MODIFICATIONS IN THE IDEA OF GOD, ETC. 69 



Rev. Chancellor Lias. — As I understand Dv. Wace I think I ara 

 thoroughly in agreement with him. 



Professor Laxghorxe Orchard, B.Sc. — Chancellor Lias has 

 given ns a thoughtful and suggestive paper, as any paper from him 

 invariably is. I cannot, however, feel myself to be in agreement 

 with him in regard to some of the statements he has made in the 

 paper. For instance, he ventures to assert " that, like the idea of 

 self, the idea of God, as formed by man, is, primarily at least, the 

 product of experience." 



That strikes one as being, perhaps, a little contradictory of 

 what he has said in a previous page, where the idea of God is said 

 to be an exception to this — " I am inclined more and more to 

 regard experience as the true foundation of all knowledge, except 

 that of the Divine Being." Mr. Lias strikes me, therefore, as 

 being slightly contradictory here. Bat can we really suppose 

 that our idea of God is obtained from experience ? You must 

 have a notion of a thing to precede its experience ; and as to the 

 idea of God, it is not easy to see how the idea of the infinite can 

 be given by experience. Experience does not supply the idea of 

 the infinite at all. Take the notion of space, time, or duration. 

 The notion of infinite space or duration is only intelligible as a 

 notion of an infinite attribute ; but the notion of an infinite 

 attribute requires the notion of an Infinite Being to whom the 

 attribute belongs. It appears to me, therefore, that you cannot 

 ti-ace the original notion of self and of God to experience. But 

 undoubtedly our knowledge of self and our knowledge of God are 

 very much increased by experience ; but that is not the original 

 notion, but rather a development of it.* 



I am inclined to agree with what fell from Canon Girdlestone 

 with regard to Abraham. The patriarch must surely have had a 

 definitely formed conviction as to the moral character of the God 

 he worshipped when he so trusted Him that he forsook his 

 country and home and knew not whither he went, and was even 

 prepared to sacrifice his own son ! Would that be possible, unless 

 he had the most complete faith and confidence in God and His 

 goodness ? 



* Is there not some confusion of phrase, or words, in speaking of the 

 *' idea of God," or " knowledge of God " i Do we really not mean (as 

 Dr. Wace points out) ideas or knowledge of His attributes anif 

 perfections ? — Ed. 



