"A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to atheism, but depth in
philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion."--_Bacon. Essay xvi_.





CHAPTER X

THE DIVINE OFFERING


I take the present opportunity of a new edition to add a few pages on
certain points which appear to me of vital importance, and the connection
of which with the preceding chapters will, I hope, become evident as the
reader proceeds. Assuming the existence in each individual of a creative
power of thought which, in relation to himself, reflects the same power
existing in the Universal Mind, our right employment of this power becomes
a matter of extreme moment to ourselves. Its inverted use necessarily holds
us fast in the bondage from which we are seeking to escape, and equally
necessarily its right use brings us into Liberty; and therefore if any
Divine revelation exists at all its purpose must be to lead us away from
the inverted use of our creative faculty and into such a higher
specializing of it as will produce the desired result. Now the purpose of
the Bible is to do this, and it seeks to effect this work by a dual
operation. It places before us that Divine Ideal of which I have already
spoken, and at the same time bases this ideal upon the recognition of a
Divine Sacrifice. These two conceptions are so intimately interwoven in
Scripture that they cannot be separated, but at the present day there _is_
a growing tendency to attempt to make this separation and to discard the