\1 O APR 7 1924 BL 263 .E6 1894 English, William F. Evolution and immanent God cn ^yj : ,994 EVOLUTION AND ^^%omim^ THE IMMANENT GOD AN" ESSAY ON THE NATURAL THEOLOGY OF EVOLUTION WILLIAM F. ENGLISH, PH. D. Pastor of the First Cong7-egational Cfmrch, hast Windsor^ Conn. " Whichever way of creation God may have chosen, in none can the dependence of the universe on Him become slacker, in none be drawn closer." — Lotze : Microcosmus, Vol. I., p. 374. BOSTON : ARENA PUBLISHING COMPANY Copley Square 1894 Copyrighted, 1894, By WILLIAM F. ENGLISH. Ph. D. All rights reserved. A rena Press. THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS INSCRIBED TO MY WIFE, WnOSE INTEREST, SYMPATHY AND COMPANIONSHIP HAVE MADE ITS PREPARATION A PLEASURE. The Parsonage," East Windsor, Conn., September, 1894. CONTENTS. CHAPTEK. PAGE I. A New Phase of an Old Conflict 1 II. The Doctrine of Evolution— Origin— Definition- Factors — Proofs — Limitations 16 III. The Christian Doctrine of the Immanent God 34 IV. Evolution and the Arguments for the Being of God 49 9 V. Evolution and the Beneficence of God 66 VI. Evolution and Revelation : the Incarnation 84 VII. Evolution and the Supernatural— Miracle— Prov- idence — Prayer 96 VIII. Evolution and Immortality Ill EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. CHAPTER I. A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. Dr. Bushnell observes, in his work entitled " Nature and the Supernatural/' that — " from the first moment or birthtime of modern sci- ence, if we could fix the moment, it has been clear that Christianity must ultimately come into a grand issue of life and death with it, or with the tendencies embodied in its progress. Not that Christianity has any conflict with the facts of Science, or they with it. On the con- trary, since both it and nature have their com- mon root and harmony in God, Christianity is the natural foster-mother of Science, and Science the certain handmaid of Christianity, and both together, when rightly conceived, 2 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. must constitute one complete system of knowl- edge. But the difficulty is here : that we see things only in a partial manner, and that the two great modes of thought, or intellectual methods, that of Christianity in the supernatural development of God's plan, and that of Sci- ence in the natural, are so different that a collision is inevitable and a struggle necessary to the final liquidation of the account between them : or, what is the same, necessary to a pro- per settlement of the conditions of harmony. Thus from the time of Galileo's and Newton's discoveries down to the present moment of discovery and research in geological science, we have seen the Christian teachers sticklino* for the letter of the Christian documents and alarmed for their safety, fighting, inch by inch, with solemn pertinacity, the plainest, most indisputable or even demonstrable facts. On the other side, the side of Science, multi- tudes, especially of the mere dilettanti, have been boasting, almost every month, some dis- covery that Avas to make a fatal breach upon revealed religion." However we may regard his interpretation of them, we believe the author quoted has A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 3 stated the facts of the ease with substantial accuracy, and that he gives a good summary of a considerable part of our controversial literature in this short paragraph. i Science and Religion, or rather, Science and Theology, have, since the time of the German Reformation, when for the first time such a conflict became possible, been continually ar- rayed, the one against the other. Indeed, before that time, although their activity was by definition restricted to differ- ent and separate spheres. Theology having to do with the higher sphere — the Kingdom of Grace — as distinguished from the lower sphere, the Kingdom of Nature — the proper domain of Science, they frequently came into collision, and Theology often felt constrained to invoke the aid of the Church's anathemas to hinder the circulation and acceptance of teachings of Science Avhich seemed to it to imperil the integrity of the current dog- matic system. Quite probably this opposition and persecu- tion on the part of Theology exerted a most 1 Cf. " New Chapters in the Warfare of Science "— Po?j. ScL Mo., 1891. 4 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. salutary influence upon the development of Science ; in the same way as the early perse- cutions of the Christian Church contributed without doubt to the advancement of the cause of truth. Men of science were likely to sift their theories to the bottom and to convince them- selves, at least, of their substantial truth, be- fore proclaiming them to a world dominated by the priest and the Inquisition. The very op- position of intellectual darkness and bigotry was calculated to draw out and develop to the uttermost any natural heroism of character, and to make Science more conscious of the responsibility of its moral, as well as intellectual, mission — a condition of things in sad contrast with the arrogance, dogmatism, and dilettante- ism which pervades and characterizes so much of modern scientific theory and assertion. With the rise of free investigation and thought, however. Science was quick to resent the former tyranny of Theology, and bitter in its hostility to its old oppressor. With the discovery of new facts and old errors, with the development and general acceptance of an em- pirical philosophy, and the growing belief in A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 5 the universality of law, Science has often seemed to think itself on the eve of over- throwing the whole structure of faith, with the facts of observation and experiment. Taking its stand upon the basis of the ob- served facts of the outward world of nature, and believing their logic to be irresistible, it has given scant courtesy to the facts of spirit- ual experience and belief and the testimony of the human consciousness respecting an inner and spiritual world. It has viewed the many attempts of Theology to build upon such facts a stable and satisfactory structure with an incredulity akin to contempt. Theology, thrown on the defensive from the first, cumbered with the burden of inherited creeds and dogmatic systems, and feeling bound to maintain their integrity at all hazards and against every foe, has often found itself on the side of error, and been obliged, again and again, to adjust its theories to the facts, and in accordance with the new light furnished it by its supposed enemy. It has fought this losing battle with great pertinacity, and has many times, mistaking fidelity to the traditional theology for fidelity 6 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. to the truths of Revelation, seemed almost on the point of losing prestige with thinking men ; and yet, in the end, with wise conservatism, even if a Httle late, has accepted the truth, and even used it to establish anew and upon a more secure foundation its own system. Too often both parties in this controversy have been narrow in their views of truth, and only willing to look upon it from one side, and that