44$ Hitman Physiology. 



would be easily and speedily accomplished. High religious 

 motives form the lever, which, resting on the solid fulcrum of a 

 common faith, can move the world. But with twenty fulcrums 

 and antagonistic forces, what can we have but discordant and 

 disorderly action ! 



In the divisions that unhappily exist, and which we should 

 do all in our power to end, I see no way but for the members 

 of each sect or denomination to form their own society. They 

 can scarcely be separated more than they are from their fellow- 

 Christians, and there would be some advantage in the peace of 

 unity even if they were wrong, as of course they must be, some 

 of them, so far as they differ from each other. It would not be 

 convenient to have the members of an otherwise harmonious 

 association filing off every Sunday to different places of worship, 

 with rival preachers striving to convert each other's flocks to 

 their own modes of belief. I cannot believe in the success of 

 any compact social organisation made up of conflicting religi- 

 ous elements; for the more earnest, conscientious, and zealous 

 the people were, the greater the difficulties of such an associa- 

 tion. Where people are indifferent where religion is a mere 

 matter of education and custom, or a polite conformity, it may 

 not so much matter; but when it is a real and important 

 element of life and motive of action, every one can see that 

 religious differences might be very uncomfortable and very 

 disastrous. The rule of prudence then should be one mode of 

 faith for each association every member giving at least, as in 

 some schools, an outward conformity. If this were done, the 

 sad and deplorable religious difficulty might be evaded but 

 every one can see how desirable it is that all such differences 

 should be settled once and forever by the discovery of the true 

 faith, and the true church, and their universal recognition. 



I have barely glanced at what will seem to many the most 

 formidable difficulties in the way of such a social reform as is 

 in evident preparation the depravity of man, and the igno- 



