Sentence:  On this ground it is that Christianity works its way in Christianizing a community—if only it have free scope. It does this, not by <WSD>glozing</WSD> the evil that is in the world; not by extenuating, or by exaggerating the damage which human nature has sustained; but it does so by raising, in all minds, the ideal of human nature ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To smooth over; to palliate by specious explanation.