their own peculiar standpoint ; while the one who would effect a reconciliation be- tween them has been suspected by both. There is, however, a growing belief in the necessary unity of the universe. There may be two revelations, or even more, — their num- ber is largely a matter of definition — but, if these are all from one source, as the tlieist be- lieves, they must agree, when rightly under- stood and properly expressed. One should not be considered as naturally and inevitably opposed to the other, or as tending to destroy or discredit its teaching ; but in each should be sought explanation and confirmation of the other, and in them both, taken together, one harmonious unity of truth. To discover and establish this unity and consistency has long A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 7 been the ambition and endeavor of earnest minds. The old conflict between Theology and Science has of late entered upon a new phase, and taken a new direction and name. With the discovery of Evolution, and its promulga- tion as a universal philosophy, having its appli- cation and validity in all departments of science and truth, the terms of the conflict were changed ; and we now find Evolution pitted against Theology, the prevailing theory or philosophy of Science taking the place of Science itself in the old controversy. The theory of Evolution, Avhen first advanced, received scant courtesy, even from the scien- tific world ; but, after running the gauntlet of ridicule and adverse criticism, it has gradually won its way to acceptance, in one form or another, among the great majority of scien- tists ; and now furnishes working hypotheses for the main branches of science ; and gives its own distinctive color to the teaching of our chief schools and universities. Theology has been slow to accept this new doctrine in any form ; indeed, from no other quarter has it met with such persistent and 8 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. determined opposition, not to say misrepresenta- tion. It has appeared to many to be the very Anti-Christ of modern scientific thought, de- stroying all faith in the teachings of Revela- tion, and even imperilling the very belief in the existence of God. In the early and extreme form, in which it was urged by some, and with the extravagant claims made for it by many of its advocates, we could hardly expect it to receive any other, or milder, treatment at the hands of that science which it came professedly to supplant and destroy. After considerable discussion and explanation, however, and in a somewhat modified form, with its sphere and limitations well defined, it is now beginning to find favor and acceptance, even in theological circles. The earlier misrepresentation and bitter hostil- ity which characterized its first reception by the theologian, has, in a great measure, ceased or given place to a more judicial frame of mind on his part ; and, while the materialistic in- terpretations and inferences of some of its advocates are opposed as firmly as ever, many accept the doctrine, or philosophy, in one form or another, defend it, and even find in its A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 9 teaching aid for the apprehension and elucida- tion o£ religious truth. The doctrine of Evolution may be said to have won for itself, at last, a position where it can be considered strictly on its own merits ; and its value in the statement and elucidation of Christian truth can now be estimated. Toleration and consideration in theological circles is no inconsiderable victory for the theory which lately was denounced without dis- crimination and stint from so many pulpits, periodicals, and seminaries. Nor is it a small gain to Christianity itself, that the young men who have come to accept Evolution, as it is implied, if not directly taught, in our colleges and schools, are no longer told that they cannot believe in the doctrine of Evolution and be at the same time Christians. Several causes have contributed to bring about this great change in the attitude of the religious public toward the doctrine of Evolu- tion. Of these, perhaps tlie most potent has been a better understanding of the real and essential meaning of the principle, and its necessary bearing upon spiritual truth; Avhile 10 EVOLUTION AXD THE IMMANENT GOD. the names and influence of those, eminent for their piety and scholarship among the churches, who have accepted, explained and defended the theory, has also done much to weaken, if not entirely remove, the prejudice which the advocacy of many pronounced materialists and atheists had eno^endered amono- those who valued their Christian faith above aught else, and were not willing to tolerate for a moment, even for consideration, any theory or phi- losophy that threatened its entirety. In this connection, the name of Dr. McCosh deserves thankful mention, for his early, cour- ao'eous and conservative maintenance of the true principles involved. His "Bedell Lectures " for 1887 are a model of clearness and discrimination in presenting the " Religious Aspect of Evolution ; " and his own personality and character give additional Aveight to his words. His acceptance of the doctrine of Evolution as an established prin- ciple is unequivocal. He says, ^ — " That there is such a process as Evolution, whatever that may be, is now settled among naturalists. There is not a scientist under thirty years of 1 Independent, Oct. 3d, 1889. A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 11 aofe who does not believe in it in some form. Our theologians and religious journalists, who are ignorant of natural history, speak against it less frequently and dogmatically, though they still claim a petty victory when evolution- ists quarrel about some subordinate points." Others also have, in like manner, borne testimony to the value of Evolution and the groundlessness of the fears entertained on its account. Dr. Hunger maintains i that, " Evolution, properly considered, not only does not put God at a distance, nor obscure his form be- hind the order of nature, but draws him nearer, and even goes far towards breaking down the walls of mystery that shut him out from human vision. In other words, in Evolu- tion we see a revelation of God, while in pre- vious theories of creation we had only an assertion of God." Dr. Hark affirms, and has written a book 2 to show, that, " The truth of the Bible and the truth of Evolution are one, the only conflict is between its several interpreters and expo- nents." ' " Appeal to Life." ^ " The Unity of the Truth." 