XX NOTICE OF 1 1 EGBERT SPENCER 8 



with theoretical atheism, holding as he docs this ultimate reli 

 gious idea. 



From the North American Review. 



The law of organic development announced in the early part 

 of the present century, by Goethe, Schelling, and Von Bacr, and 

 vaguely expressed in the formula, that &quot; evolution is always from 

 the homogenous to the heterogeneous, and from the simple to the 

 complex,&quot; has recently been extended by Herbert Spencer BO as 

 to include all phenomena whatsoever. lie has shown that this 

 law of evolution is the law of all evolution. Whether it be in the 

 development of the earth or of life upon its surface, in the devel 

 opment of Society, of government, of manufactures, of commerce, 

 of language, literature, science and art, this same advance from 

 the simple to the complex, through successive differentiations, 

 holds uniformly. The stupendous induction from all classes of 

 phenomena by which Mr. Spencer proceeds to establish and illus 

 trate his theorem cannot be given here. 



From the Christian Spectator (Englititi). 



Mr. Spencer claims for his view that it is not only a religious 

 position, but preeminently the religious position ; and we arc most 

 thoroughly disposed to agree with him, though we think he does 

 not appreciate the force of his own argument, nor fully under 

 stand his own words. For let us now attempt to realize the 

 meaning of this fact, of which Mr. Spencer and his compeers have 

 put us in possession ; let us endeavour to sec whether its bearings 

 arc really favorable or adverse to religion. They arc put forward 

 indeed avowedly as adverse to any other religion than a mere 

 reverential acquiescence in ignorance concerning all that truly 

 exists; but it appears to us that this supposed opposition to reli 

 gion arises from tile fact that the doctrine itself is so profoundly, 

 BO intensely, so overwhelmingly religious, nay, so utterly and en 

 tirely CiruisTiAX, that its true meaning could not be seen for very- 

 glory. Like Moses, when he came down from the Mount, this 

 positive philosophy comes with a veil over its face, that its too 

 divine radiance may be hidden for a time. This is Science that 

 has been conversing with GOD, and brings in her hand His law 

 written on tables of stoue. 



