4 ,it takes two forms1        

according as the doctrine of ,evolution 
is  applied to ,man himself1 or to the  
outward universe4 ,in the former case1  
it infuses distrust into our            
self-knowledge1 weakens our subjective  
religion or native faith in the         
intuitions of thought and conscience1   
and tempts us to imagine that the higher
 they are1 the further are they  from   
any assured solidity of base4 ,in the   
latter case1 it weakens our  objective  
religion1 suggests that there is no     
originating ,mind1 and that  the divine 
look of the world is but the latest     
phase of its finished  surface1 instead 
of the incandescence of its inmost      
heart4 ,let us first  glance at the     
theory of ,,human evolution1 and the    
moral illusions it is  apt to foster4   
,i4 ,under the name of the ,experience  
,philosophy1 this theory has long  been 
applied to the mind of the individual2  
and has produced not a few  admirable   
analyses of the formation of language   
and the tissue of  thought2 nor is there

 any legitimate objection to it1 except 
so far as  its simplifications are      
overstrained and cannot be made good4   
,it  undertakes1 with a minimum of      
initial capacity1 to account for the    
maximum of human genius and character3  
give it only the sensible  pleasures and
 pains1 the spontaneous muscular        
activity1 and the law by  which         
associated mental phenomena cling       
together2 and out of these  elements it 
will weave before your eyes the whole   
texture of the perfect  inner life1 be  
it the patterned story of imagination1  
the delicate web  of the affections1 or 
the seamless robe of moral purity4 ,the 
outfit is  that of the animal2 the      
product but a little lower than the     
angel4 ,all  the higher endowments--our 
apprehension of truth1 our consciousness
 of  duty1 our self-sacrificing pity1   
our religious reverence--are in this    
view merely transformed sensations2 the 
disinterested impulses are  refinements 
spun out of the coarse fibre of         

self-love2 the subtlest  intellectual   
ideas are but elaborated perceptions of 
sight or touch2  and the sense of       
,right1 only interest or fear under a   
disguise4 ,if this  be so1 how will the 
discovery affect our natural trust in   
the  intimations of our supreme         
faculties8 ,does it not discharge as    
dreams  their most assured revelations8 
,by intuition of ,reason we believe in  
the  ,law of ,causality1 in the         
infinitude of ,space1 in the relations  
of  ,number1 in the reality of an       
outside world1 in all the fundamental   
conceptions of ,science2 but here are   
they1 one and all1 recalled to the      
standard of ,sense1 which they seem to  
transcend1 and emptied of any  meaning  
beyond4 ,by vision of ,imagination we   
see an ideal beauty  enfolding many a   
person and many a scene1 and appealing  
to us as a  pathetic light gleaming from
 within2 but here we find it all        
resolved  into curvature of lines and   
adjustments of color4 ,by inspiration of

  ,conscience we learn that our sin is  
the defiance of a ,divine authority1    
and1 though hid from every human eye1   
drives us into a wilderness of          
,exile1--for the wicked fleeth1 though  
no man pursueth2 but here we are  told  
that the ultimate elements of good and  
evil are our own pleasures  and pains1  
from which the moral sanction selects as
 its specialty the  approbation and     
disapprobation of our fellow-men4 ,thus 
all the  independent values which our   
higher faculties had claimed for their  
natural affections and beliefs are      
dissipated as fallacious2 they are  all 
based upon a sentient measure of worth  
which lies at the bottom2  they are like
 paper money1 refined contrivances      
representative of the  ultimate gold of 
pleasure1 but1 where not interchangeable
 with this1  intrinsically worthless4   
,and so the feeling almost inevitably   
spreads1  that we are dupes of our own  
characteristic capacities2 that the     
loftier  air into which they lift us is 

a tinted and distorting medium1 and     
shows us glories that are not there2    
that the idea of an eternal ,fount  of  
beauty1 truth and goodness1 behind the  
pleasingness and concinnity of          
phenomena1 is an illusion2 and that the 
tendency1 irresistible as it is1  to    
cling to this idea as something higher  
than its denial1 is but a part  of the  
romance4 ,is this scepticism imaginary8 
,let any one1 in studying  the modern   
writers of this school1 compare the     
solid1 manly1 sensible  way in which    
they deal with every thing on the       
physiological and  sensational level1   
with their manner towards all the       
convictions and  sentiments usually     
recognized as the supreme lights of our 
nature2 the  tone now of forbearing     
indulgence1 now of sickly appreciation1 
often of  hardly concealed contempt1    
that is heard beneath the interminable  
conjectural analyses of ,moral and      
,religious affections1--and he will     
feel the difference between the honor   

that is paid to truth1 and the          
constrained patience towards what other 
men revere4    ,by a recent extension1  
the theory of ,evolution has been       
applied to the  whole natural history of
 our race2 and the resources of ,habit1 
already  serviceable in explaining the  
aptitudes of individuals1 have been     
turned  to account on the larger scale  
of successive generations1 transmitting 
by inheritance the acquisitions hitherto
 made good4 ,in the training of a       
nature1 the world thus becomes a        
permanent school1 the interruption of   
death is virtually abolished1 and life  
is laid open to continuous  progress4   
,by this immense gain of power1 it is   
supposed1 all the  differences which    
separate ,man from other animals may be 
accounted for  as gradual attainments2  
and many an intuition of the mind1 too  
immediate  and self-evident to be a     
product of personal experience1 may     
yield to  analysis as a more protracted 
growth1 and stand as the compend of ages

  of gathering feeling and condensing   
thought4 ,among creatures that herd     
together for common safety1 each one    
learns to read the looks of anger  or of
 good-will in its neighbors1 and        
discovers what it is that brings  upon  
him the one or other2 and insensibly he 
forms to himself a rule for  avoiding   
the displeasure and conciliating the    
favor in which he has so  large an      
interest4 ,this rudimentary experience  
imprints and records  itself in the     
nervous organization1 and descends to   
ulterior generations  as an original and
 instinctive recoil from what offends   
and impulse  towards what gratifies the 
feeling of the tribe3 so that the lesson
  needs not be gone over again2 but the 
offspring1 taking up his education      
where the parent left off1 accumulates  
his feeling1 quickens his mental        
execution1 and hands down fresh         
contributions to what at last emerges as
  a ,moral ,sense4 ,in this way1 it is  
contended1 the ,conscience is a hoarded 

fund of traditionary pressures of       
utility1 gradually effacing the         
primitive vestiges of fear1 and         
dispensing itself with an affluence of  
disinterested sympathy4 ,and the        
religious consciousness that visits the 
soul in its remorse1 of an invisible    
,witness and ,judge who condemns the    
sin1 comes1 we are told1 from the       
deification of public opinion1 or the   
fancy that some dead hero's ghost still 
watches over the conduct of his  clan4  
,this vast enlargement of the doctrine  
of ,evolution1 while increasing its     
power1 and removing it from the reach of
 accurate tests1 alters neither  its    
principle nor its practical effect4 ,it 
undertakes to exhibit the  highest and  
the greatest in our nature as ulterior  
phenomena of the  lowest and the least4 
,and it usually treats as a superstition
 our  natural reverence for the         
rational1 moral1 and religious          
intuitions as  sources of independent   
insight and ultimate authority2 and1 in 

order to  estimate them1 translates them
 back into short-hand expressions of    
sensible experience and social utility4 
,nor can we wonder at this  scepticism4 
,if the only reality at bottom of the   
sense of duty is fear  and submission to
 opinion1 whatever it carries in it that
 transcends  this ground1 and persuades 
us of an ,obligation in which fear and  
opinion  have no voice1 is an ideal     
addition got up within us by causes     
which  produce in us all sorts of       
psychological figments4 ,if the only    
facts  that lie in our idea of ,space   
are a set of feelings in the muscles and
  the skin and the eye1 then whatever   
beliefs it involves which these  cannot 
verify are naturally discredited1 and   
treated as curiosities of  artificial   
manufacture4 ,if our human              
characteristics are throughout the      
developed instincts of the brute1       
differing only in degree1 then the      
moment they present us with intuitions  
which are distinct in kind1  they begin 

to play us false2 and those who see     
through the cheat  naturally warn us    
against them4 ,and so we are constantly 
told that our  highest attributes are   
only the lower that have lost their     
memory1 and  mistake themselves for     
something else4    ,it is not my present
 intention to call in question either of
 these  varieties of evolution4         
,inadequate as the evidence of them both
 appears  to be1 ,i will suppose their  
case to be made out3 and still1 ,i      
submit1 it  does not justify the        
sceptical estimate which it habitually  
fosters of  the intellectual1 moral1 and
 religious intuitions of the human mind4
  ,for1    7#a7 ,though animal          
sensation1 with its connected instinct1 
should be the  raw material of our whole
 mental history1 it is not on that      
account  entitled to measure all that   
comes after it1 and stand as the        
boundary-line between fact and dream1   
between terra firma and airy  nothing4  
,that which is first in ,time has no    

necessary priority of rank  in the scale
 of truth and reality2 and the          
later-found may well be the  greater    
existence and the more assured4 ,if it  
is a development of  ,faculty1 and not  
of incapacity1 which the theory         
provides1 the process  must advance us  
into new light1 and not withdraw us from
 clearer light  behind3 and we have     
reason to confide in the freshest gleams
 and inmost  visions of to-day1 and to  
discard whatever quenches and confuses  
them in  the vague and turbid beginnings
 of the ,past4 ,with what plea will you 
exhort me1 ,if you would rid yourself of
 intellectual mysteries1 come  with us1 
and see the stuff your thought is made  
of3 if you would stand  free of ideal   
illusions1 count with us the medullary  
waves that have run  together into the  
flood-tide of what you call your        
conscience3 if you  would shake off     
superstition1 look at the way in which  
the image of dead  men will hang about  
the fancy of a savage1 or the           

personification of an  abstract quality 
imposes on the ignorance of simple      
times8 ,is our  wisdom to be gathered by
 going back to the age before our       
errors8 ,and  instead of consulting the 
maturity of thought1 are we to peer into
 its  cradle and seek oracles in its    
infant cries8 ,if the last appeal be to 
the animal elements of experience1 we   
can learn only by unlearning2 and  by   
shutting one after another of the       
hundred ideal eyes of the finished      
intellect1 we shall have a chance of    
seeing and feeling things as they  are4 
,if nothing is to be deemed true but    
what the pre-human apes saw1  then all  
the sciences must be illusory2 with the 
suicidal result that1  with them1 this  
doctrine of ,evolution must vanish too4 
,or if1 stopping  short of this extreme 
distrust of the acquired intuitions1 you
 make a  reservation in favor of the new
 visions of the intellect1 what right   
can  you show for discharging those of  
the conscience8 ,the tacit assumption   

therefore that you upset a super-sensual
 belief1 by tracing the history  of its 
emergence among sensible conditions1 is 
a groundless prejudice4    7#b7         
,further1 the question to be determined 
may be presented as a problem  in       
physiology1 to be resolved by           
corresponding rules3 ,what is the       
function of certain parts of our human  
constitution1 viz41 the ,reason  and the
 ,moral ,faculty8 ,now it is a          
recognized principle that1 in           
estimating function1 you must study the 
organ1 not in its rudimentary           
condition1 before it has disengaged     
itself from adjacent admixtures and     
flung off the foreign elements1 but in  
its perfect or differentiated  state1 so
 as to do its own work and nothing else4
 ,in order to give the  idea of a       
timepiece to one who had it not1 you    
would not send him to one  of the       
curious medival clocks which could play 
a tune1 and fire a gun1  and announce   
the sunrise1 and mark the tides1 and    

report twenty  miscellaneous things     
besides2 but to the modern chronometer1 
simple and  complete1 that1 telling only
 the moment1 tells it perfectly4 ,and in
  natural organizations1 to learn the   
capabilities and project of any         
structure1 you would not resort to the  
embryo where it is forming but  not     
working3 you would wait till it was born
 into the full presence of  the elements
 with which it had to deal2 not till    
then could you see how  they played upon
 it1 and what was its response to them4 
,in conformity  with this rule1 whither 
would you betake yourself1 if you want  
to  measure the intrinsic competency of 
our intellectual faculty1 and  determine
 what its very nature gives it to know8 
,would you take counsel  of the nurse   
who held you when you first opened your 
eyes to the  light1#aj or otherwise     
study the first consciousness in any    
infant1  before the time when memory    
commences1#aa and disregard every thing 
subsequent to the first beginnings of   

intellectual life8#ab ,on the  contrary1
 you would avoid that soft inchoate     
promise of nature1 only  nominally born1
 where the very structures of its finer 
work have not yet  set into their       
distinctive consistency and form2 and   
will hold your  peace till the faculty  
is awake and on its feet1 and can       
clearly tell  you what it sees for      
itself1 and what it makes out at        
second-hand3 just  as1 to gauge the     
lunar light1 you must have patience     
while the thin  crescent grows1 and wait
 till the full orb is there4 ,still less
 can you  take the report of the ,moral 
,faculty from the confessions of the    
cradle1  or from the quarrels and       
affections of the apes2 the conditions  
being  not yet present for the bare     
conception of a moral problem4 ,the most
  that can be asked of an intuition is1 
that it shall keep pace with the  cases 
as they arise1 and be on the spot when  
it is wanted2 and if you  would know    
what provision our nature holds for     

dealing with its ,duty and  interpreting
 its guilt1 you must go into the thick  
of its moral life1  and bid it tell you 
what it sees from the swaying tides of  
temptation  and of victory4 ,the purity 
of intuitions is not pristine1 but      
ultimate2 cleared at length from        
accidental and irrelevant dilutions1    
and with essence definitely             
crystallized1 they realize and exhibit  
the  idea that lay at the heart of all  
their tentatives1 and constitutes  their
 truth4 ,am ,i told that it is hopeless 
at so late an hour to  separate what is 
an indigenous gift from what is         
implanted by education8  ,i reply1 it no
 doubt requires1 but it will not baffle1
 the hand of  skilled analysis2 it is a 
difficulty which1 in other cases1 we    
find it  not impossible to overcome2 for
 there are assuredly instincts and      
affections1 strictly original and       
natural1 that make no sign and play no  
part till our maturer years1 yet which  
are readily distinguished from  the     

products of artificial culture4         
,footnote #aj3 ,mill's ,examination of  
,hamilton1 #c;d ed4 p4 #agb4            
,footnote #aa3 ,ibid4    ,footnote #ab3 
,ibid41 p4 #afj4    ,if1 to find the    
functions of our higher faculties1 we   
must look to their  last stage1 and not 
to their first1 we at once recover and  
justify the  ideal conceptions which the
 expositors of ,evolution are accustomed
 to  disparage as romance4 ,for among   
these functions are present certain     
,intuitive beliefs--for the ,reason1 in 
,divine ,causality2 for the             
,conscience1 in ,divine ,authority2     
together blending into the knowledge of 
a ,supreme and ,holy ,mind4 ,these      
august apprehensions we are entitled to 
declare are not the illusions1 but the  
discoveries1 of ,man2 who1 by  rising   
into them1 is born into more of the     
,universe of things than any  other     
being upon earth1 and is made conscious 
of its transcendent and  ultimate       
realities4 ,if these trusts are indeed  

the growth of ages1 from  seeds         
invisibly dropped upon the field of     
time1 be it so2 it was not  without     
hand3 there was a ,sower that went forth
 to sow4    ,,ii4 ,we turn now to the   
,second ,form of doubt raised by the    
doctrine of  ,evolution3 under which it 
weakens our objective trust in an       
originating  ,mind4    ,a naturalist who
 to his own satisfaction has traced the 
pedigree of the  human intellect1       
conscience1 and religion1 to ,ascidian  
skin-bags  sticking to the sea-side     
rocks1 is not likely to arrest the      
genealogy  there1 at a stage so little  
fitted to serve as a starting-point of  
derivative being4 ,or1 if his own       
retreat should go no further1 others    
will take up the regressive race1 and1  
soon passing the near and easy  line    
into the vegetable kingdom1 will work   
through its provinces to its            
lichen-spotted edge3 and1 after perhaps 
one shrinking look1 will dare  the leap 
into the dead realm beyond1 and bring   

home the parentage of all  to the       
primitive elements of matter and force4 
,to give effect to this  extension over 
the universe at large of the theory of  
,evolution1 the  scientific imagination 
of our day has long been meditating its 
projected  book of ,genesis1 and has    
already thrown out its special chapters 
here  and there2 and though the scenes  
of the drama as a whole are not yet     
arranged1 the general plan is clear3    
that the ,lucretian method is the  true 
one2 that nothing arises for a purpose1 
but only from a power2 that  no ,divine 
,actor therefore is required1 but only  
atoms extended1  resisting1 shaped1 with
 spheres of mutual attraction and       
repulsion2  that1 with these minima to  
begin with1 a growth will follow of     
itself  by which the maxima will be     
reached2 and that thus far the chief and
  latest thing it has done is the       
apparition of ,mind in the human race   
and  civilization in human society1     
conferring upon man the melancholy      

privilege of being1 so far as he knows1 
at the summit of the universe4    ,the  
main support of this doctrine is found  
in two arguments1 supplied  respectively
 by physical science and by natural     
history2 each of which  we will pass    
under review4    i4 ,the former relies  
on the new scientific conception of the 
,unity of  ,force4 ,when ,newton        
established the composition of ,light in
 his treatise  on ,optics1 and the law  
of ,gravitation in his ,principia1 he   
conceived  himself to be treating of two
 separate powers of nature1 between     
which1  quick as he was to seize        
unexpected relations1 he dreamt of no   
interchange4 ,yet now it is understood  
that when collisions occur of  bodies   
gravitating on opposite lines1 the      
momenta that seem to be killed  simply  
burst into light and heat4 ,when        
,priestley's experiments detected  the  
most important chemical element on the  
one hand1 and the fundamental           
electrical laws on the other1 he seemed 

to move on paths of research  that had  
no contact4 ,yet1 in the next           
generation1 chemical compounds  were    
resolved by electricity2 which again    
turns up in exchange for  magnetism1 and
 can pass into motion1 heat1 and light4 
,to see the  transmigration of natural  
agency1 trace only through a few of its 
links  the effect of the sunshine on the
 tropic seas4 ,so far as it warms the   
mass of waters1 either directly or      
through the scorched shores that they   
wash1 it stirs them into shifting layers
 and currents1 and creates  mechanical  
power4 ,but it also removes the         
superficial film2 and thus  far spends  
itself1 not in raising the temperature1 
but in changing the  form from liquid to
 vapor1 and so altering the specific    
gravity as to  transfer what was on the 
deep to the level of the mountain-tops4 
,it is  the ,pacific that climbs and    
crowns the ,andes1 resuming on the way  
the  liquid state in the shape of       
clouds1 and as it settles crystallizing 

into solid snow and ice4 ,the original  
set of solar rays have now played  their
 part1 and made their escape elsewhere4 
,but there is sunshine among  the       
glaciers too1 which soon begins to      
resolve the knot that has been  tied1   
and restore what has been stolen4 ,it   
sets free the waters that  have been    
locked up1 and lets their gravitation   
have its play upon their  flow4 ,as they
 dash through ravines1 or linger in the 
plains1 they steal  into the roots of   
grass and tree1 and by the tribute which
 they leave  pass into the new shape of 
vital force4 ,and if they pass the      
homesteads of industry1 and raise the   
food of a civilized people1 who  can    
deny that they contribute not only to   
the organic1 but to the  mental life1   
and so have run the whole circuit from  
the lowest to the  highest phase of     
power8 ,that the return back may be     
traced from the  highest to the lowest1 
is shown by every effort of thought and 
will2  which through the medium of      

nervous energy in one direction sets in 
action the levers of the limbs1 and in  
another works the laboratory of  the    
organic life1 and forms new chemical    
compounds1 of which some are  reserved  
for use1 while others pass into the air 
as waste4 ,still  further3 all doubt of 
identity in the force which masks itself
 in these  various shapes is said to be 
removed by the test of direct           
measurement  before and after the       
change4 ,the heating of a pound of water
 by one  degree has its exact mechanical
 equivalent2#ac and a given store of    
elevated temperature will overcome the  
same weights1 whether applied  directly 
to lift them1 or turned first into a    
thermo-electric current1  so as to      
perform its task by deputy4#ad ,the     
inference drawn from the  phenomena of  
which these are samples is no less than 
this3 that each  kind of force is       
convertible into any other1 and         
undergoes neither gain  nor loss upon   
the way2 so that the sum-total remains  

for ever the same1  and is only         
differently represented as the          
proportions change amongst  the         
different forms of life1 and between the
 organic and the inorganic  realms4     
,hence arises the argument that1 in     
having any force1 you have  virtually   
all2 and that1 assuming only material   
atoms as depositories  of mechanical    
resistance and momentum1 you can supply 
a universe with an  exhaustive          
cosmogony1 and dispense with the        
presence of ,mind1 except as  one of its
 phenomena4    ,footnote #ac3 ,viz41 the
 fall of #ggb lbs4 through a foot4 ,see 
,mr4 ,joule's  ,experiments in ,grove's 
,correlation of ,physical ,forces1 p4   
#cd1 #eth ed4    ,footnote #ad3 ,see    
,grove's ,correlation1 p4 #bee1 #eth ed4
    ,to test this argument1 let us grant
 the data which are demanded1 and       
imagine the primordial space charged    
with matter1 in molecules or in  masses1
 in motion or rest1 as you may prefer4  
,put it under the law of  gravitation1  

and invest it with what varieties you   
please of density and  form4 ,thus      
constituted1 it perfectly fulfils all   
the conditions you have  asked2 it      
presses1 it moves1 it propagates and    
distributes impulse1 is  liable to      
acceleration and retardation1 and       
exhibits all the phenomena  with which  
any treatise on ,mechanics can properly 
deal4 ,in order1  however1 to keep the  
problem clear within its limits1 let us 
have it in  the simplest form1 and      
conceive the atoms to be all of gold2   
then1 ,i  would fain learn by what step 
the hypothesis proposes to effect its   
passage to the chemical forces and their
 innumerable results4 ,heat  it may     
manage to reach by the friction and     
compression of the materials  at its    
disposal2 and its metal universe may    
thus have its solid1 liquid1  and       
gaseous provinces2 but1 beyond these    
varieties1 its homogeneous  particles   
cannot advance the history one hair's   
breadth through an  eternity4 ,it is not

 true1 then1 that the conditions which  
give the first  type of force suffice to
 promote it to the second2 and in order 
to start  the world on its chemical     
career1 you must enlarge its capital and
  present it with an outfit of          
heterogeneous constituents4 ,try1       
therefore1 the effect of such a gift2   
fling into the pre-existing  caldron the
 whole list of recognized elementary    
substances1 and give  leave to their    
affinities to work3 we immediately gain 
an immense  accession to our materials  
for the architecture and resources for  
the  changes of the world1--the water   
and the air1 the salts of the ocean1    
and the earthy or rocky compounds that  
compose the crust of the globe1  and the
 variable states of magnetism and heat1 
which throw the  combinations into slow 
though constant change4 ,but with all   
your  enlargement of data1 turn them as 
you will1 at the end of every passage   
which they explore1 the door of life is 
closed against them still2 and  though  

more than once it has been proclaimed   
that a way has been found  through1 it  
has proved that the living thing was on 
the wrong side to  begin with4 ,it is   
not true1 therefore1 that1 from the two 
earlier stages  of force1 the ascent can
 be made to the vital level2 the        
ethereal fire  yet remains in ,heaven2  
and philosophy has not stretched forth  
the  ,promethean arm that can bring it  
down4 ,and if1 once more1 we make you a 
present of this third phase of power1   
and place at your disposal all  that is 
contained beneath and within the flora  
of the world1 still your  problem is no 
easier than before2 you cannot take a   
single step towards  the deduction of   
sensation and thought3 neither at the   
upper limit do  the highest plants 7the 
exogens7 transcend themselves and       
overbalance  into animal existence2 nor 
at the lower1 grope as you may among the
  sea-weeds and sponges1 can you        
persuade the sporules of the one to     
develop into the other4 ,it is again not

 true1 therefore1 that1 in virtue  of   
the convertibility of force1 the        
possession of any is the possession  of 
the whole3 we give you all the forms but
 one2 and that one looks  calmly down on
 your busy evolutions1 and remains      
inaccessible4 ,is1 then1  the           
transmigration of forces altogether an  
illusion8 ,by no means2 but  before one 
can exchange with another1 both must be 
there2 and to turn  their equivalence   
into a universal formula1 all must be   
there4 ,with  only one kind of          
elementary matter1 there can be no      
chemistry2 with  only the chemical      
elements and their laws1 no life2 with  
only vital  resources1 as in the        
vegetable world1 no beginning of mind4  
,but let  ,thought and ,will with their 
conditions once be there1 and they will 
appropriate vital power2 as life1 once  
in possession1 will ply the  alembics   
and the test-tubes of its organic       
laboratory2 and chemical  affinity is no
 sooner on the field than it plays its  

