Excerpt from The Boston Quarterly Review, 1842, Vol. 5 Man lives only by virtue of some theory of the uni verse, which solves for him the problem of his exist ence and destiny, and prescribes a life-plan which he must endeavor to realize. This theory, whatever it be, or however obtained, is what man names summon. It is always his highest conception of God and of the law of his own being. Religion is then the Ideal, and man's effort to realize it. To be religious man must act with his whole nature, and strive with all his strength, intelligence, and love, to realize the Ideal in every department of life, in the individual, in the fam ily, in the State, in the world, in industry, science, and art. The Canon is the organization of mankind for the peaceable, orderly, and successful realization of the Christian Ideal, or the Ideal as beheld by the early fol lowers of Jesus. The Ideal as thus beheld was below the infinite, below that of Jesus even, and therefore could be only for a time. It could not be the Ideal for the race through all the stages of its progress. The Church, in its origin, though never embracing the true Christian Ideal in its fulness, was nevertheless a genuine Church of the Ideal. It was far in advance of all preceding organizations of mankind, and must be redeeming and ameliorating in its in uence, till it had brought the Christian nations up even with itself. (jan. Up even with itself the Church has now brought the Christian world. The civilization it has created is even in some respects in advance of it. For a thou sand years and more, it was the Church of the Ideal. It was the depositary of the intelligence, the wisdom, the virtue, the aspirations of the race. It proposed a work for humanity, and directed individual and social activities in the path of progress. But it now looks no more to the future. It has realized its Ideal. It pro poses no new labors for civilization, makes no new de mands on the race in behalf of progress. It therefore loses sight of the end for which it was instituted, and must now turn its face once more to the future, em brace the Ideal, or give way for a New Canaan, which shall be an organization of mankind, not to retain the past, but to conquer the future. Humanity eternally aspires. It sees ever before it new heights to be scaled, new victories to be won, and is always eager to march. It cannot be stayed. Ever does the Ideal hover before its actual position, commanding it to advance, and for bidding it to halt, much less encamp If the Church will not lead, humanity will displace it, choose a new leader, and go on without it in its career of battle and conquest. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."