Religion.
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There are three classes of men in the world — the civil man, the moral man, and the spiritual man. The civil man lives in mere external obedience to civil laws, because his own well-being is secured thereby. The moral man not only regards the civil law, but lives also in obedience to moral laws. While the spiritual man obeys divine laws. The first obeys only the civil law; the second obeys the civil law as well as the moral law, for both are involved in the latter; but the spiritual man obeys both civil and moral as well as divine laws, because the divine law includes all the rest. From this it is clearly seen that the spiritual, or truly religious man, must be a moral as well as a civil man; that, in fact, he is the only trueman in society, or he who regards the good of the whole from an internal and spiritual ground, and not from any external and selfish considerations.
Although the very life and true vital energy of society is religion, yet it is a subject of difficult introduction in a work like this. Christendom is divided into so many sects with variant and opposing doctrines — and doctrine is absolutely necessary to religious belief — that there is great danger of giving offence where none is intended, and injuring the usefulness of the book by creating a prejudice against it. Still it is felt to be of such vast importance, that we would consider our work as greatly deficient if we were to pass it by.
Whoever has read carefully the first three chapters of this book, will clearly see the necessity of religion, or a means whereby man may return to a state of heavenly order and consequent happiness. Truth must be the basis of religion, for that leads to good; the false and the evil are inseparable companions. The Bible is the word of God, or divine truth, and therefore that must be the basis of true religion. And yet we have doctrines of the most opposite characters; and those who hold them all appeal to the Bible, and profess to find proofs therein to substantiate them. Of course, all cannot be true, for there is only one true system of religious doctrines, and all that is variant to that must be error.
Let every young man who has arrived at mature age, when the whole responsibility of life and its consequences begin to rest upon his own shoulders, look at the subject of his religious views with an earnest desire to know the truth for its own sake, and in this spirit canvass them thoroughly. The means which God has given him for the determination of truth when presented to his mind, is his reason; and this he must exercise vigorously, holding, at the same time, his mind in freedom to adopt whatever he clearly sees to be rational as well as Scriptural. Because my father has believed a set of religious doctrines, that cannot make them true to me, unless I can understand them clearly. While I was a child, and he was responsible for my religious belief, he was bound to teach me the doctrines he conscientiously believed to be true. But when I became a man, and the responsibility was transferred to me, my first duty was to canvass the whole matter fairly, and adopt or reject according to the best light I could obtain. And this course should be pursued by everyone, on the ground that nothing is truth to the mind, that it does not clearly understand. To adopt a thing as true because others believe it to be so, never advances a man a step, never gives him the smallest ability to fight against evil in his own heart. It is by truth alone, that a man combats with what is false and evil; and this must be truth to him.
From this every young man, who thinks seriously on the subject of religion, will see the obligation under which he lies to examine into the very foundation of his religious belief. If it is a true belief, it will bear any amount of scrutiny, and show its own brightness and excellence the more thoroughly it is canvassed. If it is not true — then the quicker that discovery is made, the better. Is there anyone who loves the truth for its own sake, who can object to this? No, there cannot be.
Some writers, who have given advice to young men, when they came to treat of religion, have recommended them to attend church regularly, and to assume devout appearances when there, because, by so doing, they would be thought moral and religious, and thus stand a much better chance of being taken by the hand, and pushed forward in the world. We have not only seen such advice in books, but have heard it repeatedly urged upon young men, by people calling themselves religious.
For a young man to do this, we would say, would be for him to act hypocritically. Anyone who attends church, and assumes a religious exterior from mere selfish and worldly ends, does himself a greater injury than he supposes. Far better would it be for him to remain at home.
Too many young men both think lightly and speak lightly of religion, as if it were something not intended for sensible people. But, as religion is the means by which a man is able toovercome the corrupt and evil tendencies of his nature, and rise into a life of heavenly order — we think it a matter of sufficiently grave importance to command the earnest attention of every one. Mere canting and blind enthusiasm, of course, are not true religion, and those who ridicule and censure these, should be very careful not, at the same time, to make assertions or create impressions injurious to true religion.
All true religion is founded upon a just idea of God. A false notion of God results inevitably from a false religion. The most important thing in the outset is, therefore, the formation of a just idea of the divine Being. The Bible tells us that "God is love." Now, infinite and divine love must seek to bless others outside of itself; and from this we conclude that God is ever seeking the good of his creatures, and that religion is nothing more than such a love to God and man, as leads us to obey the precepts of the one and seek the good of the other. The assumption, therefore, of exterior forms of sanctity are nothing, if love to God and man are not in the heart.
Religion is a something that is eminently practical; it goes with a man into all his daily avocations, and regulates every transaction of his life. If, in his business, he pursues his own interest so eagerly as to hurt his neighbor's interests — he, of course, does violence to a true religious principle. No matter what he professes to believe or be; in that act he has offended against the doctrine that "religion is love to God and man," and therefore done evil before his Maker, whose very essence is Love.
The religion of far too many is a Sunday religion. It does very well for the Sabbath, when there are no worldly interests to be looked after, and when an exterior of sanctity is not in the least in the way of a sharp bargain. But when Monday comes, other matters are to be looked after, which it would not do to associate with religion, lest a thing so holy should suffer violence and be brought into disrepute. The religion of these people consists in a faith in certain doctrines, by which they are to be saved, and the bringing of religion down into the world, by which it is in danger of suffering violence, as they understand it, is to talk about these doctrines among men of the world, with whom they are daily engaged in driving hard bargains. No doubt the least said, the better, under these circumstances; and in keeping silence, therefore, they are right.
But what is really meant by bringing religion into the world, is for men to take with them, in their business and social fellowship, that regard for the neighbor's good which will prevent the taking of any advantage of him whatever. Whoever attempts to do this will not find it, however, a very easy task. His self-love will be ever prompting him to do as others do; that is, to sacrifice others' good in striving to secure his own; but if he is truly endeavoring to act from a religious principle, he will shun the evil of overreaching his neighbor, because it is a sin against God; and in so doing he will receive divine power to overcome it.
Here we have given a simple instance of how religion is to be brought down into every-day life. From this all may see how in every act a man may make a principle of religion the governing law. If all men pursued their business upon a basis such as this, we would see none of those fluctuations and disturbances, throughout the whole commercial world, which now make the success of an honest man so very doubtful. There would be health in the entire body, from the skin to the vital regions of the heart and lungs.
If a true regard to religion will produce health in so diseased a community as that engaged in trade, where nearly all, in the eager pursuit of wealth, care not who loses if they gain — it is every man's duty to endeavor, as far as he is concerned, to bring it down from the church — into real life.
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