game among the  cohesions of simple     
gravitation4 ,hence it is impossible to 
work the  theory of ,evolution upwards  
from the bottom4 ,if all force is to be 
conceived as ,one1 its type must be     
looked for in the highest and           
all-comprehending term2 and ,mind must  
be conceived as there1 and as  divesting
 itself of some specialty at each step  
of its descent to a  lower stratum of   
law1 till represented at the base under 
the guise of  simple ,dynamics4 ,or1 if 
you retain the forces in their          
plurality1 then  you must assume them   
all among your data1 and confess1 with  
one of  the greatest living expositors  
of the phenomena of ,development1 that  
unless among your primordial elements   
you scatter already the germs of  mind  
as well as the inferior elements1 the   
,evolution can never be  wrought out4#ae
 ,but surely a theory1 which is content 
simply to assume  in the germ whatever  
it has to turn out full-grown1 throws no
 very  brilliant light on the genesis of

 the ,universe4    ,footnote #ae3       
,lotze's ,mikrokosmus1 ,b4 iv4 ,kap4 #b1
 ,band ii4 #cc1 seqq4    ii4 ,the second
 and principal support of the doctrine  
under review is  found in the realm of  
natural history1 and in that province of
 it which  is occupied by living beings4
 ,here1 it is said1 in the field of     
observation nearest to us1 we have      
evidence of a power in each nature to   
push itself and gain ground1 as against 
all natures less favorably  constituted4
 ,there is left open to it a certain    
range of possible  variations from the  
type of its present individuals1 of     
which it may  avail itself in any       
direction that may fortify its position2
 and even if  its own instincts did not 
seize at once the line of greatest      
strength1  still1 out of its several    
tentatives1 all the feeble results would
 fail  to win a footing1 and only the   
residuary successes would make good     
their  ground4 ,the ill-equipped troops 
of rival possibilities being always     

routed1 however often they return1 the  
well-armed alone are seen upon  the     
field1 and the world is in possession of
 the fittest to live4 ,we  thus obtain a
 principle of self-adjusting adaptation 
of each being to  its condition1 without
 resorting to a designing care disposing
 of it  from without2 and its           
development is an experimental escape   
from past  weakness1 not a pre-conceived
 aim at a future perfection4    ,i have 
neither ability nor wish to criticise   
the particular indications  of this law1
 drawn with an admirable patience and   
breadth of research1  from every        
department of animated nature4 ,though  
the logical structure  of the proof does
 not seem to me particularly solid1 and 
the  disproportion between the evidence 
and the conclusion is of necessity so   
enormous as to carry us no further than 
the discussion of an hypothesis1  yet1  
for our present purpose1 the thesis may 
pass as if established2 and  our        
scrutiny may be directed only to its    

bearings1 should it be true4    7#a7    
,the genius of a country which has been 
the birthplace and chief home  of       
,political ,economy is naturally pleased
 by a theory of this kind2  which       
invests its favorite lord and master1   
,competition1 with an  imperial crown   
and universal sway4 ,but let us not     
deceive ourselves with  mere abstract   
words and abbreviations1 as if they     
could reform a world  or even farm a    
sheep-walk4 ,competition is not1 like a 
primitive  function of nature1 an       
independent and original power1 which   
can of  itself do any thing3 the term   
only describes a certain intensifying of
  power already there2 making the       
difference1 under particular conditions1
  between function latent and function  
exercised4 ,it may therefore turn  the  
less into the more2 and it is reasonable
 to attribute to it an  increment to    
known and secured effects2 but not new  
and unknown  effects1 for which else    
there is no provision4 ,it gives but a  

partial  and superficial account of the 
phenomena with which it has concern2 of 
their degree2 of their incidence here or
 there2 of their occurrence now  or     
then3 of themselves in their            
characteristics it pre-supposes1 and    
does not supply1 the cause4 ,to that    
cause1 then1 let us turn4 ,let us       
consider what must be upon the field1   
before competition can arise4    7#b7   
,it cannot act except in the presence of
 some possibility of a  better or worse4
 ,a struggle out of relative            
disadvantage implies that a  relative   
advantage is within grasp1--that there  
is a prize of promotion  offered for the
 contest4 ,the rivalry of beings eager  
for it is but an  instrument for making 
the best of things2 and only when flung 
into the  midst of an indeterminate     
variety of alternative conditions can it
 find  any scope4 ,when it gets there   
and falls to work1 what does it help us 
to  account for8 ,it accounts certainly 
for the triumph and survivorship of  the

 better1 but not for there being a      
better to survive4 ,given1 the  slow and
 the swift upon the same course1 it     
makes it clear that the race  will be to
 the swift2 but it does not provide the 
fleeter feet by which  the standard of  
speed is raised4 ,nay more2 even for the
 prevalence of  the better 7or fitter to
 live7 it would not account1 except on  
the  assumption that whatever is better 
is stronger too2 and a universe  in     
which this rule holds already indicates 
its divine constitution1 and  is        
pervaded by an ideal power unapproached 
by the forces of necessity4  ,thus the  
law of natural selection1 instead of    
dispensing with anterior  causation and 
enabling the animal races to be their   
own ,providence and  do all their own   
work1 distinctly testifies to a         
constitution of the  world pre-arranged 
for progress1 externally spread with    
large choice of  conditions1 and with   
internal provisions for seizing and     
realizing the  best4 ,on such a world1  

rich in open possibilities1 of beauty1  
strength1  affection1 intellect1 and    
character1 they are planted and set     
free2  charged with instincts eagerly   
urging them to secure the preferable    
line  of each alternative2 and disposing
 themselves1 by the very conditions of  
equilibrium1 into a natural hierarchy1  
in which the worthiest to live  are in  
the ascendant1 and the standard of life 
is for ever rising4 ,what  can look more
 like the field of a directing ,will    
intent upon the good8  ,indeed1 the     
doctrine of natural selection owes a    
large part of its  verisimilitude to its
 skilful imitation of the conditions and
 method of  ,free-will2--the            
indeterminate varieties of possible     
movement2 the  presentation of these    
before a selective power2 the           
determination of the  problem by fitness
 for preference1--all these are features
 that would  belong no less to the      
administration of a presiding ,mind2 and
 that1  instead of resorting for the    

last solution to this high arbitrament1 
men  of science should suppose it to be 
blindly fought out by the competing     
creatures1 as if they were supreme1 is  
one of the marvels which the            
professional intellect1 whatever its    
department1 more often exhibits  than   
explains4    7#c7 ,but1 before          
competition can arise1 there must be1   
besides the field  of favorable         
possibility1 desire or instinct to lay  
hold of its  opportunities4 ,here it is 
that we touch the real dynamics of      
evolution1  which rivalry can only bring
 to a somewhat higher pitch4 ,here1 it  
must  be admitted1 there is at work a   
genuine principle of progression1 the   
limits of which it is difficult to fix4 
,every being which is so far            
individuated as to be a separate centre 
of sensation1 and of the  balancing     
active spontaneity1 is endowed with a   
self-asserting power1  capable1 on the  
field already supposed1 of becoming a   
self-advancing  power4 ,under its       

operation1 there is no doubt1 increasing
  differentiation of structure and      
refinement of function may be expected  
to emerge2 nor is there any reason1     
except such as the facts of natural     
history may impose1 why this process    
should be arrested at the  boundaries of
 the species recognized in our present  
classifications4  ,possibly1 if the slow
 increments of complexity in the organs 
of sentient  beings on the globe were   
all mapped out before us1 the whole     
teeming  multitudes now peopling the    
land1 the waters1 and the air1 might be 
seen  radiating from a common centre in 
lines of various divergency1 and1       
however remote their existing relations1
 might group themselves as one  family4 
,the speculative critic must here grant 
without stint all that  the scheme of   
development can ask2 and he must leave  
it to the  naturalist and physiologist  
to break up the picture into sections1  
if  they must4 ,but then1 ,why must he  
grant it8 ,because here1 having  crossed

 the margin of animal life1 we have1 in 
its germ of feeling and  idea1 not      
merely a persistent1 but a              
self-promoting force1 able to turn  to  
account whatever is below it2 the mental
 power1 even in its  rudiments1         
dominating the vital1 and constraining  
it to weave a finer  organism2 and1 for 
that end1 to amend its application of   
the chemical  forces1 and make them     
better economize their command of       
mechanical  force4 ,observe1 however1   
that1 if here we meet with a truly      
fruitful  agency1 capable of            
accomplishing difficult feats of new    
combination and  delicate equilibrium1  
we meet with it here first2 and the     
moment we  fall back from the line of   
sentient life1 and quit the scene of    
this  eager1 aggressive1 and competing  
power1 we part company with all         
principle of progress2 and consequently 
lose the tendency to that  increasing   
complexity of structure and subtlety of 
combination which  distinguish the      

organic from the inorganic compounds4   
,below the level of  life1 there is no  
room for the operation of natural       
selection4 ,its  place is there occupied
 by another principle1 for which no such
 wonders  of constructive adaptation can
 be claimed2--,i mean1 the dynamic rule 
of  ,action on the line of least        
resistance1--a rule1 the working of     
which  is quite in the opposite         
direction4 ,for evidently it goes       
against the  establishment of unstable  
conditions of equilibrium1 and must     
therefore  be the enemy rather than the 
patron of the complex ingredients1 the  
precarious tissues1 and the multiplied  
relations1 of sentient bodies2  and on  
its own theatre must prevent the        
permanent formation of any but  the     
simpler unions among the material       
elements4 ,accordingly1 all the  great  
enduring masses that form and fill the  
architecture of inorganic  nature1--its 
limestone and clay1 its oxides and      
salts1 its water and  air1--are         

compounds1 or a mixture1 of few and     
direct constituents4 ,and  the moment   
that life retreats and surrenders the   
organism it has built  and held1 the    
same antagonist principle enters on     
possession1 and sets  to work to destroy
 the intricate structure of proximate   
principles  with their compound         
radicals4 ,with life and mind therefore 
there  begins1 whether by modified      
affinities or by removal of waste1 a    
tension against these lower powers1     
carrying the being up to a greater  or  
less height upon the wing2 but with life
 it ends1 leaving him then to  the      
perpetual gravitation that completes the
 loftiest flight upon the  ground4      
,within the limits of her ,physics and  
,chemistry alone1 ,nature  discloses no 
principle of progression1 but only      
provisions for  periodicity2 and out of 
this realm1 without further resources1  
she could  never rise4    ,the downward 
tendency which sets in with any         
relaxation of the  differentiating      

forces of life is evinced1 not only in  
the extreme case  of dissolution in     
death1 but in the well-known relapse of 
organs which  have been artificially    
developed into exceptional perfection   
back into  their earlier state1 when    
relieved of the strain and left to      
themselves4  ,under the tension of a    
directing mental interest1 whether      
supplied by  the animal's own instincts 
or by the controlling care of man1 the  
organism yields itself to be moulded    
into more special and highly  finished  
forms2 and a series of ascending        
variations withdraws the  nature from   
its original or first-known type4 ,but  
wherever we can lift  the tension off1  
the too skilful balance proves unstable1
 and the law of  reversion reinstates   
the simpler conditions4 ,only on the    
higher levels  of life do we find a     
self-working principle of progression3  
and1 till we  reach them1 development   
wants its dynamics2 and1 though there   
may be  evolution1 it cannot be         

self-evolution4    ,these considerations
 appear to me to break the back of this 
formidable  argument in the middle2 and 
to show the impossibility of dispensing 
with  the presence of ,mind in any scene
 of ascending being1 where the little   
is becoming great1 and the dead alive1  
and the shapeless beautiful1 and  the   
sentient moral1 and the moral spiritual4
 ,is it not in truth a  strange choice1 
to set up ,evolution1 of all things1 as 
the negation  of ,purpose pre-disposing 
what is to come8 ,for what does the word
 mean1  and whence is it borrowed8 ,it  
means1 to unfold from within2 and it is 
taken from the history of the seed or   
embryo of living natures4 ,and what  is 
the seed but a casket of pre-arranged   
futurities1 with its whole  contents    
prospective1 settled to be what they are
 by reference to ends  still in the     
distance4 ,if a grain of wheat be folded
 in a mummy-cloth  and put into a       
catacomb1 its germ for growing and its  
albumen for  feeding sleep side by side1

 and never find each other out4 ,but no 
sooner  does it drop1 thousands of years
 after1 on the warm and moistened field1
  than their mutual play begins1 and the
 plumule rises and lives upon its  store
 till it is able to win its own         
maintenance from the ground4 ,not  only 
are its two parts therefore relative to 
each other1 but both are  relative to   
conditions lying in another department  
of the world1--the  clouds1 the         
atmosphere1 the soil2 in the absence of 
which they remain  barren and           
functionless3--and this1 from a ,cause  
that has no sense of  relation6 ,the    
human ear1 moulded in the silent matrix 
of nature1 is  formed with a nerve      
susceptible to one influence alone1 and 
that an  absent one1 the undulations of 
a medium into which it is not yet born2 
and1 in anticipation of the whole       
musical scale with all its harmonies1   
furnishes itself with a microscopic     
grand-piano of three thousand  stretched
 strings1 each ready to respond to a    

different and definite  number of aerial
 vibrations3--and this1 from a ,cause   
that never meant  to bring together the 
inner organ and the outer medium1 now   
hidden from  each other6 ,the eye1      
shaped in the dark1 selects an exclusive
  sensibility to movements propagated   
from distant skies2 and so weaves  its  
tissues1 and disposes its contents1 and 
hangs its curtains1 and  adjusts its    
range of motion1 as to meet every       
exigency of refraction and  dispersion  
of the untried light1 and be ready to   
paint in its interior  the whole        
perspective of the undreamed world      
without3--and this1 from  a ,cause      
incapable of having an end in view6     
,surely1 nothing can be  evolved that is
 not first involved2 and if there be any
 thing which not  only carries a        
definite future in it1 but has the whole
 rationale of  its present constitution 
grounded in that future1 it is the      
embryo1  whence1 by a strange humor1    
this denial of final causes has chosen  

to  borrow its name4 ,not more certainly
 is the statue that has yet to be1      
already potentially contained in the    
pre-conception and sketches of the      
artist1 than the stately tree of the    
next century in the beech-mast that     
drops upon the ground2 or the whole     
class of ,birds1 if you give them a     
common descent1 in the eggs to which you
 choose to go back as first2 or  the    
entire system of nature in any germinal 
cell or other prolific  minimum whence  
you suppose its organism to have been   
brought out4  ,evolution and            
,prospection are inseparable            
conceptions4 ,go back as you  will1 and 
try to propel the movement from behind  
instead of drawing it  from before1     
development in a definite direction     
towards the realization  of a dominant  
scheme of ascending relations is the    
sway of an overruling  end4 ,to take    
away the ideal basis of nature1 yet     
construe it by the  analogy of organic  
growth1 will be for ever felt as a      

contradiction4 ,it  is to put out the   
eyes of the ,past1 in order to show us  
with what secure  precision1 amid       
distracting paths1 and over chasms      
bridged by a hair1 it  selects its way  
into the ,future4    ,if the ,divine    
,idea will not retire at the bidding of 
our speculative  science1 but retains   
its place1 it is natural to ask1 what is
 its  relation to the series of         
so-called ,forces in the world8 ,but the
  question is too large and deep to be  
answered here4 ,let it suffice to  say1 
that there need not be any overruling of
 these forces by the will  of ,god1 so  
that the supernatural should disturb the
 natural2 or any  supplementing of them1
 so that ,he should fill up their       
deficiencies4  ,rather is ,his ,thought 
related to them as1 in ,man1 the mental 
force is  related to all below it2      
turning them all to account for ideal   
ends1 and  sustaining the higher        
equilibrium which else would lapse into 
lower  forms4 ,more truly1 yet          

equivalently1 might we say1 these       
supposed  forces1 which are only our    
intellectual interpretation of classes  
of  perceived phenomena1 are but        
varieties of ,his ,will1 the rules and  
methods of ,his determinate and         
legislated agency1 in which1 to keep    
faith with the universe of beings1 ,he  
abnegates all change2 but beyond  which1
 in ,his transcendent relations with    
dependent and responsible  minds1 ,he   
has left a glorious margin for the free 
spiritual life1 open  to the sacredness 
of ,personal ,communion1 and the hope of
 growing  similitude4          ,,the    
,,relations    ,,of    ,,ethics ,,and   
,,theology4    ,by ,,andrew ,p4         
,,peabody4      ,my subject is the      
mutual relations of ,ethics and         
,theology4    ,ethics is the science of 
the ,right2 and we would first inquire  
whether  this science is a mere         
department of theology1 or whether it   
has its own  independent existence1     
sphere1 and office4 ,our opening        

question then is3  ,what is the ground  
of right8 ,why are certain acts right1  
and certain  other acts wrong8 ,are     
these characteristics incidental1       
arbitrary1  created by circumstances2   
variable with time or place1 or the     
intelligence of the agent2 contingent on
 legislation1 human or ,divine8  ,or are
 they intrinsic1 essential1 independent 
of command1 even of the  ,divine        
command8    ,we can best answer this    
question by considering what is implied 
in  existence4 ,existence implies       
properties1 and properties are          
fitnesses4  ,every object1 by virtue of 
its existence1 has its place1 purpose1  
uses1  relations4 ,at every moment1 each
 specific object is either in or out of 
its place1 fulfilling or not fulfilling 
its purpose1 subservient to or          
alienated from its uses1 in accordance  
or out of harmony with its  relations1  
and therefore in a state of fitness or  
of unfitness as  regards other objects4 
,every object is at every moment under  

the control  of the intelligent will    
either of the ,supreme ,being or of some
 finite  being1 and is by that will     
maintained either in or out of its      
place1  purpose1 uses1 and relations1   
and thus in a state of fitness or       
unfitness as regards other objects4     
,every intelligent being1 by virtue  of 
his existence1 bears certain definite   
relations to outward objects1  his      
fellow-beings1 and his ,creator4 ,at    
every moment each intelligent  being is 
either faithful or unfaithful to these  
relations1 and thus in a  state of      
fitness or unfitness as regards outward 
objects and other  beings4 ,thus fitness
 or unfitness may be predicated at every
 moment of  every object in existence1  
of the volitions by which each object is
  controlled1 and of every intelligent  
being with regard to his voluntary      
position in the universe4 ,fitness and  
unfitness are the ultimate ideas  that  
underlie the terms right and wrong4     
,these last are metaphorical  terms3    

right1 rectus1 straight1 upright1       
according to rule1 and  therefore fit2  
wrong1 wrung1 distorted1 twisted out of 
place1  abnormal1 and therefore unfit4  
,we are so constituted that we cannot   
help regarding fitness with esteem and  
complacency2 unfitness1 with  disesteem 
and disapproval1 even though we         
ourselves create it or  impersonate it4 
,fitness is the law by which alone we   
have the knowledge of sin1 by which     
alone we justify or condemn ourselves4  
,duty has fitness for its only aim  and 
end4 ,to whatever object comes under our
 control its fit place or use  is due2  
and our perception of that due          
constitutes our duty1 and  awakens in us
 a sense of obligation4 ,to ourselves   
and to other beings  and objects1 our   
fidelity to our relations has in it an  
intrinsic  fitness2 that fitness is     
their and our due2 and the perception of
 that  due constitutes our duty1 and    
awakens in us a sense of obligation4    
,conscience is the faculty by which we  

perceive fitness or unfitness4 ,its     
functions are not cognitive1 but        
judicial4 ,its decisions are based upon 
our knowledge1 real or imagined1 from   
whatever source derived4 ,it judges     
according to such law and evidence as it
 has2 and its verdict is always1        
relatively1 a genuine verdict 7verum    
dictum71 though potentially  false and  
wrong by defect of our knowledge1--even 
as in a court of law  an infallibly wise
 and incorruptibly just judge may       
pronounce an utterly  erroneous and     
unjust decision1 if he have before him a
 false statement  of facts1 or if the   
law which he is compelled to administer 
be  unrighteous4 ,what we call the      
education of conscience is merely the   
accumulation and verification of the    
materials on which conscience is to     
act2 in fine1 the discovery of          
fitnesses4    ,permit me to illustrate  
the function of conscience by reference 
to a  question now mooted in our        
community1--the question as to the moral

  fitness of the temperate use of       
fermented liquors4 ,among the aborigines
  of ,congo and ,dahomey1 there being no
 settled industry1 no mental  activity1 
and no hygienic knowledge as to either  
body or mind1 it seems  fitting1 and    
therefore right1 to swallow all the     
strong drink that they  can lay their   
hands upon2 for it is fitted to produce 
immediate animal  enjoyment1--the only  
good of which they have cognizance4     
,among civilized  men1 on the contrary1 
intoxication is universally known to be 
opposed to  the fitnesses of body and   
mind1 an abuse of alcoholic liquors1 and
 an  abuse of the drinker's own         
personality2 and it is therefore        
condemned by  all consciences1 by none  
more heartily than by those of its      
victims4  ,but there still remains open 
the question as to the moderate use of  
fermented liquors2 and this is not1 as  
it is commonly called1 a question  of   
conscience1 but a mere question of      
fact1--of fitness or unfitness4  ,says  

one party1 ,alcohol1 in every form1 and 
in the least quantity1 is a  virulent   
poison1 and therefore unfit for body and
 mind4 ,says the other  party1 ,wine1   
moderately used1 is healthful1 salutary1
 restorative1 and  therefore fitted to  
body and mind4 ,change the opinion of   
the latter  party1 their consciences    
would at once take the other side2 and1 
if they  retained in precept and        
practice their present position1 they   
would  retain it self-condemned4 ,change
 the opinion of the former party1 their 
consciences would assume the ground     
which they now assail4 ,demonstrate  to 
the whole community--which physiology   
may one day do--the precise  truth in   
this matter1 there would remain no      
differences of conscientious  judgment1 
whatever difference of practice might   
still continue4    ,from what has been  
said1 it is necessarily inferred that   
right and wrong  are not contingent on  
the knowledge of the moral agent4       
,unfitness1  misuse1 abuse1 is none the 

less wrong because the result of        
ignorance4  ,if the result of inevitable
 ignorance1 it does not indeed imply an 
unfitness or derangement of the agent's 
own moral powers4 ,yet it is none  the  
less out of harmony with the fitness of 
things4 ,it deprives an  object of its  
due use4 ,it perverts to pernicious     
results what is  salutary in its        
purpose4 ,it lessens for the agent his  
aggregate of good  and of happiness1 and
 increases for him his aggregate of evil
 and of  misery4 ,in this sense--far    
more significant than that of arbitrary 
infliction--the maxim of jurisprudence1 
,ignorantia legis neminem  excusat      
7,ignorance of the law excuses no one71 
is a fundamental  principle of human    
nature4           99       99       99  
99       99    ,we are now prepared to  
consider the relation of moral          
distinctions to  theology4 ,in the first
 place1 if the ground which ,i have     
maintained be  tenable1 ethical science 
rests on a basis of its own1 wholly     

independent  of theology4 ,right and    
wrong1 as moral distinctions1 in no wise
 depend  on the ,divine will and law2   
nay1 not even on the ,divine existence4 
,the  atheist cannot escape or disown   
them4 ,they are inseparable from        
existence4 ,for whatever exists1 no     
matter how it came into being1 must     
needs have its due place1 affinities1   
adaptations1 uses2 and an  intelligent  
dweller among the things that are cannot
 but know something  of their fitnesses 
and harmonies1 and1 so far as he acts   
upon them1  cannot but feel the         
obligation to recognize their fitnesses1
 and thus to  create or restore their   
harmonies4 ,even to the atheist1 vice is
 a  violation of fitnesses which he     
knows or may know4 ,it is opposed to his
  conscientious judgment4 ,he has with  
regard to it an inevitable sense of     
wrong4 ,i can therefore conceive of an  
atheist's being--though ,i should  have 
little hope that he would be--a rigidly 
virtuous man1 and that on  principle4   

,but while atheism does not obliterate  
moral distinctions1 or cancel  moral    
obligation1 these distinctions are a    
refutation of atheism2 and  from the    
very fitness of things1 which we have   
seen to be the ground of  right1 we draw
 demonstrative evidence of the being1   
unity1 and moral  perfectness of the    
,creator3 so that the fundamental truths
 of theology  rest on the same basis    
with the fundamental principles of      
ethics4 ,let me  ask you to pursue this 
argument with me4    ,every object1 as  
,i have said1 must1 by virtue of its    
existence1 have its  fit place and use2 
but1 in a world that was the dice-work  
of chance1  there would be myriads of   
probabilities to one against any        
specific  object's attaining to its fit 
place and use4 ,this must be the work of
  will alone4 ,if chance can create1 it 
cannot combine1 co-ordinate1  organize4 
,if it can throw letters on the ground  
by the handful1 it  cannot arrange them 
into the ,iliad or the ,paradise ,lost4 

