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AN ESSAY 01¢; THEISM Am THE BEST
METHOD OF PROPAGATING IT‘,
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THEEISTIG SELECTIONS FROM THE BIBLE,
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THE.
‘HINDU THEIST’S BROTHERLY GIFT
TO ENGLISH THEISTS,
BEING
AN ESSAY ON THEISM AND THE BEST
METHOD OF PROPAGATING IT,
TO WHICH ARE ADDED
THEISTIC SELECTIONS FROM THE BIBLE.
BY
RAJ NARAIN BOSE,
PRESIDENT OF THE ADI BRAHMO SAMAJ.
PART I.
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“ This man is my kinsman and that man a stranger; so think the narrow-
minded; but to men of large heart the whole world is one family.”
HITOPADESA.
_____+_____
LONDON:
WILLIAMS AND NORGATE,
14, HENRIETTA STREET, OovENT GARDEN, W.G., AND
20, SOUTH FREDERICK STREET, EDINBURGH.
CALCUTTA:
ADI BRAHMO SAMAJ.
1881.
.200
.76»
LONDON :
PRINTED BY “'ERTHEIMER, LEA AND 00.,
CIRCUS PLACE, LONDON WALL.
Q-Hwo viii»?
Denicatiun.
TO
THE UN ITARIAN S OF ENGLAND,
WHOSE CHURCH IS GROWING FROM WITHIN,
THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR.
IN THE HOPE THAT IT MAY AFFORD THEM SOME AID,
HOWEVER FEEBLE,
IN GIVING A CHARACTER TO THEIR CHURCH
MORE CONSONANT TO THE SPIRIT OF THEISM
TO WHICH IT IS TENDING,
AND IN THE ADOPTION OF WHICH THAT TENDENCY MUST
INEVITABLY TERMINATE.
a2
N
ESSAY ON THEISM AND THE BEST MODE
OF PROPAGATING IT.
__._+.___
THEIsM, or, as its name implies, the Religion of the
One God, is the highest developed and the truest
form of religion, admitting of progress in the scien-
tiﬁc and poetical exposition of its doctrines and their
application to the manifold concerns of life.
As Theism is the highest developed and the truest
form of religion, I should ﬁrst deﬁne What religion
is before describing Theism. Religion is the con~
sciousness of a Perfect Being, opposite to imperfect
man, of our absolute dependence on that Being, and
of the existence of a state of Perfect Happiness
opposite to our imperfect existence here on earth.
Nothing can repress man’s yearning after and belief
in the Perfect—the some Being possessing a nature
opposite to his imperfect nature, the some state, op-
posite to his imperfect terrestrial state. A yearning
arises in his mind for a Perfect Being and for a
Perfect State of Existence. This yearning is inva-
riably accompanied by a belief in its object. This
belief and this yearning constitute the essential
elements of religion. “ There is but one religion,”
says Parker, “as there is one ocean.” This remark
6
is quite correct. The truths of religion are few in
number and exceedingly simple. They are the
following :—
1st.-—That all things absolutely depend on an
Absolute Being, that is, a Being who is the Being
of Beings, the Eternal Ground of all existences,
perfect in every respect.
2nd.—--That God is closely related to man and
takes personal interest in him. He reveals reli-
gious truths to him and grants his prayers.
3rd.——That man’s will is free, and that he is
responsible to God for his acts.
4th.--That God is to be worshipped in the best
manner possible.
5th.-—That there is a future state of existence,
that there is distribution of rewards and punish-
ments in that state, and that perfect happiness is
to be found in it.
The above truths are invariably believed by all
mankind.
All men believe that there is a Perfect Being.
The polytheist believes in many Gods, but he
either believes that there is one Supreme Perfect
God, to whom all the other Gods are subordinate,
or that, though the Gods individually are imperfect,
Divine Power in general is perfect.
All men believe that all things depend upon the
Divine Power. The polytheist believes that all
things depend upon the Gods; the monotheist be-
lieves that all things depend upon the One God.
All men believe that all things absolutely depend
7
upon the Divine Power. The polytheist simply
believes that the something divine is the active
power of the universe; it makes the sun shine, the
wind blow, and the ﬁre burn. He has no higher
ideas of absolute dependence, but he still has a
conviction in his mind that all things absolutely
depend upon the Gods. This vague sense of ab-
solute dependence is expressed in his hymns and
prayers. The enlightened monotheist believes that
all things depend so much on the One True God,
that if He separate Himself from the universe, it
will be reduced to nothing.
