whole will be imperfect and unworthy of God as
its author. Religion can not be without something to do, and that
something must be done upon or by the authority of its author. Add this
to all the other items and the system is complete, meeting perfectly the
necessities of man's nature.

THE NECESSARY ORDER OF REVELATION.

The proper arrangement of the various parts of any communication
designed to convey knowledge from one to others, is an important factor
in this subject of _revelation_. Remember "the clear is the true." This
is the case in all methodic arrangements; to this rule there are no
exceptions. The fundamental truth must first be developed. A child must
first be instructed in the rudiments of numbers in order to learn the
science of mathematics, otherwise no sensible progress can be made.
Intricate problems in Euclid are not to be presented to beginners for
solution. So, in religion, the primary thought of the existence of God
is the first great truth made known. Second, we are taught that he
possesses power, wisdom and goodness. This instruction must also be
adapted to the capacity of those who are to be taught. We know that the
very young mind needs more simple instruction than the adult. As, of
necessity, there was a first man, and a time when that first man began
to be, so, of necessity, in the beginning of the life of that man,
however perfectly developed his body might have been, his mind was
infantile--destitute of the first principles of an education.

Object lessons were called for. Here they come in hills and dales, dry
lands and running waters, in trees and vines, in shrubs and grass,
flowers and fruits, beasts, birds and winged insects and creeping
things, and higher up in the sun with his brilliant light, and in the
moon with her paler rays, and in all her attending, sparkling stars.
Here are the objects for man's first lesson. Just now the wise man of
this world, a skeptic, asks the question, Could not the first man, with
all these objects before him, learn by the use of reason the fact that
all these objects originated from a creator? And if he could he
certainly needed no revelation, for, reasoning from nature up to
nature's God, he might then, from the order, beauty and harmony of all,
reach the idea of his character, and from this deduce a knowledge of his
will, and if so a revelation was not necessary. This seems to me very
clear, and you often say "the clear is the true." This is my re