,if it can stain  the sky or the earth  
with gorgeous tints1 it cannot group    
them into a  ,madonna or a landscape4   
,its universe would be peopled by       
straylings1  full of disjointed halves  
of pairs1--of objects thrown together in
 such  chaotic heaps that seldom could  
any one object find its counterpart or  
subserve its end4    ,the opposite is   
the case in the actual world4 ,the first
 discoveries  which the first human     
being made were of the fitnesses of the 
objects  around him to himself and to   
one another4 ,with every added year his 
microcosm enlarged1 so that1 before he  
left the world1 he had within his       
cognizance a range of fitnesses and uses
 sufficient to guide his own  activity1 
and to enable him to predict its        
results1 together with  numerous other  
results not contingent on his own       
agency4 ,beyond this  microcosm1 indeed1
 lay a vast universe impenetrable to his
 search1 in  which he could trace no    
relations1 no filaments of order2 in    

which all  seemed to him a medley of    
chaotic confusion1 mutually intruding   
systems1  clashing and jarring forces4  
,on this realm of the unknown man has   
ever  since been making perpetual       
aggressions2 and every step of his      
progress  has been the discovery of     
fitnesses1 relations1 reciprocal uses1  
among  the most remote1 diverse1 and at 
first sight mutually hostile objects1   
classes1 and systems4 ,natural history1 
physics1 and chemistry1 are the  science
 of mutual fitnesses and uses among     
terrestrial objects4  ,astronomy is the 
science of harmonies among all the      
worlds1--of  fitnesses in their         
relations and courses to the condition  
of things in  our own planet1           
approximately to other bodies in the    
solar system1 and1  by ascertained      
analogies1 to those distant orbs of     
which we know only  that they stand and 
move ever in their order4 ,geology is   
the science of  mutual fitnesses in     
former epochs and conditions of our own 

planet1 and  of prospective fitnesses in
 them to the needs and uses of the      
present  epoch2 so that by harmonies    
which run through unnumbered ons we are 
the  heirs1 and sustain our industries  
by the usufruct1 of the ages1 the  great
 moments of whose history we are just   
beginning to read4  ,mathematical       
science reveals geometrical and         
numerical fitnesses1  proportions1 and  
harmonies1 which are traced alike in the
 courses of the  stars and in the       
collocation of the foliage on the tree1 
and which  promise one day to give us   
the equation of the curve of the        
sea-shell1  of the contour of the       
geranium-leaf1 of the crest of the wave4
 ,there is  still around us the realm of
 the unknown2 yet not only are daily    
aggressions made upon it1 but science   
has advanced so far as to render  it    
certain that there is no department or  
object in the universe1 which  is not   
comprehended in this system of mutual   
fitnesses1 harmonies1 and  uses4    ,now

 consider the relation of organized     
being to this system4 ,what is an       
organ8 ,it is the capacity of           
perceiving1 choosing1 and utilizing a   
fitness4 ,the rootlets of the tree by   
the river-side perceive the  adjacent   
water1 elongate themselves toward it1 in
 a drought make  convulsive and         
successful efforts to reach it2 while   
the corolla of the  heliotrope perceives
 the calorific rays1 and turns toward   
their source  in the heavens4 ,the      
organs of the plant select from the     
elements around  it such substances as  
are fitted to feed its growth1 and      
appropriate  them to its use1 even      
though they be found in infinitesimal   
proportions1 in masses of alien         
substance4 ,in all this there is a      
semi-self-consciousness1 corresponding1 
not indeed to the action of  mind1 but  
to that of the spontaneous              
life-processes in intelligent  beings4  
,the animal carries us a step higher4   
,his instincts are an unerring          

knowledge of fitnesses and uses within  
his sphere4 ,he seeks what is  fitted1  
shuns what is unfitted to his sustenance
 and growth1 is never  deceived when    
left to his own sagacity1 and fails only
 when brought into  anomalous relations 
with the superior knowledge of man4 ,he 
lives1 merely  because he is conscious  
of the fitnesses of nature1 and yields  
up his  life to a stronger beast1 in    
accordance with those same              
fitnesses--beneficent still--by which   
all realms of nature are kept  fully    
stocked1 yet never overstocked1 with    
healthy and rejoicing life4    ,the     
fitness which thus pervades and unifies 
the entire creation1 man as  an animal  
perceives1 as a living soul recognizes  
and comprehends2 and to  his            
consciousness it is an imperative law1  
obeyed always with  self-approval1      
disobeyed only with self-condemnation4  
,of disobedience he  alone is capable1  
yet he but partially4 ,in order to live1
 he must obey  in the vast majority of  

instances2 still more must he obey1 if  
he would  have society1 physical        
comfort1 transient enjoyment of however 
low a  type2 and the most depraved      
wretch that walks the earth purchases   
his  continued being by a thousand acts 
of unintended yet inevitable  obedience 
to one of voluntary guilt4 ,man's       
law--the law which1 in  violating or    
scorning it1 he cannot ignore or        
evade--is the very same  fitness which  
runs through all inorganic nature1 and  
which the  semi-conscious tree1 shrub1  
or flower1 the imperfectly              
self-conscious  bird1 fish1 or beast    
uniformly obeys4    ,now can chance have
 evolved this universal fitness1 and the
 souls that  own their allegiance to it8
 ,is it not the clear self-revelation of
 a  ,god1 one1 all-wise1 omnipotent8    
,has it any other possible solution8    
,bears it not1 in inscriptions that     
girdle the universe in letters of       
light1 the declarations of the ,hebrew  
seer1 ,in the beginning ,god  created   

the heavens and the earth1 and ,the     
,lord our ,god is one ,lord8  ,i am not 
disposed to cavil at the argument from  
design in the structure  and adaptations
 of any one organized being2 but        
immeasurably more cogent  is this       
argument from a consenting universe1 in 
which filaments of  fitness1 relation1  
and use cross and recross one another   
from bound to  bound1 from sun to star1 
from star to earth1 from the greatest to
 the  least1 from the order of the      
heavens to the zophyte and the          
microscopic  animalcule4 ,in the human  
conscience ,i recognize at once the     
revelation  and the perpetual witness of
 this all-pervading adaptation1 this    
universal harmony4 ,conscience is the   
,god within1 not in figure1 but in      
fact4 ,it is the mode in which ,he who  
is enshrined in all being1 who  lives in
 all life1 takes up his abode1 holds his
 perpetual court1 erects  his eternal   
judgment-seat1 within the human soul4   
,we pass to the consideration of the    

moral attributes of the ,creator4 ,i    
have spoken of moral distinctions as    
logically separable from and            
independent of the ,divine nature4 ,from
 this position alone can we  establish  
the holiness1 justice1 and mercy of the 
,divine ,being4 ,in  order to show this1
 let me ask your attention to the       
distinction  between necessary and      
contingent truths2 that is1 between     
truths which  have an intrinsic         
validity1 which always were and cannot  
by any  possibility be otherwise than   
true1 and truths which were made true1  
which began to be1 and the opposite of  
which might have been4  ,mathematical   
truth is necessary and absolute         
truth1--not made truth even  by the     
ordinance of the ,supreme ,being1 but   
truth from the very nature of  things1  
truth co-eternal with ,god4 ,omnipotence
 cannot make two and two  five1 or      
render the sum of the angles of a       
triangle more or less than  two right   
angles1 or construct a square and a     

circle of both equal  perimeter and     
equal surface4 ,in our conception of    
mathematical truth we  are conscious    
that it must have been true before all  
worlds1 and would  be equally true had  
no substance that could be measured or  
calculated  ever been created4 ,every   
mathematical proposition is an inherent 
property or condition of the infinite   
space identical with the ,divine        
omnipresence1 or of the infinite        
duration identical with the ,divine     
eternity4    ,moral truth is of the same
 order1 not contingent1 but necessary1  
absolute4 ,this is distinctly declared  
in one of the most sublime bursts  of   
inspiration in the ,hebrew ,scriptures4 
,if you will trace in the book  of      
,proverbs the traits of ,wisdom as      
personified throughout the first  nine  
chapters1 you will find that it is no   
other than a name for the  inherent1    
immutable1 eternal distinction between  
right and wrong4 ,it is  this ,wisdom1  
who1 so far from confessing herself as  

created1 ordained1  or subject1         
proclaims1 ,jehovah possessed me in the 
beginning of his  way1 before his works 
of old4 ,i was set up from everlasting1 
from the  beginning1 or ever the earth  
was4444 ,when he prepared the heavens1  
,i  was there4444 ,when he appointed the
 foundations of the earth1 then ,i was  
by him1 ,,as ,,one ,,brought ,,up ,,with
 ,,him2 and ,i was daily his delight1   
rejoicing always before him4    ,it is  
only on the principle thus vividly set  
forth that we can affirm  moral         
attributes of the ,supreme ,being4 ,when
 we say that ,he is perfectly  just1    
pure1 holy1 beneficent1 we recognize a  
standard of judgment  logically         
independent of his nature4 ,we mean that
 the law of fitness1  which ,he         
promulgates in the human conscience1 and
 which is our only  standard of right1  
is the self-elected law of his own      
being4 ,could we  conceive of           
omnipotence and omniscience devoid of   
moral attributes1 the  decrees and acts 

of such a being would not be necessarily
 right4  ,omnipotence cannot make the   
wrong right1 or the right wrong2 nor can
 it  indue either with the tendencies of
 the other1 so that the wrong1 that  is1
 the unfitting1 should produce ultimate 
good1 or the right1 that is1  the       
fitting1 should produce ultimate evil4  
,god's decrees and acts are  not right  
because they are his2 but they are his  
because they are right4  ,on no other   
ground1 as ,i have said1 can we affirm  
moral attributes of  him4 ,if his       
arbitrary sovereignty can indue with the
 characteristics of  right that which   
has no intrinsic fitness1 beauty1 or    
utility1 then the  affirmation that ,he 
is holy1 or just1 or good1 is simply    
equivalent to  the absurd maxim of human
 despotism1 ,the king can do no wrong4  
,it is  only when we conceive of the    
abstract right as existing of necessity 
from a past eternity1 and as a category 
of the ,divine free-will and  perfect   
prescience1 in which the creation had   

its birth and its  archetypes1 that     
holiness1 justice1 and goodness1 as     
applied to the  ,divine character1 have 
any meaning4    ,we thus see that our   
ethical conceptions underlie our        
theology1 and  that1 however explicit   
the words of revelation may be as to the
 ,divine  nature1 he alone can          
understand them1 who recognizes in his  
own heart  the absoluteness and         
immutableness of moral distinctions4    
,how many  ,christians have there been  
in every age since the primitive1 who1  
in  using the terms just and holy with  
reference to the ,almighty1 have        
employed them in an entirely different  
sense from that in which they are       
applied to human conduct1 and with      
regard to supposed dispositions and     
acts1 which in man they would call      
unjust and cruel6 ,and this simply      
because they have attached no           
determinate meaning1 but only a         
conventional and variable sense to      
ethical terms1 and have imagined that   

arbitrary power could reverse moral     
distinctions1 or that ,god could  impose
 on man one law of right1 and himself   
recognize another4    ,we have thus seen
 that theology is indebted to the       
fundamental  principles of ethics for   
the most luculent demonstration of the  
being1  omnipotence1 and omniscience of 
,god1 and for the clear conception of   
his  moral attributes4           99     
99       99       99       99    ,we    
will now consider the reciprocal        
obligations of ethics to theology2  and1
 in the first place1 to ,natural        
,religion4 ,pure theism attaches the    
,divine sanction to the verdicts of     
conscience1 makes them the will1 the    
voice of ,god1 enforces them by his     
authority1 and elevates the  conception 
of virtue by establishing a close       
kindred between the  virtuous man and   
the ,ruler of the universe4 ,and this is
 much1 but not  for many4 ,it has raised
 some elect spirits to a degree of      
excellence  which might put ,christians 

to shame4 ,it has conjoined virtue with 
lofty  devotion and earnest piety in a  
,socrates and a ,marcus ,antoninus1 and 
refined it into a rare purity1          
chasteness1 and tenderness of spirit in 
a  ,plutarch and an ,epictetus4 ,but on 
the masses of mankind1 on the worldly   
and care-cumbered1 on the unphilosophic 
and illiterate1 it has exerted  little  
or no influence4 ,moreover1 while among 
the virtuous men of  pre-,christian     
times and beyond the light of the       
,jewish revelation1 we  recognize some  
few of surpassing excellence1 we find   
not a single  ethical system1 or body of
 moral precepts1 which does not contain 
limitations1 deficiencies1 or enormities
 utterly revolting to the moral  sense  
of ,christendom4 ,thus ,plato had lofty 
conceptions of virtue1 but  there are   
directions in which his precepts give   
free license to lust and  cruelty2 and  
even ,socrates sanctioned by his        
unrebuking intimacy and  fondness the   
leaders and ornaments of the most       

dissolute society in  ,athens4    ,the  
acme of extra-,christian piety1 and     
consequently of moral excellence1  is   
presented in the writings and lives of  
the later ,stoics1 whose  incorruptible 
virtue affords the only relief to our   
weariness and  disgust1 as we trace the 
history of ,rome through the profligacy 
of the  declining commonwealth and the  
depravity of the empire4 ,we find here  
the  ,simeons and ,annas of the ,pagan  
world1 who1 though with the fleshly arm 
they embraced not the ,son of ,god1     
needed but to see him to adore and  love
 him4 ,yet in nothing was ,stoicism more
 faulty than in its exalted  sense of   
virtue4 ,for it had no charity for sin1 
no tolerance even for  the inferior     
forms of goodness4 ,it was the ethics of
 the unfallen4 ,it  proffered no hope of
 forgiveness2 it let down no helping    
hand from the  heavens2 it uttered no   
voice from the eternal silence2 it      
opened no  ,father's house and arms for 
the penitent4 ,in ,moore's ,lalla ,rookh

 the  ,peri1 promised forgiveness and   
readmission to ,paradise on condition of
  bringing to the eternal gate the gift 
most dear to heaven1 returns in  vain   
with the last drop of the patriot's     
blood4 ,again1 when she brings  the     
expiring sigh of the most faithful human
 love1 the crystal bar moves  not4 ,once
 more she seeks the earth1 and bears    
back the tear of penitence  that has    
fallen from a godless wretch melted into
 contrition by a  child's prayer2 and   
for this alone the golden hinges turn4  
,stoicism  could boast in rich profusion
 the patriot's blood1 could feed the    
torch  of a love stronger than death2   
but it could not start the penitential  
tear1--it failed of the one gift of     
earth for which there is joy in  heaven4
    ,let us rise1 then1 from the purest 
philosophy of the old world to          
,christianity in its ethical relations  
and offices4    ,christianity1 as a     
revelation1 covers the entire field of  
human duty1  and gives the knowledge of 

many fitnesses1 recognized when once    
made  known1 but undiscoverable by man's
 unaided insight4 ,the two truths which 
lie at the foundation of ,christian     
ethics are human brotherhood and the    
immortality of the soul4    #a4 ,human  
brotherhood4 ,the visible differences of
 race1 color1 culture1  religion1       
customs1 are in themselves dissociating 
influences4 ,universal  charity is      
hardly possible while these differences 
occupy the  foreground4 ,slavery was a  
natural and congenial institution under 
,pagan  auspices1 and the idea of a     
missionary enterprise transcends the    
broadest philanthropy of heathenism4 ,we
 find indeed in the ancient  moralists1 
especially in the writings of ,cicero   
and ,seneca1 many  precepts of humanity 
toward slaves1 but no clear recognition 
of the  injustice inseparable from the  
state of slavery2 nor have we in all    
ancient literature1 unless it be in     
,seneca 7in whom such sentiments  might 
have had more or less directly a        

,christian origin71 a single  expression
 of a fellowship broad enough to embrace
 all diversities of  condition1 much    
less of race4#af ,even ,socrates1 while 
he expects  himself to enter at death   
into the society of good men1 and says  
that  those who live philosophically    
will approach the nature of the gods1   
expresses the belief that worthy1       
industrious men who are not             
philosophers will1 on dying1 migrate    
into the bodies of ants1 bees1 or  other
 hard-working members of the lower      
orders of animals4    ,footnote #af3    
,the verse so often quoted from         
,terence1 ,homo sum2 humani  nihil a me 
alienum puto1 will probably occur to    
many as inconsistent  with my statement4
 ,the sentiment of this verse is1       
indeed1 as it stands  by itself1 truly  
,christian2 but in the ,comedy from     
which it is quoted1  so far from having 
a philanthropic significance1 it is     
merely a  busy-body's apology for       
impertinent interference with the       

concerns of  his neighbor4    ,the      
fraternity of our entire race--even     
without involving the mooted  question  
of a common human parentage--is through 
,christianity  established1 not only by 
the ,divine fatherhood so constantly    
proclaimed  and so luculently manifested
 by ,jesus1 but equally by the unifying 
ministry of his death as a sacrifice for
 all1 and by his parting  commitment of 
all the world and every creature to the 
propagandism  of his disciples4 ,though 
the spirit of this revelation has not   
yet been  embodied in any community1 it 
has inspired the life-work of many in   
every age2 it has moulded reform and    
guided progress in social ethics        
throughout ,christendom2 it has twice   
swept the civilized world clean  from   
domestic slavery2 it has shaken every   
throne1 is condemning every  form of    
despotism1 monopoly1 and exclusiveness1 
and gives clear presage  of a condition 
in which the old pre-,christian division
 of society into  the preying and the   

preyed-upon will be totally obliterated4
    #b4 ,the immortality of the soul1   
also1 casts a light1 at once broad and  
penetrating1 upon and into every        
department of duty2 for it is obvious1  
without detailed statement1 that the    
fitnesses1 needs1 and obligations  of a 
terrestrial being of brief duration1 and
 those of a being in the  nursery and   
initial stage of an endless existence1  
are very wide  apart1--that the latter  
may find it fitting to do1 seek1 shun1  
omit1  endure1 resign1 many things which
 to the former are very properly        
matters of indifference4 ,immortality   
was1 indeed1 in a certain sense         
believed before ,christ1 but with feeble
 assurance1 and with the utmost         
vagueness of conception2 so that this   
belief can hardly be said to have       
existed either as a criterion of duty or
 as a motive power4 ,how small a  part  
it bore in the ethics of the ,stoic     
school may be seen1 when we  remember   
that ,epictetus1 than whom there was no 

better man1 denied the  life beyond     
death2 and in ,marcus ,antoninus        
immortality was rather a  devout        
aspiration than a fixed belief4 ,in the 
,christian revelation1 on  the other    
hand1 the eternal life is so placed in  
the most intimate  connection with the  
life and character in this world as to  
cast its  reflex lights and shadows on  
all earthly scenes and experiences4     
,christianity1 in the next place1 makes 
to us an ethical revelation in  the     
person and character of its ,founder1   
exhibiting in him the very  fitnesses   
which it prescribes1 showing us1 as it  
could not by mere  precepts1 the        
proportions and harmonies of the        
virtues1 and  manifesting the           
unapproached beauty1 nay1 majesty1 of   
the gentler  virtues1--virtutes         
leniores1 as ,cicero calls them1--which 
in  pre-,christian ages were sometimes  
made secondary1 sometimes repudiated    
with contempt and derision4    ,it is1  
,i know1 among the commonplaces of the  

rationalism and secularism  of our time1
 that the moral precepts of the ,gospel 
were not original1  but had all been    
anticipated by ,greek or ,eastern sages4
 ,this is not  literally and wholly     
true2 for in some of the most striking  
of the  alleged instances there is      
precisely the same difference between   
the  heathen and the ,christian precept 
that there is between the ,old          
,testament and the ,new4 ,the former    
says1 ,thou shalt not2 the latter1      
,thou shalt4 ,the former forbids2 the   
latter commands4 ,the former  prescribes
 abstinence from overt evil2 the latter 
has for its sum of  duty1 ,be thou      
perfect1 as thy ,father in heaven is    
perfect4 ,but the  statement which ,i   
have quoted has more of truth in it than
 has been  usually conceded by zealous  
champions of the ,christian faith2 and  
,i  would gladly admit its full and     
entire truth1 could ,i see sufficient   
evidence of it4 ,the unqualified        
admission does not in the least detract 

from the pre-eminent worth of ,him who  
alone has been the ,living ,law4 ,so    
far is this anticipation of his precepts
 by wise and good men before him  from  
casting doubts on the divinity of his   
mission upon earth1 that it  only       
confirms his claims upon our confidence4
 ,for the great laws of  morality are1  
as we have seen1 as old as the throne of
 ,god2 and strange  indeed were it1 had 
there been no intimation of them till   
the era of  their perfect embodiment and
 full promulgation4 ,the ,divine        
,spirit1  breathing always and          
everywhere1 could not have remained1    
without  witness of right1 duty1 and    
obligation in the outward universe and  
in  the human conscience4 ,so1          
struggling through the mists of         
weltering  chaos1 were many errant      
light-beams2 yet none the less glorious 
and  benignant was the sun1 when in the 
clear firmament he first shone1         
all-illumining and all-guiding4    ,but 
in practical ethics a revelation of duty

 is but a small part of  man's need4    
,according to a ,chinese legend1 the    
founders of the three  principal        
religious sects in the ,celestial       
,empire1 lamenting in the  spirit-land  
the imperfect success which had attended
 the promulgation of  their doctrines1  
agreed to return to the earth1 and see  
if they could  not find some            
right-minded person by whose agency they
 might convert  mankind to the integrity
 and purity which they had taught4 ,they
 came in  their wanderings to an old    
man1 sitting by a fountain as its       
guardian4  ,he recalled to them the high
 moral tone of their several systems1   
and  reproached them for the unworthy   
lives of their adherents4 ,they agreed  
that he was the very apostle they       
sought4 ,but when they made the         
proposal to him1 he replied1 ,it is the 
upper part of me only that is  flesh and
 blood3 the lower part is stone4 ,i can 
talk about virtue1 but  cannot follow   
its teachings4 ,the sages saw in this   

man1 half of stone1  the type of their  
race1 and returned in despair to the    
spirit-land4    ,there is profound truth
 in this legend4 ,it indicates at once  
the mental  receptivity and the moral   
inability of man1 as to mere precepts of
  virtue4 ,it is not enough that we know
 the right4 ,we know much better  than  
we do4 ,the words which ,ovid puts into 
the mouth of ,medea1 ,video  meliora1   
proboque1 deteriora sequor 7,i see and  
approve the better1 ,i  pursue the      
worse71 are the formula of universal    
experience4 ,we1 most of  all1 need     
enabling power4 ,this we have through   
,christianity alone4 ,we  have it3 #a4  
,in the ,divine fatherhood1 as exhibited
 in those genial1  winning traits1 in   
which ,jesus verifies his saying1 ,he   
that hath seen  me hath seen the        
,father1--a fatherhood to feel which is 
to render glad  and loving obedience to 
the ,father's will and word2 #b4 ,in the
 adaptation  of the love1 sacrifice1 and
 death of ,christ to awaken the whole   

power of  loving in the heart1 and thus 
by the most cogent of motives to urge   
man  to live no longer for himself1 but 
for him who died for him2 #c4 ,in the   
assurance of forgiveness for past wrongs
 and omissions1 without which  there    
could be little courage for future      
well-doing2 #d4 ,in the promise  and    
realization of ,divine aid in every     
right purpose and worthy  endeavor2 #e4 
,in institutions and observances        
designed and adapted to  perpetuate the 
memory of the salient facts1 and to     
renew at frequent  intervals the        
recognition of the essential truths1    
which give to our  religion its name1   
character1 and efficacy4           99   
99       99       99       99    ,thus1 
while right and obligation exist        
independently of revelation1 and  even  
of natural religion1 ,christianity alone
 enables us to discern the  right in its
 entireness and its due proportions2 and
 it alone supplies  the strength which  
we need1 to make and keep us true to our

 obligations1  under the stress of      
appetite and passion1 cupidity and      
selfishness1  human fear and favor4     
,morality and religion1 potentially     
separable1 are yet inseparable in the   
will of ,god1 under the culture of      
,christ4 ,it used to be common to place 
the legal and the evangelical element in
 mutual antagonism4 ,nothing can  be    
more profane or absurd than this4 ,that 
which is not legal is  evangelical only 
in name and pretence4 ,that which is not
 evangelical is  legal to no purpose4   
,the religious belief or teaching1 which
 lays not  supreme stress on the whole  
moral law1 is an outrage on the ,gospel 
and  the ,saviour4 ,the morality1 which 
rests on any other foundation than      
,jesus ,christ and his religion1 is     
built on the sand1 the prey of the      
first onrush or inrush of wind or wave4 
,what therefore ,god hath joined        
together1 let not man put asunder4      
,,christianity3    ,,what ,,it ,,is     
,,not1 ,,and ,,what ,,it ,,is4    ,by   

