PKEFACE. XV11 



and man and history, and gathering thence a material 

 and concrete filling-up for the intellectual framework and 

 conceptions supplied by that Philosophy. 



There is, perhaps, another advantage which it pos- 

 sesses. It was written by a layman; for though some 

 would deny that the fact as such confers any greater 

 merit on a work dealing with religion and morals, 

 yet I think it does give a somewhat greater guarantee 

 not perhaps of sincerer arguments, but of more im- 

 partial criticism and freedom from foregone conclusions, 

 and this is very particularly wanted in the treatment of 

 the subject in hand. 



The book is very imperfect, and is far from having 

 said the last word on any of the questions treated ; but 

 it is an honest book, written not without much pre- 

 paration, and from a standpoint thoroughly independ- 

 ent as respects schools and sects, philosophic, theologic, 

 or scientific for even Science has her sects. Such an 

 independent position is the first and most indispensable 

 condition at the present time, of saying anything of the 

 least value on the questions here treated ; and it is 

 because it is written from such a position, and because 

 the author has further endeavoured to write clearly and 

 sincerely and with knowledge, that he addresses it to 

 the reader, in the hope that he may find in it something 

 that may serve him, or of which he has felt the want. 



LONDON, December, 1883. 