12 INVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. Indeed some have gone so far in their ac- ceptance and appreciation o£ the doctrine o£ Evolution as to attempt the reconstruction of theology upon the basis of its philosophy ; be- lieving that essential modifications of the existing doctrinal systems, if not a " theologi- cal revolution," lie involved in and are required by its teaching and implications. Undoubtedly, the new philosophy will change to a considerable extent the point of view from which all truth is seen. Protest- ant theology, however, has never had phi- losophy for its source, nor depended upon it for its facts ; only in their statement and elucidation has the aid of philosophy been sought, and here surely the influence of Evolution will be felt, though the expectations of some and fears of many respecting its effect upon Dogmatic Theology are likely to be disappointed. There are, however, many questions, intro- ductory to theology proper, which depend for their solution quite largely upon phi- losophy. It is with these that we may expect to find Evolution a more pronounced, direct and determining influence. A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 13 Materialism and doubt have been quick to claim the testimony and support of the doc- trine of Evolution for themselves, in their con- flict against all belief in the supernatural and supersensual, and loud in proclaiming their expected victory over Christianity. The consensus of scientific opinion seems to be that they have been premature in their re- joicing and unwarranted in their claims. Prof. Fiske, the leading exponent of the Evolutionary Philosophy in America, bears testimony to the fact that,^ " One grand result of the enormous progress achieved during the past forty years in the analysis of both physi- cal and psychical phenomena has been the final and irretrievable overthrow of the materi- alistic hypothesis." In a recent article ^ the same author indiof- nantly rebukes the dogmatism of those scien- tists that declare the belief in Evolution to be inconsistent with a belief in the existence of a personal God, maintaining the perfect har- mony of the two beliefs. In an earlier production-^ he tells us how th? > Cosmic Philosophy. ^ p^p^ ^^^l ;^jo g^p^^ Ig^l^ 3 Idea of God. 14 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. doctrine of Evolution affects his own belief in God, — " When from the daAvn of life we see all thinofs workino^ toofether toward the evolu- tion of the highest spiritual attributes of man, we know, however the words may stumble in which we try to say it, that God is, in the deepest sense, a moral being." It would seem, therefore, that the time was now ripe for Christian thinkers to appropriate for their own uses the new light furnished by this promising theory, and to use it, with all the prestige it has gained with thinking men, in the ever-changing battle which they are continually compelled to wage with materi- alism and doubt, with regard to those ques- tions which meet us on the threshold of all belief. Let us no longer direct our controversial attacks against the doctrine of Evolution, as though the weight of its testimony and impli- cation w^ere against us ; but let us use Evolu- tion itself, or its philosophy, in clearing the ground for the acceptance of the Christian system, and for the upbuilding of the struct- ure of faith upon the one foundation of saints and prophets. A NEW PHASE OF AN OLD CONFLICT. 15 Should it be found to serve for this worthy purpose, it would not be the first time in the history of thought that the Christian Church has received its weapons for overcoming its enemies, ready furnished and prepared by its old accredited foe. 16 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. CHAPTER II. THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. ORIGIN. DEF- INITION. FACTORS. PROOFS. LIMITATIONS. 1. The early popular idea, that Evolution was the invention of Darwin, and signifies the descent of man from the monkey, is now fast giving place to broader and more satisfactory, if less simple, conceptions. There is still, however, a tendency to exag- gerate the importance and magnify the influ- ence of the later expounders of this doctrine, at the expense of those who as surely deserve recognition for their services in preparing the way and laying the foundations for its subse- quent acceptance and development. Many, even among the most strenuous ad- vocates of Evolution, seem desirous of making out a complete break in the continuity of the development of thought, and insist upon the THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 17 modern origin ^ o£ this doctrine, oblivious of the fact that their own theory demands con- tinuity in philosophy as much as in geology. Indeed, a consistent and satisfactory history of the origin and development of the doctrine of Evolution, in its broadest sense, has yet to be written ; the current histories of philosophy not having this line of investigation in mind. The idea of development is by no means a modern one. It can be traced back to the earlier Greek philosophers, and often had a place, more or less prominent, in the systems of all periods, though the breadth of the pos- sible application of the principle never received any adequate recognition. i Indeed, Dr. James Freeman Clarke asserts,^ that a belief in the doctrine of Evolution is found among most of the primitive races, a dim prophecy of what modern science has revealed as the actual fact. He finds more or less clear traces of it in the Orphic writings, the laws of Manu, Aristophanes, Hesiod, Ovid, amono; the Indians of America, in the Eddas o 1 Lectures before the Brooklyn Ethical Association.— " The Philosophy of Evolution." 2 Ten Great Religions. Vol. II. 2 18 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. of the Teutonic race, and even in the myths of the islands of the Pacific. The world of the ancients was small, their intellectual horizon limited, the data for com- parisons and generalizations in a great measure undiscovered, and hence its methods undevel- oped. The facts of nature, the events of history, and the postulates of philosophy were discerned with an increasing clearness, but, from a lack of perspective, their causes and relations were little apprehended or understood, and the dis- covery of any universal law of connection and development was not to be expected. What Professor Fiske i observes with reg^ard to historical science and investigation may perhaps be regarded as practically and sub- stantially true in all departments of scien- tific research, — " Most of the shortcomino^s of the old method of historical writing resulted from the fact that the world was looked at from a statical point of view, or as if a picture of the world were a series of detached pictures of things at rest. The human race and its terrestrial habitat were tacitly assumed to have »Pop. Sci. Mo., Sept., 1891. THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 19 been always very much the same as at present. One ag-e was treated much hke another, and when comparisons were made it was after a manner as different from the modern compar- ative method as alchemy was different from chemistry. As men's studies had not yet heen turned in such direction as to enable them to appreciate the immensity of the results that are wrought by the cumulative action of minute causes, they were disposed to attach too much importance to the catastrophic and marvel- lous." It is only the breadth of view and scientific method of modern times that have made possi- ble a conception of the universe as a connected whole, and the development of ideas of connec- tion and relation, which have existed in so many minds and found expression in so many philosophical systems, into one comprehensive philosophy or