,g4 ,,vance ,,smith4      ,i4    ,in    
looking back upon the past history of   
,christianity1 it is easy to  trace the 
existence of two very different ideas of
 the nature of that  religion4 ,their   
influence is discernible in what may be 
termed its  incipient form1 in perhaps  
the earliest period to which we can     
ascend1  while it has been especially   
felt during the last three hundred      
years1  as also it materially affects   
the position and relations of churches  
and  sects at the present moment4 ,from 
obvious characteristics of each1 these  
ideas may be respectively designated as 
the ritualistic1 or  sacerdotal1 and the
 dogmatic1 or doctrinal4 ,it is scarcely
 necessary  to add1 that the two have   
been constantly intermingled and blended
  together1 acting and reacting upon    
each other1 and either supporting or    
else thwarting each other with singular 
pertinacity4 ,neither of them is  found1
 in any instance of importance1 existing
 wholly apart from the  other1 so as to 

be the sole animating principle of a    
great religious  organization4 ,the     
nature of the case renders this         
impossible4  ,ritualistic observances   
cannot be rationally followed without   
dogmatic  beliefs4 ,the former are the  
natural exponents of the latter1 which  
indeed they are supposed to represent   
and to symbolize4 ,nor can  doctrinal   
creeds1 again1 wholly dispense with     
outward rites and forms4  ,even the most
 spiritual religion requires some       
outward medium of  expression1 if it is 
to influence strongly either communities
 or  individuals4 ,it must1 therefore1  
tacitly or avowedly adopt something of  
the dogmatic1 if not of the ritualistic1
 idea1 although this may not be  put    
into express words1 much less formed    
into a definite creed or test  of       
orthodoxy4    ,a common factor of the   
greatest importance enters into the two 
conceptions of ,christianity just       
referred to1 though not perhaps in      
equal measure4 ,i allude to the moral   

element1 which may also be denoted  as  
the sense of duty1--duty towards ,god   
and towards man4 ,it may1 indeed1  be   
said to be a distinguishing glory of    
,christianity1 that it can hardly  exist
 at all1 under whatever outward form1   
without being more or less  strongly    
pervaded by the moral spirit of which   
the ministry of ,christ  affords so rich
 and varied an expression4 ,it is true1 
however1 that the  ritualistic idea has 
constantly a tendency to degenerate into
 a mere  care for church observances1   
devoid of any high tone of uprightness  
and  purity in the practical concerns of
 ordinary life4 ,it is a common thing1  
in that great religious communion of    
,western and ,southern ,europe which  is
 so strongly animated by this idea1 to  
see people in the churches              
ceremoniously kneeling in the act of    
prayer1 while all the time they are     
busy1 with eager eyes1 to follow every  
movement in the crowd around  them4 ,in 
certain countries1 many of the          

ritualistically devout1 it is  well     
known1 have no scruple in practising the
 grossest impositions upon  strangers2 a
 statement which is especially true of  
those lands that in  modern times have  
been governed and demoralized beyond    
others by the  influence of the priestly
 class1 with their religion of material 
externalities4 ,a ,greek or an ,italian 
brigand1 it is said1 will rob and       
murder his captive with a peaceful      
conscience1 provided only that he  duly 
confesses to the priest1 and obtains his
 absolution4 ,this last is a  gross and1
 happily1 a rare case4 ,but1 equally    
with the more innocent  acts1 it        
illustrates the natural tendencies of   
ritualistic ,christianity  among various
 classes of persons4 ,in ordinary       
civilized society1 such  tendencies are 
kept powerfully in check by other       
influences4 ,hence it is  not to be     
denied that1 throughout the ,christian  
world1 devotional  feeling and the sense
 of duty are usually deep and active in 

their  influence1 and that the practical
 teachings of ,christ1 directly or      
indirectly1 exercise a potent control1  
whatever may be the ritualistic  or the 
dogmatic idea with which they are       
associated4    ,the ritualistic         
conception now spoken of offers us a    
,christianity which  secures salvation1 
by the intervention of a priest1--a man 
who1  though1 to all outward appearance1
 but a human being among human beings1  
yet alleges1 and finds people to        
believe1 that he can exercise           
supernatural functions1 and has the     
power of opening or closing the  gates  
of heaven to his fellow-men4 ,it is     
needless to say how large a  portion of 
,christendom is still under the         
influence of this kind of  superstition1
 or how pertinaciously the same         
unspiritual form of  religion is1 at    
this moment1 struggling to establish    
itself1 even in the  midst of the most  
enlightened modern nations4    ,nor is  
it necessary here to argue1 with any    

detail1 against the notion  of its being
 either inculcated upon us within the   
pages of the ,new  ,testament1 or       
enforced by any legitimate authority    
whatever4 ,probably  no one who cares to
 hear or to read these words would      
seriously maintain  that the ,gospel of 
,christ consists1 in any essential way1 
in submission  to a priesthood1 fallible
 or infallible1 in the observance of    
rites and  ceremonies or times and      
seasons1 or in a particular mode or form
 of  church government1 whatever        
doctrines these may be supposed to      
embody or  to symbolize4 ,such things   
have1 indeed1 variously prevailed among 
the  ,christian communities from the    
beginning4 ,generation after generation 
has seen priests1 and ,popes1 and       
patriarchs1 and presbyters1 without     
number4 ,these personages have decked   
themselves out in sacred garments1      
assumed ecclesiastical dignities and    
powers1 and sought1 many of them1  to   
heighten the charm and the efficacy of  

their worship by the aid of  altars and 
sacrifices1 so called1 of prostrations1 
incense1 lamps and  candles1 and many   
other such outward accessories4 ,but are
 such things to  be reckoned among the  
essentials of ,christian faith or       
,christian  righteousness8 ,does the    
presence or the blessing of the ,spirit 
of ,god1  to the humble1 penitent1      
waiting soul of man1 depend upon any    
thing  which one calling himself a      
priest can do or say for us8 ,will any  
one1  whose opinion is worth listening  
to1 say that it does8    ,the teaching  
of ,christ and his ,apostles is1 in     
truth1 remarkably devoid  of every idea 
of this kind4 ,so much is this the case1
 that it may well  be matter of         
astonishment to find men who profess to 
follow and to speak  for them holding   
that in such matters there can be only  
one just and  adequate ,christian       
course1--that1 namely1 which commends   
itself to  their judgment6 ,it is       
evident1 on the contrary1--too evident  

to be in  need of serious               
argument1--that the very diversities of 
opinion and  practice which prevail in  
the world--as expressed by such names as
  ,catholic and ,protestant1 ,greek     
,church and ,latin ,church1 ,church of  
,england and ,church of ,scotland1      
,episcopalian1 ,presbyterian1           
,congregational--prove conclusively that
 nothing imperative has been            
transmitted to us4 ,the great ,christian
 brotherhood1 in its various  sections  
and diverse conditions1 has manifestly  
been left1 in these  things1 to its own 
sense of what it is good and right to   
follow4 ,thus1  too1 if we will not     
close our eyes to the plainest lessons  
of ,his  ,providence1 the ,almighty     
,father gives us to understand that ,he 
only asks  from us the service of heart 
and life that is in spirit and in truth2
  and1 consequently1 that we may each   
give utterance to our thoughts of       
praise and thanksgiving1 to penitence   
for sin1 to our prayer for the  divine  

help and blessing1 in whatever form of  
words1 through whatever  personal       
agency1 and with whatever accompaniment 
of outward rite and  ceremony we may    
ourselves deem it most becoming to      
employ4    ,the second1 or dogmatic1    
conception of the ,gospel has been less 
generally prevalent than that of which  
,i have been speaking4 ,yet1 ever  since
 the days of ,luther1 not to recall the 
older times of ,nicene or  ,athanasian  
controversy1 it has been possessed of   
great influence in some  of the most    
important ,christian nations4           
,protestant ,christianity is            
predominantly dogmatic4 ,under various  
forms of expression1 it makes the       
,gospel to consist in a very definite   
system of doctrines to be  believed2 or1
 if not actually to consist in this1 at 
least to include  it1 as its most       
prominent and indispensable element4 ,we
 are informed1  accordingly1 that a man 
is not a ,christian1 cannot be a        
,christian1 and  perhaps it will be     

added1 cannot be saved1 unless he       
receives certain  long established      
doctrines1 or reputed doctrines1 of     
,christian faith4    ,what these are1 it
 is not necessary here minutely to      
inquire4 ,it is  well1 however1 to note 
with care that there would be           
considerable  differences of opinion in 
regard to them1 among those who would   
yet be  agreed as to the necessity of   
holding firmly to the dogmatic idea     
referred to4 ,a ,roman ,catholic1 of    
competent intelligence1 would not by    
any means agree with an ordinary member 
of the ,anglican church equally         
qualified4 ,both of these would differ  
in essential points from a member  of   
the ,greek church2 and the three would  
be almost equally at variance  with an  
average representative of ,scotch       
,presbyterian ,calvinism1 as also  with 
one whose standard of orthodoxy is      
contained in the ,sermons1 and  the     
notes on the ,new ,testament1 of the    
founder of ,methodism4 ,nay1 it is  well

 known1 even within the limits of the   
same ecclesiastical communion1          
differences so serious may be found as  
are denoted1 in common phrase1 by  the  
terms ritualistic and evangelical1 and  
by other familiar words  of kindred     
import4    ,among the great ,protestant 
sects the want of harmony under notice  
is1  doubtless1 confined within         
comparatively narrow limits4 ,but there 
is  diversity1 not to say discord1 even 
here4 ,no one will dispute the fact  who
 has any knowledge of the history of    
,protestant theology1 or who is  even   
acquainted with certain discussions1 a  
few years ago1 among  well-known members
 of the ,english ,episcopal ,church1 or 
with others1 of  more recent date1 among
 ,english ,independents1--in both cases 
on so  weighty a subject as the nature  
of the ,atonement4#ag ,moreover1 in the 
same quarters1 varieties of opinion are 
notorious on such topics as  ,baptismal 
regeneration1 the authority of the      
,priesthood1 the inspiration  of        

,scripture1 eternal punishment1--all of 
them questions of the most  vital       
importance1 in one or other of the      
popular schemes of the  doctrine4       
,footnote #ag3 ,between ,archbishop     
,thomson1 in ,aids to ,faith1 and some  
of the writers of ,tracts for ,priests  
and ,people2 also between several       
eminent ,independent ,ministers1 in the 
,english ,independent newspaper         
7,august1 #ahga74    ,now the           
indisputable fact referred to--the      
existence of this most  serious         
diversity and opposition of opinion and 
statement--affords the  strongest reason
 for considering it an error of the     
first magnitude to  regard ,christianity
 as essentially consisting in a definite
 system of  theological dogmas4 ,for is 
it possible to believe that a divine    
revelation of doctrine1 such as the     
,gospel has been so commonly supposed   
to be1 would have been left to be a     
matter of doubt and debate to its       
recipients8 ,admitting1 for a moment1   

the idea that the ,almighty  ,providence
 had designed to offer to men a scheme  
of ,faith1 the right  reception of which
 should1 in some way1 be necessary for  
their  salvation1 must we not also hold 
that this would have been clearly  made 
known to them8 so clearly1 plainly      
stated as to preclude the  differences  
just alluded to1 as to what it is that  
has been revealed8  ,it is impossible1  
in short1 on such an assumption1 to     
conceive of  ,christianity1 as having   
been left in so doubtful a position that
 its  disciples should have found       
occasion1 from age to age1 in councils  
and  assemblies and conferences1 in     
books and in newspapers1 to discuss and 
dispute among themselves1 often amidst  
anger and bitterness of spirit1  upon   
the question of the nature or the number
 of its most essential  doctrines4 ,of  
all possible suppositions1 surely this  
is the least  admissible1 the most      
extravagantly inconsistent with the     
nature of the  case4    ,to this        

consideration must be added another1 of 
even greater weight4 ,we  gain our      
knowledge of ,christianity1 and of the  
,author of ,christianity1  from the ,new
 ,testament4 ,and1 in this collection of
 ,gospels and ,epistles1  it nowhere    
appears that it was the intention of    
,christ or of the early  disciples1 to  
offer to the acceptance of the future   
ages of the world a  new and peculiar   
,creed1 a ,confession of faith1 a series
 of ,articles of  belief in facts or in 
dogmas1 such as the speculative         
theologian of  ancient and of modern    
times has usually delighted to deal     
with4 ,this is  nowhere to be seen in   
the ,new ,testament1 although it        
speedily made its  appearance when the  
,gospel had passed from the keeping of  
the primitive  church into that of      
,greek and ,hellenistic converts4       
,the only thing that can be supposed to 
approach this character1 within  the    
sacred books themselves1 occurs in such 
phrases as speak of faith in  ,jesus    

,christ1 or also of believing in the    
abstract1 without any  expressed object4
 ,but in none of these instances can a  
dogmatic creed be  reasonably held to be
 the object implied or intended4 ,what  
is meant1 is  simply belief in ,jesus as
 the ,christ1#ah as may be at once      
understood  from the circumstances of   
the case1 and may easily be gathered    
from a  comparison of passages4 ,in the 
early days of the ,gospel1 the great    
question between the ,christians and    
their opponents was simply this1        
whether ,jesus of ,nazareth was the     
,christ or not4 ,one who admitted this1 
and received him in this character1 had 
faith in him1 and might be an  accepted 
disciple4 ,one who denied and rejected  
him1 as the multitudes  did1 was not1   
and could not be1 so accepted4 ,a man   
could not1 in a word1  be a ,christian  
disciple1 without recognizing and       
believing in the  ,founder of           
,christianity4    ,footnote #ah3 ,comp4 
,matt4 xvi4 #ad-af2 ,acts ix4 #bb1 xvi4 

#ca2 ,rom4 iii4  #bb1 viii4 #f1 #i4     
,this explanation of the nature of the  
,faith of the ,gospel will be found  to 
apply throughout the ,new ,testament    
books4 ,an illustration may be seen  in 
one of the most remarkable passages1 the
 last twelve verses of ,st4  ,mark's    
,gospel1--a passage1 it should be noted1
 usually admitted to be of  later origin
 than the rest of the book4 ,here 7v4   
#af7 we read1 ,he that  believeth and is
 baptized shall be saved1 but he that   
believeth not  shall be damned          
7condemned74 ,the meaning is explained  
by a reference to  the related passage1 
in chapter xxv4 of the first ,gospel4   
,here we learn  that at the second      
,advent1 shortly to come to pass1 those 
who1 having  received ,jesus as ,lord1  
had approved themselves by their works  
obedient  and faithful disciples1 would 
by him be recognized as his1 and        
admitted  to share in the blessings of  
the promised kingdom of heaven3 those   
who  had not done so should be rejected 

and driven from his presence4 ,it is    
clear that there is1 in such ideas1 no  
sufficient ground for supposing  faith  
or belief in a creed or a dogma to have 
been intended by the  writer of either  
,gospel4    ,let me further illustrate  
my meaning by a brief reference to an   
ancient  and1 by many persons1 still    
accepted formula of orthodox doctrine4  
,this  professes to tell us very        
precisely what is the true ,christian   
faith4 ,in  plain terms it says1        
,believe this1 and this1 and this3      
believe it and  keep it whole and       
undefiled2 unless you do so1 without    
doubt you  shall perish everlastingly4  
,now my proposition is1 that this kind  
of statement1 or any thing like  it1 is 
not to be met with in the teaching of   
,christ1 or in any other  part of the   
,new ,testament4 ,had it been           
otherwise1--had he plainly said  that   
the form of doctrine now referred to1 or
 any other1 was so  essential1 there    
could have been no room for hesitation  

among those who  acknowledged him as    
,teacher and ,lord4 ,but he has         
manifestly not done  this1 or any thing 
like this4 ,hence1 as before1 we are not
 justified in  thinking that the        
religion which takes its name from him1 
and professes  to represent his         
teaching1 consists1 in any essential    
degree1 in the  acceptance1 or the      
profession1 of any such creed or system 
of doctrine1  exactly defined in words1 
after the manner of the                 
churches1--whether it  may have come    
down to us from the remotest times of   
ante-,nicene  speculation1 or only from 
the days of ,protestant dictators like  
,calvin  or ,wesley2 whether it may have
 been sanctioned by the authority of an 
oecumenical council1 so called1 or by   
that of an imperial ,parliament1  or    
only by some little body of             
nonconformist chapel-builders1 who1 by  
putting their creed into a schedule at  
the foot of a trust-deed1 show  their   
distrust of the ,spirit of ,truth1 and  

their readiness to bind their  own      
personal belief1 if possible1 upon their
 successors and descendants  of future  
generations4    ,we may then be very    
sure that1 if the ,christian ,master had
 intended to  make the salvation of his 
followers dependent upon the reception  
of  dogmas1 whether about himself or    
about ,him who is to us invisible or    
dimly seen in ,his lower works1 he would
 not have left it to be a  question for 
debate1 a fertile source of angry       
contention or of  heartless             
persecutions1 as it has often virtually 
been1 what the true  creed1 the         
distinctive element of his religion1    
really is4 ,the very fact  that this has
 been so much disputed1 that such       
differences do now so  largely exist    
before our eyes1 forms the strongest    
possible testimony to  the non-dogmatic 
character of the primitive or genuine   
,christianity4 ,the  same fact ought to 
rebuke and warn us against the narrow   
sectarian  spirit in which existing     

divisions originate1 and which is so    
manifestly  out of harmony with the     
spirit of ,christ4      ,,ii4    ,this  
absence from the ,christian records of  
all express instruction1 on  the        
subjects above noticed1 clearly warrants
 us in turning away from any  merely    
dogmatic or ecclesiastical system1 if it
 be urged upon us as  constituting the  
substance1 or the distinctive element of
 ,christianity4  ,we are thus of        
necessity led to look for this in       
something else4 ,but to  what else shall
 we turn8 ,in what shall we find an     
answer to our inquiry1  as to the true  
idea of the ,christian ,gospel8    ,the 
reply to this question is not difficult4
 ,the true idea of ,christ's  religion  
can only be found in the life and words 
of the ,master himself4  ,and these it  
may well be believed1 in their simple1  
rational1 spiritual1  practical form1   
are destined to assume a commanding     
position among  ,christian men which    
they have never yet held1 and1 in short1

 to suppress  and supersede the         
extravagancies alike of ritualism and   
its related  dogmatism1 whatever the    
form in which these may now prevail     
among the  churches and sects of        
,christendom4    ,this conclusion is    
readily suggested1 or it is imperatively
 dictated1 by  various expressions in   
the ,new ,testament itself4 ,lord1 to   
whom shall we  go8 ,thou hast the words 
of eternal life3--such is the sentiment 
attributed to the ,apostle ,peter by the
 fourth ,evangelist4 ,paul has more     
than one instance in which he is equally
 explicit3 ,other foundation  can no man
 lay than that is laid1 which is ,jesus 
,christ2 while in  another place he     
writes1 ,if any man have not the spirit 
of ,christ1 he  is none of his4 ,jesus  
himself speaks in terms which are even  
more  decided1 when he declares1 ,i am  
the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the  ,life4#ai
    ,footnote #ai3 ,john vi4 #fh2 #a    
,cor4 iii4 #aa2 ,rom4 viii4 #i2 ,john   
xiv4 #f4    ,in such expressions as     

these we may1 at the least1 plainly see 
the  surpassing importance1 to the      
judgment of the earliest ,christian     
authorities1 of the personal ,christ1 of
 his teaching and example4 ,we are  thus
 emphatically taught1 in effect1 that we
 must look to ,,christ1 and  take ,,him1
 in his life1 his words1 his devout and 
holy spirit1 as the  impersonation of   
his religion4 ,when it is asked1 then1  
,what is the true  idea of              
,christianity1 no better answer can be  
given than by saying1 it  is ,christ    
himself2 that it is in ,christ himself1 
in what he was and  says and does1 in   
all that made him well pleasing in the  
sight of ,god1  as the beloved ,son of  
the ,almighty ,father4    ,what ,jesus  
was1 in his visible life among men1 we  
learn from the ,gospel  records4 ,we    
learn it from them alone2 for nowhere   
else have we  information respecting him
 that deserves to be compared with      
theirs in  originality or fulness of    
detail4 ,it is not necessary to our     

present  purpose to enter at length into
 the particulars which they have        
preserved for us1 or into the           
differences between the three synoptical
  ,gospels and the ,fourth1 in regard to
 the idea which they respectively       
convey of the ministry of ,christ4 ,the 
latter ,gospel1 it may1 however1 be     
observed1 is usually admitted to be the 
last of the four in order of  time4 ,it 
is also1 without doubt1 the production  
of a single mind2 and  cannot be        
supposed1 like the others1 simply to    
incorporate1 with little  change1 the   
traditions handed down among the        
disciples1 for perhaps a  long series of
 years before being committed to        
writing4 ,but whatever  accidental      
characteristics of this kind may be     
thought to belong to the  respective    
,gospels1 they all agree in the         
resulting impression which  they convey1
 as to the high character of ,jesus4    
,and1 it will be  observed1 they do this
 very artlessly1 without any thing of   

the nature  of intentional effort or    
elaborate description4 ,they state      
facts1 and  report words1 in the most   
simple manner1 often with extreme       
vagueness  and want of detail4 ,it thus1
 however1 results1 that the image of    
,christ  which the ,evangelists1 and    
especially the first three1 unite to    
give us  is1 above all things1 a moral  
image only2 in other words1 it has been 
providentially ordered that the         
impression left upon the reader is      
almost entirely one of moral qualities  
and of character4    ,it may even be    
true1 as some will tell us1 that we have
 in each of the  first three ,gospels1  
not simply the productions of as many   
individual  writers1 but rather a growth
 or a compilation of incidents1         
discourses  and sayings from various    
sources1 and drawn especially from the  
oral  accounts which had long circulated
 among the people1 before they were  put
 together in their present form4 ,but   
even so1 the result is all the  more    

striking4 ,the identity and             
self-consistency of the central object1 
the person of ,christ1 is the more      
remarkable4 ,such qualities lead us     
safely to the conclusion that one and   
the same ,original1 one great and       
commanding personality1 was the true    
source from which all were more or  less
 remotely derived4 ,hence1 even the     
imperfect or fragmentary  character of  
the ,gospel history becomes of itself a 
positive evidence  for the reality of   
the life1 and the peculiar nature of the
 influence1  of him whose career it so  
rapidly1 and it may be inadequately1    
places  before us4    ,it is1 however1  
to be distinctly remembered that we     
reach the mind of  ,christ only through 
the medium of other minds4 ,so far as   
can now be  known1 no words of his      
writing have been transmitted to our    
time1 or  were ever in the possession of
 his disciples4 ,to some extent1        
therefore1  it would appear1 the        
thoughts of the ,teacher#bj may have    

been affected1  colored and modified1 by
 the peculiar medium through which they 
have  come down to us4 ,under all the   
circumstances of the case1 this         
inference  is natural and justifiable4  
,it is one too of some importance1      
inasmuch  as it directly suggests that1 
in all probability1 the actual ,person  
whose portraiture is preserved for us by
 the ,evangelists must have  surpassed1 
in his characteristic excellences1 the  
impression which the  narratives in fact
 convey4 ,the first generation of       
disciples were  evidently men who were  
by no means exempt from the influence of
 the  national feelings of their people1
 or of the peculiar modes of thought    
belonging to their class4 ,in the same  
degree in which this is true1 they      
would be unable rightly to understand1  
and worthily to appreciate the  teaching
 and the mind of ,christ4 ,this remark  
applies perhaps more  especially to the 
first three ,gospels1 but it is not     
wholly inapplicable  to the ,fourth4    

