But let us grant for the sake of argument that man contains still undeveloped germs of faculties capable of perceiving and attaining something as much higher than wisdom and love as these are higher than brute force.  You will answer, this is not only inconceivable, it is impossible.  Still let us grant the possibility.  We notice, first of all, that it is against the whole course of evolution that these faculties should be other than mental, and what we class under powers pertaining to our personality.  For ages past evidently, and no less really from the very beginning, evolution has worked for the body only as a perfect vehicle of mind, and for this as leading to will and character.  And human development has led, and ever more tends, as Mr. Drummond has shown, to the arrest, though not the degeneration, of the body.  It is to remain at the highest possible stage of efficiency as the servant of mind.  These higher powers will thus be mental and personal powers.  And how has any and every advance to higher capabilities been attained in the animal kingdom?  Merely by the most active possible exercise of the next lower power.  This is proven by the sequence of physical and mental functions.  We shall attain, therefore, any higher mental capacities only by the continual practice of wisdom and love.  That is our only path to something higher, if higher there shall ever be.  But if we find that the God of our environment is a God of something higher than love and righteousness, will these cease to be characteristics of his nature and essence?  Not at all.

I have learned, perhaps, to know my father as a plain citizen.  If I later find that he is a king and statesman, with powers and mental capacities of which I have never dreamed, do I therefore from that time cease to think of him as wise and kind and good?  Not in the least.  I only trust his love and wisdom as guide of my little life all the more.  And shall not the same be true of God though he be king of all worlds and ages?  It becomes unwise and wrong to worship God as the God of might only when we have found that he is a God also of something higher and nobler, of love; and after we have perceived this fully and worship him as love, we rest in the arms of his infinite power.

But now that the work has gone thus far, we can see that all development must take place along personal, spiritual lines; and are compelled to believe in a spiritual cause who knew the end from the beginning.  And man’s farther progress depends upon his conformity to this spiritual environment.  And what is conformity to the personal element in our environment but likeness to him?  This is my only possible mode of conformity to a person—­to become like him in word, action, thought, and purpose, and finally in all my being.  Very far from a close resemblance we still are.  But we are more like him than primitive man was; and our descendants will resemble him far more closely than we.  And thus man, conscious