408 COSMIC PHILOSOPRY. [ft. hl 



Thuy from every point of view the doctrine of a quasi- 

 human God appears equally unsatisfactory to the scientific 

 thinker. It rests upon unsupported theories of causation, 

 upon a mistaken conception of law, and upon a teleological 

 hypothesis whose origin renders it suspicious, and whose 

 evidence fails it in the hour of need. The inductive proof 

 alleged in its support is founded upon the correspondence 

 between the organism and the environment, and wliere the 

 correspondence fails, just there the doctrine is left helples5. 

 The Doctrine of Evolution thus not only accounts for the 

 origin and apparent justification of the anthropomorphic 

 theory, but also reveals its limitations. And when thus 

 closely scrutinized, the hypothesis appears as imperfect 

 morally as it is intellectually. It is shown to be as incom- 

 patible with the truest religion as it is with the truest science. 

 Instead of enlightening, it only mystifies us ; and, so far 

 from consoling, it tends to drive us to cynical despair. 



In spite of all the care observed in the wording of the 

 foregoing argument — a care directed toward the bringing out 

 of my entire thought, and not toward the concealing of any 

 portion of it — the views here maintained will doubtless by 

 many be pronounced " covertly atheistical." It must be 

 reserved for the next three chapters to demonstrate that they 

 are precisely the reverse, and that the intelligent acceptance 

 of them must leave us in an attitude toward God more 

 reverential than that which is assumed by those who still 

 cling to the anthropomorphic hypothesis. At present we must 

 be content with noting that our choice is no longer between 

 an intelligent Deity and none at all : it lies between a limited 

 Deity and one that is without limit. For, as tlie foregoing 

 discussion has plainly shown, and as must appeal from every 

 similar discussion of the subject in terms of the Doctrine of 

 Evolution, an anthropomorphic God cannot be conceived as 

 an infinite God. Personality and Ivfinity are terms expres- 

 uive of ideas which are mutually incompatible. The pseud' 



