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REV. A. R. WHATELY, D.D., ON THE DEMAND 



These certain moral intuitions, I consider, are limited to the simple 

 fundamental verities as enunciated by Jesus, and do not extend to the 

 one thousand and one vagaries of imagination of devout adherents of 

 various religious beliefs. The touchstone of science is the universal 

 validity of its results for all normally constituted and duly instructed 

 minds, this applies equally to the teachings of Jesus, but is the rock 

 on which all philosophical, mystic, and metaphysic teachings are 

 shattered. 



If I understand the lecturer aright, he contends that keeping aside 

 scholastic theology Christians, who really represent modern thought 

 and are really sensitive to its spirit, should make efforts to enthrone 

 the Christian consciousness over the realm of intellect. I think 

 that such efforts would be disastrous, and that as primitive spiritual 

 Christianity was maimed (I almost said destroyed) by amalgama- 

 tion with pagan philosophic mysticism which led to a large increase 

 in the quantity of normal adherents, but an abysmal decrease in 

 their quality ; in like manner the attempt to strengthen spiritual 

 religion by philosophical, metaphysical, and mystical reasoning, all 

 of which are falling into greater discredit day by day, would under- 

 mine the rock of our salvation. 



May I give a few quotations of modern views. 

 Professor Komanes, Posthumous Notes, edited by Bishop Gore : — 

 " The further we ascend from the solid ground of verification 

 the less confidence should we place in our wings of speculation " 

 — " the rashness of undue confidence in syllogistic conclusions 

 even when derived from sound premises in regions of such high 

 abstraction." 



W. H. Malloch, Nineteenth Century, April, 1902 : — 



" The metaphysician's claim to transcend facts has been 

 rejected by every thinker and discoverer of the last three 

 generations who has ever done anything for the cause of human 

 progress as an elaborate self-delusion." 

 Sir J. FitzStephen : — 



" All metaphysical verbiage is an attempt to convert ignorance 

 into a superior kind of knowledge by shaking up hard words in 

 a bag" — "all our words for other than material objects are 

 metaphors liable to be understood." 

 G. H. Lewes, A Biographical History of Philosophy : — 



"Philosophy only moves in the same endless circles." 



