CHAPTER VIII 

 GOD IN NATURE 



IN discussing the attitude of agnostic evolution, we 

 have seen that its position is rendered untenable by 

 the fact that it has no better evidence of matter and 

 energy in which it believes than of God in whom it 

 declines to believe. Spencer admits that our con 

 ception of matter is built up or extracted from our 

 experiences of force/ and that it is only by energy 

 that matter demonstrates itself as existing. This 

 second-hand demonstration is, however, perfectly 

 satisfactory to all men, and they never, when of 

 sound mind, refuse to act on their belief. But science 

 must, in considering well its own principles, go much 

 farther than this general creed as to matter. It must 

 believe in different kinds of matter, atoms of different 

 weights, an all-pervading ether, and multitudes of 

 other entities of which it has no better evidence than 

 their observed effects. Science therefore may apply 

 the same reasoning to the human will, to the unseen 

 spiritual world, and to God Himself, if only it can dis 

 cover effects resulting from their action. It may be 