doctrine of Evolution. The discoveries of Copernicus and Newton in Astronomy did much to enlarge the mental horizon of mankind as regards the element of space; and those of the latter demonstrated the active potency of the forces known to ter- restrial physics among the planets as well. 20 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. Lyell introducecl the new Geology, showing that the same physical causes or forces now in operation were sufficient, when conceived of as acting through long periods of time, to account for the successive changes and periods in the earth's history, without the necessary intro- duction of new agencies or the supposition of violent catastrophes. Even before these astronomical and geologi- cal discoveries, in 1755, the " Nebular Hypoth- esis " was promulgated by Immanuel Kant, an evolutionary theory, which, with subsequent modifications and emendations, remains essen- tially the working hypothesis of to-day. In the application of the comparative method to other branches of science, as Biology and Philology, results were also obtained that did much to stimulate the oTowinof, thouo-h vao-ue, conception of an Evolution where each phase of nature is produced from an antecedent phase through the action of causes now in opera- tion. Mr. Darwin applied himself to the task of learning the force or cause that could account for the specific clianges and variations in plant and animal life, and, as a result of his pro- THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 21 tracted and painstaking researches, discovered the now famous hiw of " Natural Selection," or " The Survival of tlie Fittest." Mr. Wallace also solved the same prohlem in the same way, entirely independent of Mr. Darwin, and shares with him the honor of the discovery. Mr. Darwin's connection with Evolution was limited to this one line of investigation and discovery ; and it is hard to see how he can be properly called the discoverer of the doctrine of Evolution, which was clearly the product of many minds, the induction from the results and facts burnished by many independ- ent investiofators, in many different lines of research. Herbert Spencer, following out perhaps the investigations of Von Baer and the suggestions of the German philosophers, was the first to discover a universal formula of Evolution, and this he did at first quite independently of Mr. Darwin, though in perfect harmony with the results he had obtained, and influenced, no doubt, by the trend of the age. The doctrine of Evolution is now the herit- age of the scientific world, and the working 22 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. hypothesis of the many seekers after truth in its various fields. It has passed in safety and triumph what may be called the preliminary stage of trial and exposition, and, in one form or another, commands general acceptance. It has now entered upon the more important period of application and verification through- out the whole realm of truth, and among all the phenomena of the outward world, and the world of mind as well. This period seems likely to be a protracted one, for the true nature of Evolution and its exact limits are by no means settled, as yet, and its whole process is still a mystery, which challenges the best thought and most thorough and minute in- vestigations of this and, in all probability, of many generations to come ; with good pros- pect of large and substantial gains for true scientific knowledofe. 2. Of the various definitions which have been given of Evolution, perhaps the most Avidely- known is that of Herbert Spencer, who defines it in general terms, as " an integration of matter and concomitant dissi^Dation of motion : during which the matter passes from an indefinite. THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 23 incoherent homogeneity to a definite, coherent heterogeneity, and during' whicli the retained motion undergoes a parallel transformation." Prof. Le Conte speaks of it, as a " continuous progressive change, according to certain laws, by means of resident forces." In other words, it is an organized, universal law of causation, by whicli one thing is devel- oped, or drawn out, of another, the complex from the simple, and the more complex from the less complex. 3. The forces, or factors, entering into this process, and acting to produce these changes, have not as yet been fully determined. On this point there is still considerable difference of opinion among the advocates of Evolution. There are four factors i which have obtained general recognition : — 1. Influence of Environment, which, as it changes, affects function, and function struct- ure ; and the changes thus produced are ni- herited and integrated throughout successive generations. 2. The increased Use or Disuse of Organs, producing changes in form, structure and size 1 Prof. Le Conte. Monist, April, 1891. 24 EVOL UTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. of organs, which changes are also inherited and integrated, as before. These two factors are Lamarckian, and relate only to changes occurring during individual life, and which it is supposed the offspring in- herit unchanoed. 3. Natural Selection, or the Survival of the Fittest, occurring among individuals, of those most in accord with their environment in each generation. 4. Sexual Selection ; the female exercising her preference among the male suitors seeking her possession, on the basis of greater strength, beauty, or attractiveness. In these last named, called Darwinian factors, the changes are all in the offspring, while the individual remains unchano^ed. Still another factor has been more recently mentioned, called " Segregate Fecundity " by Gulick, and " Homogamy " by Romanes ; the selection of those varieties the individuals of which are fertile among themselves, but sterile, or less fertile, with other varieties, or the parent stock. These factors, however, seem to many to fail of fully accounting for all the phenomena, THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 25 especially when we consider the development o£ man ; and, hence, we shall be obliged to note several limitations of the doctrine of Evolution, especially relating- to this particular. Whether we may not confidently expect the discovery of some other factor, which will supply this need or lack in such a way as to relieve the main difficulty, and at the same time to obtain for itself general acceptance, is not at present by any means certain. Professor Le Conte, fully appreciating the difficulty, states the demand for some such factor very clearly, and insists that the above- named factors are not sufficient to explain the facts brought to light in the process of human development, but that in this case we must add to them another factor, — " The conscious, volun- tary co-operation in the work of Evolution (of man himself), conscious striving for the better- ment of the individual and of the race. This factor consists essentially in the formation and pursuit of ideals. . . In early stages man de- veloped much as other animals, unconscious and careless whither he tended, and therefore with little or no voluntary effort to attain a higher stage. But this