204 Philosophy of Botany. 



turn " to which oven the gods had to bowt That all events in 

 space and times are subject to unimpeachable laws was not 

 understood at all or very imperfectly comprehended. Men 

 had an estimate of the ordinary course of things from a limited 

 experience. To interrupt or to set aside the rules of govern- 

 ment in the physical and ethical world was held to be an undis- 

 puted privilege of the gods. A fear of this power invited ven- 

 eration and worship. A breach in the laws of nature was with 

 them an incontrovertible evidence of divine power. When 

 the silent and undesigned beginnings of the new creed in sal- 

 vation by faith crystallized itself around the person of the 

 great teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, the Redeemer, the legendary 

 Orientalic persuasion was largely called in aid for the accred- 

 iting of his person, and was accepted as an essential part of 

 the first apostolic creed and catechism as composed in the 

 Cathechetical school in Alexandria, where also the first ecclesi- 

 astic or episcopal establishments were organized. 



The study of the historical development of Christianity 

 confirms the sad experience that men will convert into disas- 

 ter what God had bestowed upon them for a blessing, and 

 that ambition and creed will seize upon religion the same ?is 

 they do likewise upon patriotism and every other noble in- 

 spiration. 



The simple teach.ing of pure truth had been estranged from 

 its original designs long before Constantine the Great had 

 raised it to the dignity of the religion of the empire through 

 the organization of the hierarchy, the establishment of dog- 

 matic systems, and the parade of a pompous service, mak- 

 ing it sub^ervient to the wants of government, the enter- 

 tainment of the masses, and the pride of the nobility. By 

 these methods became Christianity completely adapted to step 

 into the place of the old pagan religi(in, and Constantine acted 

 fully in conformity with the spirit of his age when he accepted 

 the new faith. 



These events were absolutely fatal to the maintenance of 

 a spirit of inquiry. Wisdom and learning degenerated, espe- 

 cially in sequel of a totally changed system of education and 

 instruction by conferring the care and supervision over the 

 schools upon the Ciiristian clergy, in opposition to the rhetors 



