Evolution of Society. 227 



preached to them a sermon on Mars Hill, in which he 

 sought to check their superstition by presenting to them 

 his Meta-gnostic God as the Christian substitute for their 

 Agnostic deity. In the preaching and teaching of Christ 

 himself, meta-gnosticism is everywhere associated with the 

 coming of the kingdom of heaven, as a necessary prepara- 

 tion therefor, and the pivotal turning-point of its inaugura- 

 tion. 



No advance in knowledge can be made unless the human 

 mind penetrates beyond the phenomena presented by the 

 senses. So far the brutes themselves may go. Meta-noetics 

 relates to this "knowledge beyond," or, literally, beyond- 

 knowledge. This beyond-knowledge is the special domain 

 of Evolution — the domain which it is exploiting and is to 

 exploit. The senses tell us that the sun rises in the east. 

 Beyond-knowledge, or meta-noetics, corrects the senses in 

 this instance, as it does, or will do, in all other cases when 

 it is permitted. For those, then, who would study sociolog- 

 ical evolution, at least the essayist would substitute the 

 title of Meta-gnostics instead of Agnostics, as more truly 

 and accurately descriptive, and also as tending to bring all 

 of them into harmony with that wonderful Man who, not- 

 withstanding the falsification of his language and thought 

 by those assuming its protection, has yet been such a power 

 in the world for good. 



The members of this Association have sometimes been 

 called " godless Spencerians." When it is discovered that 

 Evolution is in harmony with true Christianity, the oppor- 

 tunity may come of raising the question as to who is really 

 "godless" — if it is worth while. However that maybe, 

 those who study Sociology by the aid of Evolution, earnest- 

 ly seeking to know and apply the truth, cannot go far 

 astray. 