voluntary factor, this 26 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD, striving toward a goal or ideal, in the individ- ual and in the race, increased more and more until in civilized communities of modern times it has become by far the dominant factor. . . This voluntary, rational factor not only assumes control itself, but transforms all other factors and uses them in a new way and for its own higher purposes. This last is by far the great- est change which has ever occurred in the history of Evolution. In organic evolution nature operates by necessary law without the voluntary co-operation of the thing evolving. In human progress man voluntarily co-operates with nature in the work of evolution, and even assumes to take the process mainly into his own hands. Organic evolution is by necessary law, human progress by free, or at least by freer, law. Organic evolution is by a pushing upward and onward from below and behind, human progress by an aspiration, an attraction toward an ideal — a pulling upward and onward from above and in front. . . Man, contrary to all else in nature, is transformed, not in shape by external environment, but in character by his own ideals." This suggestion of Professor Le Conte, though THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 27 a valuable one, and one that certainly indicates the direction in which the solution of the dif- ficulties involved in the evolution of the human race must be sought, is only a suggestion or theory of an individual as yet, and the gener- ally-recognized Factors of Evolution are four, or at most five, as mentioned above. 4. It is of course clearly impossible to give any adequate and satisfactory statements of the Proofs of Evolution within the limits of a single paragraph or chapter. All such attempts ^ are necessarily more sug- gestive than demonstrative. We will, there- fore, content ourselves with the brief mention of a few considerations bearing upon the sub- ject ; leaving the one who would thoroughly canvass the multiform array of facts that go to substantiate this theory, to consult the more technical scientific works upon the various branches of the subject. Nor would we be understood to claim that the proofs of Evolu- tion are complete, in the sense that all tlie stages in the process of development have been clearly traced, or all the links of the chain of ^ Cf. Lectures before the Brooklyn Ethical Assocation.— " Proofs of Evolution." 28 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. descent discovered. This could not reasonably be expected at such an early stage in the in- vestigation, i£ the attainment of such complete knowledge and insight were conceivably pos- sible for man in his present limitations. It is important to note, however, while mak- ing this disclaimer, that the proofs of the doctrine of Evolution do not come from any one branch of science. It is an induction from many sciences, and a belief in it, as the general method of creation is strengthened and confirmed by the results obtained by these sciences working on entirely independent lines of investigation. Astron- omy, Chemistry, Geology, Botany, Biology and Sociology, each and all bring in their concur- rent testimony to the validity of the principle ; and, while it is impossible for one who is not a special student of science to thoroughly sift the evidence in each and all its departments, yet we must, if we would credit human testimony at all in regions which we are not able our- selves to explore, accept the conclusion thus reached. We turn to Astronomy and learn of the development of our present planetary system from the primal nebulous vapor. THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION 29 In Geology we find the record of the grad- ual development o£ the earth until it has reached its present state, the early and simple forms of life, the growing complexity and differentiation, and the upward gradation of all forms of life. When w^e consider the existing animal organ- isms and discover in man, and elsewhere, ru- dimentary organs, inexplicable on any other hypothesis, and a general community of struct- ure among the thousands of species that inhabit the earth ; and when, by experiment and observation, , we note for ourselves the changes which can be brought about by varia- tions in environment, and which are taking place, for this and other reasons, we feel quite inclined to accept the testimony of those who are qualified to speak, and to consider Evolu- tion as the most probable method of creation. 5. It must not be supposed that the doctrine of Evolution has solved every difficulty ; or that it can afford an explanation for every mystery, however extravagant may be the claims made for it by its more enthusiastic advocates. Masfnificent as have been its achievements in bringing to light the long 30 EVOLUTION ANT) THE IMMANENT GOD. hidden law of the connection and development of the universe, it has penetrated little, if any, within the cloud of mystery which envelops and conceals from our vicAv the ultimate origin of the primal facts of existence. There are still many things the secret of Avhose being and beginning the scientist has not been able to fathom by any of his methods of observation or experi- ment, and yet Avhicli must be accepted as facts, most important and fundamental to a complete understandino' of the universe. Evolution has its limitations, its mysteries, its uncertainties. To confess this is by no means to discredit the theory or to deny its value and importance. We have learned from the experience of the past to look with doubt and suspicion upon theoloofies and scientific theories that have no mysteries, and come to us prepared to ofPer an adequate explanation of the whole universe of fact or of truth. We have learned to accept the mysterious and unexplainable, even the paradoxical, as a part of the universe of reality. Arrogance and infallibility in theory and dogma, as in the individual, repel ; while liumil- THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 31 ity attracts, and confessions of limitation and of mystery are no indication of weakness, only of finiteness, and tliey give, rather than destroy, confidence. Evolution leaves the origin of matter, that primal and basal factor in the process of de- velopment, as much in the dark as ever. It may trace back the forms of it with which we are familiar, from one degree of complexity to one of more simplicity, but the rudimentary and ultimate molecule, or atom, remains to be accounted for, and Evolution cannot do it. Light, so essential for the growth and development of plant and animal life, whence its origin and what the explanation of its action ? We are told that it consists of vibra- tions in an ether, but the answer only intro- duces new elements to embarrass the prob- lem, for they in turn require explanation ; and Evolution is obliged to leave the question pretty much where it found it. How shall we account for the beginnings of plant life, with its power of assimilation, growth and repro- duction ? It is not of the essence of matter, as we know it ; and we cannot produce it with any chemical, electric, magnetic, or other 32 