206 SSAYS SCIENTIFIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL. 



the weak and the contemptible and the despised, 

 to do His work in the education of the world. 

 The Hebrews were constantly reminded of this, lest 

 they should assume that they had been chosen for 

 any pre-eminence of theirs over the surrounding 

 nations. 



If, then, they were chosen by God, as Christians 

 believe, to be the vehicle of His revelation of 

 Himself whether it was the first revelation or 

 a restoration of a lost knowledge does not affect 

 the present question it was natural (i.) that the 

 old barbarous, idolatrous, and polytheistic ten- 

 dencies should only gradually give way ; and (ii.) 

 that the new truth should be anthropomorphically 

 conceived. What Mr. Spencer has got to explain 

 is not the existence of anthropomorphism, and 

 the survival of an idolatrous tendency, which no 

 reasonable Christian would deny, but the rapid 

 progress of " deanthropomorphization," and the 

 vigorous protest of the prophets against idol- 

 worship as treason against God. For it is this 

 which has made the otherwise utterly insignificant 

 Hebrews of such supreme importance in the history 

 of the world. 



It so happens that, so far as the religion of the 

 Hebrews is concerned, we are not dependent on 

 travellers' tales, but have documentary evidence, 

 which we presume even Mr. Spencer accepts, since 

 he quotes from it when it suits his purpose. It is 



