of necessity, the Intellect was first exercised. Thought beheld a broad field for the employment of its energies, and felt, intuitively, that to itself belonged the first work. Nay, it may have suspected none other work than its own-that of controversial preparation, of dogmatic crusadism, principally against errors in theory. Be this as it may, a mighty intellectual conflict was manifestly at hand-the signal of battle had been given in the Resurrection of Christ, and sounded abroad in the miraculous eccentricities of Pentecost. Egotism of Learning-the Arrogance of Power-the Agencies of Superstition-were to be encountered and overcome; and Christianity was to march over a desert of Mythological Ruins, ere she could bring her Latent Spirit to bear, with undivided force, upon the Iron Heart of the World.

The

Thus though the varied elements of our Religion were at once poured into the current of mind-that mind, as yet, has practically' recognized but few of them, in their native intensity. Yet the facts of Modern History, and the deductions of Progress, afford an ex

planation, ample in itself, and creditable to Christianity. When we consider, on the one hand, the purity of the Gospel, and, on the other, the grossness of the prevalent philosophies, can we wonder that the human mindlong lulled in the cradle of Indolence, and suddenly awakened by the most thrilling announcement ever made by God to Manshould, in the confused reception of its novel ideas, possess itself of a shred of Truth, and fold over it a shred of Error-thus innocently corrupting Christianity in the earliest ages of its diffusion? Let it be remembered, however, that, though Christianity became corrupted from its Apostolic simplicity, in the course of a few centuries-yet it may have been increasing its power in the aggregate, considering the constantly widening circle in which it obtained dominion. Indeed, we know—and all enlightened and unprejudiced men will acknowledge-that our religion, notwithstanding its partial reception, has generally vindicated, throughout modern times, its supremacy over the principles it came to supercede.

But let us notice one important historical occurrence, which tended, on one hand, to widen the nominal dominion of Christianity, and, on the other, to retard the manifestation of its spiritual element in the lives of its individual adherents.

Having won her victorious way to the Throne of Cæsar, it might have been expected -had her mission consisted of a mere provincial or national character-that Christianity would now drop the sword and buckler of Controversy, and quicken her acquired territory with her latent spirit. But, as hers was to be a universal dominion, God opened to her the path of new conquests, through one of the darkest scourges that ever assailed the bulwarks of Civilization.

Prolific Barbarism-like an irruption from an infinite volcano of compressed and fiery Life-broke over the Imperial Empire. Paganism, in its most abhorrent physiognomy, strode, grim and gigantic, along the invading ranks of the Vandal, and finally stood, confronting Rome with her mingled guilt and

glory, like some questioning demon, evoked from utter Night. Here opened, for Christianity, a new struggle; in which those ener gies which she had just victoriously proved in her conflict with Rome, were again called into strenuous action. How she addressed herself to the task of disarming and overcoming this fierce antagonist, we need not here linger to explain; for it answers our present purpose to indicate the fact, that the intellectual energies of our religion were thus prominently and properly exercised through a continued series of ages, because masses of rude material were constantly presenting themselves for subjection,-because the area of Christian Faith was perpetually extending, thus bringing together more and more heterogeneous and hostile elements.

There are those who affect to wonder why Christianity did not exert a more direct spiritual influence over Europe, during these periods. Let such remember that a religion must establish its authority in Man's consciousness, before it can assume to govern him; and let them reflect how impossible it

must have been for Christianity to have taught Paganism a more exalted Life, until Paganism recognized her right to assume the attitude of an instructor. Infinite confusion distorts the judgment of men, whenever they lose sight of the principle of things; and, in reference to the case now before us, great errors have risen in consequence of having forgotten that our religion develops itself in the world through the Principle of Progress; that there is a fundamental and an ultimate in all perfect ideas-and that, consequently, we may not expect to see foundation stones and crowning domes thrust forward at the same instant, unless we would behold Chaos usurping the domain of Intelligence, and the Great Builder himself confounded.

In candor and earnestness we must say, that, to us, the doleful assertion, which has recently been made, that "Christianity is a failure," appears as groundless as it is lamentable-arguing a melancholy ignorance of the relations of divine truth to the peculiarities of the human mind. As well might some ancient sceptic and complainer, existing