All men believe that God is perfect, though they
diﬁ'er in their ideas of perfection. The most de-
graded polytheist believes that the possession of
a huge misshapen body, and dominion over the
forest in which he lives, constitutes perfection. He
has no higher ideas of perfection. The enlightened
monotheist believes that formlessness, omnipresence,
eternal existence, the possession of inﬁnite power,
wisdom, and goodness, and dominion over the
whole universe, constitute perfection. Each ascribes
his idea of perfection to the Divine.
All men believe that God is closely related to
man and takes personal interest in him. They
believe that He reveals religious truths to man,
and that He grants his prayers.
All men believe that God should be worshipped
in the best manner possible. The followers of
inferior religions believe that the best mode of
worshipping God is to offer Him ﬂowers and in-
8
cense; and those of superior religions believe that
the best mode of worshipping Him is to love Him
and all mankind, and do the works He loves.
All men have a consciousness that their will is free,
and that they are responsible to God for their acts.
All men believe that there is a future state of
existence; that there is a distribution of rewards
and punishments in that state; and that perfect
happiness, not obtainable in the present state, can
be attained hereafter. The ignorant savage 'be- .
lieves that there is a place beyond the cloud-topped
hill where he will go after death and enjoy perfect
sensual bliss in company with his dog. The en-
lightened religionist believes that he will enjoy
perfect spiritual felicity in a future state resulting
from constant communion with his beloved God.
It is therefore evident that the fundamental
truths of religion mentioned before are universally
believed in by all mankind. Notwithstanding the
mutations in opinion that are taking place on ac~
count of progress in civilization, man cannot shake
off the above beliefs; they are ﬁxed in his nature,
and the cognition of them as truths are inseparable
from his spiritual constitution. The reason that
they are so is that they are known by man by
means of intuition, or the easiest sort of ' inference.
The human mind has a capacity of knowing
I objects that cannot be perceived by the senses, as
it has of knowing such as can be perceived by
them. It has a capacity of knowing hyperphysical
as well as physical obj eots. Myself am not my
9
hands, or my ears, or my nose, or my head, or any
part of myself whichI can perceive with the senses ;
but I am something which I cannot perceive with
them. My friend is not his hands, or his ears, or
his head, or any part of him which I can perceive
with the senses, but something ‘which I cannot per-
ceive with them. As I know myself or my friend,
' so I know God. Myself, my friend, and my God,
are hyperphysical realities. Hyperphysical exist-
ences are as much objects of knowledge as physical
ones. Intuition and inference enable us to know
hyperphysical objects as well as physical objects.
If we can trust the mind’s capacity of knowing
physical objects, there is no possible reason to dis-
trust his capacity of knowing hyperphysical ob-
jects.
With the above prefatory observations, I proceed
to shew that the fundamental truths of religion are
known by man by means of intuition or the easiest
sort of inference.
Man cannot but believe in a First Cause of all
things. As he intuitively believes in an external
world, and in the existence of a soul, so he in—
tuitively believes in a First Cause upon whom
external world and soul depend. As the truths
that the external world exists and that soul exists
require no logical demonstration, so the truth that the
something exists upon which the external world and
soul depend, requires no logical demonstration. I
As in the case of the external world and the soul
the conviction is irresistible that they are imperfect,
10
so in the case of the Being upon whom both the
external world and the soul depend, the conviction
is irresistible that He is perfect, and that perfection
among other attributes must include perfect intel-
ligence. The Being upon whom both external world
and soul depend must be a perfectly intelligent Being.
As it requires no demonstration to prove that we
depend on other beings than God, so it does not
require any logical demonstration to prove that we
depend upon God. As it does not require any
demonstration to prove that we depend in a com-
parative degree on other beings, so it does not
require any demonstration to prove that we depend
absolutely on the Perfect Being. As in the case of
our dependence on other beings than God, the
sense that such dependence is comparative is irre-
sistible, so in the case of God, the sense that our
dependence on Him is absolute is irresistible.
As it does not require any logical demonstration
to prove that other intelligent beings, such as our
teachers or governors, communicate instruction to
us or grant our prayers, so it does not require any
logical demonstration to prove that the Perfectly
Intelligent Being communicates religious truths to
us and grants our prayers.
It does not require any logical demonstration to
prove ‘that the Being upon whom we absolutely
depend is to be worshipped, and His favor gained
for the attainment of perfect happiness.
That our will is free requires also no demon-
stration; it is a simple fact of consciousness. We
11
can change our will as often as we like, and act
accordingly. This makes us conscious that we are
free, and responsible to God for our acts.
Our consciousness tells us that what we call “ I,”
or in other words the soul, is distinct from the body.