,indeed1 the fact referred to comes     
prominently out to  view at several     
points in the ,evangelical              
narrative1--as in the case of  ,peter   
rebuking his ,master for saying that he 
must suffer and die at  ,jerusalem2 in  
that of the request made by the mother  
of ,zebedee's  children2 and in the     
anticipations ascribed by the first     
three  ,evangelists to ,jesus himself1  
of his own speedy return to the         
earth1--anticipations which are recorded
 very simply1 and without any           
corrective observation on the part of   
the writer4#ba    ,footnote #bj3 ,the   
term ,teacher is constantly used of     
,christ in the  ,gospels1 though usually
 disguised in our ,english version under
 the  rendering ,master4 ,comp4 e4g4    
,mark ix4 #ag1 #ch2 ,luke x4 #be4       
,footnote #ba3 ,matt4 xvi4 #bb1 xx4 #bj1
 xxiv4 #bd-cf2 ,mark viii4 #ca-cc1 x4   
#ce-de1 xiii4 #bd-cj2 ,luke xviii4      
#ca-cd4    ,but1 whatever the hindrances
 of this kind in the way of a perfectly 

just  estimation by the modern disciple1
 the portrait of ,christ preserved for  
us by the ,evangelists is1 in a         
remarkable degree1 that of a great      
,religious ,character4 ,the ,christ of  
the ,gospels is1 before all things1 a   
,spiritual ,being1 unpossessed1 it may  
even be said1 of the personal  qualities
 which might mark him off as the product
 of a particular age or  people4 ,he is1
 in large measure1 the opposite of what 
the disciples were  themselves1 free    
from the feelings and prejudices of his 
,jewish birth  and religion4 ,this he   
evidently is1 without any express design
 of  theirs1 and by the mere force of   
his own individuality4 ,he is thus1 in  
effect1 the ,christ#bb not merely of his
 immediate adherents1 or his own        
nation1 but of all devout men for all   
ages4 ,he stands before us1 in  short1  
so wise1 and just1 and elevated in his  
teaching1 so upright and  pure in the   
spirit of his life1 so engaging in his  
own more positive  example of submission

 to the overruling will1 and touching   
forbearance  towards sinful men1 that   
innumerable generations of disciples1   
since his  death1 have been drawn to him
 and led to look up to him even as their
  best and highest human representative 
of the ,invisible ,god ,himself4        
,footnote #bb3 ,that is to say1         
anointed1 or ,king1--in other words1    
,leader1 ,teacher1 ,saviour from sin1 as
 the ,gospels also expressly term  him4 
,it is very probable1 however1 that all 
this was not so fully seen by  those who
 stood nearest to ,jesus during his     
brief and rapid career1 as  it has been 
since4 ,at least many1 even the vast    
majority of his day1  failed to perceive
 it4 ,and yet1 to a ,hebrew reader of   
the ,gospels1 the  greatness of his     
character could be summed up in no more 
expressive  terms than by claiming for  
him that he was the ,christ2 that he    
embodied  in himself the moral and      
intellectual pre-eminence associated    
with that  office4 ,in this light he is 

especially represented in the first     
three  ,gospels4 ,in ,john1 too1 we have
 substantially the same thing1 though   
very  differently expressed4 ,in that   
,gospel1 he is also the ,christ1 but he 
is  so by the indwelling of the divine  
,word4 ,the ,word became flesh and      
dwelt among us1 and the glory which had 
been seen among men1 full of  grace and 
truth1 was the glory even as of the     
only-begotten of the  ,father4 ,probably
 no language could have been used that  
would have  conveyed to a reader of the 
time a higher idea of the moral and     
spiritual qualities of any human being4 
,and this corresponds entirely  with the
 impression given by other writers of   
the ,new ,testament1 to some  of whom   
,jesus was personally known1--by ,peter1
 for example1 by ,james1 by  ,paul1 and 
by the writer to the ,hebrews4 ,they    
evidently looked back to  their departed
 ,master1 and up to the risen ,christ1  
as a person of  commanding dignity and  
spiritual power1 and this not merely on 

account  of the official title of       
,messiah which1 rightly or wrongly1 they
 applied  to him1 but for the lofty     
moral virtues with which his name was to
 them  synonymous4#bc ,he who did no    
sin1 neither was guile found in his     
mouth1 was1 without doubt1 the most     
perfect example which they could  cite  
of all that was acceptable in the sight 
of ,god4 ,the spirit of  ,christ1       
without which we are none of his1 could 
be nothing else1 and  nothing less1 than
 a participation in ,christ-like        
goodness2 nor can it  therefore possibly
 be wrong1 if we too lay the main       
emphasis of the  ,christian profession  
precisely here1 where it is laid by the 
apostles2  if1 in other words1 we pass  
over1 or leave out of sight1 as         
altogether  of secondary importance1 or 
of none1 those various and often        
conflicting  dogmas and forms and       
diversities of administration1 about    
which the  ,christian world is so       
sorely1 and for the present1 so         

irreparably  divided4    ,footnote #bc3 
#a ,pet4 ii4 #ba1 seq42 iv4 #a-e1       
#ac-af2 ,james ii4 #a1 seq42  ,gal4 vi4 
#bb-bd2 ,eph4 iv4 #ac-ae and passim2    
,phil4 i4 #bg1 seq42 ii4  #a-aa2 ,rom4  
xiii4 #ad2 #b ,cor4 iv4    ,the         
character of ,christ stands in very     
intimate relations with the  miraculous 
powers attributed to him by the         
,gospels4 ,those powers1 it is  needless
 to say1 have been seriously called in  
question1 as actual facts  of history1  
by the critical investigations of recent
 times4 ,many  persons1 it may be1      
cannot see1 and will not admit1 that    
their value has  been affected by the   
inquiries alluded to4 ,to such persons  
the miracles  will naturally retain     
whatever efficacy they may be conceived 
to possess  as evidence of the divine1  
that is1 supernatural1 claims of him who
 is  recorded to have wrought them4     
,they are entitled to their own judgment
  in the case1 as well as to whatever   
support to ,christian faith they  think 

they can derive from such a quarter4 ,at
 the same time other  inquirers may be  
permitted to think differently4 ,if the 
lapse of time  and the increasing grasp 
and penetration of critical knowledge   
necessarily tend to lessen the certainty
 of the miraculous element of  the      
,evangelical history1 may not this too  
be a part of the providential           
plan--contemplated and brought about for
 great and wise ends8 ,may it  not be   
that now the spiritual man shall be left
 more entirely free to  discern for     
himself the simple excellence of the    
,christian teaching and  example8 left  
increasingly without that support from  
the witness of  outward miracle which   
has usually been deemed so important1   
and which is  unquestionably found to be
 the more commonly thus estimated1 in   
proportion as we descend into the lower 
grades of intelligence and moral        
sensibility4#bd    ,footnote #bd3 ,in   
illustration of this remark1 it is      
scarcely necessary  to mention the      

miracles of the ,roman ,catholic ,church
 in all ages4    ,but1 on the other     
hand1 if this be true1 one who may thus 
think need not  of necessity also hold  
that the miracles of the ,gospels did   
not take  place1 but that the history   
relating to them is the mere product of 
weak  and credulous exaggeration4 ,for1 
in truth1 the ends which might be       
subserved by such manifestations are    
easily understood4 ,occurrences so      
unwonted and remarkable could not fail  
both to secure the attention of  the    
spectator1 and make him ponder well upon
 the words of the  miracle-worker1 and  
also to awaken in him new feelings of   
reverence  towards the mysterious ,being
 who had given such power to men4 ,thus 
it is  readily conceivable1 that a      
miracle might be a thing of the highest 
utility to those who witnessed it and to
 their generation4 ,but then1 on  the   
other hand1 it is not to be alleged that
 such occurrences are needed  now to    
show us that ,god is a living ,spirit in

 the world2 or1  consequently1 that     
religious love and veneration are in any
 way  dependent upon them1 either as    
facts beheld by ourselves1 or as        
incidents recorded to have been seen by 
others who lived many centuries  ago4   
,and1 if this be so1 surely we may look 
with indifference upon the  most        
destructive operations of literary or   
scientific criticism1 being  anxious    
only1 and above all things1 for the     
simple truth1 whatever it  may be4      
,again1 however1 it is not to be denied 
that the possession of miraculous  power
 may have been for ,christ himself1 not 
less than for those who saw  his works1 
of the deepest spiritual import4 ,the   
formation of a character  like his would
 seem peculiarly to require the training
 that would be  afforded by such an     
endowment4 ,we know how1 with ordinary  
men1 the  command of unlimited power is1
 in fact1 a test of rectitude1          
self-government1 unselfishness1 of the  
most trying and1 it may be1 most        

elevating1 kind4 ,the temptations which 
necessarily accompany it are            
proverbial4 ,was ,christ exempt from    
that kind of moral discipline1 that     
supreme proof of fidelity to ,god8      
,allowing1 for a moment1 what the       
narratives directly intimate1 that he   
felt within himself the force of        
miraculous gifts1 and the capacity to   
use them1 if he had so willed1 for      
purposes either of personal safety or of
 political ambition2#be in  this1 we may
 see at once1 there would be an end to  
be served of the  greatest moment both  
to himself and to the future instruction
 of his  disciples4 ,by such an         
experience1 the moral greatness of his  
example  might be doubly assured4 ,it   
would be made possible to him to deny   
and  humble himself1--even1 in          
apostolical phrase1 to empty himself of 
his  ,messianic prerogatives1 in order  
the better to do the ,heavenly ,father's
  will1 and1 preferring even the cross  
to a disobedient refusal of the cup     

which could not pass from him1 to be    
made perfect through suffering1  thus   
showing himself worthy to be raised up  
at last to be1 as he has  been1 the     
spiritual ,lord of the ,church4         
,footnote #be3 ,matt4 iv4 #a1 seq4      
,this idea was1 in fact1 a familiar one 
to ,paul1 as to others of the           
,christian writers4#bf ,its literal     
truth is enforced by the  consideration 
of the strange improbability that one by
 birth a ,galilean  peasant1 without any
 special gifts or powers to recommend   
him to the  notice of his people1 should
 yet be acknowledged by many of them as 
the  promised ,messiah2 should1 in spite
 of an ignominious death1 be accepted   
in that character by multitudes2 and    
finally1 in the same or a still  higher 
character1 should acquire the love and  
reverential homage of half  the world4  
,footnote #bf3 #b ,cor4 viii4 #i2 ,eph4 
i4 #bj-bc2 ,phil4 ii4 #e-aa2 ,heb4 ii4  
#i1  #aj1 #ah2 #a ,pet4 ii4 #ba4    ,and
 yet it may remain true that1 as time   

passes1 this consideration  shall lose  
much of its weight1 in the judgment of  
increasing numbers of  earnest          
inquirers4 ,they1 accordingly1 will     
cease to place reliance on  the outward 
material sign4 ,jesus1 nevertheless1 may
 still be to them as  an honored ,master
 and ,friend1 whose name they would     
gladly cherish1 for  what he is in      
himself4 ,to those who thus think his   
character and words  will appeal by     
their own intrinsic worth4 ,he will be  
,teacher1 ,saviour1  ,spiritual ,lord1  
simply by the inherent grace and truth  
spoken of by the  ,evangelist of old4   
,if this be the destined end1 we may    
gladly acknowledge the providential     
guiding even in this2 and we shall      
certainly guard ourselves against       
judging harsh or uncharitable judgment  
in reference to those who on this       
subject may not see as we see1 or feel  
as we feel2--who1 nevertheless1  in     
thought and deed and aspiration1 may not
 be less faithful to ,truth  and ,right1

 or less loyally obedient to all that is
 seen to be highest  and best in ,christ
 himself4      ,,iii4    ,christ1 then1 
,i repeat1 thus standing before us in   
the ,evangelical  records of his        
ministry1 is the impersonation of his   
religion4 ,what we  see in ,him is      
,christianity4 ,or1 if it be not so1    
where else shall we  look with the hope 
to find it8 ,who else has ever had a    
true authority  to place before us a    
more perfect idea1 or to tell us more   
exactly what  the ,gospel is8 ,the      
,church1 indeed1 some will interpose1   
has such  authority6 ,but examine this  
statement1 and its untenable character  
speedily appears4 ,the ,church at any   
given moment is1 and has been1  simply a
 body of fallible mortals1 like         
ourselves4 ,if the ,christian men  of   
this present day cannot suppose         
themselves to be preserved from         
intellectual error in matters of        
religion1 neither can we think the      
,christian men of the past to have been 

more highly privileged4 ,in fact1  it   
must be added1 as we ascend into the    
darker periods of ,church  history1 we  
come upon the most undeniable traces of 
ignorance1  misunderstanding1           
worldliness and folly1 on the part of   
the  ecclesiastics of the early and the 
middle ages1 such as deprive their      
judgments on the subject before us of   
all right or claim to unquestioned      
acceptance4 ,let any one read1 for      
example1 the accounts given by          
trustworthy historians#bg of that great 
assembly of the ,church which  produced 
the ,nicene ,creed4 ,will any one allege
 that in the passion and  prejudice1 the
 smallness of knowledge1 the subtlety of
 speculation1 and  narrowness of heart1 
pervading the majority of that assembly1
 the ,divine  ,spirit was peculiarly    
present to dictate or guide the decision
 arrived  at1 and make it worthy of the 
blind adhesion of future ,christian     
generations8 ,and1 if we cannot thus    
admit the peculiar idea of              

,christianity there approved1 it will   
surely be in vain to look to any        
similar quarter1 either of the past or  
of the present1 for what shall          
supersede the living grace and truth1   
seen in ,christ himself4    ,footnote   
#bg3 ,e4g41 in ,dean ,stanley's ,history
 of the ,eastern ,church4    ,this      
conclusion is greatly strengthened by   
the briefest reference to the  negative 
results of unbelief and irreligion1 so  
prevalent in those  countries which have
 been the longest under the influence of
 the old  ritualistic idea of the       
,church and the priesthood4 ,positively 
speaking1  this idea1 it is needless to 
add1 has largely failed in almost every 
thing except the encouragement among the
 people of the grossest                 
superstitions#bh--superstitions of which
 there is no trace whatever in          
immediate connection with the ,christian
 ,master4 ,not1 however1 to dwell  in   
detail on this unpromising theme1 let us
 rather turn to the  considerations by  

which our leading position may be       
confirmed2 from  which too we may learn 
that a better future is yet in store for
 us4    ,footnote #bh3 ,a good authority
 has recently observed1 ,catholicism1   
substituted for ,christ1 has turned the 
thought of ,southern ,europe to  simple 
,infidelity1 if not to ,atheism2 let us 
take heed that  ,protestantism does not 
bring about the same thing in another   
way in the  ,north4--,bishop ,ewing1 in 
a ,letter to the ,spectator newspaper1  
,april  #h1 #ahgj4 ,the remark here     
quoted is of much wider application than
 the  ,bishop himself would probably    
admit6    ,the experience of past ages1 
the existing sectarian divisions of     
,christendom1 the errors and            
superstitions involved in the grosser   
assumptions of ,church authority1 all   
unite to compel us to the  conclusion of
 the essentially erroneous character of 
the old ritualistic  and dogmatic       
conceptions of the nature of the        
,gospel4 ,they show us not  only that   

dogmas and rites about which the most   
earnest men are so  utterly at variance 
cannot possibly be of the essence of    
,christianity1  but further that the    
latter is nowhere to be found except in 
,him whom in  spite of diversities all  
alike agree to hold in honor4 ,and1 in  
truth1  his life1 brief and fleeting as 
it was1 may well be said to constitute  
the ,christian revelation4 ,that it does
 so1 and was intended to do so1  may1 as
 already observed1 be seen better in our
 day1 than it was by the  earliest      
disciples4 ,their thoughts were         
preoccupied1 their vision  obscured1 by 
various influences which prevented them 
from clearly  discerning the one thing  
needful4 ,the temporal kingdom of their 
,master  for which they were1 many of   
them1 so eagerly looking2 his speedy    
return  to judge the world1--an         
expectation of which there are so many  
traces in  ,gospels and ,epistles alike2
 the great and urgent question of the   
,law and  its claims1 with that of the  

admission of the ,gentiles to the faith 
of  ,christ without the previous        
adoption of ,judaism2--such thoughts and
 such  cares as these largely engaged   
and filled the minds of the disciples1  
within the limits of the period to which
 the origin of the principal ,new       
,testament books must be assigned4      
,after the close of that period1 fresh  
subjects of controversial interest      
continually arose1 until these were     
gradually overshadowed by the rising    
authority of the ,church and the  later 
growth of sacerdotal power1 followed in 
due course of time by the  grosser      
corruptions of the primitive ,gospel    
which marked the  ,christianity of the  
darker ages1 and which have by no means 
as yet spent  their power4 ,thus has it 
pleased the ,great ,disposer that men   
should be  led forward to truth and     
light through error and darkness4 ,even 
as the  ,hebrews of old were gradually  
brought by many centuries of experience1
  and in the midst of imperfections and 

backslidings innumerable1 to their      
final recognition of the ,one ,jehovah1 
so have the ,christian generations  been
 slowly learning and unlearning         
according as their own condition and    
capacities allowed4 ,thus the great     
development has been running its        
destined course1 and will doubtless     
conduct us eventually to yet better  and
 truer ideas of what the ,almighty      
purposes had1 in ,christ1 really        
designed to give to the world4    ,to   
vary the form of expression1 the life of
 ,christ itself constitutes  the        
revelation of ,his will which the       
,almighty ,father has given to man by   
,his ,son4 ,and that life does          
constitute a revelation1 in the most    
full  and various import of this term4  
,it shows us1 in a clear and engaging   
light1 the ,one ,god and ,father of all1
 the ,just and ,holy ,one1 who will     
render to every man according to his    
deeds4 ,it shows us the high powers  and
 capacities of man himself2 for1 while  

and because it tells him to be  perfect 
even as the ,father in ,heaven is       
perfect1 it not only recognizes  in him 
the capability to be so1 but also       
abundantly affords the  spiritual       
nutriment by which the higher faculties 
of his nature may be  nurtured and      
strengthened within him4 ,it shows us   
how to live a life of  religious trust  
and obedience to the commands of duty1  
and1 amidst many  sorrows and trials1   
still to preserve a soul unstained by   
guilt4 ,it  shows us that this high     
devotion to the sacred law of ,truth and
 ,right is  that which is well pleasing 
to ,god2 and that ,his will is that man 
should  thus1 by the discipline of his  
spirit1 join the moral strength and     
sensibility in this world which shall   
fit him1 if he will1 to enter upon  the 
higher life of the world to come4 ,all  
this we see plainly expressed  and      
announced in ,christ1 constituting him  
the ,revealer in the best  sense of this
 term4 ,all this we do see1 even though 

it may be very hard  to find any        
doctrinal creed laid down in definite   
words1 or any system  of rites and      
ceremonies of worship1 of ,church       
government1 or of priestly  functions   
and dignities1 placed before us as      
constituting an  indispensable part of  
our common ,christianity4    ,and it is 
here an obvious remark that1 while      
,christian men have so often  questioned
 and disputed with one another about the
 essentials of their  religion2 while   
they have sometimes1 again1 been        
forgetful of its  spirit1 in their      
controversies as to its verbal and      
written forms1--all  this time they have
 been substantially agreed as to the    
matters which  are the greatest and     
weightiest of all4 ,about the ,gospel as
 embodying  and expressing man's faith  
in ,god and in heaven1 and as setting   
forth  the highest moral law with its   
exemplification in an actual human life2
  about the ,gospel in these1 which are 
surely its most serious and  interesting

 aspects1 there has been no dispute4    
,the great spiritual  principles taught 
by ,christ1 and the power of his        
practical exhibition  of human duty1    
have been constantly admitted and--may  
it not be  added8--constantly felt in   
the world1 among all the sects and      
parties of  ,christendom1 in spite of   
the differences of forms and creeds     
which have  separated men from each     
other4    ,this fact suggests a further 
consideration of obvious interest4      
,regarded  as a dogmatic or an          
ecclesiastical system1 the ,gospel is   
one of the  greatest failures which the 
world has seen1 no two sects or         
churches1  scarcely any two             
congregations1 being agreed as to some  
one or other of  what are deemed its    
most essential elements4 ,regarded as a 
moral and  spiritual energy and         
instructor among men1 it is and always  
has been a  quickening power1--tending  
directly1 in its genuine influences1 to 
support and to guide aright1 and1 even  

amidst the worst distractions or        
perversions of human passion and error1 
whispering thoughts of hope1  comfort1  
and peace1 to many troubled hearts4     
,this should not be  forgotten in our   
estimates of the part played by         
,christianity in past  times1 or in the 
judgments sometimes so lightly uttered  
by a certain  class of its critics1 who 
show themselves so ready to confound the
  religion with its corruptions1 and to 
include it and them in one              
indiscriminate condemnation4 ,it should 
help to call us back to juster  views of
 the nature and the function of         
,christ's religion1 and lead us  the    
better to see that these consist1 not in
 its capacity or its success  as an     
imposer of dogmas or of ceremonial acts 
to be received and  carefully performed 
by either priests or people1 but in its 
power to  strengthen with moral         
strength1 to guide in the path of duty1 
to save us  from our sins1 to breathe   
into us the spirit of ,christ1 and so to

 bring  us nearer to ,god4 ,such is the 
true function and the real power of the 
,gospel1 even though it may constantly  
have had to act in the midst of  gross  
ignorance1 or of false and exaggerated  
dogmatic conception2 nor is  it too much
 to say that this its highest character 
has not been  altogether wanting to it1 
even in the darkest periods of man's    
intellectual experience1 during the last
 eighteen centuries4    ,and not only is
 this so2 but1 further1 it is evidently 
not through the  peculiar doctrines of  
his church or sect that a man is most   
truly  entitled to the name of          
,christian1 but rather by his           
participation in  what is common to all 
the churches and sects which are        
themselves  worthy of that name4 ,for   
let us call to mind1 for a moment1 some 
of the  more eminent ,christian men and 
women of modern times1 to whatever      
sectarian fold they may have owned      
themselves to belong4 ,recall the  names
 of a ,fnelon1 an ,oberlin1 a ,vincent  

de ,paul1 a ,xavier1 a  ,melancthon1 a  
,milton1 a ,locke1 a ,chalmers1 a       
,clarkson1 a ,wilberforce1 a  ,mrs4     
,fry1 a ,keble1 a ,heber1 a ,wesley1 a  
,lardner1 a ,priestley1 a  ,channing1 a 
,tuckerman1 with innumerable other      
true-hearted followers of  him who both 
bear witness to the truth1 and went     
about doing good4 ,in  such persons we  
have representatives of nearly all the  
churches1 with  their various           
peculiarities of doctrinal confession4  
,and must we not  believe that such men 
and women were true ,christians8 ,if so1
 will it not  follow that in every one  
of their differing communions true      
,christians  are to be found8 ,probably 
no man1 unless it be one of the most    
bigoted  adherents of ,evangelical or   
high ,anglican orthodoxy1 would venture 
to  deny this4 ,there are1 then1 good   
,christians1 let us gladly admit1 in all
  the various sects and parties of      
,christendom2 men whom ,christ himself1 
if he were here1 would acknowledge and  

welcome as true disciples4 ,but  what is
 it that entitles such persons all alike
 to the ,christian  character and name8 
,it cannot be any thing in which each   
differs from  the rest1 but rather      
something which they all have in common4
 ,it cannot  be any thing that is       
peculiar to the ,roman ,catholic alone1 
for then the  ,protestant would not have
 it2 nor any thing that is peculiar to  
the  ,protestant alone1 for then the    
,roman ,catholic would not have it2 nor 
any  thing that is peculiar to the      
,trinitarian alone1 for then the        
,unitarian  would not have it4 ,it must 
be something apart from the distinctive 
creed  of each4 ,it is then something   
which all must possess1 otherwise they  
would not be truly ,christian2 which    
they must have in addition to  their    
several distinguishing doctrines1--in   
company with which the  latter may      
indeed be held1 but which is not the    
exclusive property of  any single       
church1 or sect1 or individual1         

whatever4    ,what then do all the      
,christian sects and parties1 of every  
name1 hold in  common1 and never differ 
about8 ,is it not simply in this1 that  
they  receive and reverence ,jesus as   
the beloved ,son in whom ,god was well  
pleased8 that they hold the ,christian  
faith in the ,father in ,heaven1  with  
all that this involves of love to ,god  
and love to man8 that they  accept the  
law of righteousness1 placed before us  
in the living  characters of ,christ's  
own deeds and words1 and strive to obey 
it in  their conduct8 that they hold the
 same common faith as to the presence   
and the providence of ,god1 the future  
life and the judgment to come8  ,this   
,christian allegiance1 it is true1 is   
expressed under the most  different     
forms of statement1 and in many a case  
it may hardly be  definitely expressed  
at all2 but yet even this1 and such as  
this1 is1 by  belief and practice1 the  
common property of every ,christian man2
 and so  far as he lives in the spirit  

of this high faith is he truly a        
disciple  and no further whatever may be
 the church or sect1 or forms of        
doctrine  and worship1 to which he may  
attach himself4 ,and all this1 ,i       
repeat1 is  most plainly revealed to us 
in the spirit and the life of           
,christ1--insomuch that we feel the     
statement to be incontrovertibly  sure1 
that he is the truest ,christian of all 
whose practical daily  spirit and       
conduct are the most closely and        
constantly animated and  governed by the
 spirit and precepts and example of the 
,master ,christ4    ,it seems strange1  
when we think about it1 that men should 
have gone so  far astray1 in times past1
 from the more simple and obvious idea  
of  ,christianity thus laid before us4  
,we may have difficulty in explaining   
how this has come to pass2 how it is    
that so much of the weight and  stress1 
as it were1 of the ,christian religion  
should have been laid upon  obscure     
metaphysical creeds and dogmas1 the     

obvious tendency of which  is1 and      
always has been1 to divide men from each
 other1 to degenerate  into gross       
superstition1 and destroy the liberty   
wherewith ,christ has  made us free1 and
 which1 moreover1 are nowhere contained 
in the  ,scriptures1 and cannot even be 
stated in the language of the           
,scriptures2  how it is1 again1 that so 
little emphasis should be laid in these 
dogmatic formulas upon that obedience   
which is better than sacrifice1  even   
that doing the ,heavenly ,father's will1
 which--strange to tell6--is  the only  
condition prescribed by ,christ for     
entering into the kingdom4    ,truly    
this question is not without its        
perplexities4 ,but some  explanation may
 be found4 ,it is the obvious law of    
,divine ,providence1 it  is and has been
 a great law of human progress1 that    
,truth shall not be  flashed upon the   
mind at once1 either in religion or in  
any other of the  great fields of       
interest and occupation to man2 but that

 it shall be  conquered and won through 
the medium of slow and gradual approach1
 even  in the midst and by the help of  
misunderstanding and error4 ,it is thus1
  doubtless1 that men are trained to    
appreciate rightly the value of the     
truths and principles which they        
ultimately gain4 ,in other words1 past  
experience goes far to show us that     
moral excellence and the  apprehension  
of truth1 by such a being as man1 can   
only be acquired by  means of previous  
conflict with evil and untruth1 in some 
one or other  of their manifold forms2  
or1 if not by an actual personal        
conflict for  each of us individually1  
at least by means of the observed or    
recorded  experience of others1 more    
severely tried than ourselves4    ,thus 
it has doubtless been with the reception
 and gradual prevalence of  ,christian  
truths and principles4 ,men have had    
slowly1 by a varied and  sometimes      
painful experience1 to learn that it is 
not by saying1 ,lord1  ,lord1 by        

confessing some formal creed1 or being  
included within the  limits of some     
visible church2 not by forms and        
ceremonies of any kind1  such as baptism
 at the hands of a priest1 or the       
confession of sin into  his ear1 that we
 may become truly recipients of the     
light and strength  of the ,gospel of   
,christ2 but much rather by personal    
communion with the  ,spirit of ,god1 by 
doing the things which the ,lord hath   
said1 by striving  to be like ,christ1  
in heart and in life1 active in         
goodness1 submissive  to the ,heavenly  
,father's will1 and ready to the work of
 duty which ,he  has given us to do4    
,in proportion as this conception of    
,christianity comes forward into  view1 
and assumes the pre-eminence to which it
 is entitled1 and which is  either      
implied or expressly declared in the    
principal writings of the  ,new         
,testament1 in the same degree must the 
merely dogmatic and  sacerdotal idea    
sink into insignificance4 ,it will be   

seen that moral and  spiritual likeness 
to the ,christian ,head is what is      
all-important2 and1  consequently1 that 
within the limits of the same communion1
 bound  together by the common principle
 of ,christian faith1--the principle of 
love and reverence for the one ,master1 
,christ1--there may exist the most      
complete mental freedom1 and even1 to a 
very large extent1 the most  diverse    
theological beliefs4      ,,iv4    ,but 
here ,i may be met by certain objections
 which will hardly fail to  occur to    
different classes of readers4    ,in the
 first place1 it may be said1 the idea  
of the ,gospel above  presented is      
itself dogmatic2 and indeed that the    
conception of  ,christianity as         
involving definite forms of doctrine is 
not to be got  rid of4 ,this remark ,i  
am by no means concerned wholly to      
escape4  ,doubtless the ,gospel1 as it  
is given in the words of ,christ1       
includes  various clearly stated truths 
respecting the ,divine ,providence and  

