Religion must be a state of intellect, sensibility, or will, or some combination of two or all of these factors.
4. Religion may be held to consist essentially and exclusively of knowledge; but this mistake is too gross to have been frequently committed.
The Gnostics, the earlier and scholastic theologians, the rationalists, Schelling and Cousin, have been charged with this error. The grounds of the charge indicated. Shown to be in all these cases exaggerated.
5. Schleiermacher refutes the theory by the consideration that the measure of our knowledge is not the measure of our religion.
Vindication and illustration of his argument. Service rendered by Schleiermacher to religion and theology in this connection.
6. Hegel came nearest to the identification of religion and thought, maintaining that sentiment was the lowest manifestation of religion, while the comprehension of the absolute, the highest knowledge, was its complete realisation, as also that religion was the self-consciousness of God through the mediation of the finite spirit.
Exposition and criticism of this theory. Examination of Vera's defence of it. Worship supposes two persons morally and spiritually as well as intellectually related.
7. While no mere intellectual act constitutes religion, the exercise of reason is an essential part of religion.
The denial of this an error prevalent among the modern theologians of Germany, owing to their accepting Kant's argumentation against the possibility of apprehending God by the speculative or pure reason as conclusive. If religion have no rational foundation, it has no real foundation. Reason does not apprehend merely what is finite. True place of reason in religion.
8. Religion has often been resolved into feeling or sentiment, but erroneously, since whatever feeling is fixed on requires some explanation of its existence, and this can only be found in some act or exercise of intellect.