REV. JAMES MARTINEAU AND BELFAST ADDRESS. 231 



diminish by a pang the bloody combats of the animal 

 world. But it does add the glow of religious emo- 

 tion to the human soul, as represented by Mr. Mar- 

 tineau. Beyond this I defy him to go; and yet he 

 rashly it might be said petulantly kicks away the 

 only philosophic foundation on which it is possible for 

 him to build his religion. 



He twits incidentally the modern scientific inter- 

 pretation of nature because of its want of cheerfulness. 



* Let the new future,' he says, ' preach its own gospel, 

 and devise, if it can, the means of making the tidings 

 glad. 9 This is a common argument : * If you only knew 

 the comfort of belief ! ' My reply \s that I choose the 

 nobler part of Emerson, when, after various disenchant- 

 ments, he exclaimed, ' I covet truth ! ' The gladness 

 of true heroism visits the heart of him who is really 

 competent to say this. Besides, 'gladness' is an emo- 

 tion, and Mr. Martineau theoretically scorns the emo- 

 tional. I am not, however, acquainted with a writer 

 who draws more largely upon this source, while mis- 

 taking it for something objective. 'To reach the 

 Cause,' he says, ' there is no need to go into the past, 

 as though being missed here, He could be found there. 

 But when once He has been apprehended by the proper 

 organs of divine apprehension, the whole life of 

 Humanity is recognised as the scene of His agency.' 

 That Mr. Martineau should have lived so long, thought 

 so much, and failed to recognise the entirely subjective 

 character of this creed, is highly instructive. His 



* proper organs of divine apprehension ' given, we 

 must assume, to Mr. Martineau and his pupils, but 

 denied to many of the greatest intellects and noblest 

 men in this and other ages lie at the very core of his 

 emotions. 



In fact, it is when Mr. Martineau is most purely 



