200 THE UNIVERSE 



adherents of Comte's religion, therefore, are few. 

 Tindall and Huxley would console us for the loss of 

 religion by substituting the majesty of law. But 

 the idea of law implies an intelligent, authoritative 

 imponent of some kind. There is no majesty in a 

 sequence. 



"The all-embracing philosophy of Herbert Spencer 

 excludes the supernatural and Theism in its ordinary 

 form, and looks upon them as the Unknowable, 

 which he presents as an object of reverence. But 

 unknowableness in itself excites no reverence, even 

 though it be supposed infinite and eternal. Noth- 

 ing excites our reverence but a person, or at least 

 a moral being." Thus does Gold win Smith, the 

 great Freethinker of to-day, demolish the Free- 

 thinkers of yesterday, the Tindalls, Huxley s and 

 Darwins of Materialism, the Comtes and Yoltaires of 

 Atheism, and the Herbert Spencers and Ingersolls of 

 Agnosticism, and contends for the inexorable neces- 

 sity of a personal deity with intelligent moral or 

 spiritual power. He says the present tendency is 

 "to minimize the supernatural and throw it into 

 the background, bringing the personal character of 

 Christ and his ethical teachings into the fore- 

 ground," and, "the legemen of reason should consider 

 to how great an extent our civilization has hitherto 

 rested on religion." 



Abstract humanitarianism, and scientific natural- 

 ism do not constitute a moral standard, nor can 

 scientific postulates be made a basis for moral cul- 

 ture. Only when acted upon by man does nature 

 give response to the increasing purpose of the world, 

 and the supreme test is spiritual. Religious truths 

 are fundamental truths. First, the existence and 



