Excerpt from Lex Orandi: Or Prayer and Creed Allow this scientific and objectively valid proof of religion to be as perfect a demon stration as such matters admit of yetwhen presented to this man or that, it will either be rejected altogether or else lie heavily on his mind as an undigested difficulty, until the truth be voluntarily appropriated by him through an act of faith. For the truths of religion like those of history and physical science are directed to life as their end. We accept even these latter only because they explain and fit in with the life that we live, and offer means of its expansion; because they enable us to understand and master our physical and social environment and to appropriate its resources. Had they no direct or indirect bearing upon the interests of our temporal life, or were that bearing wholly obscured, or misconceived as adverse, then no demon stration could force them on our acceptance they would be merely curious riddles waiting solution. And the demonstrated truths of religion are no more than this to a man until he see their bearing upon his life, or upon certain elements of his life, which they promise to foster and develope; until they Offer to him the mastery of a spiritual worldwhose wealth he desires to appropriate. If the life to which they point be to him in every way uncongenial, strange and violent, their hold on his intellect will be purely external; he will be puzzled, not convinced. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.