In all forms of religion there is one part, which may be called the doctrine or dogma, which is to be received by faith; and the cultus, or worship, which is the out- ward expression of the religious sentiment. By relig- ion is also meant that homage to the Deity in all the forms which pertain to the spiritual life, in contrast with theology, the theory of the divine nature and gov- ernment. See Theology.
RELIGION, Philosophy of, the science of religion ; the application of philosophical principles to the discus- sion of its general character, origin, and claims. It presents, 1, religion in general; 2, revealed religion; 3, the Christian religion; 4, the Christian Church. This subject is discussed by Apelt (18G0), Beneke (1840), Chateaubriand, Deuzinger (1857), Fiehte, Hegel ( Werhe, vol. xi), Kant (Religion innerhalb, with Kirehmann's notes), Krug (1819), Morrel (Philosophy of Religion; see the Methodist QuarU rly Rt vit w, July, Oct., 1850), Pascal (Pensees), Otto Pfleiderer (1869), Heinrich Ritter (1858, 1859), Arnold Ruge (1869), Schleiermacher (Monohgen), F. X. Schmid (1857), and Spinoza. See Fleming and Krauth, Vocabulary of Philosophy, p. 854.
RELIGION, Primitive. Far in the distance, behind Buddhism, Brahminism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, and all the ten religions so graphically set forth by Free- man Clarke, there lies a primitive faith of great power, to which our attention is called in Heb. xi. 2 : "For by it the ancients obtained a good report." To this primi- tive religion all the later forms of truth, of error, and of idolatry, with all the mixtures of good and evil pertain- ing to religions now ancient, owe their origin, whether we can or cannot trace the genealogy. The faith of all the patriarchs anterior to the call of Abraham may be
reckoned to this early form of the knowledge, fear, love, and service of the true God. How it came that de- scendants of Shem, of Ham, of Japhet, are soon found precipitated in ignorance, crime, and abominable idola- try, we are told in Rom. i, 28: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind." Thus they lost that faith in which they had been instructed by Noah dur- ing three centuries after the deluge. Some there were who held the truth in part long centuries after others' had become utterly apostate. Abraham kept the straight course of truth, broadening, deepening, and accumulat- ing strength, through Moses, David, .Solomon. Ezra, John the Baptist. Christ himself, the apostles. W'vc- liffe, Luther, and the Reformed churches, to the present day. Deviations of more or less latitude from this line have been found in even- age, as well as in our own, many of these deviations holding enough of the Gospel to secure for long periods the validity of their claim to a share of the primitive religion, bringing glory to God and salvation to men. To delineate briefly the relation of these to the main trunk is the object of this article.
I. Egyptian. — When Abraham went to Egypt to es- cape the famine (Gen. xii, 10), he found that the Lord held intercourse with Pharaoh, and that Pharaoh and his men had regard to the Lord's will, and rendered that obedience which is better than sacrifice. This fear of the Lord we find very happily developed in the time of Joseph, when he had interpreted Pharaoh's dreams. The king of Egypt not only believed the revelation, as from God, but he and bis counsellors went to work to improve their opportunity. "The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find such a one as this is? a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Gen. xli, 38). It might be well for the nations now that are nominally Christian to take lessons from this king and his court. AVhatever was the form of their religion, it is there recognised as valid for the welfare of the nation. And when Joseph, at a later date, bought up the land for Pharaoh, the land of the priests was re- served to them. When Joseph's father is introduced to Pharaoh, the king, after conversing with him, conde- scended to receive the blessing of Jacob, when it was well understood that " the less is blessed by the better." It was not until another dynasty took possession of the throne — a king that knew not Joseph — that we hear in that court the haughty challenge, " Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord, neither will I let, Israel go." Under this new regime, Egypt was transformed into an apostasy, on which were executed the ten plagues ; and. finally, the king and bis army were precipitated to the bottom of the sea. The sphinx of Egypt belongs to this ancient religion, and had nothing to do with the grovelling ideas of worshipping crocodiles and other crawling things. Even in Joseph's time, and no doubt in Abraham's, the ancient religion had declined, or the Egyptians would not have held "every shepherd" in abomination, as Moses was in dan- ger of being stoned should he offer sacrifice in their land.
II. Philistine. — Abimelech, king of the Philistines, had a remnant of the true religion. When Abraham came to Gerar, he thought, "Surely the fear of God is not in this place." This proved to be a great mistake, for God came to Abimelech in a dream by night; Abim- elech heeded the warning, restored Sarah, sought rec- onciliation through Abraham's prayer, and dealt very liberally with the patriarch, giving him presents, and offering him his choice of the laud. Soon after Abra- ham's return from the Philistine country, Abimelech and Phicol, the general of his army, made a visit, and entered into a friendly covenant with him at Beersheba. Although the friendly feeling was much diminished in the days of Isaac, the Philistine government entertained a high respect for Isaac, not merely as Abraham's son, but as the Blessed of the Lord. Abimelech, Ahuzzath,