CHAPTER IV. 

 SCIENTIFIC EVOLUTION. 



T N the second chapter of this essay, an attempt was 

 made to investigate the probable effect on Christianity 

 of the further development of the great modern process of 

 social evolution. It was therein stated that a trustworthy 

 result could be arrived at only after considering (i) the 

 political, (2) the scientific, and (3) the philosophic aspects of 

 the question. As yet our inquiry has been limited to the 

 political aspect alone, the others being deferred for sub- 

 sequent consideration. The result so far arrived at has 

 been that the political evolutionary process tends to 

 increase the coherence and strength of the Christian 

 organism, and to give greater efficiency to its action, by 

 occasioning a series of internal integrating processes re- 

 sponsive to external disintegrating influences. Neverthe- 

 less a reservation was made as to the possible effects of 

 scientific and philosophic evolution, to the effect that if 

 contradiction thence arose such evolution must be fatal, 

 while political change (by giving increased liberty of 

 action) must hasten the final catastrophe. It remains 

 then to consider the scientific and philosophic aspects of 

 contemporary evolution in their relationship to Christian- 

 ity, the subject being treated now, as in the precedin 



