WeallknowDAFTsaints，andtheyinspireaqueerkindofaversion。Butincomparingsaintswithstrongmenwemustchooseindividualsonthesameintellectuallevel。Theunder-wittedstrongmanhomologousinhisspherewiththeunder-wittedsaint，isthebullyoftheslums，thehooliganorrowdy。Surelyonthislevelalsothesaintpreservesacertainsuperiority。
Howissuccesstobeabsolutelymeasuredwhentherearesomanyenvironmentsandsomanywaysoflookingattheadaptation？Itcannotbemeasuredabsolutely；theverdictwillvaryaccordingtothepointofviewadopted。FromthebiologicalpointofviewSaintPaulwasafailure，becausehewasbeheaded。Yethewasmagnificentlyadaptedtothelargerenvironmentofhistory；andsofarasanysaint’sexampleisaleavenofrighteousnessintheworld，anddrawsitinthedirectionofmoreprevalenthabitsofsaintliness，heisasuccess，nomatterwhathisimmediatebadfortunemaybe。Thegreatestsaints，thespiritualheroeswhomeveryoneacknowledges，theFrancises，Bernards，Luthers，Loyolas，Wesleys，Channings，Moodys，Gratrys，thePhillipsBrookses，theAgnesJoneses，MargaretHallahans，andDoraPattisons，aresuccessesfromtheoutset。Theyshowthemselves，andthereisnoquestion；everyoneperceivestheirstrengthandstature。Theirsenseofmysteryinthings，theirpassion，theirgoodness，irradiateaboutthemandenlargetheiroutlineswhiletheysoftenthem。Theyarelikepictureswithanatmosphereandbackground；and，placedalongsideofthem，thestrongmenofthisworldandnootherseemasdryassticks，ashardandcrudeasblocksofstoneorbrick-bats。
Inageneralway，then，and“onthewhole。”[224]ourabandonmentoftheologicalcriteria，andourtestingofreligionbypracticalcommonsenseandtheempiricalmethod，leaveitinpossessionofitstoweringplaceinhistory。Economically，thesaintlygroupofqualitiesisindispensabletotheworld’swelfare。Thegreatsaintsareimmediatesuccesses；thesmalleronesareatleastheraldsandharbingers，andtheymaybeleavensalso，ofabettermundaneorder。Letusbesaints，then，ifwecan，whetherornotwesucceedvisiblyandtemporally。ButinourFather’shousearemanymansions，andeachofusmustdiscoverforhimselfthekindofreligionandtheamountofsaintshipwhichbestcomportswithwhathebelievestobehispowersandfeelstobehistruestmissionandvocation。Therearenosuccessestobeguaranteedandnosetorderstobegiventoindividuals，solongaswefollowthemethodsofempiricalphilosophy。
Thisismyconclusionsofar。Iknowthatonsomeofyourmindsitleavesafeelingofwonderthatsuchamethodshouldhavebeenappliedtosuchasubject，andthisinspiteofallthoseremarksaboutempiricismwhichImadeatthebeginningofLectureHow，yousay，canreligion，whichbelievesintwoworldsandaninvisibleorder，beestimatedbytheadaptationofitsfruitstothisworld’sorderalone？Itisitstruth，notitsutility，youinsist，uponwhichourverdictoughttodepend。Ifreligionistrue，itsfruitsaregoodfruits，eventhoughinthisworldtheyshouldproveuniformlyilladaptedandfullofnaughtbutpathos。Itgoesback，then，afterall，tothequestionofthetruthoftheology。Theplotinevitablythickensuponus；wecannotescapetheoreticalconsiderations。Ipropose，then，thattosomedegreewefacetheresponsibility。Religiouspersonshaveoften，thoughnotuniformly，professedtoseetruthinaspecialmanner。Thatmannerisknownasmysticism。Iwillconsequentlynowproceedtotreatatsomelengthofmysticalphenomena，andafterthat，thoughmorebriefly，Iwillconsiderreligiousphilosophy。
OverandoveragainintheselecturesIhaveraisedpointsandleftthemopenandunfinisheduntilweshouldhavecometothesubjectofMysticism。Someofyou，Ifear，mayhavesmiledasyounotedmyreiteratedpostponements。Butnowthehourhascomewhenmysticismmustbefacedingoodearnest，andthosebrokenthreadswounduptogether。Onemaysaytruly，Ithink，thatpersonalreligiousexperiencehasitsrootandcentreinmysticalstatesofconsciousness；soforus，whointheselecturesaretreatingpersonalexperienceastheexclusivesubjectofourstudy，suchstatesofconsciousnessoughttoformthevitalchapterfromwhichtheotherchaptersgettheirlight。Whethermytreatmentofmysticalstateswillshedmorelightordarkness，Idonotknow，formyownconstitutionshutsmeoutfromtheirenjoymentalmostentirely，andIcanspeakofthemonlyatsecondhand。Butthoughforcedtolookuponthesubjectsoexternally，IwillbeasobjectiveandreceptiveasIcan；andIthinkI