INTRODUCTION 



world of phenomena with the Deity. We, how- 

 ever, must in no wise identify " the Power with 

 its manifestations." " While the universe is the 

 manifestation of Deity, yet is Deity something 

 more than the universe." There is to be ad- 

 ded the consideration that for^the " Cosmist " 

 the Unknowable manifests itself in a world of 

 Law. In the mind of the " Cosmist " " Divine 

 action " is therefore identified with orderly ac- 

 tion. The question about the right positive 

 attitude towards the Deity thus comes to in- 

 volve the question whether man is to be taken 

 as the measure of the highest form of being, 

 "whether the creature is to be taken as the 

 measure of the Creator." And the answer of 

 the " Cosmist " is that the Unknowable, as be- 

 yond the world, and as the source of Order, is 

 something immeasurably higher than the crea- 

 ture. 



The question how far Fiske was satisfied in 

 his own mind that the view indicated involved 

 already a sufficiently positive attitude towards 

 the Unknowable, seems, in the light of the sub- 

 sequent developments, somewhat doubtful. The 

 attitude thus far defined seems to be positive 

 only (i) in so far as Fiske asserts that an ulti- 

 mate mystery is the natural object of the emo- 

 tion of worship ; and (2) in so far as the Un- 

 knowable, being free from anthropomorphic 

 xciv 



