Every change instituted by its new leaders was with the sole purpose of increasing its numbers and of augmenting its political weight. They began by making a compromise with paganism in adopting some of its rituals, pandering to the imaginations of the uncultivated multitude by spectacular display, inventing a system of church government with an executive head, adopting the Jewish annals for its organic laws and modes of thought, cultivating a belief in miracles and increasing them on every opportune occasion, until with the one end in view of overcoming the world as Cæsar did with his legions, more bloody than Cæsar, taking into their hands a movement full of humanity, instituted by men in the lower walks of life to soften their hard lines and give them new hopes, and to increase their sympathies and feelings of brotherhood, it became, and in many parts of the world remains to this day, under its attached dispensation of ecclesiastical dogma and control, a handmaid of kings and emperors in oppression, an upholder of deadly superstition, an intimidator of free thought and free learning, an unconcerned looker-on upon the miseries of life beyond its proselyting interest, careless of the whole world and its affairs, except so far as it can profit by its theory of exclusive salvation, and the mouth piece in cant phrases, which have long since lost their force and meaning, of a lingering barbarism. And yet the world was never so much in need of a pure Christianity. An expanded benevolence cherished and assisted as much by skepticism as the churches is one of the characteristics of modern society. Although the physically strong do not prey upon the physically weak as pitylessly as in the olden time, the financially strong are preying upon the financially weak with as little conscience, and the intellectually strong are preying upon the intellectually weak with as much cunning, as they were in barbaric times. Civilization has increased the two last mentioned evils. The straggling masses under a load of grinding wealth, in their better knowledge are no longer appeased by the promises of an adulterated and composite Christianity, whose chief business for centuries has been to set before them an awaiting paradise, in recompense for their earthly wrongs; but now, the multitude impressed with a knowledge belonging to these times, is proof against these allurements. The toiling millions who make easy places for the few, and increase their wealth, and who have carried out to a successful end the brilliant material advancement which surrounds us, is the world proper, all the rest are merely dependants. Into this world and down among these quarters from whence it came Christianity must prepare itself to re-enter, and of this the shadow is already to be seen. It must discard its dogmas and superstitions, which it has even now consigned to partial obscurity and silence, and in place of them, take on the things of the world. It must go among the money