As　introductory　to　the　whole；　a　remark　about　Idolatry　will　perhaps　be　in　place　here。　　One　of　Mahomet's　characteristics；　which　indeed　belongs　to　all　Prophets；　is　unlimited　implacable　zeal　against　Idolatry。　　It　is　the　grand　theme　of　Prophets：　　Idolatry；　the　worshipping　of　dead　Idols　as　the　Divinity；　is　a　thing　they　cannot　away　with；　but　have　to　denounce　continually；　and　brand　with　inexpiable　reprobation；　it　is　the　chief　of　all　the　sins　they　see　done　under　the　sun。　　This　is　worth　noting。　　We　will　not　enter　here　into　the　theological　question　about　Idolatry。　　Idol　is　_Eidolon_；　a　thing　seen；　a　symbol。　　It　is　not　God；　but　a　Symbol　of　God；　and　perhaps　one　may　question　whether　any　the　most　benighted　mortal　ever　took　it　for　more　than　a　Symbol。　　I　fancy；　he　did　not　think　that　the　poor　image　his　own　hands　had　made　_was_　God；　but　that　God　was　emblemed　by　it；　that　God　was　in　it　some　way　or　other。　　And　now　in　this　sense；　one　may　ask；　Is　not　all　worship　whatsoever　a　worship　by　Symbols；　by　_eidola_；　or　things　seen？　Whether　_seen_；　rendered　visible　as　an　image　or　picture　to　the　bodily　eye；　or　visible　only　to　the　inward　eye；　to　the　imagination；　to　the　intellect：　this　makes　a　superficial；　but　no　substantial　difference。　　It　is　still　a　Thing　Seen；　significant　of　Godhead；　an　Idol。　　The　most　rigorous　Puritan　has　his　Confession　of　Faith；　and　intellectual　Representation　of　Divine　things；　and　worships　thereby；　thereby　is　worship　first　made　possible　for　him。　　All　creeds；　liturgies；　religious　forms；　conceptions　that　fitly　invest　religious　feelings；　are　in　this　sense　_eidola_；　things　seen。　　All　worship　whatsoever　must　proceed　by　Symbols；　by　Idols：we　may　say；　all　Idolatry　is　comparative；　and　the　worst　Idolatry　is　only　_more_　idolatrous。
  Where；　then；　lies　the　evil　of　it？　　Some　fatal　evil　must　lie　in　it；　or　earnest　prophetic　men　would　not　on　all　hands　so　reprobate　it。　　Why　is　Idolatry　so　hateful　to　Prophets？　　It　seems　to　me　as　if；　in　the　worship　of　those　poor　wooden　symbols；　the　thing　that　had　chiefly　provoked　the　Prophet；　and　filled　his　inmost　soul　with　indignation　and　aversion；　was　not　exactly　what　suggested　itself　to　his　own　thought；　and　came　out　of　him　in　words　to　others；　as　the　thing。　　The　rudest　heathen　that　worshipped　Canopus；　or　the　Caabah　Black…Stone；　he；　as　we　saw；　was　superior　to　the　horse　that　worshipped　nothing　at　all！　　Nay　there　was　a　kind　of　lasting　merit　in　that　poor　act　of　his；　analogous　to　what　is　still　meritorious　in　Poets：　recognition　of　a　certain　endless　_divine_　beauty　and　significance　in　stars　and　all　natural　objects　whatsoever。　　Why　should　the　Prophet　so　mercilessly　condemn　him？　　The　poorest　mortal　worshipping　his　Fetish；　while　his　heart　is　full　of　it；　may　be　an　object　of　pity；　of　contempt　and　avoidance；　if　you　will；　but　cannot　surely　be　an　object　of　hatred。　　Let　his　heart　_be_　honestly　full　of　it；　the　whole　space　of　his　dark　narrow　mind　illuminated　thereby；　in　one　word；　let　him　entirely　_believe_　in　his　Fetish；it　will　then　be；　I　should　say；　if　not　well　with　him；　yet　as　well　as　it　can　readily　be　made　to　be；　and　you　will　leave　him　alone；　unmolested　there。