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. force known to science. Here also Evolution is silent. Nor is the problem o£ the origin of animal life, possessing sensation, the power of locomo- tion, instinct, and a measure of intelligence, any easier of solution. Indeed the mystery deepens at every step, and reaches its culmination when we try to account for the origin of human life. Man possesses all that was noblest and best in what preceded him, and adds to his endowment even richer acquisitions of moral and spiritual potentiality. These new powers or forces were introduced at various times in connection with the differ- ent stages in the process of Evolution, and, only by assuming their introduction and grant- ing their operation, can we explain the various phenomena of existence. Evolution finds a place for them in its system, and proclaims the universality of law in all their activity, but it utterly fails in all its efforts to produce or account for them. History tells us of a writer who lived some 1,500 years before the begin- ning of our era, according to the common reckoning, long before the earliest of the THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 33 Greek philosophers, and long before the beginnings of scientific investigation. He writes of a preliminary and antecedent period when the earth was without " form and void," no hght, no life. He tells us of the introduc- tion of light. He gives us what purports to be a history of the creation in outline, and hints at the introduction of new forces at different periods in the process of the develop- ment of the earth and of plant and animal life. Living as he did in the childhood of the race, he may perhaps be excused for his failure to use the latest scientific terminology, when he described with substantial accuracy the order of the development of the universe. Nor do we feel inclined to censure that childlike faith, which, viewing the develop- ment of each period as a whole, unhesitatingly ascribed it, in its entirety, to the divine po- tency. Evolution is now busy writing a commentary upon his words, and may yet even come to aj)- plaud his faith, as true spiritual insight into the essence of the underlying reality, and ac- cept his explanation of the primal, basal mys- tery — the primal, or first, cause. 34 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD, CHAPTER III. THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENT GOD. Throughout the entire history of thought, whether expressed in philosophies or theologies, we can trace two prevailing and fundamentally opposed conceptions of God, in His relation to the universe. The one views Him as transcendent, far re- moved from the universe of His creation, and ruling and regulating it from without ; the other finds Him immanent, present in power and potency in all created things. The one views the universe as a o^o-antic machine, so arranged as to be able to run it- self after receiving the primal impulse from the hands of its Maker, subject to His general super- intendence, and to any interruption of its courses or processes, or any change in the same, that the DOCTRINE OF THE IMMxiNENT GOD. 35 Ruler of the world may deem desirable or ex- pedient from time to time ; the other conceives of the universe as a manifestation of God, views the creation as a continuous process, and the laws of nature as expressions of the will of God. Closely allied to these more prominent con- cejitions, and logically dependent upon, if not derived from them, are those of Anthropomor- phism and Pantheism ; and these also are in turn entirely incongruous, the one with the other. The anthropomorphic conception of God, which ascribes to the Supreme Being the attributes and characteristics of humanity^ is a natural, if not necessary, result or complement of the idea of Him as transcendent. This conception has generally been found in connection with the conception of God as tran- scendent ; as though the religious nature of man demanded some compensation for the put- ting God at a distance, and would postulate likeness in the place of nearness. Pantheism also, that doctrine which confuses God with the universe of His creation, may be said to naturally and inevitably follow from the conception of God that regards Him as 36 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. immanent in the universe, if the necessity of holding to and insisting upon His j^ersonaHty be once forgotten, or if, as in the case of much of the thought of the heathen world, it be not felt to any appreciable extent. We are, therefore, not surprised to find that in all the thouglit of heathenism the panthe- istic doctrine of God largely preponderates. In most of their conceptions they were inclined to confuse God with the world, though the opposite conceptions are also found, and the baldest and most extreme Anthropomorphism is by no means a stranger to their thought. Grecian philosophy as well, in all its forms and phases, was to a greater or less extent domi- nated by this same pantheistic tendency. Juda- ism, on the other hand, was as far on the other side, and, in all its distinctive ideas and con- ceptions of God, transcendence is the element that obtains recognition and maintains the supremacy. In its doctrine of God its theology may be characterized by transcendence, joined with and tempered by a bold Anthropomor- phism. Christian theology, however, while inheriting much from Judaism, and while ac- cepting in its main features the Jewish concep- DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENT GOD. 37 tion o£ tlie character of God and incorporating it into its own system, was inclined to a very different idea of Him in His relation to the world from that entertained by the old dis- pensation. The Incarnation was a new fact, and one of profound meaning and import in this connection. Moreover, this fact Avas the central one in their thoug-ht and the corner-stone upon which they would build their system of doctrine, as well as their structure of faith. The problem of theology in this period was to find an ap- propriate place for this transcendent and cul- minating event ; or rather, with the life of God manifest in the flesh filling the horizon of their thought, the bonds of inherited and traditional dogma were broken or loosed to such an extent as no longer to be felt as a restraint, and the Incarnation became the starting-point for and the center of all theological inquiry, while all other truths had to be arranged anew in their order of relation to or dependence upon this transcendent event. The first chapter of the Gospel of John shows how early and how profoundly this necessity was felt. £]8 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. There is still another factor which must not be lost sight o£ in this connection ; and that is, the influence of Greek Philosophy upon the early theologians of the Christian Church. Judaism, if we except the fcAV feeble and ineffectual attempts made about the time of Christ by the Jewish- Alexandrian school, did not produce any national philosophy. Their intellectual activity was turned in other direc- tions, and their circumstances and mental characteristics as well were not favorable for