FOR A CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY. 



67 



such, exactly corresponds to the attitude which Eeason, as 

 represented by Descartes, endeavoured to maintain in the early 

 seventeenth century, as against traditional teachings. Modern 

 philosophy therefore constructs its theories of knowledge under 

 the impetus, and on the principle, of the intellectual revolution 

 which gave it birth. The individualism, discontinuity, and 

 intellectualism expressed — inevitably, no doubt — in the passages 

 I have quoted from Descartes, find their expression still in the 

 very heart of the metaphysics that worked its way from his — 

 in Hume, in Kant, in the modern Idealists, and even in the 

 Empiricists. 



So, at least, it seems to me. And this view of the history 

 connects itself with the position to which, on the most radical 

 grounds, I hold fast ; namely, that a Christian philosophy, based 

 as it is on religious intuitions, cannot establish itself except in 

 connection with a consistently intuitionalistic theory of know- 

 ledge. Of course it is out of the question to enter further into 

 the problem on this occasion ; and I shall even omit my reply 

 to certain obvious objections, with which, on commencing this 

 paper, I hoped to deal. 



It appears then that the Christian philosophy, with all its 

 central! ty and intellectual catholicity, will have to take sides in 

 certain of the conflicts between the different schools. In the 

 conflict between the idealistic and the realistic theories of 

 knowledge, it will side with Kealism : in that between 

 Determinism and Indeterminism, with Indeterminism. 



But first of all, and above all, we must take seriously the 

 New Testament doctrine of the self-revelation of God to the 

 individual. It is better to hold this fast, in face of all sorts of 

 difficulties, even as a shipwrecked man may cling to a rock 

 from which the waves almost detach his hands, than to snatch 

 at compromising theories and alien support. There are many 

 philosophies which, in respect of their best elements and their 

 ideals, will fit into Christianity : there is no philosophy into 

 which Christianity will fit. There is no system which must 

 not be broken up before it can yield its materials towards the 

 construction of the Temple of God. "He that is spiritual 

 judgeth all things." 



And what of difficulties ? Surely the true path, in the 

 highest regions of thought, is to " follow the gleam " over hill 

 and dale, over ditch and hedge. When we are told that our 

 views raise more difficulties than they solve — what of that ? 

 If they bring light to our souls, if they bring into our world 

 harmony and meaning — however little expressible in words — 