  But　here　enters　the　fatal　circumstance　of　Idolatry；　that；　in　the　era　of　the　Prophets；　no　man's　mind　_is_　any　longer　honestly　filled　with　his　Idol　or　Symbol。　　Before　the　Prophet　can　arise　who；　seeing　through　it；　knows　it　to　be　mere　wood；　many　men　must　have　begun　dimly　to　doubt　that　it　was　little　more。　　Condemnable　Idolatry　is　_insincere_　Idolatry。　　Doubt　has　eaten　out　the　heart　of　it：　　a　human　soul　is　seen　clinging　spasmodically　to　an　Ark　of　the　Covenant；　which　it　half　feels　now　to　have　become　a　Phantasm。　　This　is　one　of　the　balefulest　sights。　　Souls　are　no　longer　filled　with　their　Fetish；　but　only　pretend　to　be　filled；　and　would　fain　make　themselves　feel　that　they　are　filled。　　〃You　do　not　believe；〃　said　Coleridge；　〃you　only　believe　that　you　believe。〃　　It　is　the　final　scene　in　all　kinds　of　Worship　and　Symbolism；　the　sure　symptom　that　death　is　now　nigh。　　It　is　equivalent　to　what　we　call　Formulism；　and　Worship　of　Formulas；　in　these　days　of　ours。　No　more　immoral　act　can　be　done　by　a　human　creature；　for　it　is　the　beginning　of　all　immorality；　or　rather　it　is　the　impossibility　henceforth　of　any　morality　whatsoever：　　the　innermost　moral　soul　is　paralyzed　thereby；　cast　into　fatal　magnetic　sleep！　　Men　are　no　longer　_sincere_　men。　　I　do　not　wonder　that　the　earnest　man　denounces　this；　brands　it；　prosecutes　it　with　inextinguishable　aversion。　　He　and　it；　all　good　and　it；　are　at　death…feud。　Blamable　Idolatry　is　_Cant_；　and　even　what　one　may　call　Sincere…Cant。　Sincere…Cant：　　that　is　worth　thinking　of！　　Every　sort　of　Worship　ends　with　this　phasis。
  I　find　Luther　to　have　been　a　Breaker　of　Idols；　no　less　than　any　other　Prophet。　　The　wooden　gods　of　the　Koreish；　made　of　timber　and　bees…wax；　were　not　more　hateful　to　Mahomet　than　Tetzel's　Pardons　of　Sin；　made　of　sheepskin　and　ink；　were　to　Luther。　　It　is　the　property　of　every　Hero；　in　every　time；　in　every　place　and　situation；　that　he　come　back　to　reality；　that　he　stand　upon　things；　and　not　shows　of　things。　　According　as　he　loves；　and　venerates；　articulately　or　with　deep　speechless　thought；　the　awful　realities　of　things；　so　will　the　hollow　shows　of　things；　however　regular；　decorous；　accredited　by　Koreishes　or　Conclaves；　be　intolerable　and　detestable　to　him。　　Protestantism；　too；　is　the　work　of　a　Prophet：　　the　prophet…work　of　that　sixteenth　century。　　The　first　stroke　of　honest　demolition　to　an　ancient　thing　grown　false　and　idolatrous；　preparatory　afar　off　to　a　new　thing；　which　shall　be　true；　and　authentically　divine！
  At　first　view　it　might　seem　as　if　Protestantism　were　entirely　destructive　to　this　that　we　call　Hero…worship；　and　represent　as　the　basis　of　all　possible　good；　religious　or　social；　for　mankind。　　One　often　hears　it　said　that　Protestantism　introduced　a　new　era；　radically　different　from　any　the　world　had　ever　seen　before：　　the　era　of　〃private　judgment；〃　as　they　call　it。　　By　this　revolt　against　the　Pope；　every　man　became　his　own　Pope；　and　learnt；　among　other　things；　that　he　must　never　trust　any　Pope；　or　spiritual　Hero…captain；　any　more！　　Whereby；　is　not　spiritual　union；　all　hierarchy　and　subordination　among　men；　henceforth　an　impossibility？　　