The  sphere  of  sociality,  which  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of
humanity,  must  be  enlarged  till  it  reaches  to  the  stars.  Soci-
ality is  the  fîrm  foundation  of  the  religious  sentiment,  and
a  religious  being  might  be  defined  as  a  being  disposed  to  be
sociable,  not  only  with  all  living  creatures  with  whom  expe-
rience makes  him  acquainted,  but  also  with  the  creatures  of
thought  with  whom  he  peoples  the  world.
That  religion  consists  essentially  in  the  establishment  of  a
bond — at  first  mythical,  and  subsequently  mystic,  in  the  first
instance  between  man  and  the  forces  of  the  universe,  then
between    man    and    the    universe    itself,    and    ultimately    be-


2  INTRODUCTION.
tween  man  and  the  elements  of  the  universe — is  distinctly
the  outcome  of  every  study  of  religion;  but  what  we  wish
especially  here  to  consider  is  the  precise  way  in  which  this
bond  has  been  conceived.  Well  (it  may  appear  more  clei  rly
at  the  close  of  this  inquiry),  the  religious  bond  has  been  n-
ct'iwtd  ex  ajialogia  societatis  Jiutiianœ :  the  relations,  ami  le.
