Social, and Religious Life of Man. 203 



gets its words indeed, btit not their sense,' but ' by soaring 

 and surveying,' or rather by patiently receiving the 

 ' inspiration of the Almighty which giveth under- 

 standing/ 'the creeping and touching processes of the 

 understanding and reason belonging not to the finding, 

 but to the proving and confirming of truth.' Be this as 

 it may, however, of this there need be no doubt that in 

 one way or another the imagination and intellect of man 

 are powers which may justly lay claim to the very 

 highest parentage, even though this be that of the 

 All-wise Creator himself. So that here, no less than in 

 the points which have been already under consideration, 

 man may be rightly regarded as the ' image of God.' 



And even on that side of humanity which lies most 

 in shadow there are features which seem to belong to a 

 Divine Being who is perfect in goodness and truth and 

 justice, and who at the same time is loving to all his 

 works. The likeness here, no doubt, is terribly marred, 

 but it is not to be mistaken. It is far from being that 

 of a fiend very far. Willingly or unwillingly, man is 

 compelled to recognize the rightful supremacy of good- 

 ness and truth and justice and love, and to see, more or 

 less clearly, that he can only be at peace with himself 

 when he acts up to his convictions in this respect. His 

 conscience will not be silenced. In reading the words, 

 ' Thine ears shall hear a voice behind thee saying this is 

 the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand 

 and when ye turn to the left,' he knows full well what is 

 meant. He not only hears this voice, but he recognizes 

 it as the voice of a Ruler to whom he owes allegiance. 

 Nay he is not without hope that brighter days are in 

 store for him in which he will hear the voice more dis- 

 tinctly and obey it more willingly days in which the 

 law in his ' members ' will cease to be at war with the 



