THE RELATION OF SEMITICS TO RELIGION 71 



through all the persecutions of hate. A doubt of man's religious 

 nature in the face of these clamant facts in the history of this one 

 people would be the supremest paradox of thought. But Jewish 

 literature does not stand alone in this respect; the religion of Baby- 

 lonia has lifted her books of common clay out of the category of 

 things common and unclean. Her myths and epics, her hymns and 

 prayers, furnish us with the finest specimens of her literary art. The 

 stylus was of priestly invention. The "king's ear was enlarged" 

 by Nebo and Tashmit, and the nishik dupsharuti, the excellent art 

 of tablet- writing by which the wisdom of Nebo was recorded, was the 

 gift of the gods. 



Go to India. There we find a literature that is nothing less than 

 wonderful, immense in quantity and rich in quality. Beginning with 

 the Mantras, almost two thousand years before Christ, with a grand 

 collection of over one thousand selected hymns known as the Rig- 

 Vedas, followed by three other Vedas, it continues down to that 

 comparatively modern body of doctrine known as the Puranas or 

 Traditions. Between this oldest and youngest collection there lie the 

 Brahmanas and Sutras. We have epic and philosophy, ethics and 

 law, brilliant teaching, which, in many an instance, is capable of 

 throwing unsuspected rays of light upon hard problems that lie 

 near to the human heart. What is the great distinguishing note' 

 sounding through all this vast body of literature? What was its 

 inspiration and to what end is it primarily addressed? If we must 

 give answer in one word, that word must be Religion. 



It would be idle to point to Greek literature or to any other for' 

 further confirmation. As the best of Greek art looked toward the gods, 

 so the highest reaches of Greek literature were attained along the 

 ascents of religious thought. 



We assume then with our subject that religion is natural to man. 

 It is an essential and necessary part of human life. It gives to itself, 

 moreover, public expression wherever men live together in social 

 organization; but it has its origin in individuals who become socially 

 related in religious thought or expression. I do not mean to affirm 

 that every individual has a religious nature, though any other con- 

 clusion with respect to the normal man seems difficult. All peoples, 

 and almost all individuals, have a language and the power of spe'ech, 

 have vision and are able to discriminate colors, yet here and there 

 a man is color-blind, or one is dumb. Such a man is said to be defect- 

 ive; the same reasoning must apply in the sphere of religion. Man 

 apparently can no more escape from religion than he can escape from 

 himself. And now, further, these last observations lead to another 

 view which stands in noteworthy contrariety to that which is pre- 

 vailingly held. Religion is not of the church. This great fact, which 

 is inherent in the nature of man and grows up out of his nature in 



