THE EPOCH OF FAITH 13 



until the whole, or at least a large majority, shall become per- 

 fect. Do not think I intend to be a champion of crime, I only 

 want my reader to grasp that as both are equal necessities of 

 evolution, while we do our utmost to retard vice, and encourage 

 virtue ; we must in future realise that the height of virtue is 

 to be as lenient as possible to the sins of our neighbours, and 

 in place of the bigoted idea that the sinner is to be despised 

 and converted, to substitute the more enlightened one that sin 

 is a necessity, but that we must eradicate crime by stopping 

 the criminals recreating criminals and failures, and punishing 

 them by taking away their freedom and making them work 

 for the good of the weak and unfortunate. 



It is a law of Nature that evil must attain to per- 

 fection before good can come of it, so that evolution becomes 

 perfect in its own vice before it gives birth to the new virtue of 

 the next evolution in order of sequence which is about to evolve. 

 Each age must aim at a higher ideal than the one that pre- 

 ceded it, and it is only bigotry to demand that what have 

 been the religious or social convictions of the past are to be 

 and must remain the beliefs of the future. Both religion and 

 society must be prepared to advance with evolution as well 

 as science. The aim of creation is to fit mankind to 

 become a perfect likeness of God in his soul, and the way one 

 person can work out his salvation may be the opposite to that 

 which saves his neighbour. The higher the ideals we can 

 evolve, no matter how opposed they may be to our past beliefs, 

 the more rapidly will we hasten the gradual return of the 

 attributes of His Infinity which God has withdrawn to evolve 

 creation. 



In the first book of my Treatise I have endeavoured to 

 explain the meaning of the Tables of the Trinity and what they 

 contain, and bring the reader into touch with such abstract 

 ideas as will enable him to divest himself of the meanings that 

 customary uses and narrow-minded restrictions, and the laws, 

 habits and customs of to-day have placed upon their signifi- 

 cance. For if he is to comprehend this mighty subject and 

 realise the important facts that this connection of the Trinity 

 of God with the course of evolution displays to us, he must be 

 able to realise that in a more perfect knowledge of evolution 

 and history of the past stands the finger-post that is to direct 

 mankind on his future march along the road to Immortality. 



