FROM THE EVOLUTION PHILOSOPHY. 



17 



with a view of emphasizing some moral lesson which 

 he may wish to bring home to the hearts of his auditors. 

 Thus will_man's conduct be influenced in the right 

 direction. On the one hand, the necessity of leading 

 a moral life will be impressed upon him; on the other 

 hand, he will be led to reflect upon that inscrutable power 

 whose marvellous energy reveals itself in a universe of 



wonders -a^power which, though indefinable, nay, incom- 

 prehensible, is yet as_real in its existence as it is unknowable 

 in its attributes^"* 



Nor ~3oesthi s view of religion shut out all hopes of 

 posthumous possibilites. Whether or not death means total 

 annihilation is a question which no system of philosophy 

 can even pretend to begin to answer; it is a part of the 

 awful mystery that enshrouds the universe. There is no 

 argument to deprive men of the right to hope for a life 

 beyond the grave, provided always that the true nature of 

 such a hope be constantly kept in mind, and provided they 

 do not allow their feelings in the matter in any way 

 to becloud their intellect. And there will be room for_ 

 faith, too. Not_the__chikUsh faith that trembles bcfore- 

 the faith that can well afford to defy reason 



faith that there is an everlasting- meaning-, a never-ending 

 purpose in life anj^l the nniYornn, whiVh onr inability to 

 .g&tap the entire scheme of things hides from us. Such a 

 faith is, indeed, eminently rational. It does not shun 

 investigation, nor seek to dull the edge of reason. On the 

 contrary it rests on tue logical deductions Of a vTsion wide 

 enough to recognize the deep significance of the limit 

 powers ol 



We come now to consider the subject-matter of science. 



* Herbert Spencer's Theory of Religion and Morality. By Sylvan Drey. 

 London : Williams and Norgate. 



