26 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



purpose or tendency on the part of living organisms. 

 All has developed in strict conformity with 

 mechanical laws. 



4. We must not admit any essential difference 

 between men and brutes. There can be no sugges- 

 tion of the existence of a spiritual, immortal soul 

 in man. 



In opposition to these postulates, the theistic view 

 of creation asserts the following : 



1. We are obliged to start with assuming the 

 existence of a personal Creator, a Being who, in 

 virtue of His infinite perfection, exists and has 

 existed for all eternity through and of Himself ; 

 who, in virtue of His infinite perfection, contains in 

 Himself the reason of His existence, whereas matter 

 cannot contain in itself the reason of its existence. 

 This God, as conceived of by Christianity, is present 

 in all creatures ; He is not far from us ; He is, more- 

 over active by His co-operation in all creatures, not 

 as deus ex machina, but participating in the actions 

 of all creatures, through His interior presence. 



Perhaps the supporters of monism will declare 

 these to be purely monistic ideas but such is not 

 the case. Monism has borrowed from theism these 

 ideas of the universal presence of God, and of His 

 co-operation in all activity on the part of creatures, 

 and it has decked out its conception of God with 

 them. The borrowing is on the side of monism. 

 I need not dwell upon the distortion into a cari- 

 cature of the theistic idea of God, which has been 



