F. F. EOGET, ON ERNEST NAVILLE's LIFE. 



203 



In such words as these, Ernest Kaville expressed his hope, and 

 pointed out the symptoms which seemed to him to indicate 

 the approaching dissohition of " that metaphysical idol — 

 determinism " — and its displacement by the recognition of a 

 spiritualistic law. 



1. Here are the theses of Ernest Naville's spiritualism : 



1. Spiritualism supposes that the principle of the universe 



is an eternal Spirit. 



2. Spiritualism is a philosophic or scientific position, that 



is, an hypothesis. 



3. The eternal Spirit constitutes an object to which may be 



legitimately applied the notions derived from reason 

 which transcend experience. 



4. It is fully consistent with the transcendental character 



of the notions grounded in reason that the object to 

 which they are applied should be a reality. 



5. It is the characteristic of spiritualism that it teaches 



the creation of the world to be a free act coming from 

 one Being. 



"6. The liberty of that Creator is infinite. 



7. The spiritualistic doctrine of creation stands in no 



opposition to scientific research or its results. 



8. The spiritualistic doctrine does not admit of any 



assertion as to preliminaries to creation. 



9. The laws to which the will and the mind of man are 



subjected are derived from the will of the Creator. 



10. The laws of nature are constant, but are not neces- 



sarily such as we perceive them. 



11. The goodness of the Creator is the determining cause of 



creation. 



12. Spiritual philosophy affirms that the principle of the 



world is single, and alone at work in the world. 



13. Spiritualism explains by what force from one and sino-le 



principle of the world there could and did proceed 

 the multitude of things and the multiplicity of beings. 



14. The notion of the infinite may legitimately be applied 



only to the Cause of the world. 



15. Infinite liberty in the Creator is alone able to produce 



comparative liberty in the creature. 



16. Spiritualism suppliesa force linkingup facts and " ideals." 



17. Spiritualism can alone formulate an explanation of 



Evil in keeping with the demands of conscience, to 

 which evil is abhorrent. 



