, 1878-12-21

what man needs. But living on lower
planes, man. historically and individually
wants lower religion, rests upon forms
and ceremonies, or in priests aud crccds.
Man by his very nature needs original
revelation. lie is not stcp>on oi IIeay-
en-, but direct heir of God. lie usually
wants traditional revelation, prefers TO
reach after truth through another leans
upon authority, loves priest, disikrs to
search nut deep things. Ask him what
lac believes, he likes to point To cree,l
which he calls his. hut which he never
thought out in order to make it his
own.
Ask him whence hc came, whittier he is
going and what is his duty. he prefers
to answer, not from lila avn experience,
hui from the SAY sn,," tho customs, the
traditions among which lie has been
reared; and the whole history of human
ity, not only in religion hut in the devel
apmcnt ut every knowledge. illustrates
this, ms | will baicfy attempt to show by
specific instance. The progress OF
knowledge is like the law oi motion and
rest in plant he, ar of volcanic action
upon the Earths crust in successive geo
logical ages, In the plant season of
activity is succeeded Ivy one oI harden
ing, ana tais lethargy ot winter is sue
cecdcd hy the stir of spring,
The human mind in history thus moves
forward, between fixed structures and
each of these pauses may not inaptly be
taken to Illustrate the disposition to nc
ccpt and rest upon tradition or author.
ity. Among the Greeks was an instru-
ment like harp, called the Tyre, invent
cd according to tradition by their God
Mercury; SO Trepander was fined tor ad-.
ding string. The first coinnges of
money have often been opposed, and so
have all systems of bank exchange or
international life. The introduction OF
new arts, such Ms printing, encounters
the opposition Of traditions and is iney-
itahly denounced as magical and nefari-
Gus. Society hnrdepes and then hates to
he disturbed. History is constant
series 0t crustings, successfully broken
through by the burning volcano core OF
awakened Iits Every important change
has been wrought out in the heat OF
collision, persecution, war, or untagon-
ism OF some kind Tor man wants the
fixed and custc mary. God s,irs the need
Of some higher and better thing, until
nun wants that better md higher thing
This repeats itself, and this alienation
is the solemn pendulum ot humanity's
motion towards its nrchitype OF the
skies. The unfolding Of the Hebrew
Religion well illustrates how man in his
higher nature lives by stages.
An attentive, critical reader of the
Old Testament discovers in the earlier
types Of that religion, IL kind vi nature
worship or Animism, as it is called, in
winch specific stores and trees were held
sacred, just as the caabn or black stone
of Mecca is by the Mahommedans. The
writers of The Old Testament naturally
try to gloss over this fact, and in telling
the story of their toretuthers transplant
backward their own enlarged faith, but
they cannot put out Of sight the very de-
iective form that worship then took.
Jehovah was worshiDpcd under the i'm
aye of a bull, and Ly other symbols or
fetischcs peculiar to early tribes, and i:
was with the greatest difficulty Ihst the
notion of nm invisible God 90 ned access
to the Israrlitish mind. The names Of
Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Samuel and
the later rrSphe's, mark periods when -
more spiritual conception OF God and
his service came INTO collision with the
hardened institutions ot worship and
ctcvd. A secret aningodsm my be- lie.
tscted be,weca priest and prophet, the
priest anxious Tor the traditional wnf-
:hir, the pfophr, burning 'ur fresh zeal
Tor rights BUSINESS aud more sputuai
hth We can sct often, where he max
log mp The rr,ssd., pfrstly Lisiu-ians