,will1  and the retributions of this    
world and the next1--truths1 ,i may add1
  which are not only level to the       
apprehension of the human faculties1 but
  also in harmony with the highest      
dictates of the natural conscience and  
reason of man4 ,but these great truths  
are not dogmatically laid before  us in 
the ,gospel4 ,the mind of each reader is
 left free to gather them  for itself4  
,they are so stated as to quicken and   
elevate1 not to stupefy  or render      
useless1 the religious and moral sense  
of the disciple4 ,they  serve thus1 in  
the result1 to arouse in him the        
strength of deep  individual conviction1
 without which they could have little   
practical  value4 ,the teaching function
 of the ,gospel is of this kind1 rather 
than dogmatic and denunciatory1 in the  
manner of the creeds4 ,it does not      
attempt to put before us a ready-made   
body of doctrine1 in such a way as  to  
save the disciple the trouble of inquiry
 and reflection for himself1  as though 

it would make him the mere recipient of 
what is imposed upon  him from without4 
,not in this mechanical way1 either in  
the world of  outward nature1 or in the 
,gospel of ,his ,son1 does the ,great   
,parent speak  to the hearts of ,his    
children2 but chiefly by awakening their
 higher1  devouter sensibilities1 and   
letting them feel the force of truth and
  right within their own secret spirits4
 ,no imposition from without could      
fitly accomplish this divine work2 and  
we may be well assured that no  man     
living1 and no church or sect on earth1 
has a legitimate authority  to define   
exactly the limits within which         
,christian belief shall confine  itself1
 or beyond which belief shall not       
extend1 without ceasing to be           
,christian4 ,obviously and              
unquestionably ,christ himself has      
nowhere  attempted to dictate his       
religion in such a way2 neither has any 
of his  apostles1 not even the ardent   
and impetuous ,paul4 ,on the contrary1  

the  latter1 like his ,master1          
constantly attaches the greatest        
importance to  the practical virtues1   
and to a devout spirit1--in no case     
making his  appeal to a dogmatic        
statement1 or giving us to understand   
that he had  the least idea of any      
dogmatic system whatever1 similar1 in   
spirit or in  form1 to the creeds of    
modern orthodoxy4    ,a second objection
 may be urged by a defender of the      
prevailing forms  and dogmas of the     
churches4 ,such a person may say that1  
in taking ,christ  as the measure and   
representative of his own religion1 we  
leave out of  sight all that may have   
been contributed to its development by  
the  ,apostles1 to say nothing of their 
successors1 and that the ,epistles of   
the ,new ,testament contain much that is
 not met with in connection with  him4  
,in reply1 let it be observed in what   
terms the ,apostles speak of  their     
,master1 and of the obedience1 the      
faith1 and veneration due to  him4      

,paul1 for example1 in various forms1   
tells them to put on the ,lord  ,jesus  
,christ2 to let his mind be in them1 his
 word dwell in them  richly1 to acquire 
his spirit1 to follow him in love and   
self-sacrifice4  ,he will know nothing1 
he says1 save ,jesus ,christ1 and him   
crucified2  and we know how closely he  
treads in his ,master's steps1 in the   
absolute preference which he gives to   
the ,love which1 he declares1 is        
greater than faith1 and the very        
fulfilling of the law itself4 ,the same 
strain is held by others of the         
,apostles2 and there can be no doubt    
that  ,christ1 under ,god1 was          
constantly looked up to by them as the  
great  object of the faith1 the love1   
and the imitation of every disciple4 ,it
  is true1 indeed1 that there are many  
things in the ,apostolical writings     
other than we find in connection with   
,christ's personal life2 but these  will
 be found to belong1 almost exclusively1
 to the peculiar  circumstances and     

controversies of the times succeeding   
his death4 ,in  truth1 they belong so   
entirely to them as to have little of   
practical  reference1 or utility1       
beyond4 ,paul's ,epistles1 for instance1
 are full  of the long debated question 
as to the claims of the law upon        
,gentiles1  and the mystery which1 he   
says1 had been hidden from the          
foundation of  the world1 that the      
,messiah should be preached even to     
those who were  not of the fold of      
,israel4 ,but these are only temporary  
incidents of the  early career of       
,christianity4 ,they have no intimate   
connection with the  permanent influence
 of ,christ2 and we of modern times have
 little  concern with them1 except only 
to be on our guard against letting them 
unduly sway our judgment and turn us    
away from subjects of greater           
consequence1--as too often has happened 
to the ingenious framers of  theological
 systems4 ,christianity1 in a word1 has 
been only perplexed  and impeded in its 

course1 by those thoughtless or         
over-zealous  expounders who have       
insisted upon constructing schemes of   
orthodoxy out  of the antiquated        
disputes of ,jews and ,gentiles4#bi     
,footnote #bi3 ,see1 e4g41 the ,essay on
 the ,death of ,christ1 in ,aids to     
,faith4    ,in all his ,epistles ,st4   
,paul1 in the true spirit of his        
,master1 gives us  clearly to know what 
is of chief importance4 ,after treating1
 as he  usually does1 of the local and  
passing concerns and disputes which     
engaged many of his correspondents1 he  
never fails to turn at last to  speak of
 the practical goodness1 the purity of  
heart and life1 the  kindly affections  
towards one another1 the reasonable     
service of love  and duty1 by which the 
,christian disciple may be known1 by    
which alone  he can present himself as a
 living sacrifice1 holy1 acceptable unto
  ,god4 ,in such qualities as these1 the
 attainment or the practice of  which he
 so earnestly urges upon his friends1 we

 have precisely what  constitute the    
most marked features in the life and the
 teachings of  ,christ4 ,thus we are    
brought once more to the old conclusion 
that in  faithful loyalty to ,christ1 to
 the highest ideal presented to us of   
his  spirit and character1 are to be    
found the true light and joy and peace  
of the ,christian ,gospel4    ,a third  
objection is of a different character4  
,there are some things1 it  will be     
said1 in immediate connection with him  
whom we term ,teacher and  ,lord1 some  
things in his words and ideas1 if not in
 his actions1 which  are far from being 
in perfect harmony with the highest     
truth1 as known  to men in these later  
times4 ,for example1 when he speaks as  
though he  believed diseases and        
insanity to be caused by the presence of
 a devil1  or demon1 in the afflicted   
person1 are we to attach importance to  
this1  so as ourselves to think that    
such disorders are 7or were7 so         
produced8--or shall we not rather follow

 the guidance of modern science1  and   
believe that the various infirmities    
which1 in ancient times1 were           
attributed to evil spirits arose from   
natural causes1 and that the  manner in 
which such things are spoken of in the  
,new ,testament is a  product simply of 
the imperfect knowledge of those days8  
,in reply1 there need be no hesitation  
in saying that we are bound1 as  beings 
of thought and reason1 to follow the    
best guidance which ,god has  given us1 
in these and all other subjects2 and by 
the term best can  only be understood   
that which commends itself most forcibly
 to our  rational intelligence4 ,it can 
in no way be claimed for ,christ that he
  was intellectually perfect2 that he   
did not share in the prevailing  beliefs
 of his countrymen1 and partake even of 
their ignorance4 ,such a  claim as this 
is certainly nowhere advanced in the    
,new ,testament1 but  the contrary2 and 
those who1 in our time1 would bring it  
forward  should ask themselves whether1 

by so doing1 they are most likely to    
benefit1 or to injure1 the cause which  
doubtless they would desire to  support4
 ,jesus himself makes no pretension to  
intellectual  infallibility1 but lets us
 see1 in no uncertain way1 that he was  
not  unconscious of the limitation of   
his own knowledge4#cj    ,footnote #cj3 
,mark xiii4 #cb4    ,in general terms it
 may be added1 the ,gospel1 when first  
preached in the  world1 was necessarily 
adapted to the people to whom it was    
addressed4  ,it conformed1 in many      
respects1 to their ideas and modes of   
expression1  and also made use of these 
for its own ends4 ,had it not done so1  
how  could it have touched and moved    
them as it did1 and as1 through them1 it
  has touched and moved the world ever  
since8 ,jesus1 therefore1 himself1  and 
those who took up his work after him1   
were1 in a large degree1 men  of their  
own day1 imbued with prevailing ideas   
and feelings1 and  employing these in   
their speaking and preaching in the most

 natural  manner4 ,is it not even so    
with ourselves at the present moment8   
,for how1  indeed1 can it be otherwise8 
,and if many of the primitive ,christian
  ideas were more or less erroneous and 
ill-founded1 it is easy to  understand  
that1 while the overruling ,providence  
made them its  instruments for leading  
men on by degrees to something better1  
still it  can have been no part of the  
great design of ,god that               
misunderstanding  and ignorance should  
be removed by any other process than by 
the natural  growth of knowledge among  
men4 ,they were not to be supernaturally
  refuted1 but left to be corrected in  
due course of time2 and the needed      
correction was and is to come even as   
men grow wiser and more thoughtful  and 
able to bear it4    ,hence1 it is not to
 be questioned1 many errors1 chiefly of 
the  intellectual kind1 attached to the 
early preaching of the ,gospel1 and     
some certainly did to the words of      
,christ himself2 just as very much of   

human ignorance and prejudice has since 
and continually been involved in  the   
ideas prevailing as to the character and
 purposes of his religion4  ,as before  
observed1 man has been made by his      
,creator to find his way up  to light   
and truth from the most imperfect       
beginnings1 and by a  prolonged conflict
 against and amidst darkness and        
manifold error4 ,such  is our human     
nature1 and the position which the      
,divine ,will has assigned  to us4 ,and 
so in the early ages after ,christ there
 sprung up the  idolatrous worship of   
the ,virgin ,mary and of innumerable    
saints2 nor is  the world yet free1     
though it is slowly freeing itself1 from
 the  influence of these superstitions  
and their related errors of thought4    
,successive generations inherit much of 
the evil as well as the good1 the       
ignorance as well as the knowledge1 of  
those who have been before them4  ,thus 
does the ,almighty ,father exercise and 
discipline his human family  in         

patience1 in self-control1 in the search
 after truth1 even by letting  us suffer
 and work for the good fruits of        
knowledge and righteousness1  instead of
 giving them to the world at once       
without thought or effort of  our own4  
,this is eminently true in connection   
with the whole course of  ,christian    
development4 ,in ,christ's own teachings
 and those of the  ,apostles1 as time   
has amply shown1 erroneous ideas were   
not wanting4  ,peter denied his ,master1
 and thought at first that only ,jews   
could be  disciples4 ,both he and ,paul1
 as well as ,james1 with probably all   
the  early ,christians1 long cherished  
the hope of their ,master's return to   
the earth within that generation2 a     
belief which is to be traced also1      
equally with that in demoniacal         
possessions1 in the recorded words of   
,jesus himself4 ,other instances of a   
similar kind might easily be  mentioned4
    ,but1 while all this seems perfectly
 undeniable1 has not ,divine            

,providence so ordered that what is     
really wrong and false in men's ideas   
of ,christian truth shall sooner or     
later be seen in its real character1  in
 the advancing progress of human        
knowledge8--and therefore1 if we are    
ourselves only patient and faithful1    
each of us1 to what we see1 or  think we
 see1 to be right and good1 that the    
untrue in our ideas shall  be eventually
 separated from the true1 however close 
may be the  connection which at any time
 may subsist between them8 ,such is1    
doubtless1 the ,almighty purpose1 such  
the all-sufficient process  provided in 
,his wisdom for securing the training   
and growth of the races  and generations
 of men in the knowledge of ,divine     
things4 ,it follows1  again1 that       
whatever in the ,christian teaching1 as 
in other teaching1  shall stand the test
 of advancing knowledge1 and still      
approve itself  as true and honest and  
just and pure and lovely and of good    
report#ca  to the purified conscience   

and practised intellect of man1 that    
shall be  ,god's everlasting ,truth2    
that too ,he must have designed not only
 by the  word of ,christ1 but through   
the living souls of ,his rational       
children1  to proclaim to the world with
 the mark of ,his ,divine approval4     
,footnote #ca3 ,philip4 iv4 #h4    ,it  
is not necessary here to ask in detail  
what it is in existing schemes  of      
,christian theology1 or in the outward  
forms and arrangements of  priesthoods  
and of churches1 that will bear this    
test of advancing  knowledge1 and this  
scrutiny of the educated intellect and  
conscience4  ,doubtless much in the     
popular creeds of our day will do so2   
but much  more will only be as chaff    
before the wind1 or stubble before the  
devouring flame4 ,among the perishable  
things will surely be the               
ecclesiastical systems which vary with  
every different country and  church1 and
 along with these the claims to priestly
 and papal authority  and infallibility1

 about which we again hear such angry   
contention4  ,truly1 none of these will 
bear the test and strain of time and    
knowledge2 but only those great and     
unchangeable principles of spiritual    
truth1 and those deep-lying sentiments  
of moral right1 which are  common to all
 the different sects and parties of     
,christendom4 ,these  will retain their 
place among the great motive forces of  
the world1 even  because their roots are
 firmly planted by the ,divine hand     
itself in the  very nature of man1 and  
made to be a part of the constitution of
 his  mind2 while1 also1 it is true1 and
 the ,christian disciple will ever      
gratefully acknowledge1 they owe their  
best and highest expression and         
exemplification to ,jesus the ,christ1  
the beloved ,son1 in whom ,god was  well
 pleased4    ,we may conclude then1 as  
before1 that in the mind and life of    
,christ1--in his unshaken trust in the  
,heavenly ,father1 and in the heaven  to
 be revealed hereafter1--in his         

readiness to obey the call of ,duty1    
wherever it might lead him1 even though 
it might be to the shame and the  agony 
of the cross1--in his faithful adherence
 to the right1 and earnest  denunciation
 of falsehood1 hypocrisy1 and           
wrong-doing1--in his gentle  spirit of  
forgiveness and filial submission even  
unto death1--we have  the lessons of    
,christian truth and virtue which it    
most of all concerns  us to receive and 
to obey4 ,in this high faith of ,christ 
we have the  true revelation of ,god's  
will for man2 the ,gospel speaking to us
 in its  most touching and impressive   
tones1--either reproaching us for our   
indifference and calling us to          
repentance1 or else aiding and          
encouraging us onward in the good path  
of righteousness4    ,so long as        
,christianity shall be thus capable of  
speaking to the world1  so long will it1
 amidst all the varieties of outward    
profession1 be a  living power for good2
 and vain will be the representation    

which would  tell us that it is now only
 a thing of the past1 unfitted for the  
better  knowledge and higher philosophy 
of these modern times4 ,surely not      
so6--but1 rather1 until we have each    
individually attained the moral         
elevation even of ,christ himself1 and  
can say that we too1 in character  and  
conduct1 in motive and aspiration1 are  
well pleasing in the sight of  ,heaven1 
until we are this1 and can feel and say 
this with truth1 the  religion of       
,christ will be no antiquated thing of  
the past to us2 but  from its teaching  
and its spirit--the teaching and the    
spirit of  ,christ--we shall still have 
wisdom and truth to learn4    ,may the  
time speedily come1 which shall see     
,christ's spirit ruling the  individual 
lives of all around us1--more truly     
inspiring the thoughts  and efforts of  
our lawgivers1--teaching men everywhere 
to be just and  merciful towards each   
other2 and thus making ,christianity1 in
 deed and  in truth1 the established    

religion1 the guiding and triumphant    
power  of this and all other lands6     
,then1 indeed1 will the daily prayer of 
all  ,christian hearts be answered1 and 
the kingdom of heaven on earth be  truly
 come4          ,,the ,,aim ,,and ,,hope
 ,,of ,,jesus4    ,by ,,oliver          
,,stearns4      ,a learned ,historian of
 the ,christian ,theology of the        
,apostolic age  observes that what most 
distinguishes the ,jewish religion1 at  
least in  its last centuries1 is not so 
much monotheism as faith in the future4 
,while elsewhere we see the imagination 
of men complacently retracing the       
picture of a golden age irrecoverably   
lost1 ,israel1 guided by its  prophets1 
persisted in turning its eyes towards   
the future1 and attached  itself the    
more firmly to a felicity yet to come1  
the more the actual  situation seemed to
 give the lie to its hopes4#cb          
,footnote #cb3 ,reuss1 ,history of the  
,christian ,theology of the ,apostolic  
,age4    ,what these hopes were in      

relation to the future of that people   
and of  the world1 what the ,messianic  
ideas and expectations were1 we learn   
from  the ,new ,testament1 particularly 
from the ,gospels4 ,and we find our     
impressions from this source made more  
clear in some points1 and in all        
confirmed1 by a study of the            
,apocalyptic literature1--of those      
writings  of which it was the object to 
give both shape and expression to the   
,hebrew thought of the kingdom of       
heaven1 and of the brilliant and        
miraculous events which would introduce 
and establish it4    ,jewish ,theology  
in the age of ,jesus ,christ divided the
 whole course of  time into two grand   
periods2 one1 comprehending the past and
 the  present1 was that of suffering and
 sin2 the other1 embracing the future1  
a period of virtue and happiness4 ,the  
last years of the former period  formed 
the most important epoch in the ,history
 of ,humanity1 the  transition to a new 
order of things1 and was designated by a

 peculiar  phrase1--the consummation of 
the age and the last days4 ,it would be 
introduced by the appearance of the     
great ,restorer or ,deliverer of the    
people of ,god1 and of the world1 whom  
the prophets predicted2 and who  was    
called the ,messiah1 the ,anointed of   
the ,lord1--i4e41 the ,king by          
eminence1 the ,king of ,israel4 ,he was 
to be the successor and the son of      
,david4 ,the precise moment of his      
appearance was not known4 ,the ,jewish  
theologians tried to determine the      
precursive signs of the near approach   
of his advent4 ,the first of these was  
the period of great wickedness and      
suffering1 marked by a particular name1 
the anguish1 and compared to the  pangs 
of child-birth4 ,immediately preceding  
the advent of the ,king1 a  prophet of  
the ,old ,covenant would be restored to 
life to announce it1--a  part in the    
miraculous drama commonly assigned to   
,elijah4 ,the ,messiah  himself would   
come on the clouds of heaven1 with a    

retinue of angels1  and with a pomp and 
splendor which would leave no doubt of  
the fact of  his advent4 ,he would come 
to found the kingdom of ,god4 ,this     
implied the  political1 moral1 and      
religious regeneration of the people4 ,a
 series of  most imposing scenes would  
follow the advent4 ,at the sound of a   
trumpet1  the dead would arise and      
appear for the judgment of the last day4
 ,the  just would take part in the      
judgment of the reprobate1 who would be 
thrown into the lake of fire1 prepared  
for the devil and his angels to  suffer 
eternal torture4 ,and the kingdom of    
,god or of the ,messiah would  be       
established immediately on the earth1   
which1 with the whole of the  universe  
of which it was the centre1 would be    
gloriously transformed to  fit it to be 
the abode of the elect of ,god4    ,into
 the circle of these ideas and          
expectations ,jesus was born4 ,in it he 
passed his life1 acted and suffered2 and
 claimed to found the kingdom of  ,god4 

,he claimed in some sense to be the     
,messiah2 and1 though rejected by  his  
people and put to death1 he has borne   
the name in history1 and now  bears it4 
,he is ,jesus1 the ,christ4 ,how did he 
regard these ideas and  expectations8   
,did he adopt them8 ,and1 if at all1 how
 far8 ,did he claim  to be such a       
,messiah as the ,jews expected8 ,if so1 
then ,christianity may  be what it has  
been called1 a natural development of   
,judaism4 ,it is  not essentially a new 
religion4 ,it is not an evolution of a  
perfect  universal1 from an imperfect   
and partial1 religion4 ,it is           
essentially  ,judaism still2 and the    
kingdom of ,god1 which ,jesus preached  
in both a  temporal and spiritual sense1
 developed naturally and logically into 
the  ,popedom1 which is the nearest     
approximation to the fulfilment of the  
claim of ,jesus4 ,judaism is germinal   
,christianity1 and ,christianity is     
fructified ,judaism4 ,christianity is   
only what is weakest and most  fantastic

 in ,judaism gone to seed4 ,the fruit is
 the ,roman ,hierarchy  and ,ritual4    
,that which is alone characteristic of  
it is limited and  perishable4 ,jesus   
himself1 though his ambition was a lofty
 one1 was  mistaken in an essential     
point of his self-assertion2 and the    
gospel is  not destined to be an        
universal religion1 but only to make    
some moderate  contributions thereto4   
,it is an important question1 then1--one
 which concerns his worth and  position 
as a man1 as well as his wisdom as a    
founder of a  religion1--,what did      
,jesus aim at8 and what did he expect as
 the result  of his movement8 ,the      
answers that have been given may be     
reduced to  three principal forms3 #a4  
,he expected to found a political       
,empire2 #b4 ,he  expected to introduce 
a vast ,theocracy1 to which believers of
 other  nations should be admitted1 and 
which was to be established on the      
renovated earth1 after his death1 at his
 return to take possession of it  as    