The easiest inference from this fact of consciousness
is, that the soul does not perish with the body, and
that there is a future state of existence.
The moral sense, implanted by God in the human
breast, leads man to infer that He approves of
virtue and disapproves of vice, and that He will
reward virtue and punish vice in a future state of
' existence.
As there is a natural provision for the gratiﬁ-
cation of every want of ours, such as food for the
gratiﬁcation of hunger, water for the gratiﬁcation
of thirst, etc., so there must be a natural provision
for the gratiﬁcation of our desire for perfect happi-
ness. But as perfect happiness cannot be found on
earth, the easiest inference from this fact is that it
is to be obtained in a future state of existence.
As there is no difference of opinion between the
Theist and the followers of other religions about
the forementioned fundamental truths of religion, I
shall not, for the satisfaction of a few sceptics and
semi-sceptics, who happen to differ from the gener—
ality of mankind, enter here into the philosophy of
the subject and attempt to show, as I have done in
my work the Dharmatattwadzptka, or the “Lamp of
Religious Knowledge,” that they are as much de-
serving of our belief, as much positive, as the truths
12
of physical science, or those truths a belief in which
is implied by the daily actions of life, which the
sceptic as much as the Theist must perform. I
therefore hasten to the doctrines that Theism
establishes upon these fundamental truths. These
doctrines are so consonant to reason that there is
agreement also between most men and the Theist
in a belief in most of them.
The doctrine which Theism establishes on the
truth that God is perfect is that He is one only,
without a second, formless, eternal, omnipresent
and endowed with inﬁnite power, wisdom and good-
ness. If God have an equal or superior, He cannot
be a perfect being. We cannot therefore say that
God has an equal or superior. If He have a form
He must be a limited being. We cannot therefore
say that God has a‘form. Since He is a perfect being
He must have power, wisdom, and goodness, for
without these attributes, there can be no perfection.
Since He is a perfect Being He must be endowed
with these attributes in an inﬁnite degree, that is
with inﬁnite power, wisdom and goodness, as ﬁnite
power, wisdom, and goodness do not constitute per-
fection.
The doctrine which Theism establishes on the
truth that God is closely related to man and takes
personal interest in him is that He is our Father, '
Mother, Friend and Saviour. It says that man as
the son of God has free access to Him and that He
requires no mediator to assist him in obtaining God.
Another man cannot give him any more assistance
I
13
than what can be expected from an elder brother
in obtaining God.
The doctrine which Theism establishes on the
truth that God reveals religious truth to man is
that He reveals such truths to all mankind and not
to particular men. Theism says that as there is a
natural provision for all mankind for the gratiﬁca-
tion of _ every other want, so there is a natural
provision for all mankind for the gratiﬁcation of
their spiritual wants. God reveals religious truths
to all men. We must test external revelation
by internal revelation. If a man, through superior
knowledge, work what appear to us to be miracles,
and if he instruct us to lie and steal, we cannot
accept him as the medium through whom God
reveals religious truths to us. It is, therefore,
evident that external revelation is superﬂuous, and
that our internal consciousness is the only medium
through which God reveals religious truths to all
mankind. This revelation is not conﬁned to a par-
ticular man or men, but is made by the all~merciful
God to all men more or less according to the re-
ligious capacity of each.
The doctrine which Theism establishes on the
truth that God. grants the prayers of man is that
He grants those prayers of ours which He thinks
proper to grant, and does not grant those which He
thinks improper to grant, but He invariably grants
those which are for spiritual gifts.
The doctrine which Theism establishes on the truth
that there is a distribution of rewards and punish-
l4
ments in a future state of existence is that that
reward is not sensual bliss, and that punishment
is not bodily chastisement. The reward consists
in self-satisfaction arising from conscious virtue, and
the punishment in remorse for past sins. Punish-
ment instead of being vindictive is remedial. God
punishes us, not with a view of taking revenge upon
us for having dishonoured Him by disobeying His
commandments, but to set us free from sin. Punish-
ment cannot be eternal. The justice of God leads
us to think that He will not award us inﬁnite
punishment for ﬁnite sin. The mercy of God also
leads us to think that He will not award us inﬁnite
punishment for ﬁnite sin. The soul, after being pun-
ished for its sins, will be again put in the way of
self-improvement and the attainment of happiness.
The doctrine which Theism establishes on the
truth that there is a state of perfect happiness in a
future state of existence is that that state of exist-
ence cannot be called perfect which is not pro-
gressive and does not admit of new scenes of felicity
opening on the soul. The progressive character of
the world leads us also to think that the soul will
go on progressing and progressing through eternity,
ever approaching God, but never reaching Him.
