to a certain symbol, pray for the inspiration and revelation of God. It is an insult to God. But, "God is not mocked;" for after Death is the Judgment.

But, all things considered, what is the use of the inspiration or revelation of God. if orthodoxy is once for all revealed? Once the orthodox creed is made, there is no more need, according to this position, for the Holy Spirit. But for each man to cease desiring the inspiration and revelation of God is to resign himself to mental and spiritual death. "Lead, Kindly Light, o'er moor and fen," until the night be done.

Restless Investigation, is truth, as far as man can attain it. How many books there are which those who are weak in the faith are advised not to read! Miserable condition, is that not, to be right in belief only because some book has not been read! The truth can take care of itself; read not only one book, but all books. Why taboo the works and hesitate to mention some of the world's greatest writers, because they held different opinions? Investigate every shade of belief, every scientific statement; if a thing be true, it will stand every scrutiny, and the more it is investigated, the more will it be vindicated. If it be false, the sooner it is known to be so, and is rejected, the better for all concerned, even if it be dearly loved. Let us have the truth, before all things!

Moreover, if Christianity be truth, can any truth be foreign to Christianity? What is to be feared from science, and from the results of science, if, indeed, truth be the business and end of Christianity? If all truth be all Christianity, then must all Christianity be all truth? Study anatomy, physiology, geology, chemistry; work them out to the fullest extent; for God is the God of Truth, not the God of Prejudice, or Tradition, as said the early Fathers. Tradition is well enough for a working hypothesis till the scientist is the instrument of the Holy Spirit in revealing new truth; but as soon as the truth is found, let it be accepted joyfully, and not, if at all, sordidly and unwillingly. The scientist is an apostle of the Divine Revelation in the world.

Investigate. Investigate even the facts of tradition. Nay; the more sacred a fact is, the more important is it, the more serious the scrutiny to which it should be subjected. Humanity can afford mistakes in minor matters; but in the momentous, the crucial, the fateful interests of religion, no man can afford to risk his salvation on an error, on a misstatement, purposive or otherwise; or on a pious forgery.

The facts of traditions are subjects for historical inquiry, not for symbolic statement. Only history can decide whether Jonah was swallowed by the whale, or Balaam's ass spake. A rational being cannot "believe," on the pain of heresy, or damnation, in such matters, any more than in a problem of quadratic equations. Working hypotheses have to be made, but these are not matters of "faith" they are revision at the hands of historical science alone.

subject to Did such a

thing take place, or did it not take place? That is a question of investigation, of the photograph, of the phonograph, not of "orthodoxy" or "heresy.' What, salvation dependent on a result of historical inquiry? On adherence to Philonic metaphysics? On Ptolemaic astronomy? On Pauline exegesis? On Aramaic hermeneutics? Truth is something higher and broader in scope and possibility than all that. True Faith rests on no historical fact that may or may not be discovered; it rests on the soul's acceptance of a higher moral vision, of a diviner standard of action, as the law of its being; faith is the recognition by a soul of its own divinity; divinity as its destiny. The greater number of the facts of tradition are so remote in time and place that any convincing and satisfactory scientific investigation is out of the question. No physician would risk a patient's life with a potion which had not undergone the most serious scientific scrutiny. But the soul is risked on traditions which can never be proved or disproved, for lack of scientific evidence. Penny-wise, and pound-foolish! The eternal interests are staked on something that cannot be investigated, and of which any investigation is resented; while the body is trusted in the hand of only the most skilled physicians!

If every one of the facts of tradition could have been recorded with a photograph and phonograph, under proper scientific restrictions, it were possible and justifiable to stake eternity on them, as it were possible to do on the statement that twice two is four. Ah! to know what actually did take place in the past, and especially in the case of occurences of which seriously conflicting traditions are the only reports! But at best, that is the business of scientific historical investigations, not of heretical prosecutions and damnations of the soul.