,king1 to reward his followers1 and to  
put all opposition under his  feet2 #c4 
,he expected to found a purely spiritual
 communion or society in  which he      
should continue to exercise for ages1 by
 his spirit1 word1 and  life1 a power of
 truth and love over the minds and      
hearts of men1  filling them with the   
most exalted sense of ,god4    ,the     
first view has been presented by some   
able adversaries of  ,christianity1     
among whom ,reimarus led the way in a   
fragment ,on the ,aim  of ,jesus1       
published with others anonymously in    
#aggh4 ,he charged ,jesus  with using   
religious motives as merely a means to a
 political end2 but  supposed that1     
after he found death impending1 he      
renounced the  political aim1 and       
pretended that his purpose was only a   
moral one4 ,a  few able scholars have   
been disposed to blend the last view    
with the  others4 ,they suppose an      
original ,theocratic purpose to have    
been  entertained by ,jesus1 in which   

the moral and religious principle       
predominated1 but which was not at first
 exclusive of the political  element4   
,they suppose1 however1 a progress in   
his aim2 that after his  rejection by   
the people1 which he regarded as ,god's 
rejection of any  national limitation of
 his work1 he inferred that his mission 
was to  found a spiritual kingdom4      
,though the direct imputation of a      
political  aim has not been a favorite  
expedient with ultra-rationalist critics
  since ,reimarus was answered by       
,reinhard and others1 it ought not to be
  passed without consideration4 ,it is  
continually reappearing in modified     
forms4 ,and this happens1 because it is 
impossible to present the  hypothesis   
that ,jesus intended to be a ,jewish    
,messiah without involving  the         
supposition of something political in   
his object1 and in his means  of        
accomplishing it4 ,accordingly a very   
recent critic#cc of  ,christianity1     
writing in the interest of ,free        

,religion1 and  representing ,jesus as  
claiming to be a ,jewish ,messiah1 after
 saying very  truly that the popular    
hope of a ,priest-king transformed      
itself in the  soul of ,jesus into the  
sublime idea of a spiritual ,christ     
ruling by  love1 is constrained to say1 
inconsistently1 in another place1 that1 
if  ,jesus had assumed the office1 he   
would not have hesitated to discharge   
its political duties1 and to exercise   
political sway4 ,here1 then1 is a       
revival of the imputation to ,jesus of a
 political aim4 ,but ,i am not  aware   
that it is anywhere in recent criticism 
enforced with any new  strength of      
argument4 ,it is obviously contradicted 
by the general  bearing of his actions1 
and by the whole tone of his teachings  
when  rightly apprehended4 ,it is       
contradicted by his utter neglect of    
political measures4 ,he could not be    
induced or forced to take the  position 
of a political ruler4 ,admirers wished  
to proclaim him ,king3 he  sent them    

away1 tore his disciples from them1 and 
went himself into the  mountain to      
commune with ,god4 ,asked to settle a   
dispute about property1  he says he has 
never been constituted an administrator 
of civil justice4  ,when shown the      
tribute-money1 and inquired of if it    
were lawful to pay  tribute unto ,csar1 
he makes the memorable reply in which he
 at once  acknowledges the rights of the
 government de facto2 and the rights of 
conscience and religion1 which to deny  
would be usurpation4 ,he was the  first 
to distinguish the spheres of the church
 and of the state so  intimately        
related1 but never to be blended4 ,and  
this is just what the  political        
,messiah1 the ,priest-king1 could not   
have conceived4 ,the  outlines of his   
church may serve as the model of a free 
church to-day4  ,there was no political 
motive to enter it4 ,it had no officer  
who could  exercise political power4    
,there was no authority but in the      
congregation4 ,it was amenable to no    

political head4 ,its fundamental  truths
 were the equal relation of all men with
 ,god as his children1 and  the common  
relation of all men with one another as 
brethren4 ,the only  end of his church  
was the moral and spiritual development 
of its members  and of all men2 the only
 condition of membership1 the           
recognition of  this end2 and1 with it1 
of the providential gift of truth and   
life given  in ,jesus ,christ's         
consciousness of ,god1 and an           
appropriating and  co-operative sympathy
 with his character and purpose4 ,its   
method was  free conference and prayer  
in the spirit of unity1 and in devotion 
to  the regeneration of the human       
family2 a method1 the results of which1 
he  assured them1 would be the reaching 
of decisions which would be in          
essential harmony with his own spirit1  
the ,spirit of ,god4 ,he drew more  from
 the synagogue than from the temple4    
,worship might ascend anywhere  from the
 heart4 ,one need not go to ,jerusalem4 

,no political ,messiah could  have      
thought of any centre of the restored   
,theocracy but the holy city1  to which 
the tribes should repair with their     
sacrifices1 and the  converted heathen  
bring their votive offerings to         
,jehovah1 the ,god of  ,jews2 but the   
temple must be destroyed1 and not one   
stone of it left  upon another1         
according to ,jesus1 in order to prepare
 for that worship  of the ,father by men
 in spirit and in truth1 which he1 as   
the ,christ1  would inaugurate4         
,footnote #cc3 ,see ,the ,index1        
,toledo1 ,jan4 #a and ,jan4 #h1 #ahgj4  
,we thus come naturally to another point
 in the discussion4 ,the theories  which
 recognize the political aim of ,jesus  
commonly suppose that he  regarded it as
 his personal mission to restore        
,mosaism to its primitive  purity4 ,and1
 if he shared in the hope of the        
restoration of the  ,theocracy1 he would
 probably take the most conservative    
ground in regard  to the ,levitical     

institutions and the ,mosaic precepts4  
,he would believe  the ,jewish people   
must be made independent1 in order to   
give supremacy  to those institutions4  
,the ,roman yoke must be broken1 and the
 coming  kingdom be inaugurated with    
war4 ,nothing of this1 however1 is found
 in  the ministry of ,jesus ,christ4    
,when he preached the kingdom of heaven 
is  at hand1 it was no summons to war4  
,the characteristic qualities of  those 
who belonged to this kingdom were       
opposed to the ,theocratic  spirit4 ,and
 the ,sermon on the ,mount taught1 as   
clearly as the formal  declaration      
before ,pilate1 that it was not of this 
world4 ,why should his  followers be    
ready to suffer social persecution1 if  
his aim tended in  the direction        
regarded with social favor8 ,what mean  
the non-resistant  exhortations1        
instructing his followers to waive their
 rights for the  sake of the higher     
interests they were living for1 if he   
and his  adherents are charged with the 

political duty of driving the invader   
from the sacred soil8 ,the rise and     
progress of this kingdom1 ,jesus said1  
on another occasion1 could not be       
observed like those of an empire        
founded by force3 it would not come with
 observation4 ,it had already  come     
unobserved4 ,it began to come with ,john
 the ,baptist1 until whose  work the law
 was in the ascendant2 but since whom   
men had been pressing  into the kingdom 
of heaven1 which was tending to supplant
 the law4 ,and1  on still another       
occasion1 if he expected his movement to
 leave the  ,jewish ritual intact1 how  
could he say1 with pregnant             
significance1 that  new wine must not be
 put into old wineskins1 lest they      
break1 and the  wine be lost4 ,i know   
great stress is laid upon his saying1   
,think not  that ,i have come to destroy
 the law1 or the prophets3 ,i have not  
come to  destroy1 but to fulfil4 ,for   
truly do ,i say to you1 ,till heaven and
 earth  pass away1 not one jot or one   

tittle shall pass from the law1 till all
  be fulfilled4 ,but1 if taken          
literally1 they prove too much2 for1    
according to other passages1 his        
teaching on some points--as1 for        
instance1 divorce1 and1 as many think1  
the ,sabbath--directly conflicted  with 
that of ,moses4 ,he threw doubt directly
 upon the tradition that ,god  rested on
 the seventh day4 ,god1 he said1 had    
been always working up to  that hour1   
and in his own acts of healing done on  
the ,sabbath he had  been co-operating  
with ,god4 ,we must therefore interpret 
freely this  language1 and understand by
 it the everlasting law4 ,the smallest  
requirement of the true law1 however    
overlooked and despised it may have     
been in the popular exegesis1 would have
 its emphasis in the new  teachings2 and
 whoever slighted it would be the least 
in the kingdom of  heaven4 ,there is not
 a word which can be fairly construed   
into  commendation of the ,levitical    
priesthood4 ,he gives to the ,mosaic    

precepts cited the most spiritual       
interpretation1 or sets them aside  when
 they cannot be wrought into a more     
profound system of natural  morality4   
,he implies his superiority to all      
preceding teachers1  including ,moses4  
,it was said to the ancients1 but ,i say
 unto you4  ,indeed1 his tone in this   
discourse is any thing but that of a    
,jewish  ,rabbi of his period4 ,it is   
that of the most human and universal    
teaching4 ,it asserts1 when we penetrate
 beyond the immediate occasion of  it to
 its principle1 that which is true in   
all times and places4 ,those            
affirmations with which it opens1 what  
are they but declarations1 the          
substantial verity of which it is       
possible for every man1 if he know not  
now1 yet sometime to know in himself4   
,blessed are the poor in spirit3  for   
theirs is the kingdom of heaven4 ,the   
spirit of those who can set a  limit to 
their wants and curb ambition1 who do   
not live blinded by  interests to the   

demands of a pure soul1--the spirit of  
such is always  blessed4 ,happy he who  
imbibes it from the circumstances of his
 life2 and  happy he who1 amidst the    
blandishments of riches1 is taught it by
 the  discipline of ,heaven4 ,these are 
they to whom has come the kingdom of    
heaven from ,jesus' day until now4      
,then1 ,blessed are the pure in heart3  
for they shall see ,god4 ,and is not a  
pure mind the very moral  atmosphere in 
which man sees ,god as he is1 and       
rejoices in the sight8 ,a  man's moral  
sentiments are the medium through which 
comes to him the  thought of ,god4 ,let 
those sentiments be perverted1 and he   
imagines  either that ,god is not or    
that he is different from what he is4   
,his  wrong mind either obstructs       
entirely the beam which darts from the  
,divine essence1 or scatters the        
spotless white of that ,sun1 the pure   
aggregate of ,divine perfections1 into  
the particolored tints of the  earthly  
and sensual soul itself4 ,again1        

,blessed are the merciful3 for  they    
shall obtain mercy4 ,it is even so4     
,those who sympathize with  human wants 
will feel the sympathy of ,god flowing  
into their souls1 and  can never lack   
assurance of the ,divine mercy so long  
as they keep in  themselves that pledge 
of it1--the merciful spirit4 ,and so it 
is a grand  caution1 which every one who
 has wantonly condemned others knows he 
ought to keep in memory1--,condemn not1 
lest ye be condemned4 ,for the          
undeserved1 heavy sentence of           
condemnation which a man lifts high to  
hurl with malignant intent at his       
brother is arrested by an interposing   
law of ,providence1 and falls from his  
weak hand with its full weight  upon his
 own head4 ,and at length we come to    
what might be thought a  studied satire 
upon the boasted maxims of human wisdom3
 ,blessed are ye  when men shall speak  
evil of you falsely for my sake4 ,is    
this the sober  truth8 ,is not ,christ1 
so true elsewhere1 mistaken here8 ,it is

 a verity  as certain as the laws of    
,god4 ,do not minds advance unequally in
 truth1  in all the successive phases of
 a soul's spiritual growth8 ,whoever    
goes  before others in thought and life 
will find men laying this to his        
charge4 ,but1 if by following the       
command of ,christian truth to his      
conscience he has opened upon himself   
the battery of human  censoriousness1 he
 may exult2 for every unjust word or    
groundless  suspicion will but remind   
him of his unbribed devotion1 and be    
changed  before it touches his deepest  
happiness into the benediction of ,god4 
,were we to go through what was spoken  
on the ,mount1 we might show its  truth 
commanding unquestionably the assent of 
our moral natures4 ,it all  takes hold  
of our mind and life4 ,it comes to us to
 throw light on what  we do and suffer1 
and to borrow confirmation from it in   
turn4 ,though we  fall so far short of  
it1 and could not have conceived it     
originally and  from ourselves1 as      

,jesus did1 it so accords with the laws 
of our being  as to seem to be the      
suggestion of our experience1 some      
admonition  floating to us by intent of 
,god on that ever-heaving sea of life1  
of  ambition1 of passion1 of mutual     
misunderstanding1 of strong loves and   
piercing griefs1 of various mingling    
sympathies1 on whose shore we do  now   
stand1 and whose tide1 for our few      
seconds here in time1 laves our  feet   
and dashes upon us its spray4    ,we    
might turn over other pages of ,jesus'  
instruction beyond that  introductory   
statement of the principles of the      
kingdom of ,god1 and  evolve its sense  
in terms presenting an undeniable       
spiritual fact to all  our race4 ,for   
instance1 ,to him who hath shall be     
given1 and he shall  have abundance2 but
 from him that hath not shall be taken  
away1 even  that which he seemeth to    
have4 ,how true6 ,it is verified in the 
mental  condition of every man at this  
moment4 ,we only seem to have the       

faculty  we do not use4 ,there is no    
long1 healthy sleep to the mind and the 
moral  will any more than to the body2  
but the alternative is1 live or die4    
,and  thus ,jesus was ever holding up   
the law of the spiritual life to the    
light of that day which dawned with his 
advent4 ,he dwelt on what is  inward4   
,although you cannot find that once1 in 
his popular teaching1 he  laid stress   
upon observances1 times without number  
he studiously  distinguished between    
every thing of the nature of ceremonial 
and those  everlasting obligations of   
justice and humanity1 of inward and     
outward  purity1 which ought to be      
recognized in the home and in the state1
 in  all the intercourse of man with    
man1 and in watching over the secret    
heart4 ,we may not infer that he was    
hostile to religious forms4 ,he         
observed them4 ,he knew that man needed 
them1 and that souls instinct  with life
 would perpetuate them and adapt them to
 their own wants4 ,but  he saw in the   

spirit of the ,scribes the evil of      
teaching that any  arbitrarily imposed  
outward act can in itself please ,god2  
and1 in regard  to such1 the whole      
emphasis of his teaching was1 ,these    
ought ye to have  done1 and not to have 
left the other undone4 ,he quoted from  
the  prophets habitually1 ,i will have  
mercy and not sacrifice4    ,such is the
 genius of ,christianity1--of           
,christianity as it came from its       
,founder1--the religion which is said to
 have ripened into the medival  theology
 and the ,roman hierarchy4 ,too little1 
indeed1 has this genius of              
,christianity been regarded6 ,the old   
,judaic spirit which brought ,jesus to  
the cross has1 among ,protestants as    
well as ,catholics1 too often  crucified
 the ,christianity of ,christ4 ,human   
metaphysics have been put  into creeds  
and catechisms4 ,sects have been founded
 and built up on the  importance        
attached to the form of a rite as a part
 of essential  ,christianity4 ,disputes 

have raged which the traditions of the  
,church and  the letter of ,scripture   
have failed to settle1 and about which  
,jesus1 if  teaching among us1 would not
 waste a minute's breath4    ,if further
 proof were wanting of the breadth and  
spirituality of ,jesus'  view1 it might 
be found in the fact that he was brought
 to the cross by  the pro-,judaism      
party4 ,his friends would interpret him 
differently from  his enemies4 ,the     
universality and spirituality of his aim
 were not at  once apprehended by his   
followers4 ,their very trust in him     
would make  them slow to perceive his   
radical meaning2 for1 to impute to him  
what  was in his mind1 would seem to be 
distrust4 ,they would put a limited     
construction upon what he said4 ,it     
would be otherwise with his enemies1    
who would be sharp and quick to see the 
full extent to which his words  would   
carry him4    ,the movement of ,jesus1  
then1 may be called revolutionary1 not  
in the  sense of aiming directly at     

political revolution1 but in the sense  
of  his expecting to found a free1      
spiritual1 and universal religion1 which
  would uproot and remove in time the   
partial religions1 ,judaism included4   
,still he designed to connect himself   
with the ,old ,dispensation4 ,he        
recognized the ,divine mission of ,moses
 and the ,providential office of  the   
prophets in preparing for him4 ,in the  
expectations which they  fostered there 
was something true as well as something 
false4 ,when they  depicted a glorious  
and happy political condition of the    
,jewish nation  under the ,messiah as an
 earthly king1 ,jesus must have regarded
 them as  being in error4 ,we find him  
pronouncing ,john the ,baptist the      
greatest of  the prophets of the old    
order1 and declaring that the least in  
the  kingdom of heaven was greater than 
he2 and the reason is shown by the      
context of the words 7,matt4 xi47 to be 
that ,john as a ,jewish prophet         
regarded the kingdom of ,god in part as 

a political kingdom4 ,but the           
fundamental idea of the ,theocracy1 that
 other nations would be united  with    
,israel under the dominion of the ,one  
,true ,god1 was one in harmony  with    
,jesus' thought4#cd ,this expectation   
,jesus regarded it as his  mission to   
realize and fulfil4 ,he had only to     
separate from the  ,theocratic          
predictions of the prophets the partial 
political element1 to  bring them into  
unison with his universal aim4 ,whatever
 in the hitherto  prevailing ideas and  
hopes was capable of expansion he       
absorbed into  himself1 that it might be
 given out in a wider and higher form1  
and  live for ever4 ,a case somewhat    
parallel might be found in the changes  
wrought by our late war4 ,those who took
 a radical view of the issue of  the    
contest were exposed to the charge of   
being revolutionary and  destroying the 
,constitution4 ,they could reply1 ,yes3 
the issue will be  revolutionary4 ,there
 will be a new state of law1 and of the 

relations of  the people in important   
respects1 effected by carrying out      
fundamental  principles4 ,but those     
principles were the essence of the      
,constitution2  and to carry them out is
 only fully to accomplish its purpose1  
by  annihilating transient provisions at
 war with liberty and social  justice1  
and giving scope to the principles of   
the ,declaration of  ,independence4 ,we 
hold to the ,constitution4 ,we have come
 not to destroy1  but to fulfil4 ,so    
,jesus ,christ came not to destroy all  
that had gone  before1 but to fulfil    
whatever in it was fundamental to the   
,divine  purpose in relation to man4 ,in
 this feeling of a real connection      
between  his movement and the ,hebrew   
ideas and hopes is to be found the      
principal  explanation of his confining 
his labors1 and those of the apostles   
when  first sent forth1 chiefly to      
,judea and ,galilee4 ,not only must his 
own  work be limited in its local       
scope1--for he could not go             

everywhere1--but the historical basis of
 his movement lay in the ,hebrew        
history4 ,among the ,hebrew people only 
could he find suitably prepared         
immediate disciples4 ,salvation was to  
be from the ,jews4 ,and1 foreseeing     
that the nation as such would reject    
him1 he saw that it was essential  to   
the extension among the ,gentiles of the
 truths and hopes he inherited  as a    
,jew1 essential to the breaking down of 
the partition wall which now  kept out  
the true doctrine of ,god from the      
heathen world1 that he should  come to a
 distinct issue with the ,jewish        
authorities1 and make it clear  and     
notorious that it was the narrow spirit 
of ,pharisaism and legal  formality     
which crucified him4 7,if he were lifted
 up1 he would draw all  men to him47    
,and from the first the ruling sect1    
with the acute instinct  of             
self-interest1 discerned the            
revolutionary character of his          
movement1--that it elevated man above   

the ,jew1 and struck at the root of  the
 idolized ,hebrew pre-eminence4         
,footnote #cd3 ,see ,noyes's            
,introduction to his ,translation of the
  ,prophets4    ,i pass now to a more   
subtle hypothesis1 that ,jesus expected 
to establish  the ,theocratic empire by 
angelic assistance on occasion of his   
return to  earth1 which would occur at  
the same time with the great outward    
change  of the world4 ,it is founded on 
such passages as this3 ,for the ,son of 
,man is to come in the glory of his     
,father1 with his angels2 and then he   
will render to every one according to   
his works4 7,matt4 xvi4 #bg4 ,comp4     
,matt4 xiii4 #da1 and xxvi4 #bi-fj47 ,it
 is thus stated by ,strauss3#ce ,he     
waited for a signal from his heavenly   
,father1 who alone knew the time of     
this catastrophe2 and he was not        
disconcerted when his end approached    
without his having received the expected
 intimation4 ,his ,messianic hope  was  
not political or even earthly4 ,he      

referred its fulfilment to a            
supermundane theatre4    ,footnote #ce3 
,life of ,jesus1 ,part ,,ii4  #ff4 ,the 
charge of enthusiasm is  retained1 but  
not discussed1 in his ,life of ,christ  
for the ,german  people4    ,strauss    
speaks of ,jesus' hope as corresponding 
with the ,messianic ideas  of the ,jews4
 ,it took its form from those ideas4    
,scherer also represents  ,jesus' idea  
of the kingdom as wholly ,apocalyptic4  
,the first criticism  to be made upon   
this hypothesis is1 that a ,theocratic  
idea arising out  of the ,jewish        
expectations and conformed to them could
 not dispense with  all thought of      
earthly conflict4 ,the struggle could   
not have been  altogether upon a        
supermundane theatre1 nor the triumph of
 the ,messiah  achieved without common  
warlike agencies4 ,the common ,jewish   
idea was  founded on the language of    
some ,hebrew prophets1 and appears in   
the  ,apocalyptic writings of ,christ's 
age2 and his own mind in cherishing the 

hope attributed to him must have quite  
surrendered itself to the popular       
expectation4 ,this expectation supposed 
some outward conflict as the  occasion  
of supernatural interference4 ,nor do ,i
 know any ground for  thinking that in  
,christ's time the ,jews expected the   
,messiah to prevail  with angelic aid   
without a conflict of arms4 ,whoever    
will read ,ezekiel  and ,daniel will see
 that those prophets expected a contest 
on earth with  earthly weapons1 as the  
occasion for the intervention of        
,jehovah4 ,and  whoever will read the   
wars of the ,maccabees will see how     
,jewish courage1  fired with the        
expectation of celestial assistance1    
never stopped to  compare the apparent  
strength of the respective forces4 ,nor 
did the  ,apocalyptic seers dismiss this
 thought of earthly battle4 ,the book of
  ,enoch speaks of the unconverted as   
delivered at the judgment into the      
hands of the righteous1 whose horses    
shall wade in the blood of sinners1  and

 whom the angels shall come to help4#cf 
,the ,apocalypse of the ,new  ,testament
 presents the picture of the ,messiah as
 mounted on a white  horse1 and riding  
forth to judge and make war2 and the    
comment of ,dr4  ,noyes on this and     
similar passages is that1 in the mind of
 the writer1  there was to be war in    
heaven and upon earth1 before ,christ   
should reign  in final triumph4#cg ,this
 theory has no distinctive character    
without  supposing the angels acting on 
the stage of sense and time1 and giving 
the ,hebrews the victory4 ,with this    
expectation is probably connected the   
sign from heaven demanded of ,jesus by  
the ,pharisees1 a sign which  should    
stimulate ,hebrew faith to irresistible 
warlike ardor4 ,the  unconverted were to
 be vanquished by some mysterious       
exercise of  ,messianic power4 ,hence   
many were not satisfied with ,christ's  
miracles2  not that they disputed their 
reality1 but as being not decisive of   
his  ,messianic character4 ,now1 if this

 had been the thought of ,jesus1 he     
would have been disposed to seek an     
occasion for such interference from  on 
high4 ,it is true1 in saying this1 we   
say he must have given himself  up to   
the enthusiasm which so often           
fanatically manifested itself in his    
age1 and was always ready to break      
forth4 ,but the idea supposed1 when     
one's whole being was yielded to it1--as
 ,jesus did yield his whole being  to   
the ideas which possessed him1--could   
not have stopped short of  practical    
action4 ,he must have been prepared in  
his thought to act with  fanaticism4    
,strauss says1 ,he did not try to bring 
about all this by his  own will2 but    
awaited a signal from his heavenly      
,father4 ,the actual  ,jesus did        
undoubtedly as ,strauss says2 but the   
supposed ,jesus would have  at some time
 believed the signal to be given4 ,the  
idea1 and the sort of  faith in         
supernatural aid which accompanied it1  
would lead him to think  the moment had 

come for this demonstration4 ,if such   
were the ideal of  ,jesus in fact1 why  
did he not seek to realize it at once8  
,why did he  prefer the way of          
renunciation and self-sacrifice to the  
possession of  the kingdoms of the      
world8 ,why1 in the place of the ,son of
 ,man1 have we  not a ,mahomet six      
hundred years in advance4 ,the logical  
and necessary  result of belief in his  
,messiahship1 and of faith in this sort 
of  supernatural aid in realizing it1   
was that he should bring about an       
occasion for this demonstration4 ,it was
 an encounter with the ,romans1 in  the 
hope that ,jehovah and the angels would 
fight for ,god's people1 and  be more   
than strong enough against all odds4    
,the ,messianic ,theocracy  could not   
exist as a ,roman province4#ch ,but     
,jesus studiously avoids  conflict with 
,rome4 ,besides1 the second part of the 
temptation of ,christ  sets aside at    
once this ideal4 ,his early             
consciousness of wonderful  power had   

not the effect of disposing his mind    
favorably toward such  ,jewish          
,messianic ideas4 ,that consciousness   
tended rather to spiritualize  his      
thought3 we may say1 it subdued him4 ,it
 made his whole feeling  moderate1 and  
his whole thought wise and temperate4   
,this is a very  remarkable part of the 
representation of him by the            
evangelists4    ,footnote #cf3 ,book of 
,enoch1 ,dillman1 ch4 #ajj4    ,footnote
 #cg3 ,rev4 xix4 #aa2 comp4 ,christian  
,examiner1 ,may1 #ahfj1 p4  #chb4       
,footnote #ch3 ,hase's ,life of ,jesus4 
,but1 secondly1 ,i will now suppose the 
expectation of ,jesus to have been      
purified from every notion of warlike   
action4 ,the regeneration               
7palingenesia7 was to be not a political
 revolution1 but a renovation of  the   
earth and the heavens1 attended by a    
resurrection of the dead1 of  whom the  
accepted were to dwell with ,christ in  
the renovated world1--not  the present  
earth1 but the earth restored1--and that