The soul’s progress will consist in the ever-increas-
ing character of its knowledge and love of God.
The doctrines of Theism can be summed up in the
following formulae :--
(1.) The Entirely Natural Origin of our Reli-
gious Knowledge.
15
(2.) The Existence of God.
(3.) The Inﬁnity of God.
(4.) The Fatherhood, the Motherhood, and the
Friendhood of God.
(5.) The Nearness of God to Man.
(6.) The Freewill of Man.
(7.) The Love of God and Doing the works He
loves.
(8.) The Existence of a Future State.
(9.) The Distribution of Rewards and Punish-
ments in that State.
(10.) Satisfaction of mind arising from con-
sciousness of virtue is Heaven, and remorse is Hell.
(11.) The Remedial Character of Divine Punish-
ment.
(12.) The Eternal Progress of the Human Soul.
After showing the foundation and the truthfulness
of the doctrine of Theism and embodying them in
comprehensive formulae, I now proceed to give a
brief exposition of them.
God is the Creator and the Preserver of the
universe. From Him all things have proceeded,
and in Him do all things live. All things depend
on His present will. He is omnipresent, eternal,
formless, inﬁnitely powerful, inﬁnitely wise, and
inﬁnitely good. He is our Father, Mother, Friend,
Saviour, and Redeemer. He gives us food for the
subsistence of our bodies and wisdom for the
nourishment of our souls, and grants those prayers
of ours which He thinks it proper to grant, and not
those which He thinks it improper to grant, but
16
invariably those which are for spiritual gifts. Man’ s
will is free; he is responsible to God for his acts;
God is to be worshipped with love. He is dearer-
than son, dearer than wealth, dearer than all other
things. The true lover of God always does the
works which He loves. The soul of man is im-
mortal, and there is a distribution of rewards and
punishments in a future state, but that punish-
ment is remedial. Satisfaction arising from con-
sciousness of virtue is Heaven, and remorse. Hell.
The soul, after being punished for its sins, is again
put in the way of progress. It goes on progressing
and progressing in love and knowledge of God
through eternity, ever approaching but never
reaching Him.
If I were to describe Theism in one word, it
would be the word Love. Theism can be divided
into—ﬁrstly, a belief in the love of God to His
creatures; secondly, our love of God; thirdly, doing
the works He loves. It was love that created the
world. God wanted to diffuse happiness to other
beings, and He created the world. It is God’s love
that still preserves the world. It is love of God to
man that makes Him take personal interest in him.
It is love of God to man that entitles Him to the
appellations of Father and Friend. It is the love of
God to man that makes Him near and easily acces-
sible to man. It is the love of God to man that
leads Him to grant his prayers and reveal religious
truth to him. It is the love of God to man that
leads Him to promote the progress of his soul in a
17
future state. It is an instinctive love of God that
ﬁrst draws man towards God. It is like the love of
the new-born being for the honey in the ﬂower
which it has not yet tasted. It is love of God that
makes him perform the works which God loves.
Morality is nothing but love. What does morality
‘ say? Morality says, Love your neighbours, love
your country, love the world, love the right. Love
also implies knowledge. As we cannot love a friend
if we do not know his merits, so if we do not know
the perfections of God which constitute His love-
liness, how can we love Him ‘P If we do not know
what is right, how can we love the right? Love
therefore implies knowledge. All religion therefore
is included in the word “ love.” What is leading a
religious life but leading a life of love? Thinking
love, speaking love, acting love, diffusing an atmo-
sphere of love around us.
Theism is the best exponent of the fundamental
truths of religion which are the common property
of the whole human race. Morell concludes his
treatise named “ The Philosophic Tendencies of
the Age,” with the remark :——“ The ﬁnal appeal for
the truth which philosophy embodies must be to
the universal reason, the common consciousness of
mankind.” The tendency of religion also is in the
same direction. Its tendency is now to reveal
itself in its true character as based on the uni-
versal consciousness of mankind. Theists have
been charged with making self as the standard
of religious truth, but how can this charge be
B
18
properly brought against them when the universal
belief of mankind is the basis of their religion?
Theism is the highest developed and the truest
form of religion. Each form of religion played its
part of interpreting the fundamental (truths of
religion to mankind. Each form of religion suc-
ceeded in some degree in serving as such inter-
preter, and failed also in a certain degree. ' Theism
proves to be the best interpreter of those truths.
