beauty of the Palace speak for themselves to all most intelligent observers; and so lost are they in study and admiration of these, that mere curiosity as to architect's or owner's name finds no place in them. The watch, not the watchmaker; the machine, not the mechanic; the statue, the painting, the invention, the self-evident theory, the demonstrated problem, the luminous saying, the convincing proposition, the irresistible book-not the artist's, inventor's, student's, or writer's name, is what the Higher Intelligence of this and of all coming ages will, increasingly, call for.

"Proverbs are sayings without an author."

"The originals are not original.”

66 For neither now nor yesterday began

These thoughts, which have been ever, nor yet can
A man be found who their first entrance knew."

XXXVII. THE RESURRECTED JESUS.

"Behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment was white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake and become as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

"And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All authority is committed unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

XXXVIII.-NEW MEANING OF OLD DOGMAS AND CREEDS.

Among "orthodox" Christians there are in common use now-as there have been since the fourth century-certain doctrinal words and phrases, which demand adjustment to Renascent Christianity and to the new interpretations of the Bible known as Higher Criticism. The volumes prepared by the writer, entitled Ancient Sacred Scriptures of the World, and Modern Sacred Scriptures of the World, are both prepared in the interests of Renascent Christianity and of Higher Criticism of the Bible. Any readers of those volumes, and all students of the Bible and of other Sacred Books of the World, will be much assisted by any reasonably intelligent and reverent attempt to revitalize—if not to reconstruct-the Dogmas and Creeds which are yet in common use. The following attempt is certainly made in a "reverent" spirit. He who makes it believes himself to be "reasonably intelligent" with reference to the subject in hand. He hopes that it may, by its very inadequacy if for no other cause, be the means of stimulating other attempts and many; until finally "new bottles" shall be fittingly prepared for the "new wine," and "new cloth for the new garment."

"In vain I turned, in weary quest,

Old pages, where-God give them rest!—

The poor Creed-mongers dreamed and guessed,
And still I prayed, 'Lord, let me see

How Three are One, and One is Three!
Read the dark riddle unto me!'

"Then something whispered, 'Do'st thou pray
For what thou hast? This very day
The Holy Three have crossed thy way.

Do not the gifts of sun and air

To good and ill alike, declare

The all-compassionate Father's care?

In the white soul that stoops to raise
A lost soul from its evil ways,

Thou seest the Son, whom angels praise !
The still small voice that spoke to thee-
The bodiless Divinity-

Is the Holy Spirit's mystery!

"In Love, and Sacrifice, and Grace,
The Trinity stands before thy face!
"T is thus in this and every place,-
The Father, seen in rain and sun :
The Christ, in good for evil done :
The Voice Within,-the Three are One!'

XXXIX.-QUESTIONS OF CRITICISM AND THEIR ANSWERS. The author, in penning this section in particular, is certain that he will meet with violent outcries from the traditionally "orthodox." From those hopeless ones, especially, belonging to that class of "scribes and pharisees" who exclaimed to Jesus," Art thou greater than our father Abraham? Whom makest thou thyself?"-these violent outcries are certain to come. The old reply of Jesus and of all the prophets must be returned to them :

"This people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

But to open-eyed, opened-eared, open-hearted objectors and enquirers the following questions with their answers are submitted:

First Question.-Are you not opening yourself to the charge of "Heresy"? Answer.-There are no terrors in this charge, as it has been a familiar one to the author from

"After the way

College and Theological Seminary days. which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers " for these thirty years past.

Second Question.-But are you not reviving "ancient heresies" which were long ago and repeatedly condemned? Answer.-Yes; but it is always in order "to move a reconsideration."

Third Question.-But are you not disregarding the injunction of Jesus, "Put not new wine into old bottles. Sew not new cloth upon an old garment"? Answer.—Temporary expedients are always allowable, and sometimes are advisable. Till the new bottles are made, it is wise to tie up the old "wine-skins" as best one can; till the new garments are patterned and prepared, it is necessary to patch up the old. This, however, not as a finality, but only as a makeshift.

Jesus himself and his apostles used nearly all of the outworn forms, formularies, and symbols of the Jews with an entirely new meaning. For three centuries the "orthodox party, with their Judaizings as to circumcision, bloody-sacrifices, priestly-successions, temple-worship, and other such "essentials" and "essential meanings," was overwhelmingly uppermost in the Christian Church. St. Paul fought an almost single-handed battle with them throughout his entire life; insisting upon using the old forms, formularies, and symbols in a new and rational way. After his death, St. Paul's successors of like spirit and method rapidly increased and finally prevailed. Then, but not till then, the new wine was put into new bottles; the new garments were made out of new cloth. The same was the case at the time of the Protestant Reformation,—that beginning of the Renascence of Christianity. Two centuries before Luther, individual priests and saintly scholars began to use, and to insist upon using, old forms, formularies, and symbols, with meanings entirely new. Till Protestantism was a fact, organized and established, this rational use of irrational rituals, creeds, and sacraments was persisted in by individuals; till, at length, the various corporate bodies of Protestantism were com

pelled to accept the rational meanings and adopt new forms of ritual, creeds, and sacraments appropriate to them. So has it been ever, and everywhere, and in all classes of reforms. Never an abrupt transit from the old to the new; but gradual changes-first in the spirit, then in the letter. Not revolution but reform is the meaning of Renascent Christianity; Christianity springing up into renewed life, and the renewed life, in due time, assuming its appropriate forms-re-forming itself. In this view of the matter our next question may be very briefly answered.

Fourth Question.-Are you not inconsistent-indeed, a sort of hypocrite-to remain officially, or even nominally, connected with a religious body which almost unanimously adheres to the old spirit as well as letter of its beliefs? Answer.-Reform comes never except through the agency of self-consecrated, self-forgetting reformers, who are inside the needing-to-be-reformed religious body; and who insist upon the right to remain inside, as long as free interpretation and free speech are granted them. "Give me a platform upon which to stand, and I will shake the world," said Archimedes. But there is no platform given-in the present life-except inside the world. When we are driven out, then of course we must go!

Fifth Question.-But why not wait for councils, conventions, or authorized committees, of the great religious bodies to do the "tying-up" and the "patching," if they so much need to be done? "By what authority doest thou these things?" Answer. One of the best known, most scholarly, most saintly, and venerable of the clergymen of America has recently given a reply to this always and everywhere proffered question-proffered especially by the "scribes and pharisees, hypocrites," who always "urge it vehemently.'

"Always there is the same danger when you trust to priests and Levites instead of bidding every man testify for the truth. The priest goes on his side of the way on his decorous journey. The Levite goes on his. It is the outside Samaritan who listens to the voice of God. The Mormon Church of yesterday, or the Roman Catholic Church of