170 THE WHENCE AND THE WHITHER OF MAN 



in the least. I only trust his love and wisdom as guide 

 of my little life all the more. And shall not the same 

 be true of God though he be king of all worlds and 

 ages ? It becomes unwise and wrong to worship God 

 as the God of might only when we have found that he 

 is a God also of something higher and nobler, of love ; 

 and after we have perceived this fully and worship him 

 as love, we rest in the arms of his infinite power. 



But now that the work has gone thus far, we can see 

 that all development must take place along personal, 

 spiritual lines ; and are compelled to believe in a 

 spiritual cause who knew the end from the beginning. 

 And man's farther progress depends upon his con- 

 formity to this spiritual environment. And what is 

 conformity to the personal element in our environment 

 but likeness to him ? This is my only possible mode 

 of conformity to a person to become like him in word, 

 action, thought, and purpose, and finally in all my be- 

 ing. Very far from a close resemblance we still are. 

 But we are more like him than primitive man was ; 

 and our descendants will resemble him far more close- 

 ly than we. And thus man, conscious of his environ- 

 ment, and that means capable of knowing something 

 about God, knows at least what God requires of him, 

 namely, righteousness, love, and likeness to himself ; or, 

 as the old heathen seer expressed it, "to do justly, love 

 mercy, and walk humbly before God." Man is and 

 must be a religious being. And he conforms con- 

 sciously. Thus to be more like God he must know 

 more about him, and to know more about him he 

 must become more like him. The two go hand in 

 hand, and by mutual reaction strengthen each other. I 

 will not enter into the most important question of all, 



