68 To Those who have, more is given. CHAP. 



where man meets God alone. And what is most 

 prominent in the purely spiritual domain, is a further 

 development of the truth that progress begins from 

 individuals. It is best expressed in the words of 

 the greatest moral Teacher whom the world has ever 

 seen or ever can see : " Whosoever hath, to him 

 shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but 

 whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away 

 even that which he hath." l This is expressed in 

 the language of our theory by saying that moral 

 and spiritual improvement tend to continue on the 

 same lines whereon they have begun. This saying 

 was a favourite one with Our Lord. He once 

 repeated it with the variation, "Whosoever hath 

 not, from him shall be taken away even that which 

 he thinketh he hath (or, seemeth to have)." 2 



Thus we learn from the organic world and the 

 world of human society, that progress does not 

 begin with any action either by the mass, or (directly 

 upon the mass, but with individuals; and we find 

 that in the spiritual world this tendency is not 

 counteracted but strengthened. 



Such are the facts and laws of nature. But man 

 appears to have much difficulty in reconciling himself 

 to them. Most nations, in most periods of their 

 history, have been busy in constructing or main- 

 taining barriers of restriction, "protection," and 

 privilege, against the healthful and beneficent action 

 of competition and freedom. And there appears to 



1 Matt. xiii. 12. 2 Luke viii. 18, Revised Version. 



