Every one has heard of the king who wished he had been present at the creationof the world, that he might have given good advice. He was humble, however,compared with those who profess to understand not only the relation of theCreating to the created, but also how the Creating is constituted. And yetthis transcendent audacity, which thinks to penetrate the secrets of thePower manifested through all existence -- nay, even to stand behind thatPower and note the conditions to its action -- this it is which passes currentas piety! May we not affirm that a sincere recognition of the truth thatour own and all other existence is a mystery absolutely beyond our comprehension,contains more of true religion than all the dogmatic theology ever written?
Meanwhile let us recognize whatever of permanent good there is in thesepersistent attempts to frame conceptions of that which cannot be conceived.
From the beginning it has been only through the successive failures of suchconceptions to satisfy the mind, that higher and higher ones have been graduallyreached; and doubtless, the conceptions now current are indispensable astransitional modes of thought. Even more than this may be willingly conceded.
It is possible, nay probable, that under their most abstract forms, ideasof this order will always continue to occupy the background of our consciousness.
Very likely there will ever remain a need to give a shape to that indefinitesense of an Ultimate Existence, which forms the basis of our intelligence.