the production or development of philosophy. The Greek Philosophy, however, was highly developed and dominant in all intellectual cir- cles throughout the Roman world. Its influ- ence was by no means inconsiderable among the Jews themselves, as the imitative efforts of the Jewish-Alexandrian school, mentioned above, abundantly show. Moreover, the early theologians of the Christian Church were men who, as far as they had received any j^revious training, had obtained it from the study of the prevailing Greek Philosophy of this period, and often in the schools of philosophy them- selves. Their modes and methods of thouo-ht were thus in a large measure determined by DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENT GOD. 39 this important influence. Their theology, however, is by no means pantheistic ; the per- sonahty of God is clearly recognized ; but, in their conception of the relation of God to the universe, the Jewish idea of transcendence no longer predominates, and the Christian doctrine of the Immanence of God for the first time obtains adequate statement and recognition. This doctrine is distinctively and essentially a Christian doctrine, having much in common with the spirit of the best of the Greek phi- losophy, but possessing also a recognition of the Divine personality, akin to that found in the Hebrew theology. This conception of God was developed and expounded by the early Church Fathers, and particularly by Clement, and Origen, and the Fathers of the Greek Church. Prof. Allen shows, in his exceedingly inter- esting book, " The Continuity of Christian Thouirht," how this doctrine dominated the thought of the early theologians of the Church, standing as the corner-stone of many of their systems, before the time came when all theological thought and investigation was controlled and directed by the Hierarchy in 40 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. its endeavor to establish and maintain its su- premacy in the Christian Church. This same author also explains the decadence of this doctrine, at one time so prominent in Christian thought, in this struggle, from the necessity of maintaining the conception of a God livinof far removed from man and inac- cessible, that men might be forced to have recourse to the priesthood and Hierarchy as divinely-appointed mediators, and representa- tives of the Deity as well, among men. We thus find that Latin thought was opposed to the conception of God as immanent, and that all through the middle ages it was held in abeyance, while the doctrine of transcendence was insisted upon and developed by most of the leading theologians ; John Scotus Eregina, who went almost to the extent of manifest pantheism in his theological system, and others, here and there, of like or corresponding opin- ions, being clearly exceptions, and opposed in their thought to the tendency of the age. Since the emancipation of theology from this enforced slavery to the will and interests of the Hierarchy, the doctrine of the imma- nence of God has aofain obtained recoo^nition. DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENT GOD. 41 It is now commonly asserted that God is both immanent and transcendent, in order not to sacrifice the idea of His personality to much- feared pantheistic tendencies of thought. The tendency is, however, as Prof. Allen shows, to revert to the earlier conceptions of the Greek Fathers, and to emphasize anew the Christian doctrine of the Immanent God, as affording" the most satisfactory standpoint from which to view theology and to explain the phenomena of nature as well, in their re- lation to the Divine will. Henry B. Smith, in his Systematic Theology, thus defines the doctrine : — " God is present everywhere in working, in efficiency. He acts in and through every sub- stance and thino:. On the other hand God has also a substantial omnipresence, a presence of His substance or essence everywhere." Dr. Hunger says : ^ "It is the characteristic thought of God at present that He is immanent in all created things, — immanent yet personal, the Life of all lives, the Power of all powers, the Soul of the universe." There can be little doubt but that the dis- iThe Freedom of Faith. 42 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. coveries of Science have, directly or indirectly, done much to stimulate and streno'then this tendency of thought. Looking at the question from the side of Science, even such a conservative scientist as Prof. Le Conte is forced to the conclusion that, " either God is far more closely related with nature, and operates it in a more direct way than we have recently been accustomed to think, or else nature operates itself, and needs no God at all. There is no middle oTound tenable." Evolution is by no means necessarily opposed to the Christian doctrine of the Immanent God, indeed it requires some such supplementary conception to afford a basis for the existence of the multiform phenomena which it has brought to light, to explain the possibility of their oc- currence, and to account for the intelligence which originated and presides over the whole process of development. The primal and central teaching of Evolu- tion, and indeed of all science and philosophy as well, is the universality of the reign of law ; a doctrine which receives new and almost daily illustration and confirmation from every fresh observation and experiment. DOCTRINE OF TUB IMMANENT GOD. 43 There are physical laws and there are also laws of mind. In accordance with the require- ments of one law, one phenomenon, or class of phenomena, must be explained; and another law gives the reason for another occurrence or class of occurrences ; while the law of Evolution accounts for the general development of the whole cosmic universe. Everywhere we find traces of the existence and action of law ; its dominion extends as far as the boundaries of our observation ; and its behests afford the explanation of all that has occurred and in- dicate the lines of development and advance in the future. But what are these laws, so universal and all-powerful in their application and potency that naught can escape from their controlling influence ? In accounting for the existence and develop- ment of the universe, is it enough to say that everything has been brought into its present state by the action of universal laws, or, are we not obliged in turn to ask for an explana- tion of the existence, origin, and potency of the laws themselves ? However misleading certain forms of expres- 44 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. sion may be, it is perfectly clear to a sound philosophy that law cannot be conceived of as a force or power in itself to perform all that of which it is urged as the explanation. They explain much, it is true ; but they themselves require an adequate explanation. Laws are but " modes of action of omnipo- tence," having no power or reality apart from the Divine Being, the expression of whose will they are. The " universality of law " is a doctrine which has been supposed by many, its friends and foes alike, to be destructive of a belief in the Christian religion ; but what is it, after all, but the scientific expression of a well-known