Philosophic Evolution. 215 



a duty, should the existence of such duty be a reality, as 

 to which, by the hypothesis, he is in a state of uncer- 

 tainty. If he is sincerely desirous of having his doubts 

 resolved, surely he must feel convinced that such a 

 manifestation of goodwill can have no other than a 

 beneficial effect (supposing a personal First Cause 

 exists) while in no case can it harm or degrade him, 

 since he is not supposed to give any assent to that 

 which he does not really accept, but being confessedly 

 in a state of doubt, he offers only a hypothetical wor- 

 ship, such as should rationally accompany the existence 

 of such doubt, though not, of course, the existence of a 

 state of positive and absolute negation, such as hardly 

 any modern English philosopher openly avows. 



Glancing backwards over the course we have tra- 

 versed, it seems borne in upon us that the logical 

 development of that process which Philip the Fair 

 began is probably advancing, however slowly, to a re- 

 sult very generally unforeseen. But if such result as 

 that here indicated be the probable outcome of philoso- 

 phical evolution, Christianity has once more evidently 

 nothing whatever to fear from it. A philosophy which 

 as a complement unites in one all other systems, will 

 harmonise with a Religion which as a complement syn- 

 thesises all other religions, and not only religions pro- 

 perly so-called, but atheism also. 



Atheism, pantheism, and pure deism running their 



