'Man as rational, and, in virtue of self-conscious reason, the free shaper of his own destiny, furnishes us, I contend, with our only indefeasible standard of value, and our clearest light as to the nature of the divine. He does what science, occupied only with the laws of events, and speculative metaphysics, when it surrenders itself to the exclusive guidance of the intellect, alike find unintelligible, and are forced to pronounce impossible-he acts.'

DR. ANDREW SETH, Personal Idealism, p. 344

INTRODUCTION

'I want no philosophy, no platform, no pulpit, no dying pillow, that does not rest on rendered reasons.'

JOSEPH COOK, Boston Lectures, 'Biology,' p. 68.

'The cosmological argument concludes from the existence of the world as temporal and contingent, conditioned and phenomenal, to the existence of God as its one eternal, unconditioned, self-existent cause. It is an argument which has been in no respect discredited by recent research and discussion, which is in substance accepted not only by theists, but by pantheists, and which forms the basis even of the philosophy of Herbert Spencer. The principle on which it proceedsthe principle of causality-has only come to be more clearly seen to be ultimate, universal, and necessary. The hypothesis of an infinite series of causes and effects has not had its burden of irrationality in the least diminished.' DR. R. FLINT, Agnosticism, p. 590.

'It is not one line of evidence only which establishes the theistic position, but the concurrent force of many, starting from different and independent standpoints. And the voice of reason is confirmed by the soul's direct experiences in religion. At the very least these considerations show-even if the force of demonstration is denied to themthat the Christian view of God is not unreasonable; that it is in accordance with the highest suggestions of reason applied to the facts of existence; that there is no bar in rational thought or in science to its full acceptance. And this is all that at present we need ask.'

ORR'S Christian View of God and the World, p. 111.

INTRODUCTION

In the year 1892 there appeared in Berlin a small brochure entitled The Confession of Faith of a Man of Science. It was only apparently anonymous, being the reproduction of an address by Professor Ernst Haeckel, delivered shortly before, at Altenburg, in reply to one by Professor Schlesinger on Scientific Articles of Faith. The purpose of this candid confession of monistic faith,' on the part of Professor Haeckel, was twofold: (1) to exhibit nature as a unity in the light of modern knowledge; (2) to show that 'in monism the ethical demands of the soul are satisfied, as well as the logical necessities of the understanding.' The issue was characterized by all the scientific acumen and ruthless outspokenness which have so long distinguished its author. In such small compass, however, it was naturally impossible for him to give full expression to his convictions, and the probabilities were manifest that the issue would not reach far beyond the narrow circle of scientific experts. Hence the writer, not unnaturally, proceeded to expand and popularize his theme, with the result that in the autumn of 1899 there appeared a bulky volume entitled Die Welträthsel,

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which met with immediate success, 10,000 copies being sold in a few months. Forthwith a popular edition was produced, 100,000 copies of which were disposed of within a year. The sale has since been maintained to a considerable degree, and the influence of the work has been manifested in the large number of reviews and pamphlets thereby called forth-more than a hundred reviews and a dozen large pamphlets, according to the author's own statement, having been published in opposition to its teachings. This has been followed by its translation into English, French, Italian, and Spanish, in which tongues also the sale has been large. Its publication in English produced no particular impression, until it was thrust into prominence by an extremely laudatory and drastically anti-Christian notice in The Clarion weekly journal, and was issued by the Rationalist Press Association at the popular price of sixpence. This brought about the sale of some 100,000 copies, and gave rise to considerable discussion. It became the occasion of a prolonged series of articles in the journal above mentioned, which, in their combination of slashing invective and inimitable plausibility, constituted the most effective assault upon all things Christian that had appeared for a long time.

The translator of Professor Haeckel's works into our own language, Mr. Joseph McCabe, had only a short time previously passed, according to his own interesting account, From Rome to Rationalism, having formerly been Romish priest and professor, as the Very Rev.