general outside the Church the world around borders on the theocratic. Long ago Whittier sang: Not vain the vision which the prophets saw, Through the hot sand-gleam, looming soft and calm Still lives for Earth, which fiends so long have trod, And the tired world breath free through a long When now we are achieving and rejoicing in the name of this day by prophet and poet foretold, and are apprehending that it has given birth to the last and greatest of the human sciences, surely we have reason to call this science the Science of Theocratic Democracy. It is the science of the unity and harmony of the purposes of God and of all true men for the government of human society. It is the science of the Kingdom of God, dealing with the principles of the Kingdom of God so far as they are effectually visualized by men and women within and without the Church. It is a science that treats of the solidarity and the irresistibility of all finite purposes so far as these purposes come into the consciousness of the directing energy of the Infinite, Compassionate, Beneficent Sovereign Mind. It is the science of the healing of the nations. Theocratic democracy, then, the science of governing Truth. A science not given to railing over things that seem to thwart the flow of God's goodness to man. A science of the effectual visualization of the power of God to overrule these seeming hindrances. A science of the understanding that the goodness of God is forever flowing to the nations in unbroken streams. Focus is necessarily a great word with this science. Not to think it a virtue to see in the mirror darkly, and not adjust our lens to image the cloud of inharmonious partialities that blur the upward strivings of the nations, is of the heart and soul of our science. We may illustrate. When a very able and scholarly clergyman, who has charged the Church that he has demitted the ministry to enter politics, is persuaded that the Church "is hanging like a millstone on the neck of political progress," our Science cannot fail to recognize that the universal flow of God's goodness is *The Peace-Convention at Brussels. vi straitly challenged. But our Science is not given to charging back upon this able clergyman that he is mistaken and will rue the day of his taking this departure. The principles of our Science forbid the calculation of misery upon one whose mental strain for the moment may be out of harmony with the healing power of the faith of God. It is even to be held possible that this friend-or any friend-in taking his departure for the present is sacredly unable to visualize the idea of the uninterrupted goodness of God, due to the fact that he is advancing toward, rather than receding from, the understanding of God. "You men who remain in the Church in political inaction when direct action is the cry of the hour, are helpless and blind," our friend charges in effect. And yet all the while we who remain in the Church, as well as all who are unconsciously moving toward the Church, are not wholly unconscious of the most direct action in the realm of human possibilities—the direct action of the Infinite Mind that makes no mistakes. We are pausing in the Foreword of our Science to make this single all important point. In Democracy, that is, in the realm of political action, the true starting-point is in the understanding of the Spirit of harmony and good will that is forever tiding to the finite from the Infinite Mind. Only as we are able to keep in focus the fact that the resistless energy of the Infinite Mind is an energy of good will, and that this energy is forever at the disposal of the finite energies of our limited minds, can we expect to make headway for pure democracy on earth. Now our confidence in the undeviating perfection of every ray of light that is shed upon our finite reason by the Sovereign Mind deserves to be called the first political asset of democracy. If we are shaken in our faith in the trueness and infallibility of the avenue of communicability between the finite and the Infinite Mind, it is a sign that we are out of mental focus with the governing truth of the universe. To question the adaptability of the light which we can receive from God to meet the problems of the government of human society, is to vacate the certitudes that lie at the basis of existence. We may illustrate. If we are standing at a railroad junction where two thundering limited trains, each loaded with human beings, are approaching at high speed from opposite directions through a long lane of cars that have been side-tracked to give the right of way to the fliers; and if suddenly some one shrieks that the fliers seem to be dashing together on the same track, we are stayed from excitement and suspense with the thought that this is highly improbable. The trains are too important, we reason, the system of signals is too simple, the safeguards from such catastrophe are too numerous, the sight of the engineers in particular,—and this is the crowning source of our confidence,-is too well attested to admit of such a catastrophe. That the eyes of the men whose hands are on the throttles are following the signals, we are certain. Not for one instant do we entertain the suggestion that possibly for the nonce something may have gone wrong with the sunlight, so that, due to a fallacy of the light, a raised signal may seem to be dropt to the engineer's eyes, or a red light may be shining as green, or a single track may seem to be two, to the end that what appears to the engineers to be the sign to drive ahead is in reality a command to shut off all steam and force on all brakes. We do not raise such a challenge against the light. It would be absurd. We have learned to pin our faith to the light. We stand our ground, therefore, undismayed, while the great fliers rush together, part and pass on, safe on their separate tracks, as the light gave the engineers evidence to believe. The illustration is perfect for theocratic democracy. The signals to go ahead are definite and communicable. They may be caught from mind to mind. Some training is of course required to know these signals. When they are known no one will think of contesting their trueness and reliability. They will be found to shine in the light of divine Love, which admits of no variableness, neither shadow of turning.† When they are largely visualized, they will become effectual for the happiness and well-being of all peoples. We shall launch at once upon certain facts of light that will be further to the point. Just now our Science gives us to say, that the laws and principles of true democracy are as simple and undeviating as the laws and principles that govern the sun; are as beneficent; as communicable; as trustworthy; as immutable; as universal; as impartial; as cheering; as certainly from the one infallible source of health, happiness and well-being-the all-beneficent guiding Mind of the Universe. †James 1.17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. viii |