the
highest degree of civilization of which it is capable under purely
_natural_ conditions.

And now, the question with which we are more immediately concerned is,
what were the specific and valuable results attained by the Athenian
mind in _religion_ and _philosophy_, the two momenta of the human mind?
This will be the subject of discussion in subsequent chapters.

The order in which the discussion shall proceed is determined for us by
the natural development of thought. The two fundamental momenta of
thought and its development are spontaneity and reflection, and the two
essential forms they assume are religion and philosophy. In the natural
order of thought spontaneity is first, and reflection succeeds
spontaneous thought. And so religion is first developed, and
subsequently comes philosophy. As religion supposes spontaneous
intuition, so philosophy has religion for its basis, but upon this basis
it is developed in an original manner. "Turn your attention to history,
that living image of thought: everywhere you perceive religions and
philosophies: everywhere you see them produced in an invariable order.
Everywhere religion appears with new societies, and everywhere, just so
far as societies advance, from religion springs philosophy."[40] This
was pre-eminently the case in Athens, and we shall therefore direct our
attention first to the Religion of the Athenians.

[Footnote 40: Cousin, "Hist. of Philos.," vol. i. p. 302.]

CHAPTER II.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION.

All things which I behold bear witness to your carefulness
in religion deisidaimonesterois.--ST. PAUL.

As a prelude and preparation for the study of the religion of the
Athenians, it may be well to consider religion in its more abstract and
universal form; and inquire in what does religion essentially consist;
how far is it grounded in the nature of man; and especially, what is
there in the mental constitution of man, or in his exterior conditions,
which determines him to a mode of life which may be denominated
_religious?_ As a preliminary inquiry, this may materially aid us in
understanding the nature, and estimating the value of the religious
conceptions and sentiments which were developed by the Greek mind.

Religion, in its most generic conception, may be defined as a form of
thought, feeling, and action, which has the _Divine_ for its object,
basis, and end. Or, in other words, it is a mode of life determined by
the reco