God has spoken His last word; that
in the twilight of the past alone lies the hope of humanity.

On the other hand, the theological revolt now manifest is a legitimate
result of multitudinous agencies, which have for generations been
silently and subtly influencing the mind of man, among which may be
mentioned the spread of popular education, and the growth of the
newspaper. As long as people knew not how to read or were unable to
procure any medium of information which brought them in rapport with
the vast growing world of thought and action, they naturally turned to
their priest or clergyman for intellectual as well as religious food,
and from him as a rule received instruction with the docility and
confidence exhibited by little children seeking for truth. With the
appearance of schoolhouses in every hamlet, and the establishment of
cheap and popular newspapers, however, came a change as marked as it
was wonderful. People began to reason and think for themselves. They
demanded credentials for the various dogmas and ideas discussed in
every department of thought. It is true, that religion was approached
much more reluctantly and reverently than other subjects, but the
growth of knowledge, the opportunity to hear all sides of problems
discussed, and the broader conception of life which a world knowledge
gave, exerted a positive and ever-increasing influence on their minds
in this department of thought. The great inventions of the past
hundred years, which have bound together as one family almost the
whole world, have also brought to light the great religions of other
races and ages. Gradually it dawned on the public mind that almost
every people had a clearly defined system of theology; containing much
that was beautiful, elevating, and inspiring, more or less hidden
among superstitious traditions natural to childhood and credulous
ages. This led many to ask whether Jesus might not have had a larger
thought in his mind than mankind had dreamed when he said, "Other
sheep have I which are not of this fold"; and whether there might not
be a wider significance than had been given to the idea, that God had
in sundry times and in divers ways spoken to His children on earth.
Another lever of progressive thought was the marvellous strides taken
in physical science, which followed the Reformation. Discoveries in
astronomy, in geology and biology have completely overthrown many
time-honored and revered traditions and fables rega