The divine meaning of virtue, the infinite nature of duty, had been forgotten, and morality had been turned into a sort of ledger-philosophy, based upon calculations of profit and loss.
It was thus that Carlyle read the signs of the times.

In such circumstances what was needed?
Nothing less than a spiritual rebirth.
Men must abandon their wrong attitude to life, and take up the right attitude.

Everything hinged on that.

And that they might take up this right attitude it was necessary first that they should be convinced of life's essential spirituality, and cease in consequence to seek its meaning and test its value on the plane of merely material things.
Carlyle thus throws passionate emphasis upon religion as the only saving power.

But it must be noted that he does not suggest a return to any of the dogmatic creeds of the past.