“Yours sincerely,

“B.  D.”

[I have received about fifty letters written in precisely the same tone as the above—­all more or less complaining of the insufficiency of “so-called Religion, which is often a mere mixture of dogma and superstition”—­and I ask—­What are the preachers of Christ’s clear message about that there should be such plaintively eager anxious souls as these, who are evidently ready and willing to live noble lives if helped and encouraged ever so little?  Shame on those men who presume to take up the high vocation of the priesthood for the sake of self-love, self-interest, worldly advancement, money or position!  These things are not among Christ’s teachings.  If there are members of the clergy who can neither plant faith, nor consolation, nor proper comprehension of God’s infinite Beauty and Goodness in the hearts of their hearers, I say that their continuance in such sacred office is an offence to the Master whom they profess to serve.  “It must needs be that offences come, but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” To such may be addressed the words, “Hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”—­Author.]

LETTER VII.

“Madam,

“I hope you will not think it great presumption my writing to you.  My excuse must be that I so much want to believe in he great Spirit that ‘makes for righteousness,’ and I cannot!  Your book puts it all so clearly that if I can only know it to be a true experience of your own, it will go a long way in dispersing the fog that modern writings surround one with. ...

“Apologizing for troubling you, I am faithfully yours,

“C.M.E.”

LETTER VIII.

“Madam,

“I trust you will pardon the liberty I take in writing to you.  My excuse must be the very deep interest your book, ’A Romance of Two Worlds,’ has excited in me.  I, of course, understand that the story itself is a romance, but in reading it carefully it seems to me that it is a book written with a purpose. ...  The Electric Creed respecting Religion seems to explain so much in Scripture which has always seemed to me impossible to accept blindly without explanation of any kind; and the theory that Christ came to die and to suffer for us as an Example and a means of communication with God, and not as a sacrifice, clears up a point which has always been to me personally a stumbling-block.  I cannot say how grateful I shall be if you can tell me any means of studying this subject further; and trusting you will excuse me for troubling you, I am, Madam,

“Yours truly,

“H.  B.”