The sin against God would
lie not in want of faith, but in faith.
"My friends, there are two sins in matters of belief. There is that of
believing on too little evidence, and that of requiring too much before
we are convinced. The guilt of the latter is incurred, alas! by not a
few amongst us at the present day, but if the testimony to the truth of
the wondrous event so faithfully depicted on the picture that confronts
you had been less contemporaneous, less authoritative, less unanimous,
future generations--and it is for them that we should now provide--would
be guilty of the first-named, and not less heinous sin if they believed
at all.
"Small wonder, then, that the Sunchild, having come amongst us for our
advantage, not his own, would not permit his beneficent designs to be
endangered by the discrepancies, mythical developments, idiosyncracies,
and a hundred other defects inevitably attendant on amateur and
irresponsible recording. Small wonder, then, that he should have chosen
the officials of the Musical Banks, from the Presidents and
Vice-Presidents downwards to be the authoritative exponents of his
teaching, the depositaries of his traditions, and his representatives
here on earth till he shall again see fit to visit us. For he will come.
Nay it is even possible that he may be here amongst us at this very
moment, disguised so that none may know him, and intent only on watching
our devotion towards him.
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