ECCLESIASTICAL RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT. 819 



tlie same society; and there arise also deputed priests, 

 carrying on the more important of these cults in the different 

 localities. Hence polytheistic priesthoods ; which are made 

 heterogeneous by the greater increase of some than of others. 

 And eventually, in some cases, one so immensely enlarges 

 that it almost or quite excludes the rest. 



While, with the union of simple societies into compound 

 ones, and of these again into do ably compound ones, there 

 go on the growths of priesthoods, each priesthood, differen 

 tiating from others, also differentiates within itself. It 

 develops into an organized whole subordinate to an arch 

 priest, and formed of members graduated in their ranks and 

 specialized in their functions. 



At the same time that an ecclesiastical hierarchy is 

 becoming within itself more closely integrated and clearly 

 differentiated, it is slowly losing that community of 

 structure and function which it originally had with other 

 parts of the body politic. For a long time after he is 

 distinguishable as such, the priest takes an active part, direct 

 or indirect, in war ; but where social development becomes 

 high, what military character he had is almost or quite lost. 

 Similarly with his civil functions. Though during early 

 stages he exercises power as ruler, minister, counsellor, 

 judge, he loses this power by degrees ; until at length there 

 are but traces of it left. 



This development of Ecclesiastical Institutions, which, 

 while it makes the society at large more definitely hetero 

 geneous, shows us increase of heterogeneity within the eccle 

 siastical organization itself, is further complicated by succes 

 sive additions of sects. These, severally growing and 

 organizing themselves, make more multiform the agencies for 

 carrying on religious ministrations and exercising religious 

 control. 



Of course the perpetual conflicts among societies, ending 

 now in unions and now in dislocations, here breaking up old 

 institutions and there superposing new ones, has made the 

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