LIT Ell AR Y NO TICKS. 



759 



Similarities of Physical and Religious 

 Knowledge. By James Thompson Bix- 

 bv. Pp. 266. New York : 1). Appleton 

 & Co. Price, $1.50. 

 Our readers will be interested in the ar- 

 ticle on " Religion and Science as Allies,'' by 

 Mr. J. T. Bixby. This gentleman is author 

 of the volume under the foregoing title a 

 work written in a liberal spirit, with much 

 discrimination and judicial fairness, and 

 which aims to get down to the radical har- 

 monies of religion and science. There is a 

 steadily-deepening interest in the thinking 

 world on the question of the relations of 

 these two subjects which relates to both 

 their analytical and historical aspects. Mr. 

 Bixby' s book-is one of the best representa- 

 tives of a large class of works that are 

 devoted to working out the fundamental 

 relations of science and religion. The in- 

 quiry goes deep, and still involves the most 

 radical disagreements among thinkers of 

 different schools. Partial views must still 

 be expected while thinkers remain parti- 

 sans, for current scholarship is not yet 

 broad enough to deal with a problem so 

 comprehensive in a thoroughly synthetic 

 and unifying way. But there is compensa- 

 tion from the number of earnest and vigor- 

 ous minds that are taking it up on its vari- 

 ous sides, and, from the thorough sifting 

 which the subject will thus receive, we may 

 expect a wider agreement and more pacific 

 relations among the parties interested. The 

 present work is written in the interest of 

 peace, but the author does not shirk its 

 difficulties, and is aware how large must 

 be the mutual concessions before lasting 

 concord can be gained. He is an indepen- 

 dent thinker, who has studied carefully the 

 later products of scientific literature, and 

 treats them with marked critical ability. 

 The volume is full of instruction, well pre- 

 sented, and we cordially recommend it to 

 readers interested in this line of inquiry. 



The Scientific Bases of Faith. By Jo- 

 seph John Murphy, author of " Habit 

 and Intelligence." Pp. xliv-474. 8vo. 

 London: Macmillan & Co. 1873. Price 

 $5.00. 



We regard this work as of unusual in- 

 terest and value, and taken in connection 

 with its predecessor, "Habit and Intelli- 

 gence," it should be welcomed by those 



who desire a more harmonious adjustment 

 of the relations among the thinkers and 

 believers (often coexistent in the same per- 

 son) of the present time. It is an attempt 

 to " harmonize Scripture with science," 

 that is say, to " try by how little distortion 

 of the sense of Scripture, and by how little 

 misrepresentation of the facts of science, 

 the narratives of the Old Testament may 

 be made to coincide with the facts disclosed 

 by scientific research." Through twenty- 

 nine chapters, with an " introduction " and 

 a " conclusion," Mr. Murphy discusses such 

 subjects as the relations of " Metaphysical 

 and Positive Philosophy," " The Metaphys- 

 ical Interpretation of Nature," " The Bases 

 of Knowledge," " The Limits of our Knowl- 

 edge," " The Proof of Deity from Intelli- 

 gence and Design," " The Structure of the 

 Universe," "Nature and the Religious 

 Sense," " Immortality," " The Relation of 

 History to Religion." 



The author is, we believe, a clergyman 

 of the lately disestablished Church of Ire- 

 land, and his views of Scripture inspiration 

 and interpretation may fairly be called 

 "broad," as that word is now understood 

 in the English Church ; but we rarely find 

 a man who seems more reverent in spirit : 

 courteous, critical, and fair, he is worthy 

 of a patient, candid hearing, alike from 

 those who hold very " conservative " views 

 of the Bible and of orthodoxy on the one 

 hand, and on the other from those who are 

 inclined to think that the " age of faith " 

 has passed away before the more certain and 

 substantial things of the "age of science." 



Mr. Murphy asserts it to be " as certain . 

 as history and philosophy can make it that 

 science is absolutely independent of theol- 

 ogy ; " yet he insists that science and faith 

 are closely related, and that no treaty of 

 peace can be established on the assumption 

 that they have nothing to do with each 

 other. His view of their mutual relation is 

 illustrated by reference to that between 

 matter and life, and life and mind, life pre- 

 supposing matter as its basis, mind presup- 

 posing life as its basis. So science (using the 

 word in its largest meaning and applica- 

 tion) is presupposed as the basis of religion, 

 which he believes will ultimately be recog- 

 nized as the summit and crown of all knowl- 

 edge. 



