51 
communication of any amount of additional light. So far as 
philosophy has entered on these subjects, it returns an answer 
in favour of Christianity with no ambiguous voice. 
19 On the second subject the experience oi the past 
enabies us to return a most definite answer. However the 
principles of an elevated moral law may have commended 
themselves to an individual philosopher, he felt himself power- 
less to demonstrate them by such convincing reasonings as 
could carry persuasion to inferior minds, that they were the 
principles which ought to regulate human life. One or two 
philosophers may have approximated to a doctrine “ the 
universal brotherhood of mankind, but tbe hint of it fell dead 
on the exclusive selfishness of the masses. 
20. On the third and more important point, the testimony 
of the past is of a still more decisive character. lhe 
most elevated moralist was fully conscious that he possessed 
no moral force of sufficient potency to enforce the moral law, 
the obligation of which he recognized, even on himselt. Ihis 
philosophy has admitted in terms of the most definite character. 
The philosopher felt within him the presence of an antagonistic 
• force which he earnestly sought a power capable of coercing ; 
and, although he tried many expedients, he found it not 
The lower portions of his nature stood out in rebellion against 
the higher ones. With forces inadequate to enforce the 
moral law, even on himself, as regards the millions oi 
mankind he felt himself utterly powerless. With respect to 
them, let it never be forgotten that the voice of ancient 
philosophy is one of hopeless despair, and that the doctrine oi 
the ultimate and gradual perfectibility of mankind has only 
found a place in philosophic systems since Christianity has 
appeared. One fact is worth a thousand theories. Not only was 
this despair broadly expressed by ancient philosophy ; but the 
thought of preaching his own elevated system of morality to the 
vulgar, and enforcing it on them, never occurred as a possi- 
bility to any of the philosophers, and would have only provoked 
a smile. The nearest approach to an attempt to do so is the 
case of Socrates ; but his real efforts were directed to collect- 
ing around him a number of the most gifted youths, lhe 
only hope which philosophy could suggest with respect to the 
vulgar was in political legislation. If the public could be 
only persuaded to entrust the entire reconstruction of society 
into her hands, she would institute a system of training by 
the aid of the coercive power, and try to exert the power o 
habituation in favour of virtue. The views of the philosopher, 
however, were modest, for he only proposed to try this 
experiment in a small republic, on the Grecian model, con- 
e 2 
