become changed; they now
long to make mankind the possessor of the "vision splendid" which has
meant all for them. Communion with the One as Infinite Love has revealed
to them a peace and a power which are far beyond all the lower unities.

It is of value, in the midst of all the complexities of life, of the
partial interpretations of the various branches of knowledge, to have
passed through the several stages below the One. Some must guard the
highest citadel of religion and keep open the avenues to Infinity,
Eternity, and Immortality. And the greater the number who are able to do
this, the better for the world and for the individual. But a taste of
this Infinite Love can be obtained without all this. Just as some of us
are able to walk without a knowledge of the bodily mechanism and to eat
and digest without a knowledge of the history of our bread, so the
deeper spiritual potencies inherent in man are able to find a vast
amount of satisfaction by resting upon and trusting in a Love Absolute,
Eternal, and Infinite. Here, man is in a region of infinite calm beyond
the distractions of the world and of knowledge. He cannot remain here
for any great length of time; he has to return to the world, but he is
never [p.158] again the same being after having scaled the "mount of
transfiguration." "Religion holds as certain and conclusive that this
new inner foundation is the greatest thing of all and the wonder of
wonders, because it carries within itself the power and certainty of the
overcoming of the old world and the creation of a new one; it is on
account of this that religion longs for the conviction of the whole man,
and brands the denial of this as pettiness and unbelief. The world may
therefore remain to the external view as it appeared before--a kingdom
of opposition and darkness; its hindrances within and without may seem
to nullify everything else; they may contract and even seemingly destroy
man and his spiritual potencies; all his acts may seem fruitless and
vain, and his whole existence may seem to sink into nothingness and
worthlessness. Yet, through the entrance of the new life and a new
world, everything is transformed from within, and the clearness of the
light appears all the more by contrast with all the depth of the
darkness. Indeed, in the midst of all the mysteries of existence, hope
and conviction and certainty will consolidate our experience, so that
ultimately evil itself must serve the development of t