Theism as such interpreter embodies in itself the
truths of all other religions, not that it has pur-
posely sat down to construct an eclectic religion
out of the old religions, but that, unconsciously
fulﬁlling its task of being the correctest interpreter
of the fundamental truths of religion, the correct
interpretations given by other religions cannot but
reappear in its own. As Theism contains the truths
of all other religions, as it is the only true religion
unmixed with errors and absurdities, and is there-
fore worthy of acceptance by all mankind, and as it
admits the whole of humanity to a participation
in its beneﬁts, it is called the Universal Religion.
After describing the theory and practice of
Theism, I now proceed to treat of its essential
characteristics. These characteristics are 2-—
(1.) Its truthfulness.
Its simplicity.
(3.) Its catholicity.
(4.) Its spirituality.
(5.) Its harmonious character.
(6.) Its sublimity.
19
(7.) Its sweetness.
(8.) Its utility.
(9.) Its humility.
(10.) Its progressive nature.
(11.) Its friendly demeanour towards other re-
ligions.
(12.) Its benign but effective mode of propa-
gation.
The ﬁrst essential characteristic of Theism is its
truthfulness. It does not stand on the authority of
a single individual, but upon the ﬁrm rock of the
common consciousness or universal reason of all
mankind, the only medium through which God
reveals religious truth to man. Its scripture is the
creation; its teacher God. It is pure truth, not
mixed with errors and absurdities as other religions
of the world are. In_ this respect, it is the express
image of Him who has been called in the Vedas the
Truth of Truth—the Great Abode of Truth.
The next essential characteristic of Theism is its
simplicity. Its truths fall in with the universal‘
belief of man, and are so simple that they can
be understood by men of superior as well as
inferior intellects.
The next essential characteristic of Theism is its
catholicity. It does not believe that truth is con-
ﬁned within the narrow circle of a party or sect.
It believes that religious truth is to be found more
or less in the scriptures of all nations and the
writings of the pious men of all ages and countries.
Theism does not tell us to love only our own nation,
13 2
20
but‘ all mankind—only our own nation the more.
It does not make any such distinction as the Greeks
of old did between the Greek and the Barbarian,
or as the Hindu does between the Hindu and the
Mlechchha, but admits the whole of humanity to a
participation of its beneﬁts, which as the air of the
heaven it imparts to all mankind. It does not believe
that God loves one particular nation, or the followers
of a particular religion, in exclusion of other nations
or the followers of other religions, but that in every
nation or religious denomination he who loves Him
and does the works He loves is accepted with Him.
It, however, believes that one path to God is
straighter than another.
The next essential feature of Theism is its ex-
tremely spiritual character. It does not believe
that a particular time or particular place is neces-
sary for the worship of God. It believes whenever
the mind is concentrated upon God, in that time
and that place should He be worshipped. It be-
lieves that there is no particular place of pilgrimage
upon the earth. The company of the righteous is
its only place of pilgrimage. It does not believe
that the offering of ﬂowers and fruits is necessary
for the worship of God. The flowers of love and
adoration, and the fruits of good works, are its
only offerings to God. It does not believe in the
especial efficacy of rites and ceremonies. Its rites
and ceremonies are actions promoting the good of
‘mankind. Although it does not believe in the es-
pecial efficacy of rites and ceremonies, it does not
21
at once dispense with them. It does not believe
that lawlessness is religion; it does not believe that
austerities and severe mortiﬁcation of the ﬂesh are
necessary for gaining the favour of God. The re-
straint of the passions is its ‘only austerity. It does
not believe that hard penances are necessary for the
expiation of sin. Sincere repentance is its only ex-
piation. It acknowledges no sacriﬁces. Its only sacri -
ﬁce is that of selﬁshness on the altar of divine love.
The next characteristic feature of Theism is the
harmonious nature of its doctrines. Anent the
subject, I repeat what I have said elsewhere :--~-*
“ Theism is the religion of harmony. It is
neither a religion of frenzy on the one hand, nor a
religion of dull quietism on the other. It is neither
a religion of faith at the expense of works on the
one hand, nor a religion of works at the expense of
faith on the other. It is neither a religion of medi-
tation at the expense of action on the one hand, nor
a religion of action at the expense of meditation on
the other. It is neither a religion of asceticism on
the one hand, nor a religion of worldliness on the
other. It is neither a religion of hard penance and
bodily mortiﬁcation on the one hand, nor a religion
of voluptuous ease on the other. It is neither a
religion of pure knowledge or reason on the one
hand, nor a religion of blind unregulated faith on
the other. It is neither a religion of forms and
ceremonies on the one hand, nor a religion of un-
fettered license without any forms at all on the
\ " “ Brahmic Advice, Caution and Help.”
