RELIGION AND THE AVERAGE MAN 225 



Every religion, regarded as a body of doctrines Book in 

 and observances, with the special habits of mind 

 and dispositions of the heart which are appropriate Though the 



.... . n t r influence of 



to them, which has ever influenced great masses or the great man 



mankind, is mainly a result of pure democratic action, enormous! ' S 



It is true that in the establishment of the great 



religions of the world another agency has played a 



great part also. In no other sphere has the influence 



of great individuals been so vast and so far-reaching 



as in this. The mere mention of such personages as 



Christ, Buddha, and Mahomet will make us realise 



that such is the case ; and to these we may add the 



missionaries, saints, and theologians who have spread ye t religions 



and explained the respective gospels entrusted to 



them, and given by their saintly lives examples of 



the value of their teaching. But whilst nowhere is l uch the heart 



*-? of the average 



the power of the few of the very few more man. 

 conspicuous than in the domain of religion, nowhere 

 is the power of the many more conspicuous also. 

 No religion has ever grown, become established, and 

 influenced the lives of men unless its doctrines and 

 its spirit have appealed to those wants of the heart 

 and soul which have been shared, to a degree 

 approximately equal, by all members of the com- 

 munities, nations, or races amongst whom the religion 

 in question has become established. 



The truth of this statement is not in the least Christianity 

 invalidated if we apply it to a religion which we as- thiTfact T 

 sume to have been supernaturally revealed. Indeed, 

 the clearest example of its truth may be found in the 

 phenomenon of Christianity. Whether we attri- 



15 



