IN MODERN SCIENCE. 



29 



not be known to exist. This may be philosophy 

 of a certain sort, but it certainly should not 

 claim kinship with science. 



Perhaps it may be well here to place in com- 

 parison with each other the doctrine of the 

 agnostic philosophy as expounded by Herbert 

 Spencer, and that of Paul of Tarsus — an older, 

 but certainly a not less acute, thinker — and we 

 may refer to their utterances respecting the 

 origin of the universe. 



Spencer says : " The verbally intelligent sup- 

 positions respecting the origin of the universe 

 are three: (i) It is self-existent; (2) It is self- 

 created ; (3) It is created by an external agen- 

 cy." On these it may be remarked that the 

 second is scarcely even "verbally intelligent;" 

 it seems to be a contradiction in terms. The 

 third admits of an important modification, which 

 was manifest to Spinosa if not to Spencer — 

 namely, that the Creator may — nay, must — be 

 not merely " external," but within the universe 

 as well. If there is a God, he must be in the 

 universe as a pervading power, and in every 

 part of it, and must not be shut out from his 

 own work. This mistaken conception of God 

 as building himself out of his own universe and 

 acting on it by external force is both irrational 



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