Religion 63
permanent. But before proceeding to enlarge upon this
affirmation I must define what I mean by Religion. In my
judgment it involves belief in an order above, within, and
sustaining the present visible phase of life, and constituting
the reality of ideals of the true, the beautiful, and the good.
Further, this belief involves that those who hold it should
endeavor to conduct their lives in such a way as to realize
these ideals in the highest possible measure. I make another
statement in which some will not follow me, that belief in
such an ideal order is dependent upon the existence of a
Divine Being whose eternal Person is the source and sup-
port of it. This has been expressed by Bridges in The
Testament of Beauty thus, when he says that our love of
wisdom and of beauty will lead us to
joyful obedience
with reverence to’ard the Omnificent Creator
and First Cause, whose Being is thatt beauty and wisdom
which is to be apprehended only and only approach’d
by right understanding of his creation, and found
in thatt habit of faith which some thinkers hav styled
The Life of Reason; and this only true bond of love
and reasonable relation (if relation ther be)
,twixt creature and creator, man and nature’s God,
the which we call Religionj—is fundamental.
(IV, 1082-1091)
It is almost needless to remark that there are and always
have been thinkers of high quality who do not believe in a
personal God, and yet who maintain the most exalted moral
ideals. They may regard Duty as a “stern lawgiver,” but
they do not see her “wear the Godhead’s most benignant
grace”; nor do they admit that natural laws “weave for
God the garment thou seest Him by.” Moreover there are
millions, such as the followers of Buddha, who have inher-
ited an enduring and a comforting religion though without
a personal deity at its heart. But Buddhism has not taken