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INTO MARVELOUS LIGHT By LLEWELYN ST EP HENS. (Continued from last week.) “Julian, I must beg of you to answer me a few more questions before we retrace our steps to the main subject under consideration. You know that we must stand on the right premise, or at any mo ment our foundations may prove to be quicksand and be easily washed from under us. You have ad mitted that Jesus Christ is the most perfect charac ter of the human race Put that fact down as the corner stone of our structure. Next, from what Source did he derive his perfection'? Could such perfection have sprung from Satan, the author of all evil?” “You have me there, John. It could not.” “Who is the author of perfection 1 ?” “Upon your basis, God.” “Then, from whom did Christ come 1 ?” “ You force me to Say, from God.” “I do not force you to so say. It is your rea son, your growing insight, the light dawning into your soul, which makes you see it and acknowledge it. And if Christ came from God, must not God have sent him into the world?” “Presumably so.” “And if God sent Christ into the world, he must have had an object in so doing, would it not be the only reasonable hypothesis?” “According to your basis of reasoning.” “ ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Do you accept this?” “That is beyond my comprehension. That was your text, the first time I heard you preach in this very church ten years ago.” “You are evading my question again. What finite mind can comprehend Infinity? 0 the dwarf ed, distorted soul which seeks to imprison God with in human limitations! Can the finite mind compre hend even the material universe? Can it compre hend the continent of mind? Much less can it comprehend the infinitude of God! Can even the finite love, joy, hope, faith or aspirations of human ity be measured by finite comprehension? Much less that Infinite fountain which gave these birth. Jul ian, answer my question, do you accept God’s gift of his Son ?’ ’ “Intellectually, perhaps I could accept the Bible theory a c plausible. From a personal point of view, my embittered soul was forced to forever renounce any system of religion, as you know.” “Julian, tell me the meaning of religion. I do not mean of Romanism, or Buddhism, or Mohamme danism or of Protestantism, but tell me the meaning of religion pure and undefiled?” “Since you prefer Bible phraseology, I suppose you would like me to say that religion is ‘To visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ But no man in this day and time adopts this as his faith and rule of practice. And -without prolonging this discussion further, John, if you are determinedly bent on mv becoming religious to the manner and extent of joining some church and swearing allegi ance to some man-made creed, I swear to God, what ever he is and wherever he is, that I’ll die and go to your hell of fire and brimstone, before I’ll do that. Do you think that fifteen years of church was not enough for me?” “I have never intimated to you at any time dur ing our acquaintance that you should join some church. My one prayer has been that you might be joined to God. My despair has been over your agnosticism. You have never denied that God exist ed somewhere afar off, but your denial was of any knowledge of Him. And the causes which brought about this state can easily be traced to your train ing under the Roman system. But you are too in telligent a man, too broadminded a man, to allow yourself to become a slave to prejudice to such a degraded extent as to cause you to refuse to accept truth or to acknowledge it whenever and wherever The Golden Age for August 9,1906. found. Truth cannot be imprisoned, cannot be crushed, cannot be hid from any one who seeks it, unless he cover his eyes with the veil of prejudice and refuse to look upon it. The soul which discards the weight of prejudice, and mounts on the wings of desire for Truth, is like the eagle which soars meet the sun, and is kissed by its rays ere he takes his winged flight into the distant sky. “Only that belief in God which is elevating to us, can be accepted to Him. We cannot make God the embodiment of highest thought, unless we live and move and have our being in Him. This con ception of God gives meaning not only to the uni verse as a whole, but to the most infinitesimal part of it, and helps man to realize that man’s pulse beats as God’s heart throbs. “And what you want to do in this great life work, Julian, and what I want to do, is not so much in exposing the errors of Roman Catholicism, or Buddhism or Mohammedanism, or calling so much attention to any disease, but to realize the impor tance of uplifting the remedy for the cure; to pre sent God in Christ in a form so true, so noble, so beautifully pure, that all men will be instinctively drawn unto Him. Give men a view of God so true, so reasonable, so exalted, so in harmony with the visible as well as invisible manifestation of Him self in the universe as well as in man’s soul, so worthy and npliftng. that they must believe, that irresistablv they will he drawn to believe, as the ‘mind is drawn to truth and the heart to love.’ “God alone -within man can transform man. If I really believe that God is my Father, what have T to fear? Nothing except what might alienate me from Him. Ts God is mv father, then “ ‘Death is hut a, covered way , That opens into light, Wherein no blinded child may stray Beyond his father’s sight.’ “Ts we would find God and realize His presence, we must do his will. Ts we would lead other men to God. it must he through living according to His will. Through the human to the divine! When men lose faith in humanity, it is hut a short step to lose faith in God, and in the power of God to reelfim and save men. “So. Julian, let us take men by the hand, and lead them tn sincerity. tn justice, tn high aims, tn pifv and svmnathv. tn duty, tn love and service: pud our heavenlv Father, who is the source of all these, will draw all men unto Him.” Julian Deveaux was bowed in the spirit of a child in pre ver hv its mother’s side when its heart was conscious only of the love of God everywhere. CHAPTER XXXVTT. “Julian.” said John Marsden, verv tenderly, resting a hand upon his shoulder, “I think we are now ready to speak not only as man to man, hut as brother man to brother man. T am convinced that von are a changed man. hut I fear yon are still looking at some things from an uncertain point of view. To perform a worthv work, one must be prompted hy a worthv spirit and have a worthy motive. Ts revenge is the sole spirit which prompts this vast work yon have in mind, may I ask first from whence does the spirit of revenger come?” “I see John. I see.” “And do von think that hy human weight, and through the power nf even countless wealth tn revo lutionize the religions world? Has the Spirit nf Gnd whisnered in vour heart, ‘thou art a chosen vessel nntn me’? What man dare he so hold as tn proclaim that he. alone, will wipe out som n great curse, when lie has not been so called of God? Without God’s guidance at every step, what could Moses have done for the children nf Israel? And would von. in vour own might, undertake tn avenge anv wron<”? God mmht saw unto vou. ‘this night thv soul shall he reonired of thee.’ And he says, ‘avenge not yourselves: * * ♦ Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And, furthermore, ‘neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that water eth; but God that giveth the increase.’ Julian, what is the spirit prompting, the motive impelling, and the power acting in this vast undertaking you are planning?” “The devil through and through.” “And you wanted me to work with you? Did you think to buy your peace of mind, to cover the sins of your life with money, and to banish all wrongs with a golden scepter? Did you think to tempt me with worldly power, Julian?” “Before God, John, the amount I willed to yon was placed at your disposal, except that it must be used hy yon in New York City. You must not leave New York.” “What is the spirit prompting this restriction yon place upon roe? Is it of God?” “I think you will believe me, when I tell you that I had only the best of motives. I know how your work has been restricted from the lack of means to enlarge it; and I had in mind a great institution al work for yon in a more attractive part of the city, with commodious buildings, and with a suffi cient endowment to put yon at ease the rest of your life. It is true that I did want the work to be most strenuous in opposition to the system of Roman Catholicism; but, knowing that you had renounced it, as well as myself, I thought you would most en thusiastically co-operate with me in my plan. I think you have always had a specially wide open hand and warm heart for Catholic priests who came to this country in despair, and you have had hun dreds of them as converts enrolled among the mem bers of vour parish. It was at the death bed of a converted Catholic that T was first impressed bv VOU. Hence, it was quite natural, I think, that I thought you would be in full sympathy with my plans.” “What you have said regarding my work is true to a degree: but my gospel has been one of love, of healing, of peace. My one aim has been to lift un Christ, who said of himself: ‘uAnd T, if The hfted un. will draw all mon unto me:’ and of whom Paul said, ‘For T determined not to know anvthing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.’ ” “But is it not just as important to expose evil as it is to present purity? Should not the world he shown the curse of sin as well as the blessing of goodness? Should not the devil be photographed and placed on public exhibition whenever pos sible?” Julian Deveaux arose, as he invariably did when excited, and continued: “It is Satan who has made this world a hell for me. It is he who fills the drunkard’s grave, the orphan asylum, the home for the friendless, adorns the gallows, puts a dagger into some sleeping heart under the cover of darkness, and blackens the pur ity of a once happy home. Envious Satan would see the purest heart made vile that it might keep him company. The very air is contaminated with his hreath, the sun is shadowed hy his wings, caus ing the leaves to shrivel, the flowers to fade, the heart of the oak to decay and the fountain to run dry. The germs of disease which scientists strive to catch the sun’s rays and say to them, ‘Shine no cinders from Satan’s volcano in hell. As well try to catch the sun’s ravs and say to them, ‘shine no more.’ Oftentimes I seem to hear the world’s combined moans and cries of despair; followed hy ger, of disappointment and of despair: followed by an inhuman sound—the echo of Satan’s laughter! And yet vou would not count it worth while, John, to use every effort in exposing such a monster!” “Certainly it is necessary to condemn evil, but more important to extol purity. Ts we look con stantly at Satan, we have no opportunity to see God, (Continued next week,) 11