So　we　hear　it　said。Now　I　need　not　deny　that　Protestantism　was　a　revolt　against　spiritual　sovereignties；　Popes　and　much　else。　　Nay　I　will　grant　that　English　Puritanism；　revolt　against　earthly　sovereignties；　was　the　second　act　of　it；　that　the　enormous　French　Revolution　itself　was　the　third　act；　whereby　all　sovereignties　earthly　and　spiritual　were；　as　might　seem；　abolished　or　made　sure　of　abolition。　　Protestantism　is　the　grand　root　from　which　our　whole　subsequent　European　History　branches　out。　　For　the　spiritual　will　always　body　itself　forth　in　the　temporal　history　of　men；　the　spiritual　is　the　beginning　of　the　temporal。　　And　now；　sure　enough；　the　cry　is　everywhere　for　Liberty　and　Equality；　Independence　and　so　forth；　instead　of　_Kings_；　Ballot…boxes　and　Electoral　suffrages：　　it　seems　made　out　that　any　Hero…sovereign；　or　loyal　obedience　of　men　to　a　man；　in　things　temporal　or　things　spiritual；　has　passed　away　forever　from　the　world。　　I　should　despair　of　the　world　altogether；　if　so。　　One　of　my　deepest　convictions　is；　that　it　is　not　so。　　Without　sovereigns；　true　sovereigns；　temporal　and　spiritual；　I　see　nothing　possible　but　an　anarchy；　the　hatefulest　of　things。　But　I　find　Protestantism；　whatever　anarchic　democracy　it　have　produced；　to　be　the　beginning　of　new　genuine　sovereignty　and　order。　　I　find　it　to　be　a　revolt　against　_false_　sovereigns；　the　painful　but　indispensable　first　preparative　for　_true_　sovereigns　getting　place　among　us！　　This　is　worth　explaining　a　little。
  Let　us　remark；　therefore；　in　the　first　place；　that　this　of　〃private　judgment〃　is；　at　bottom；　not　a　new　thing　in　the　world；　but　only　new　at　that　epoch　of　the　world。　　There　is　nothing　generically　new　or　peculiar　in　the　Reformation；　it　was　a　return　to　Truth　and　Reality　in　opposition　to　Falsehood　and　Semblance；　as　all　kinds　of　Improvement　and　genuine　Teaching　are　and　have　been。　　Liberty　of　private　judgment；　if　we　will　consider　it；　must　at　all　times　have　existed　in　the　world。　　Dante　had　not　put　out　his　eyes；　or　tied　shackles　on　himself；　he　was　at　home　in　that　Catholicism　of　his；　a　free…seeing　soul　in　it；if　many　a　poor　Hogstraten；　Tetzel；　and　Dr。　Eck　had　now　become　slaves　in　it。　　Liberty　of　judgment？　　No　iron　chain；　or　outward　force　of　any　kind；　could　ever　compel　the　soul　of　a　man　to　believe　or　to　disbelieve：　　it　is　his　own　indefeasible　light；　that　judgment　of　his；　he　will　reign；　and　believe　there；　by　the　grace　of　God　alone！　　The　sorriest　sophistical　Bellarmine；　preaching　sightless　faith　and　passive　obedience；　must　first；　by　some　kind　of　_conviction_；　have　abdicated　his　right　to　be　convinced。　　His　〃private　judgment〃　indicated　that；　as　the　advisablest　step　_he_　could　take。　　The　right　of　private　judgment　will　subsist；　in　full　force；　wherever　true　men　subsist。　　A　true　man　_believes_　with　his　whole　judgment；　with　all　the　illumination　and　discernment　that　is　in　him；　and　has　always　so　believed。　　A　false　man；　only　struggling　to　〃believe　that　he　believes；〃　will　naturally　manage　it　in　some　other　way。　　Protestantism　said　to　this　latter；　Woe！　and　to　the　former；　Well　done