THE SABBATH. 29 



nothing, the world and all things therein, whether 

 visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all 

 very good.' Judged from our present scientific stand- 

 point this, of course, is mere nonsense. But the calling 

 of it by this name does not exhaust the question. The 

 real point of interest to me, I confess, is not the cos- 

 mological errors of the Assembly, but the hold which 

 theology has taken of the human mind, and which 

 enables it to survive the ruin of what was long deemed 

 essential to its stability. On this question of ' essen- 

 tials ' the gravest mistakes are constantly made. Save 

 as a passing form no part of objective religion is essen- 

 tial. It is, as already shown, in its nature fluxional. 

 Posterity will refuse to subscribe to the Nicene creed. 

 Religion lives not by the force and aid of dogma, but 

 because it is ingrained in the nature of man. To draw 

 a metaphor from metallurgy, the moulds have been 

 broken and reconstructed over and over again, but the 

 molten ore abides in the ladle of humanity. An influ- 

 ence so deep and permanent is not likely soon to dis- 

 appear ; but of the future form of religion little can 

 be predicted. Its main concern may possibly be to 

 purify, elevate, and brighten the life that now is, 

 instead of treating it as the more or less dismal vesti- 

 bule of a life that is to come. 



The term 6 nonsense,' which has been just applied 

 to the views of creation enunciated by the Westminster 

 Assembly, is used, as already stated, in reference to our 

 present knowledge and not to the knowledge of three 

 or four centuries ago. To most people the earth was 

 at that time all in all ; the sun and moon and stars 

 being set in heaven merely to furnish lamplight to our 

 planet. But though in relation to the heavenly bodies 

 the earth's position and importance were thus exagger- 

 ated, very inadequate and erroneous notions were 



