depolarization of the story of the young man who “had great possessions” from the Rev. Mr. H. in another pulpit, and felt that I had never half understood it before.  All paraphrases are more or less perfect depolarizations.  But I tell you this:  the faith of our Christian community is not robust enough to bear the turning of our most sacred language into its depolarized equivalents.  You have only to look back to Dr. Channing’s famous Baltimore discourse and remember the shrieks of blasphemy with which it was greeted, to satisfy yourself on this point.  Time, time only, can gradually wean us from our Epeolatry, or word-worship, by spiritualizing our ideas of the thing signified.  Man is an idolater or symbol-worshipper by nature, which, of course, is no fault of his; but sooner or later all his local and temporary symbols must be ground to powder, like the golden calf,—­word-images as well as metal and wooden ones.  Rough work, iconoclasm,—­but the only way to get at truth.  It is, indeed, as that quaint and rare old discourse, “A Summons for Sleepers,” hath it, “no doubt a thankless office, and a verie unthriftie occupation; veritas odium parit, truth never goeth without a scratcht face; he that will be busie with vae vobis, let him looke shortly for coram nobis.”

The very aim and end of our institutions is just this:  that we may think what we like and say what we think.

——­Think what we like!—­said the divinity-student;—­think what we like!  What! against all human and divine authority?

Against all human versions of its own or any other authority.  At our own peril always, if we do not like the right,—­but not at the risk of being hanged and quartered for political heresy, or broiled on green fagots for ecclesiastical treason!  Nay, we have got so far, that the very word heresy has fallen into comparative disuse among us.

And now, my young friend, let us shake hands and stop our discussion, which we will not make a quarrel.  I trust you know, or will learn, a great many things in your profession which we common scholars do not know; but mark this:  when the common people of New England stop talking politics and theology, it will be because they have got an Emperor to teach them the one, and a Pope to teach them the other!

* * * * *

That was the end of my long conference with the divinity-student.  The next morning we got talking a little on the same subject, very good-naturedly, as people return to a matter they have talked out.

You must look to yourself,—­said the divinity-student,—­if your democratic notions get into print.  You will be fired into from all quarters.

If it were only a bullet, with the marksman’s name on it!—­I said.—­I can’t stop to pick out the peep-shot of the anonymous scribblers.