eculations about the nature of God's essence are thus swept aside as
foolish and futile.

Knowledge of God

But if the essence is unknowable, the manifestations of its bounty are
everywhere apparent. If the first cause cannot be conceived, its effects
appeal to our every faculty. Just as knowledge of a painter's pictures
gives to the connoisseur a true knowledge of the artist, so knowledge of
the universe in any of its aspects--knowledge of nature or of human nature,
of things visible or of things invisible--is knowledge of God's handiwork,
and gives to the seeker for Divine truth a real knowledge of His Glory.
"The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge.--Ps. xix, 1-2.

The Divine Manifestations

All things manifest the bounty of God with greater or less clearness, as
all material objects exposed to the sun reflect its light in greater or
less degree. A heap of soot reflects a little, a stone reflects more, a
piece of chalk more still, but in none of these reflections can we trace
the form and color of the glorious orb. A perfect mirror, however,
reflects the sun's very form and color, so that looking into it is like
looking at the sun itself. So it is with the way in which things speak to
us of God. The stone can tell us something of the Divine attributes, the
flower can tell us more, the animal with its marvelous senses, instincts
and power of movement, more still. In the lowest of our fellowmen we can
trace wonderful faculties which tell of a wonderful Creator. In the poet,
the saint, the genius, we find a higher revelation still, but the great
Prophets and Founders of religions are the perfect mirrors by which the
love and wisdom of God are reflected to the rest of mankind. Other men's
mirrors are dulled by the stains and the dust of selfishness and
prejudice, but these are pure and without blemish--wholly devoted to the
Will of God. Thus They become the greatest educators of mankind. The
Divine teachings and the Power of the Holy Spirit proceeding through Them
have been and are the cause of the progress of humanity, for God helps men
through other men. Each man who is higher in the ascent of life is the
means of helping those who are lower, and those who are the highest of all
are the helpers of all mankind. It is as if all men were connected
together by elastic cords. If a man rises a little