Salvation must be something broader than that. It must be possible for every human being, whether he have studied history or not; whether we have come in contact with emissaries of some particular school, or not. It must be possible and rational to all generations, whether they lived before or after any particular event. It must be just as true if all the past were wiped out. "The aids to nobler life are all within." Sublime, austere morality; the inspiration of the Divine Spirit; the grace given to earnest prayer; these are the same in all times and ages; these alone are eternal.

Because of the facts of the spiritual life, the wildest superstitions have been reverenced; so religious is the soul of man, that even the merest element of truth attracts him, though surrounded and vitiated by senseless tradition. Superstitions have risen and fallen, and will rise and fall; but these facts alone live forever, in spite of the most absurd formulations which weigh them down. For this reason men defend their superstition: for to their minds these eternal elements are bound up with their traditions, and they fear that destruction of their tra

ditions means destruction of the spiritual light. But they need not fear; nothing that is true, that is essential can be lost; ten thousand years hence, though a hundred superstitions rise and fall, school-children will know that twice two is four. So will they know that the Inner Light is the only hope of man; so will they enthrone inexorable righteousness above "the howling senses' ebb and flow." Whatever is temporal, must pass away; no event in time can persist; only laws of nature survive; and laws of nature are only expressions of the Divine will: Salvation is too vital to depend on any historical event. It depends on the recognition, knowledge, and adaptation of the laws of the Divine Will. Any doctrine which must be defended passionately; which leads to uncharitableness; nay, to persecution, torture, the devastation of continents and the consignment to hell-fire of infants and millions of millions of souls; is adventitious. The scientist is calm. He knows that the truth will tell itself. His only business is to recognize and publish it. It will live in spite of every opposition. He has no need to use the thumbscrew and the rack, and to preach tolerance only when powerless. In spite of the numberless superstitions which have claimed the devotion of man, man has remained the same. Humanity mocks superstitions. The Pyramids have looked down on a hundred generations. The very fact that man is the same in every country, every period, that he has ever striven upwards, according to his lights; that to-day he passionately defends, with equal sincerity, the most contradictory views, proves that the only permanent element is man himself. Whatever the opinions, the soul is within; inexorable righteousness points Godward from every soul. Each man holds a different opinion of what is righteous; but righteousness, guilt, duty, inspiration, and beatific vision; these are universal. Is it denied that man has remained the same, even in historic times? That he grows, develops? Then the final end and perfection of man cannot occur in the middle of the process. Either in the beginning or at the infinitely distant and glorious fruition of the process of evolution. His salvation cannot depend on a historical occurence that has been left behind by century after century. In every stage of growth the element of development remains the same; and to partial stages, partial light is sufficient. But when that which is perfect is come, then shall we also know as we are known. Salvation is the same in all ages, in all places: Upward! Higher! Better! Truer! Stronger! Wiser! More beautiful! More fragrant! Gentler! Tenderer! Humbler! Diviner!

Morality, first. But, do you object that morality is not sufficient? True; but see to it that you have morality, at least. Surely "ethical" culture is not sufficient any more than physical or intellectual culture. It is "spiritual" culture that is wanted. But there is no foundation for it other than morality. "In the sublimest flights of the soul rectitude is never surmounted, love is never outgrown." Be not only moral; but be sure you are

fully moral.

See that your life is put in order, see that your ways are amended, see that your character be firm, see that your moral ideal be at least sensibly approached to, before you object to the preaching of morality. There is something wrong in any doctrine that makes morality secondary or uncomfortable, or whose prime requisite and practical insistence is not morality; that lays the primary stress on anything else than morality. Theories? No; they are useless. The only proof of the fruit of the tree is the fruit itself. The only proof of morality is the fact that to all around him the soul of man's light shines. The congregation that is moral should be such that it were possible for a stranger to say: "That man belongs to that parish because of the character of his actions." And so long as there are people of blameless walk outside, so long as some of the most conscientious unbelievers are more moral, by general consent, than some of the professors, so long is that profession partial hypocrisy. "Let your light so shine that men may see your good works" (not only in the alms-bason) "and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

The only Gate of Heaven is morality; nothing less, though indeed, much more, perhaps. Inexorable righteousness; that is the price of admission to the Beatific Vision.