22
other. It is neither a religion teaching 'men to
depend only upon divine grace on the one hand, nor
‘a religion instructing them to rely upon self-exer-
tion only for the attainment of ‘eternal bliss on the
other. It is neither a religion inculcating undue
reverence to religious teachers on the one hand, nor
a religion teaching total want of the same on the
other. It considers religious blessedness to consist
in a harmonious operation of all our faculties, and
the harmonious discharge of all our duties. It does
- not consider any quality, faculty, feeling, passion,
or appetite given by God to us as unnecessary, but
maintains that it requires only proper regulation to
subserve the temporal and eternal interests of man.‘
From divine communion, down to the practice of
common prudence and the enjoyment of innocent
recreation, it considers the exercise of every human
faculty under proper regulation, and a harmonious
discharge of all our duties, duly subordinated for
the sake of harmony itself, to be true religion. This
law of harmony is the test by which we should ex-
amine whether any religious doctrine really agrees
with Theism. Any doctrine or practice that cannot
stand this test should be rejected as untheistic.”
The next essential characteristic of Theism is the
sublimity of its doctrines. What can be more sub-
lime, more lofty, more transcendental than the ideas
of God entertained by Theism ? In nothing does
this so appear as in the idea entertained by it of
God’s having neither body nor mind. By the word
“mind” here is meant a mind like ours.
23
The next essential characteristic of Theism is its
sweetness. Its peculiar sweetness arises, ﬁrstly,
from its making the love of God the be-all
and the end- all of all religion; secondly, its con-
necting spirit; and thirdly, its ideas of God’s mercy
and justice. It makes the love of God the be-all
and the end-all of religion. Christ, or rather the He-
brew prophets before him, said, “Love thy God with
all thy mind and all thy heart and all thy strength.”
And “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” Here the
Bible makes self the standard of our loving others.
But Theism makes our love of God the principle
from which should ﬂow our love to others. In this
respect as in all others, it is superior to Christianity
and other religions. It is this complete pervasion
of Theism by the spirit of divine love which makes
it so peculiarly sweet. Its connecting spirit also
communicates such sweetness to it. It makes God
near to man, and man near to man. It believes
that God loves man as a father his child, and
is as easily accessible. It considers all men as
brethren, as sons of the same Father. With its
progress, narrow national feeling will disappear,
though of course, nationalities will remain. Man
will become brother to man all over the world.
The following lines of Tennyson very well express
the connecting spirit of Theism:
“For so the whole round earth is, every way,
Bound by gold chains about the foot of God.”
The next cause of the peculiar sweetness of The-
ism is its reconciliation of divine mercy with divine
24
justice. The Christian and Mahomedan religions
say that sinners will be eternally shut up in hell, but
Theism tells us that sinners, after being punished for
their sins, are again put in the way of progress. It
is this realization of the Father’s all-mercifulness
which, in addition to other causes, makes Theism
so particularly sweet in its nature.
The next essential feature of Theism is its utility,
taking the word even in its strict Benthamite sense.
If Theism prevail in the earth, evil customs and in-
stitutions will disappear from it. Theism requires
the harmonious development of the whole man,
and this would necessitate the adoption of an effec-
tive system of education causing such development ;
and what blessings can we not expect from the uni-
versal adoption of such a system of education ? The
prevalence of Theism will diffuse love among the
different nations of the earth and abolish war from
the world.
The next essential characteristic of Theism is its
humility. With regard to its humility towards man
it is worthy of remark that it does not pretend to
know more than what all men know. Its mode of
‘illustration and explanation of the truths of religion
known by all men is of course superior to all other
religions prevailing in the earth, but substantially it
does not pretend to know more than what is revealed
to all mankind by God. In this point of humility,
it is superior to all other religions of the earth.
With regard to its humility toward God, it is to be
observed that it does not pretend to penetrate into
25
His mysteries. He has thrown a screen before our
spiritual vision. What is outside the screen, we
can know. What is behind the screen, we cannot
know. It is sacrilegious on our part to try to lift
up the screen, and to know what is behind it. We
think we succeed in lifting up the screen, but in
reality we cannot do so. The consequences of such
presumption are error, self-contradiction and con-
fusion. What is necessary for our salvation, God
has given us to know. What is unnecessary for our
salvation, He has not given us to know. Perhaps
it is good for us that we should not know more.
Had we seen the ineffable majesty and glory of God
in all its fulness, we would have been, like Semele
in the Grecian fable, reduced to ashes. Had we
seen more vividly the happiness to be enjoyed in a
future state of existence, we would have been at
once disgusted with the present life and become
completely unﬁt for worldly business.
