46 THE CREED OF SCIENCE, RELIGIOUS AND MORAL. 



the divine substance within itself, by which it is ani- 

 mated.' " 



But the sublime conception here put forth of a Nature 

 filled with the spirit of God, seems in no way to consist 

 with an explanation of the universe from mere matter 

 and its laws. If a spirit exist in all things, it is clearly 

 different from matter, and then it is impossible to ex- 

 plain the universe from matter alone, so long as the 

 existence of this spirit in and under matter is acknow- 

 ledged. The very admission destroys all materialistic 

 systems. For possibly this immanent and universally 

 diffused spirit is the real First Cause and principle of 

 all things ; and what, then, becomes of your materialism, 

 which, if it have any significance, always means and 

 must mean the derivation of all from, and the explana- 

 tion of all by, matter? Even if this spirit were only 

 another ultimate principle, coeternal and coefficient with 

 matter in the evolution and present support of things, 

 still, there it is, admitted as a second principle, and 

 what becomes of your monism ? " If, in short," we say 

 to Professor Haeckel, " spirit is at the bottom and the 

 most fundamental thing, the final word in your system 

 should be spiritualism and not materialism ; if only a 

 second principle is admitted, not superior to matter, but 

 also not resolvable into it, then your system is dualism 

 and not monism." 



But, however the conception of a nature filled with 

 the Spirit of God consists with Haeckel's materialism, 

 the conception is admitted by him, and is a truly great 

 one. It is the conception which Spinoza developed into 

 such great proportions, with such memorable conse- 

 quences to theology ; and it seems to want only one 

 thing to make it at once reconcilable with the needs of 

 science, theology, poetry, and the imperious cravings of 



