osite extreme of writing him down a
mere Ogre God, indifferent to the vast and purposeless process of
groaning and travail, begetting and devouring, which he had wantonly
initiated. That is the point at which we have now arrived.

I hope it need not be said I do not attribute any substantive value to
the hypothetical myths here put forward and discussed--that I do not
accept either of them, or propose that anyone else should accept it,
as a probable adumbration of what actually occurred "in the
beginning"--a first chapter in a new Book of Genesis. My purpose was
simply, since myth-making was the order of the day, to hint a
criticism of Mr. Wells's myth, by placing beside it one or two other
fantasies, perhaps as plausible as his, which had the advantage of not
entirely eluding the question of origins. I submit, with great
respect, that my Artificer comes a little less out of the blue than
his Invisible King--that is all I claim for him.

But here Mr. Wells puts in a protest, not without indignation.
Myth-making, he declares, is _not_ the order of the day. Had he wanted
to indulge in myth-making, he could easily have found some
metaphysical affiliation for his Invisible King. What he has done is
to record a profound spiritual experience, common to himself and many
other good men and true, which has culminated in the recognition of an
actual Power, objectively extant in the world, to which he has felt it
a sacred duty to bear witness. Very good; so be it; let us now look
more in detail into the gospel according to Wells.

IV

THE APOSTLE'S CREED

A gospel it is, in all literalness; an evangel; a message of glad
tidings. It is not merely _a_ truth, it is "the Truth" (p. 1). Let
there be no mistake about it: Mr. Wells's ambition is to rank with St.
Paul and Mahomet, as the apostle of a new world-religion. He does not
in so many words lay claim to inspiration, but it is almost inevitably
deducible from his premises. He is uttering the first clear and
definite tidings of a God who is endowed with personality, character,
will and purpose. To that Deity he has submitted himself in
enthusiastic devotion. If the God does not seize the opportunity to
speak through such a marvellously suitable, such an ideal, mouthpiece,
then practical common-sense cannot be one of his attributes. Which of
the other Gods who have announced themselves from time to time has
found such a megaphone to reverberate his voice? St. Paul was a