The New York herald., 1869-02-28

Teaching-The Future Seen by the Lights
of the Past.
The great activity presented everywhere in
the operations Of the human intellect during
the present age points with unmistakable di-
rectness to coming higher development Of re-
ligious teaching and belief. Whether the re-
suit of this movement will be to bring us i'm
mediately to the millennium, or whether it will
be merely one of the stages of progress which
marks the successive cumulative development
of the human mind, it is not our province to in
quire. Our present object is merely to pre-
sent concise review Of the historical testimo-
ny which points out the great fact that in
every age higher religious development has
been the result of periods of great mental ac-
tivity.
A contemplation of the dawn Of our religious
belief carries us back to prehistoric times,
when Egypt enclosed the light and science Of
the world. The remnants OF Egyptian culture
and civilization which have come down to us
all indicate high degree Of mental and mate
rial development, accompanied by wide politi-
Cal COlQucsts. luC Vi thCh ulSultcC-
ture are still subject Of admiration to the
world, and the testimony alike Of Holy Writ
and pagan philosophy bears witness to the
great expansion which Egyptian wisdom had
ture which have been preserved include only
number of funeral prayers and portions
of the so-called Book Of the Dead, but these
contain many OF the highest precepts Of our
present religious belief. The immortality Of
the soul, state of future rewards and punish
ments and the moral teachings Of the Deca-
logue are there, but mixed up with the worship
Of beasts and reptiles and entwined with my
thology as varied as that Of the Greeks and
Romans. But the testimony Of the monuments
points undenably to the fact that the period of
greatest activity In the Egyptian mind was that
Of the Mosaic religious development. The
reign Of Tothmes ILL.,, which, according to
some of the Egyptologists, was concident with,
and, according to others, shortly preceded the
time Of Moses, was the Augustan era Of
Egyptian history.
From this period OF wonderful mental ac-
tvity in the olden time sprang the Mosaic
development Leading forth his people from
captivity Moses cast aside the impure in the
teachings Of the Egyptian religious scheme, az
no doubt 1t was rejected in his day by all
cultivated minds (and as we're also the debas-
ing portions Of Greek and Roman mythology
rejected at later day., and, adopting the
ktwLA rala ~. - a.
wisdom Of his age, he announced to the
wondering Hebrews the mighty scope Of his
design. '.Now, therefore, IL ye will obey nv
voice indeed and keep my covenant, then We
shall be peculiar treasure unto me above all
people for all the earth is mine; and ye shall
be unto me a kingdom Of priests and holy
nation Exodus XIX, So But the Jews,
who had been slaves TO the Egyptians for
generations, had not participated In the higher
degrees Of the mental development Of their
age, and Moses was compelled to give them, in
addition to the Decslogue, au organized priest
saSSSSa aSSal in the tribe Of Levi.
The Mosaic scheme presents its times Of
development during the periods Of great
mental activity which attended the Hewew
nation. The era OF The prophets was an era
Of war ana trade, and David and Solomon
were mighty princes and merchants. The
mental activity Of that time has given us our
sweetest songs and some of our most imperish-
able teachings. But before we proceed TO
cite the age Of highest mental activity among
the Hebrews we must refer TO another out
springing from the Egyptian mind. The
entire scheme OF Greek mythology and
philosophy owes it's origin 70 Egypt. Taking
the sensoous and the asthetical in the Egyptian
teachings, the active and sopple- minded
Greeks vert on trading, fighting and philoso-
phizing through period Of seven centuries,
developing the mythology OF their torerunners
The result Of this activity was the religion Of
art, which culminated in temples aud statues