 his presence and  return were to be    
visible4 ,this is his coming with the   
angels to set up  his kingdom and to    
reign4    ,i4 ,the very language which  
this hypothesis is adopted to explain1  
taken  in its proper sense1 proves too  
much4 ,jesus was to be a king on the    
renewed earth1 yet his kingdom was to be
 different from those of this  world4   
,it is not1 he says1 of this world4 ,it 
is a real kingdom as  much as that of   
,david2 but it is not to be a worldly   
rule on the one  hand1 nor a purely     
spiritual rule on the other4 ,it is     
political1 and not  political4          
,according to the writer of the         
,apocalypse1 whose views are  supposed  
to have been sanctioned by ,jesus1 this 
king must reign until he  has put all   
enemies under his feet4 ,when the       
kingdom is consummated1 he  is to       
surrender it to his ,father4 ,the       
hypothesis under consideration          
represents the kingdom as to be         
consummated at the time of the          

world-catastrophe which1 with the second
 or real coming of ,jesus as  ,messiah1 
will occur1 according to the alleged    
words of ,christ himself1  immediately  
after the destruction of the city4 ,why 
shall not the kingdom  be given up      
immediately to the ,father8 ,this king  
in the proper sense1  and in no purely  
spiritual sense1 who comes visibly1 will
 have no  occasion for a reign in the   
proper sense of the word4 ,strauss says1
  ,jesus expected to restore the throne 
of ,david1 and with his disciples  to   
govern a liberated people4 ,but in no   
degree did he rest his hopes on  the    
sword of his adherents1 but on the      
legions of angels which the  ,father    
would send him4 ,he was not disconcerted
 when his end approached  without the   
kingdom having come4 ,it would come with
 his return4 ,but how  when he returned 
was the throne of ,david to be restored1
 and a proper1  literal reign to exist1 
and not a mere spiritual reign8 ,this   
king has no  business to perform3 his   

work is all accomplished immediately by 
a  stupendous miracle4 ,and he and his  
apostles have nothing to do but to  sit 
on idle thrones1 or to feast at tables  
loaded with luxuries which  are at the  
same time mundane and supermundane2 to  
enjoy a sensual  paradise1 which differs
 from a ,mohammedan paradise only in    
that it does  not consist of the        
coarsest forms of sensual life4 ,they   
are to partake  of an actual wine1 a    
fruit of the vine1--a new kind of wine2 
to observe  the passover with           
supermundane food1 but food pleasurable 
to the taste4  ,this ,jesus is thought  
to have expected and promised4#ci ,i    
sometimes  think this attempt to find a 
half-way doctrine of ,jesus' expectation
  concerning the future ascribes to him 
an apocalypticism more inept and        
fatuous than that of the ,jews          
themselves4 ,it attempts to unite the   
contradictory4 ,it cannot be stated by  
,strauss in any thing like the  literal 
sense of the passages on which it is    

founded1 without supposing  something of
 that political element which it is     
designed to exclude2 or  else entirely  
dropping that relation to ,jewish hopes 
to which it is  believed to owe its     
origin1 and thus leaving it unexplained4
 ,for1 if  ,jesus gave up all           
expectation whatever of a kingdom of    
this world1 we  have no occasion for a  
visible return4    ,footnote #ci3 ,see  
,renan's ,life of ,jesus1 first edition4
    ,,ii4 ,the second objection to this 
view is that it is incompatible with    
the most important expressions and      
opinions of ,jesus4    #a4 ,the kingdom 
is to come with the world-catastrophe2  
and the ,king is  then to come in some  
mysterious manner on the clouds of      
heaven4 ,how1  then1 could ,jesus say   
the kingdom of ,god cometh not with     
observation8  ,could any political      
kingdom arise in a more outwardly       
striking manner8  ,how does that saying 
of ,christ comport with his promising a 
literal  miraculous light in the heaven 

7,matt4 xxiv4 #cj7 which shall betoken  
his  own coming and the great           
world-change8 ,that form of coming with 
a  precursive sign in the heaven is just
 what he contradicted4 ,such a  kingdom 
would come with a sign which could be   
watched for1--a sign very  different    
from those signs of the time1 the moral 
indications1 which a  spiritual insight 
might discern4 ,how could he say the    
kingdom of ,god was  among them already1
 if it were yet to come at the time of  
the great  world-change8 ,how could he  
say to ,caiaphas3 ,yes1 ,i am the       
,messiah2 and  moreover from this moment
 you shall see the ,son of ,man sitting 
on the  right hand of power and coming  
on the clouds of heaven8 ,it was        
equivalent to saying1 ,you have arrested
 me1 you have already doomed me  to     
death4 ,but ,i am the ,anointed of ,god 
to introduce the new spiritual  kingdom 
of ,humanity2 and1 from this moment in  
which you decree my death1  my cause    
takes a ,divine impulse1 and my purpose 

strides on to the  triumph ,god has     
destined for it4    #b4 ,this           
expectation is incompatible with what he
 says on other topics  related to the   
kingdom1 the resurrection1 and the      
future life4 ,this  expectation implies 
the ,apocalyptic view of the            
resurrection4 ,the  ,messiah was to come
 to raise the dead4 7,the ,christian    
world has  generally entertained the    
same view47 ,the visible return and the 
resurrection coexisted1 probably1 in    
,jesus' mind4 ,if he held the one1 he   
held the other4 ,the two opinions were  
,siamese twins1 connected by a  vital   
bond2 separate them and you would kill  
them both4 ,but ,jesus gave a  view of  
the resurrection and the future life    
totally different from the  ,apocalyptic
 one4 ,he taught the continuance of     
life4 ,his argument with  the ,sadducees
 proves that doctrine1 or it amounts to 
nothing4 ,god is the  ,god not of the   
dead1 but of the living4 ,the ,rich ,man
 and ,lazarus1 of the  parable1 are     

already in a future state of            
retribution4 ,he who believes  on him   
has already passed from death unto life4
 ,jesus could not  suppose that one who 
had received from him the quickening of 
spiritual  life could pass into the     
under-world1 and grope as a shade in the
  intermediate state4 ,whosoever liveth 
and believeth in him shall never  die4  
,now1 to one who is satisfied that      
,jesus was emancipated from the         
doctrine of an intermediate state1 it   
must be evident that he could not  have 
held the ,apocalyptic notion resting on 
it of a raising of the dead  at the     
coming of the ,messiah1 and could not   
have held to the visible  coming of the 
,messiah who was to come to do that very
 thing4    ,the same observation is to  
be made of the judgment4 ,jesus shows   
himself  emancipated from the common    
notion of the judgment1 and of a future 
simultaneous judgment-day4 ,he that     
believeth on him is not judged4 ,he     
that believeth not is judged already1 in

 that he has not believed in the        
only-begotten ,son of ,god4 ,god sent   
him not to judge or to punish the       
world1 but to save it4 ,the judgment of 
the world is not to be  exclusively at a
 remote day4 ,it has begun4 ,it is now4 
,christ says1 ,now  is the judgment of  
this world2 now is the ,prince of this  
world to be  cast out2 now1 when ,jesus 
is about to consummate by dying the     
moral  means of that result4 ,jesus is  
not to be a personal ,judge of men at a 
remote time4 ,his principles are for    
ever to judge men1 to judge them        
finally4 ,not himself as the personal   
,logos1 or as the reappearing  ,messiah1
 is to judge men1 but the word he has   
spoken4 ,these thoughts  in the fourth  
,gospel must have come from ,jesus1 not 
from the writer1 who  shows himself in  
places not emancipated from the view of 
his time4    #c4 ,the doctrine of       
,christ's expectation which ,i am       
considering is not  congruous with the  
means which he contemplates for         

accomplishing his  work1 and with the   
view he took of the progress of his     
kingdom1 and of  the moral duties and   
retributions of ,humanity4 ,nothing is  
clearer than  that his kingdom of ,god  
was to be a communion of men on earth   
bound  together by the same             
consciousness of the heavenly ,father4  
,it was to  extend into another life4   
,but it was to spread more and more     
widely1 and  subdue the world to his    
spiritual dominion4 ,by moral influence 
he is to  be ,king4 ,this communion is  
to be the salt of the earth1 the light  
of the  world4 ,it is to extend its     
influence by holy example1 by good      
works4 ,he  will be in spirit with the  
apostles and with his church4 ,he trains
 them  to carry on his work1 and tells  
them to preach the good news to all     
nations4 ,he does this as if founding a 
work which shall go on  indefinitely4   
,he declares early1 in a discourse      
designed to explain his  kingdom1 that  
the law shall not pass away2 that it    

shall in its moral  requirements be all 
realized4 ,heaven and earth shall not   
pass away until  all shall be4 ,and he  
directs his disciples to pray as much as
 for  daily bread that ,god's kingdom   
may come1 and that ,god's will may be   
done  on earth as it is done in heaven4 
,is it possible that this teacher       
expects all this to be closed in thirty 
or forty years1 by a violent            
catastrophe1 and by the substituting of 
a universal miracle for this  moral     
instrumentality8 ,he says it is not the 
,father's will that one of  the lowliest
 shall perish4 ,did he mean to limit the
 opportunity of  salvation for the race 
to forty years1 and to consign to the   
torment of  ,gehenna all who did not    
accept the new truth in that time8 ,and 
all this  impossibility is heightened by
 the nature of some of those parables in
  which he treated of his kingdom4 ,if  
the kingdom of ,god were to be          
established by an irresistible miracle1 
on a fixed day1 in a manner so          

splendid1 what signify those admirable  
parables of the mustard-seed1 of  the   
leaven1 of the net1 of the grain growing
 from itself1 which suppose  a          
development1 slow1 regular1 organic1    
proceeding from an imperceptible  point1
 but endowed with a ,divine vitality1   
and displaying successively  its latent 
energies8#dj ,besides1 no one ever more 
strictly enjoined  the duties of life1  
the everlasting obligations4 ,he        
contemplates such  duties as are to be  
done in such a world as ours was then   
and is now1 as  the essential sphere in 
which the heavenly spirit must be formed
 in man4  ,his principle of final       
judgment is1 ,inasmuch as ye have done  
the duties  of ,humanity unto your      
fellow-men1 ye have done them unto me4  
,come1 ye  blessed of my ,father4 ,could
 that teacher suppose that the          
opportunity  for performing such duties 
would cease for ever before the last of 
his  apostles should have died8 ,could  
he think that within that time the      

destinies of ,humanity as he knew it    
would be closed8    ,footnote #dj3      
,rville1 ,review of ,renan's ,life of   
,jesus4    ,these are the principal     
reasons which determine me to believe   
that ,jesus  did not expect to return   
visibly to raise the dead1 judge the    
world1 and  be the head of an external  
,theocratic kingdom on the renewed      
earth4  ,what1 then1 shall be said of   
the language which appears to express   
that  opinion8 ,ye shall drink the wine 
new with me in my ,father's kingdom4    
,ye shall sit on thrones judging the    
twelve tribes of ,israel1 c4 ,two       
considerations are to be kept in sight  
in establishing the views and           
expectations of ,jesus3 first1 that he  
used this language--so far as he  used  
it--in a figurative sense1 to represent 
spiritual and providential  facts as he 
conceived them2 second1 that the        
evangelists may have  sometimes given to
 his language a precision and a         
connection which did  not belong to it1 

as delivered4 ,that he could not have   
employed this  language as it is        
reported to us1 in its literal and      
proper sense1 is to  my mind a necessary
 conviction in the premises4 ,this would
 suppose that  he entertained two orders
 of conceptions1 which were opposed to  
one  another1 with a clear profound     
conviction1 and gave them as revelations
  of ,god3 one his spiritual and        
rational beliefs2 the other his         
,apocalyptic beliefs4 ,this supposition 
is the vice of ,renan's seventeenth     
chapter4 ,the language of the           
,apocalyptic beliefs ,jesus might use to
 some  extent as a vehicle for conveying
 the spiritual and rational to others2  
and the most explicit language in which 
he conveyed his spiritual  beliefs1 so  
far as it was retained in their feebler 
minds1 might be  forced into harmony    
with their traditional opinions4 ,but   
that in ,jesus'  mind1 so original1 so  
manifestly filled with fresh thought on 
every  theme of ,providence and man1    

these spiritual apprehensions of a      
kingdom  or communion of ,god which     
should act under and within the state1  
renovating human life and society2 of a 
,messiah who by such a kingdom  should  
fulfil the missionary function of       
,israel to the race of man2 of a        
resurrection which should be the        
uninterrupted continuance of the        
blessed life1 or an immediate renewal of
 the sense of wasted opportunity  and   
law violated on earth2 of a judgment    
both immediate and continual of  every  
soul despising the truth revealed to it2
 of a retribution to civil  societies   
according to ,divine law1--should arise 
as original  conceptions1 be held with  
firm decisive grasp1 be of the essence  
of his  instruction1 and so pronounced  
in him that our most advanced modern    
thought is but the distant echo of his  
profound and distinct  enunciations2 and
 that at the same time he should hold   
those ,apocalyptic  traditions1 of a    
visible coming1 of a ,theocratic throne 

before whose  splendor that of ,csar    
would fade away1 of a simultaneous      
resurrection  and judgment1--hold them  
in unimpaired conviction1 as truths to  
be  solemnly insisted upon as a part of 
his revelation1--this1 it seems to  me1 
comes as near a psychological           
contradiction as we can well conceive4  
,and besides1 if ,jesus had clung to    
those beliefs as ,divine convictions1   
the language ascribed to him would have 
had the unity of that of the  ,epistles 
and the ,apocalypse on this subject4 ,we
 should not be perplexed  with apparent 
contradictions4 ,as it is1 we are       
obliged to use those  words which       
inculcate his spiritual thought for     
explaining that part of  his language   
which is conformed to ,jewish           
conceptions4    ,but1 it is said1 this  
language would naturally create         
misunderstanding1  and that it is too   
bold to be taken in a figurative sense4 
,in regard to  the misunderstanding of  
it1 let it be said1 if we suppose a mind

  inspired by ,god to see far deeper and
 further than its contemporaries1  it   
must be liable to be misunderstood in   
proportion to the poverty of  the       
vernacular language4 ,jesus' inspiration
 and insight gave his speech  a         
character such as the highest poetic    
endowment always gives1 and made  it    
bold4 ,it is not to be forgotten that he
 belonged to the east and to  the people
 who have given us the ,old ,testament  
prophecies4 ,the boldest  tropes were   
natural to him4 ,in moments of strong   
moral excitement1 they  fly from him as 
sparks from the flint or lightning from 
the charged  cloud4 ,it exposes him to  
the charge of mysticism4 ,we forget that
 he was  not a lecturer1 a systematic   
teacher2 but a prophet1 a converser in  
the  streets1 a popular teacher1 a poet 
sent from ,god to re-create humanity4   
,necessity concurred with inspiration to
 make his speech tropical and  often    
liable to be misapprehended4 ,he was    
obliged to use images and  terms which  

the people and the schools applied to   
the ,messiah in order  to claim1 as he  
meant to claim1 a predetermined1        
providential connection  with ,hebrew   
history and hope4 ,when he said to      
,pilate1 ,i am a king1 it  was a truth2 
but it was a trope4 ,i am the bread of  
life1--a truth1 but  a trope4 ,i am come
 to send a sword on the earth1 not      
peace2 ,this cup  of wine is my blood   
sealing the new covenant1--truths1 but  
compact with  the boldest tropes4 ,when 
he said1 ,i am the ,messiah1 it was a   
truth1  but a trope4 ,it was liable to  
be misunderstood2 but1 without it1 it   
was  impossible that he should be       
understood4 ,he saw ,satan1 after the   
seventy  returned from their mission and
 related their success1 falling like    
lightning from heaven4 ,if he foresaw   
political revolutions which would  occur
 within a generation1 and believed they 
would be employed by  ,providence to    
further the establishment of his        
principles or kingdom1  which would then

 reach a point from which it would be   
evident1 to a  sympathizing mind quick  
to catch the glimpses of a new day1 that
 they  would become dominant in         
humanity1 would it be too bold a figure 
for him  to say1 ,the coming of the ,son
 of ,man will be as the lightning which 
shoots from horizon to horizon1 or too  
bold a figure to describe those         
precursive overturns and downfalls of   
the old in language borrowed from       
,isaiah and ,joel1 the prophets whom he 
loved and knew by heart8 ,might he  not 
believe1 identifying his religion and   
the ,divine spirit which would  spread  
it1 that at the time of these changes1  
conspiring providentially  with the     
labors of apostles and evangelists1 his 
voice would call the  chosen1 those     
prepared by mental and moral affinity1  
to the new  life-work1 to the new order 
of things2 that his call to his own     
would be  like the supposed call of the 
last trumpet summoning them to come into
 a  spiritual communion of blessed work1

 and blessed hope8 ,these figures  were 
naturally1 almost inevitably1 formed in 
these circumstances4    ,he used the    
language given him in the speech of his 
time in a figurative  sense1 partly     
because of the want of proper terms     
suited to his purpose1  and partly      
because as a popular teacher1 desirous  
to impress the common  mind1 he could   
not sacrifice all the associations      
connected with that4  ,but we often find
 in proximity with it words of his own1 
or something in  the occasion1 which he 
might expect to constrain the listeners 
to  reflect that he was speaking        
figuratively2 as ,john vi41 ,my words1  
they  are spirit and they are life1 and 
the reply ,luke xxii4 #ch1 to the       
information1 here are two swords1 ,it is
 enough4 ,were the accounts more  full1 
it is fair to suppose we might have more
 such expressions4 ,they  would not be  
so likely to be remembered as the       
striking1 figurative  words4    ,there  
are words of ,christ at the ,last       

,supper which seem to me to have        
occasioned quite unnecessary perplexity4
 ,i say unto you ,i will not  henceforth
 drink of the fruit of the vine until   
that day when ,i drink it  new with you 
in my ,father's kingdom4 ,they were the 
spontaneous outflow  of mingled sadness1
 affection1 and hope4 ,he might expect  
them to be  interpreted to his disciples
 by his situation1 by all he had said of
  leaving them1 and by his habit of     
conveying spiritual thought under the   
sensuous images suggested by the moment4
 ,they referred to the kingdom he  died 
to establish4 ,they were as natural as  
to say1 ,where two or three  are        
gathered together in my name1 there am  
,i in the midst of them4 ,but  they have
 been a stumbling-block to students whom
 we should have  expected to be able    
better to orient themselves in the      
,master's genius  and style4    ,colani 
has spent a page to ridicule it1 and    
show that it is not fit for  its        
place4#da ,yet a similar figure is used 

by occidental preachers1 who  would not 
expect to be reproached for coarseness4 
,a young minister  on an occasion not   
unlike that on which ,jesus sat with his
  disciples--occurring as did that      
passover in the midst of sacrifice and  
revolution1 the ,thanksgiving day       
celebrated after the close of our great 
war1 in our land at once so afflicted   
and so blessed--addressed his  hearers1 
some of whom had lost sons or brothers  
in camp or field1 in  figurative but    
very appropriate and touching language1 
in which we may  suppose he felt the    
inspiration of his ,master's words at   
the last meal4  ,it was to the effect   
that1 although those who had fallen in  
the strife  could no more partake with  
us in the bounty with which the         
,thanksgiving  table would be spread1   
they would in all future festivals be   
with us in  spirit1 and rejoice in the  
blessings ever more and more to be      
realized  which had been purchased by   
their sacrifices for our disinthralled  

country4    ,footnote #da3 ,jesus       
,christ and the ,messianic ,beliefs of  
his ,time4    ,nor do ,i see any better 
cause of the offence which is taken at  
the  language ascribed to ,jesus in     
,matt4 xix4 #bh1 in the offer of        
thrones3  ,in the regeneration1 when the
 ,son of ,man shall sit on the throne of
 his  glory1 ye also shall sit on twelve
 thrones judging the twelve tribes of   
,israel4 ,let us think how ,jesus must  
have longed to communicate his  thought 
and his hope to those chosen ones2 how  
he would not be willing  to drive them  
away by his very greatness as he        
sometimes drove away the  careless and  
cavilling2 how his mind1 if he were a   
human being and not  an automaton1 would
 alternate between the sternest         
truth-speaking and  the necessity of    
coming closer to them1 and giving them  
hope1 and  lifting them a little nearer 
to himself2 how like the mother bird1   
enticing her brood to their first       
flight1 and finding he had at one       

moment gone beyond them1 he would come  
back1 and alight on a point  nearer to  
their apprehension1 that he might tempt 
them to use the  untried pinions of     
their thought1--and we need have no     
difficulty in  seeing that he meant     
thrones of moral power4 ,i do not know  
how those men  received it2 but ,i do   
not believe they thought then of        
political power4  ,if1 after ,jesus left
 them1 they recalled this and every     
other such  expression as a means of    
nourishing the hope of an ,apocalyptic  
return  and kingdom1 the great ,teacher 
and ,comforter was not accountable for  
that perversion4    ,jesus' language1   
then1 can be explained without supposing
 him to have  expected visibly to return
 after death to erect a kingdom of ,god 
of  which he should be the visible head4
    ,the result of our inquiries is1    
that ,jesus did not aim at any political
  sovereignty1 that he rose by the force
 of the special endowment of his  nature
 above the ,apocalyptic superstition of 

his age1 and that he looked  and labored
 immediately for the moral and spiritual
 renovation of  humanity on this earth4 
,he claimed to be a ,messiah2 not a     
,messiah after  the ,jewish conceptions1
 but a man anointed and endowed of ,god1
 to  perfect by the manifestation of the
 ,divine in the human1 the means of     
this moral renovation of humanity4 ,he  
regarded the spiritual ,messiahship  as 
a divinely appointed means to this end4 
,he aspired to spiritual rule  for no   
end but this1 and his aspiration was    
disinterested1 godlike4 ,it  has been   
said that he was ambitious1 though it is
 allowed that his  ambition was the most
 elevated4 ,and he has been compared    
with  disadvantage to ,socrates1 whose  
ambition1 it is said1 was to serve      
without reigning1 while that of ,jesus  
was to reign by serving1 and  the former
 is justly thought to be the nobler     
purpose4 ,it is no time to  institute a 
comparison between ,jesus and ,socrates4
 ,i have no wish to  disparage the great

 ,pagan4 ,i will allow ,grote's         
estimate1 that the  ,apology as given by
 ,plato is the speech of one who        
deliberately foregoes  the immediate    
purpose of a defence1 the persuasion of 
his judges2 who  speaks for posterity   
without regard to his own life4 ,the aim
 of ,socrates  was disinterested1 but   
not so elevated as that of ,jesus4 ,the 
aim of  ,socrates belonged to the realm 
of the understanding2 the aim of ,jesus1
  to the realm of the ,spirit4 ,they    
both took delight in the exercise of    
their gift3 this is innocent1 when not  
an exclusive motive2 but ,socrates  more
 consciously sought this delight than   
,jesus4 ,no self-abnegation can  be     
conceived more entire than that of the  
,christ as represented by the           
evangelists with every mark of truth4   
,he sought to reign only as all  seek to
 reign who put forth their powers to    
assist the development of  other minds4 
,he would reign only so1 and so far1 as 
this might be to  serve his race4 ,he   

had no ambition4 ,his purpose was not to
 reign by  serving1 but to reign that he
 might serve4 ,he respected the freedom 
of the mind4 ,he appealed to reason and 
conscience4 ,he claimed authority  in   
the name of reason and conscience1 and  
believed that he thus claimed  it in the
 name of ,god4 ,and if his reign has    
been more extensive1 more  durable1 and 
more beneficent than that of others1 it 
is because he has  acted by the highest 
kind and with the largest measure of    
truth and  life1 on the highest powers  
and tendencies of man4      ,cambridge3 
,press of ,john ,wilson and ,son4       
,transcriber's ,notes3      ,obvious    
punctuation errors were repaired4       
,phrases in italics are indicated by    
italics4      ,words in the text which  
were in small-caps were      converted  
to ,,all-,,caps4      ,greek text is    
transliterated and surrounded by ,greek3
 4      ,the oe ligature is indicated by
 oe 7e4g4 oecumenical74      ,on pg4    
#gg1 the ,latin phrase for altar of     

,heaven      is transcribed as ,ara     
,coeli 7it might be ,ara ,cli74         
,typo corrected3      phenonema changed 
to phenomena      7pg4 #bjf1 classes of 
perceived phenomena7