The next essential characteristic of Theism is its
progressive character. Of course there can be no
progress in such doctrines as that God is inﬁnite, or
that the best worship of Him is to love Him and do
the works ‘He loves. But what I mean to say is,
that there will be progress in the scientiﬁc and
poetical exposition of its doctrines, and their appli-
cation to the manifold concerns of life. F. W.
Newman says :—“ When religion shall become a
science, differences of opinion will become less.”
Now, there are great differences of opinion prevail-
ing among mankind about the proper interpretation
26
of the fundamental truths of religion, which are the
common property of the whole human race. But
when these truths shall be scientiﬁcally and systema-
tically explained, such difference will become less.
I have shown in this essay how there are axioms in
religion as in other branches of knowledge, and
how a system of truths can be deduced from those
axioms. But the actual construction of a science
of religion—of this Organon of Organons—--must be
left to a future religious genius, for whom We are
but humbly paving the way.’ We can reasonably
expect the rise of a Newton of religion at some
future period. The especial recommendation of
Theism will be that it will satisfy the intelligent
and the learned portion of mankind by its scientiﬁc
character, and the mass of the people by the sim-
plicity and sweetness of its doctrines. This scientiﬁc
exposition of its doctrines will highly conduce to
its advantage. There will also be progress in the
poetical exposition of them. Poets and preachers
will hereafter appear who will have the inspirational
more than the scientiﬁc element in them, and
illustrate the doctrines of Theism with increasing
beauty and felicity. There will also be progress in
their application to the manifold concerns of life.
If the doctrines of Theism be practically applied to
all concerns of life, society will wear a completely
different aspect from what it does now. But that
progress should be gradual. We should not over‘-
turn society in order to improve it.
The next characteristic feature of Theism is its
'72
friendly demeanour towards other religions. As its
truths are substantially the same with what is
believed in by all mankind, it does not at all bear
a hostile attitude to other religions. It believes
that every form of religion contains some truth in
it, and breathes more or less of divine love. No
religion could have prevailed in the world if it had
not contained some truth in it. What the Persian
poet says, speaking of believers and unbelievers
in Mahomedanism, is quite correct :—“ Discourse
between the believer and the unbeliever at last ter-
minates in one place.” The Sanscrit poet also says,
with great beauty and felicity :—“ Thou, O God,
art the one and the ultimate goal which all men
reach, following diverse paths, straight or devious,
according to their different tastes and inclinations,
as rivers ﬁnd the sea.” Every religion also breathes
of divine love. I cannot better express this senti-
ment than by the following line of another Persian
poet, the lyric poet of Shiraz 2-“ Every place is the
place of divine love, whether a mosque or a church.”
Every religion has some truth in it, but Theism is
the truest of all. Every religion breathes of divine
love, but Theism does so most of all. Theism has
come to fulﬁl the old religions, and not to destroy
them. It has come as a friend and not as an enemy
to the old religions. The true Theist, far from
hating, actually loves the pious of all religious
denominations. He considers that the more a
Christian or a Mahomedan has the spirit of
charity and divine love in him the more he is a
28
Theist. ‘ He considers the pious and virtuous
idolater to be nearer to him than the Theist who
leads aloose, prayerless life. He heartily echoes the
prayer of F. W. Newman :— r
“ Lord! enable us to discern and love Thy ser-
vants, under whatever strange name or false creed
they may be hidden.”
After describing the doctrines and chief charac-
teristics of Theism, I now proceed to treat of the
best means of propagating it among the several
nations of the world, but before doing so, I think
it proper to make the following preliminary obser-
vations.
In a previous portion of this Essay, I have
summed up the doctrines of Theism, in the follow-
ing comprehensive formulas.
(1.) The Entirely Natural Origin of our religious
knowledge.
(2.) The Existence of God.
The Inﬁnity of God.
(4.) The Fatherhood, the Motherhood, and the
Friendhood of God.
(5.) The Nearness of God to man.
(6.) The Free Will of man.
(7.) The Love of God and doing the works He
loves.
(8.) The Existence of a Future State. ,
(9.) The Distribution of Rewards and Punish-
ments in that state.
(10.) Satisfaction of Mind, arising from con-
sciousness of virtue, is Heaven, and remorse Hell.
29
(11.) The Remedial Character of Divine Punish-
ment.
( 12.) The Eternal Progress of the Human Soul.
