292 THE REV. H. J. CLARKE ON 
From the foregoing considerations it- may be readily 
inferred that in a scheme of human duties, philosophicall 
planned, precedence willbe given to those which are fulfilled 
directly in the act of consciously repudiating the usurped 
authority which has been exercised by sensual or merely 
psychic inclinations, and of recognizing as supreme the 
obligation to obey with filial trustfulness and love the Father 
of spirits. In the way of truly righteous action, in the only 
course of life and conduct which our highest reason will 
approve as absolutely fitting, no step whatever can be taken 
which has not for its starting point self-consecration to Him. 
“The wisdom from above is first of all pure.” (James iii, 17.) 
In paraphrastic words, such is its character essentially, that, 
at the outset of enquiry touching special features, it is to be 
regarded as excluding everything, of course in thought and 
sentiment as well as outward act, but what is from the 
highest point of view becoming, impurity denoting the 
immediately subjective consequence of any species of 
unseemliness, 
This bemg granted, various weighty questions readily 
suggest themselves. It may occur to us to ask, “ How is the 
inward cleansing, which entire self-consecration presupposes, 
to be wrought?” Anyone who asks this question with a 
view of ascertaining what he ought to do, will doubtless act 
unwisely if he takes no pains to find out whether there be 
some authentic and distmet communication from above which 
gives the answer. But to point out what should come of 
such investigation does not fall within the scope of my 
enquiry, which must necessarily pass over not a little that 1s 
otherwise quite pertinent, and may with reason be believed. 
However, dealing simply from my standpoint with possibilities 
of sentiment respecting what man ought to be, I hold myself 
at liberty to say that anyone may be securely challenged to 
portray a worthier ideal than that which takes the form of 
an immaculate and willing victim, who by some unutterably 
awtul sacrifice of self procures for the unworthy, at whose 
hands he suffers, and whose scorn and hatred he endures 
without complaint, the greatest blessings that can be 
conceived. The evolution of man’s proper sense of duty, 
plainly the effect of supra-sensuous knowledge, tells us of 
some revelation of the Will of God: what, then, is that 
grand ideal, higher still, and by innumerable degrees, above 
conceptions formed by psychic effort, but a revelation of His 
Character? In exercising a transforming influence upon the 
characters of creatures of high rank and noble faculties, but 
