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than others that we must look for the most consistent and thorough expression of the naturalistic theory, and to none of these followers more than to the class of British Comtists. With men like Mr Frederick Harrison and Mr Congreve and Dr Bridges, Naturalism is no mere theory, but a faith, as it was with Comte himself. And there is a certain passionate glow in their expositions, just as there was in those of the master. The love of the present world, of the great cosmos of natural life, with man at its summit, has passed into their hearts as a new Evangel; and to hold that there is any kingdom of heaven beyond what this world may become, is with them a species of blasphemy against natural law. Few preachers have ever spoken more earnestly of eternity and its awful issues than Mr Frederick Harrison has spoken of Humanity and its religion. It would have been interesting to trace the development of Comtist thought in England, and especially in Mr Harrison's eloquent pages; but the principles of the creed, and even its details, are best presented in the full light of Comte's own thought and life.

The same subject is pursued less directly in the next essay. There have been few more beautiful or thoughtful minds in our time than William Smith, the author of 'Thorndale'; but it is the "conflict of opinion" rather than the dogmatic affirmation of a purely naturalistic doctrine that is characteristic of Smith. He clung to a species of Theism to the lastan imperfect and untenable Theism in our view, but in

his own view a doctrine consistent with a spiritual interpretation of life and nature. His widow pre

pared a touching Memoir of his life, which now appears as an introduction to his second work, 'Gravenhurst'; and she was warmly interested in this paper, in which she recognised a true estimate of her husband's philosophical and religious position. The paper appears, therefore, as originally written, with the exception of a statement as to which the Memoir in its first form (it was first printed privately) had misled

the author.

The special questions of Evolution, and of the relation of mind to matter, started in the second essay, are argued out more fully in the third paper, dealing with Dr Tyndall's famous address to the British Association in 1874. There are traces of a polemical feeling in this essay which would be better away; but it is impossible to eliminate them fully without breaking up the argument,—and there is nothing in its spirit and scope to which I do not adhere.

The paper on "Pessimism" naturally follows. If there is no supernatural or spiritual order, there will always be a large class of minds to whom Pessimism will approve itself as both a truer feeling and philosophy than the "Enthusiasm of Humanity." In the wake of materialistic theories the question promptly arises—" Is life worth living?" And it becomes interesting to consider how far the question has penetrated our modern consciousness, as well as from what old fountain-heads of atheistic theory it really comes.

The three next papers are all closely connected, and in fact really treat successive aspects of the same question-How far morality, religion, and theology can survive the elimination of the Supernatural. The relation of Ethics to Metaphysics might have been examined in connection with significant works in our own language, which have lately attracted much attentionMr Herbert Spencer's 'Data of Ethics,' and Mr Leslie Stephen's 'Science of Ethics.' Both works are deserving of careful examination; but perhaps the subject is treated with fully as much interest and freshness on the basis of M. Caro's Problèmes de Morale Sociale,' which also enables us to see how closely contemporary thought in France runs along the same lines.

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The essays on Mr Matthew Arnold's views of 'Religion without Metaphysic,' and the recent well-known volume on Natural Religion,' are in considerable part freshly written, and have not appeared before. They speak for themselves. But I may say here that I have wished to speak with all respect of both writers—the friendship of one of whom I may claim, as I willingly do homage with thousands of readers to his delightful literary qualities. Yet nothing appears to me more untenable than the attempt which these distinguished writers have made-in different ways, but to the same purpose of working out a religion on a basis of natural experience. That such attempts should be made, as well as attempts to revive old pessimistic theories, is in the very character of that negative movement or wave of thought which is so powerful

in our time. They represent, so to speak, the beat of the wave, where it touches the strong tide still running in favour of religion. But nothing appears more hopeless than to mix the two currents,-to abandon the supernatural basis of religion, and yet to hold to religion in any sense in which it has hitherto been heldin which it has been to men a redeeming and controlling influence. The idea of the Supernatural has no doubt been degraded by popular religion, and miracles must be subjects of open criticism, like all other traditions of the past. But to repel a supernatural Order altogether, or to ignore any sphere of being beyond that of science or natural experience, leaves certainly no room for any form of the Christian religion, however vague and undogmatic. If there is no God as hitherto conceived, then religion as hitherto understood must disappear. We may substitute what we call religion, just as these writers speak of a Power they call God. But no arguments of language can identify "a religion of nature" with Christianity.

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The remaining essays are so essentially cognate that they fitly find a place in the same volume, although not so intimately connected with the main line of thought. The study of Kant appeared little more than a year ago in the Edinburgh Review'; and I have to express my special acknowledgments to Messrs Longman for permission to reprint it, as well as the majority of the other papers which appeared at intervals in the same review.1 The essay on the "Kantian Revival," 1 The paper on the "Author of 'Thorndale'” appeared in the 'Contem

as well as that on Professor Ferrier's Philosophy, carries the discussion of the subject back to the region of first principles, where it must always end. Even metaphysic can only be assailed by metaphysic, and the idea that modern any more than ancient empiricism can bar this door is a pretence which materialistic writers themselves are the first to contradict. The very problems of science cannot be exhausted in terms of matter, and all the deepest life of humanity roots itself in the Unseen.

I had intended to close the papers by a somewhat elaborate analysis of Dr Newman's 'Grammar of Assent,'1 with the view of showing how untenable, as it appears to me, is the principle of religious certitude laid down in that work, as an escape from the assaults of the modern spirit of doubt. But the length to which the essays already mentioned have extended has prevented me including this paper; and the series is perhaps more compact in spirit, however desultory otherwise, without this addition.

I need not say how greatly I admire with all others the fine spiritual genius and tender insight and faithfulness of the Parochial Sermons'; but to Dr Newman as a Christian thinker, I cannot claim to be in any degree indebted. I am, indeed, strongly repelled by both his logical and historical methods. An essential irrationality seems to me to underlie his whole temporary Review '; that on "Modern Scientific Materialism" in 'Blackwood's Magazine.' But the others, with the exception of the two mostly written afresh, were published in the Edinburgh Review.'

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1 See Edinburgh Review, October 1870.

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