Although these doctrines constitute what is
ordinarily called Theism, we cannot but reckon
that man to be a Theist who holds negatively that
there is no revelation; no prophets or particular
individuals especially inspired by God; no incarna-
tions of God; no images of Him, and no Gods or
Goddesses whose images are to be worshipped by
man; and, positively, that God is incorporeal and
inﬁnite ; that man’s will is free, that the worship of
God is to love Him and do the works He loves;
that there is a future state; that God is the
rewarder of virtue and punisher of vice. Theism
is gradually expected to diffuse itself through the
world for the reason that men are getting discon-
tented with the old religions which profess to be
revelations from God, but must still have a religion,
as they cannot remain satisﬁed with scepticism on
the one hand, or a barren intellectual Deism on the
other. But as Theism diffuses itself, we cannot
expect that there will not be differences of opinion
among Theists, on non-essential points especially,
when the authority of revelation is not believed in.
When men cannot avoid splitting themselves into
sects, even when they believe in a revelation, such
divisions are more probable when the authority of
revelation is at once cast aside. For instance, some
men may believe in other doctrines than the
cardinal ones mentioned above, and hold them
30
along with those cardinal doctrines; while others
may not believe in them. Some Theists may have
a little partiality towards one of the prevailing
religions, very naturally for the religion in which
they had been born and brought up; while others
may have no such bias. Some Theists may not
hesitate to call themselves followers of the old
religion, for the reason that Theism is in fact the"
old religion, but improved in nature and form in the
course of natural development ‘in the country in
which it prevails; while other Theists would choose
to call it entirely a new religion different from the
old religions. Some Theists may be Conservatives
and others Radicals with respect to social reforma-
tion. The Theists of one nation may not choose to
intermarry with those ‘of another, or even with
those of their own nation who are of inferior social
standing to them, while others would not hesitate
to do so. But in spite of such differences of
opinion, they should all be considered as Theists,
as followers of one religion, and as such, brothers
in the religious, if not, in certain cases, in the social
sense of the term. There should be full toleration
of each other’s opinions in the matter of non-
essentials, if there be unanimity in essentials.
We feel necessitated to make the above observa-
tions by way of preface to the following remarks
on the best means of propagating Theism in order
to prevent misconception of our individual views
on that subject.
Every religion has some truth in it. Theism,
I
31
- somewhat like St. Paul in his address to the Athen-
ians, bases its appeal to a nation on that truth. It
adopts a natural mode of propagation. It adopts
the national name of God, national texts for dis-
courses, and sermons extracted from the national
scriptures, and the national mode of worshipping
God, as well as national rites and ceremonies,
and national customs, as far as they can be retained
consistently with the dictates of reason and con-
science, and the requirements of progressing civili-
zation. What is deﬁcient in the national spiritual
store, it of course supplies by borrowing from other
nations, but it takes care to give a national shape
to what it borrows, as far as practicable. Although
it expresses sympathy with the Theists of other
nations, and encourages them to exert their utmost
to propagate Theism among their respective na-
tions, it exhorts them to maintain strictly the na-
tional aspect of their propagandistic policy, and not
jumble up the form of propagation suited to one
nation with that suited to another.
Agreeably to the above plan, the Theists of every
nation should prepare forms of Church Service con-
taining Theistic prayers taken from the national
Scriptures, as well as such prayers as are entirely
new; a Book of Theistic texts containing selections
from the national Scriptures only ; and a Ritual con-
taining as much of the old forms of such indispen~
sable ceremonies—6.9., marriage—as could be kept
consistently with the dictates .of conscience; such
Service, Ritual and Text-book being, of course, en-
32
tirely of . an un~idolatrous character, avoiding the
taking of the name of any prophet or religious
teacher conjointly with that of the One True God
as mediator between Him and man in any sense of
the word. '
Of these three things—Church Service, Book of
Theistic Texts and Ritual, the author, with a view
to aid his English Theistic brethren in the compila-
tion of a book of Theistic texts, gives, as a sort of
Appendix to this work, Theistic selections from the
Bible, by way of specimen, only how the Theistic
texts spoken of above are to be compiled, leaving
the actual compilation of a Theistic text-book to
them. He would also have given specimens of
forms of Church Service and Ritual; but as he is
ignorant of their actual requirements in this case
he has not ventured to do so. As far as he can
judge, the form of Church Service adopted by the
Rev. Charles Voysey seems to be an excellent model
for English Theists.
It is brotherly feeling only that has led the
writer, who is a foreigner, to offer this book to
English Theists and Unitarians, in the hope that
it may afford them some aid, however feeble, in
accomplishing the Theistic reformation of their
country. He hopes they will appreciate the above
feeling, and kindly accept the gift in the spirit
in which it is offered.

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