But, say you, inexorable righteousness is "too hard?" Do you want a "comfortable" doctrine for those whose lives are not in order, and have not the slightest intention of conforming them to the Divine Pattern shown in the Mount? To those who flatter their sins by strenuously insisting that it is impossible to become perfect? Who shift their responsibility to "original sin" and that innocent soul accused of successfully bargaining in morality with the source of all morality? What, can righteousness ever coexist with "comfortableness?" The truth is that those who plead for a comfortable doctrine are practically, whether consciously or not, seeking to give eternal salvation to persons, without asking them to give themselves the trouble of leaving their sins. It is the most fiendish immorality, inasmuch as it endeavors to destroy the belief in morality itself. But God is not mocked. What a man sows, that also shall he reap. And those who preach that "comfortable" doctrine will by the very fact of doing so be blinded to the truth for a long period. The divine retribution will visit them inexorably.

Can righteousness coexist with any sort of vicariousness? Is it not as immoral to free the sinner as to punish the innocent? Can any man enter heaven on the shoulders of any other man? Can true love ever conflict with or soften justice? Nay; true love will insist on inexorable justice, tooth for tooth, eye for eye; since only through such means can souls be trained, by loving prevision, to become as fixed in character and as inexorably just as God Himself. This is the highest love of God, that He is inexorably just, giving to each according to his works, so that His dealing may be a source of terror to the evildoer, and of

comfort to the righteous. Love that in any way antagonizes the fullest measure of justice is only immorality, covered with sheep's clothing. Divine love is inexorable justice; and inexorable justice is Divine love. Justice is love in this, that man is by grace assisted to choose freely, whether he will do what will bring punishment, or what will bring reward. And as he is punished and rewarded his character develops, and he becomes able to be himself. The only thing one man can do for another, or that God can do for man is to help the latter to help himself. Thus, as man pays his debts, and pays the full price for every sin he has committed, are his sins remitted, and his offences forgiven. And as one man furnishes the sinner with the opportunity of paying his debts, and incites him to do so by teaching, by comfort, and by example, does and can he alone remit or forgive the sinner's sins. But this fearful responsibility for sin is only the reverse of the possibility of merit, of spiritual attainment. Unless the sinner were punished, he could not be rewarded. Hence a vicarious forgiveness of sin, and a complementary reward to admission to heaven, is an absurdity of the wildest kind. It is in this matter that any religious system which preaches remission of sins in any sense other than here suggested is actually preaching naked immorality. And though some of the theological systems of the world have for generations been in practice, at least, doing their utmost to uproot morality, yet the latter is so innate in man that it has survived all thumbscrews, racks, and fat benefices.

Is it impossible to become perfect? Then see to it that you become better than you are to-day; that you become "more perfect." Keep a record, and demonstrate your improvement scientifically. "Poor Richard" was not far wrong. It is not that you immediately become "perfect," but that you strive, struggle, laboriously "cultivate" yourself. That is the meaning of spiritual "culture." As long as a soul struggles, strives, seeks to realize its own ideals, and consciously seeks to broaden them, by study, reflection and inspiration, so long is that soul on the straight and narrow way. Do the best you can; angels can do no more. But see to it that what you do is your best; you may deceive others and yourself, but the Awful Eyes are watching you day and night, and cannot be deceived. The musician practices till tears come in the eyes; till the muscles be wholly altered, and complains not. The laborer in some factories for a little wage will work with poisons that are sure to kill him in a few years; and yet, is it too much to ask, that the sincere spiritual self-cultivator shall even endanger his temporary comfort? Work while it is day; for the night is coming, wherein no man can work.

The night is coming. All run in the race, but not all are crowned. How many die, evidently unfit to stand in the presence of God. Many will fail in the examinations of life. Whether another trial will be given them, and whether those who have