﻿40 
  THE 
  UNFATHOMED 
  UNIVERSE 
  

  

  scendental 
  concepts; 
  its 
  aim 
  does 
  not 
  include 
  attempting 
  to 
  

   give 
  ultimate 
  explanations. 
  

  

  Religion 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  as 
  the 
  orienting 
  of 
  our 
  life 
  

   towards 
  the 
  True, 
  the 
  Beautiful, 
  and 
  the 
  Good. 
  But 
  this 
  

   does 
  not 
  grip 
  ; 
  it 
  leaves 
  out 
  the 
  essential 
  the 
  mystical 
  ele- 
  

   ment. 
  Religion 
  in 
  essence 
  always 
  implies 
  a 
  recognition 
  

   practical, 
  emotional, 
  and 
  intellectual 
  of 
  a 
  higher 
  or 
  deeper 
  

   order 
  of 
  reality 
  than 
  is 
  reached 
  in 
  sense-experience. 
  It 
  means 
  

   the 
  recognition 
  of 
  an 
  unseen 
  universe, 
  which 
  throws 
  light 
  on 
  

   the 
  riddles 
  of 
  the 
  observed 
  world 
  a 
  light 
  which 
  may 
  give 
  

   aid. 
  In 
  the 
  scientific 
  light 
  of 
  common 
  day 
  are 
  seen 
  the 
  

   hosts 
  of 
  the 
  Assyrians 
  encompassing 
  the 
  city; 
  the 
  opened 
  

   religious 
  eye 
  sees 
  the 
  mountains 
  crowded 
  with 
  the 
  chariots 
  

   of 
  God. 
  

  

  But 
  let 
  us 
  quote 
  an 
  authority. 
  Prof. 
  D. 
  S. 
  Cairns 
  writes 
  

   (1918, 
  p. 
  21) 
  : 
  " 
  Religion 
  is, 
  fundamentally, 
  on 
  the 
  human 
  

   side, 
  man's 
  protest 
  and 
  appeal 
  to 
  the 
  Supreme 
  against 
  the 
  

   sorrows, 
  indignities, 
  and 
  sins 
  of 
  this 
  present 
  world. 
  It 
  is 
  

   the 
  endeavour 
  of 
  man, 
  through 
  that 
  appeal, 
  to 
  unite 
  him- 
  

   self 
  with 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  that 
  unseen 
  and 
  ruling 
  world, 
  and 
  so 
  

   to 
  win 
  the 
  power 
  from 
  it 
  to 
  dominate 
  and 
  transmute 
  the 
  

   life 
  of 
  time. 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  in 
  essence, 
  religion, 
  on 
  the 
  

   human 
  side, 
  is 
  simply 
  the 
  sustained 
  endeavour 
  to 
  meet 
  this 
  

   great 
  human 
  problem 
  of 
  the 
  destroying 
  Nature 
  and 
  the 
  

   struggling 
  personality. 
  All 
  religions 
  have 
  this 
  at 
  their 
  heart. 
  

   They, 
  one 
  and 
  all, 
  start 
  from 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  faith 
  in 
  an 
  unseen 
  

   world 
  which 
  is 
  mightier 
  than 
  the 
  world 
  of 
  sense 
  and 
  time, 
  

   and 
  which 
  is 
  either 
  already 
  friendly 
  or 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  friendly 
  

   to 
  the 
  worshippers." 
  He 
  goes 
  on 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  in 
  all 
  religions 
  

   there 
  may 
  be 
  recognised 
  three 
  great 
  constant 
  elements 
  the 
  

   conception 
  of 
  an 
  unseen 
  ruling 
  world, 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  

   supreme 
  good 
  which 
  the 
  worshipper 
  may 
  derive 
  from 
  Heaven 
  

  

  