166 GENERAL EYOLUTIOK 



and murder express their mutual relations. This is the history of 

 the lowest grade of barbarism, and the history of primeval man so 

 far as it has come down to us in sacred and profane records. Man 

 as a species first appears in history as a sinful being. Then a race 

 maintaining a contest with tlie prevailing corruption and exhibit- 

 ing a higher moral idea is presented to us in Jewish history. Fi- 

 nally, early Christian society exhibits a greatly superior condition 

 of things. In it polygamy scarcely existed, and slavery and war 

 were condemned. But jorogress did not end here, for our Lord 

 said, *^I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not 

 bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the sj)irit of truth, is come, 

 he will guide you into all truth." 



The progress revealed to us by history is truly great, and if a 

 similar difference existed between the first of the human sj^ecies 

 and the first of whose condition we have information, we can con- 

 ceive how low the oi'igin must have been. History begins with a 

 considerable progress in civilization, and from this we must infer 

 a long preceding period of human existence, such as a gradual 

 evolution would require. 



y. Rationale of Moral Development, 



I. Of the Species. — Let us now look at the moral condition of 

 the infant man of the present time. We know his small account- 

 ability, his trust, his innocence. We know that he is free from 

 the law that when he *^ would do good, evil is present with him," 

 for good and evil are alike unknown. We know that until growth 

 has progressed to a certain degree he fully deserves the praise pro- 

 nounced by our Saviour, that "of such is the kingdom of heaven." 

 Growth, however, generally sees a change. We know that the 

 buddings of evil appear but too soon ; the lapse of a few months 

 sees exhibitions of anger, disobedience, malice, falsehood, and 

 their attendants — the fruit of a corruption within not manifested 

 before. 



In early youth it may be said that moral susceptibility is often 

 in inverse ratio to physical vigor. But with growth the more 

 physically vigorous are often sooner taught the lessons of life, for 

 their energy brings them into earlier conflict with the antagonisms 

 and contradictions of the world. Here is a beautiful example of 

 the benevolent principle of compensation. 



1. Innocence and the Fall. — If physical evolution be a reality, 

 we have reason to believe that the infantile stage of human mor- 