doctrine of theology — the omnipresence of the Immanent God? So also, in like manner, the immutability of the laws of nature, a doctrine so often opposed by the theologian as fatal to all religious belief, is but the statement, in scientific language, of a current teaching of theology — the immutability of God. It is encouraging to see that it is fast becom- ing evident to the theologian and scientist alike, that the doctrine of Evolution does not, as was feared by some and supposed by others, do DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENT GOD. 45 away with the necessity o£ a God in explaining the facts o£ the universe ; and that the con- viction of the necessity of maintaining the har- mony of beliefs in Evolution and in the exist- ence of God, conceived of as immanent and yet personal, is a growing one ; while we may expect Evolution to furnish us with confirma- tion and elucidation of a belief most fun- damental and important in the Christian system. Says Professor Fiske : ^ — " The doctrine of Evolution, which affects our thought about all thingfs, brinsrs before us with vividness the con- ception of an ever-present God — not an ab- sentee God who once manufactured a cosmic machine capable of running itself except for a little jog or poke here and there in the shape of a special providence. The doctrine of Evolution destroys the conception of the world as a machine. It makes God our con- stant refuge and support, and Nature his true revelation : and when all its religious impli- cations shall have been set forth, it will be seen to be the most potent ally that Christianity has ever had in elevating mankind." » Pop. Sci. Mo., Sept., 1891. 46 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. A recent theolosfical writer ^ also comes to a like conclusion with reo^arcl to the influence of Evolution upon our idea of God : — "In the place of a Creator working at the world from the outside, it shows us an inherent, all-perva- sive Power, permeating all things, active every- where, constantly unfolding himself according to the eternal order of his own being. Instead of an arbitrary Lawgiver imposing his decrees upon the world, or himself subject to moral laws existing somewhere or other in the universe, we have a spiritual Substance, whose own con- stitution and mode of beino^ are the eternal law of both material and spiritual existence, deter- mining the ' stream of tendency that is ever ' making for righteousness and happiness, mould- ing all things great and small according to the principles of his own being. " We have a God Avhom indeed we cannot picture as seated on a throne, invested with human form and attributes, but whom we can realize as being with us ' alway, even unto the end of the world,' as immediately present everywhere, as one in whom, in deed and in truth, we can ' live and move, and have our ' Dr. Hark: The Unity of the Truth. DOCTRINE OF THE IMMANENT GOD. 47 being' ; ' a Spirit-principle who can actually live in ns, whom we can ' put on/ on whom as a foundation we can build up ourselves unto the ideal set before us. A God whom we can trust, because He is ' the same yesterday, to-day and forevermore,' ' in whom is no variable- ness nor shadow of turning,' the one God blessed forevermore. ... A God who in the truest sense is our Father, our Friend, and our Saviour." It would seem, therefore, that this concep- tion of the Immanent God, so thoroughly in harmony with the prevailing" trend of scien- tific thought, as represented by the doctrine of Evolution ; and at the same time in line with the ideas of the earliest Christian thinkers, and in harmony with the current of modern theo- logical development, gives promise of furnishing the long-desired basis of agreement, or union, between Science and Theology. The doctrine of Evolution is itself still in the process of development, nor do we believe that the doctrines of Theology have attained to their final and most complete statement. Many philosophies have arisen in the past and for a time commanded Avide-spread confidence 48 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. and given promise of great and permanent use- fulness, only to be superseded by later and more satisfactory statements and explanations of truth. This may be the case with the doctrine of Evolution in turn. And yet it would seem that a doctrine of Evolution which finds its explanation, possibil- ity, and reality in the Immanent God, gives promise of making a nearer approach, than has ever yet been made, to a system of phi- losophy of universal scope and application. ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 49 CHAPTER lY. EVOLUTION AND THE ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. Four arguments are usually adduced to es- tablish the necessity of the assumption of the existence of God in accounting for the facts of nature and of consciousness. The Ontological ; the Cosmological ; the Teleological ; and the Moral, or Historical. When the emphasis was put upon the tran- scendence of God, it was natural, if not neces- sary, to look to these arguments for demonstra- tive proof of the being of God ; the establish- ment of a logical and necessary connection between the universe and its extra-mundane Originator. With this end, or requirement, in view, the arguments have been elaborated with great care by different writers, but with varying degrees of success in producing a 50 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. general certainty of conviction as to their ade- quacy, and in answering all objections to their validity. Man's efforts to demonstrate the being of God from the existence of the world and its phenomena, the infinite from the finite, the eternal from the temporal, could hardly be ex- pected to succeed, from the very nature of the problem. The considerations adduced as proof have value and validity chiefly with those who believe in the existence of God upon other grounds. The being of God must be considered as a primal truth; logic is as powerless to intro- duce it within the terms of its formulas, as science is unable to extract it from the crucible of its researches. 1. Says Dr. Mulford : i— ' Man is conscious of the being of the external world, and lives and acts in ^this consciousness, and the being of the external world so comes to be appre- hended by him. And, further, man is conscious of the being of God, and lives and acts in this consciousness, and the reality of the being of God so comes to him." With the conception ' The Republic of Gk>d. ABGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 51 of God as immanent in the universe, as " the light which lig'hteth every man coming into the world/' the Ontological argument becomes little more than a statement o£ the fact that the being of God is a truth primitive in human thought and apprehension. Under the influ- ence of this conception, we search no longer for demonstrations of the beino^ of God, but the rather, believing that the being of God is the foundation and life of all things, we look for manifestations and revelations of God, His will and His purposes. We seek knowledge of God, and ^ ^^ the knowledge of God comes through experience. It is the experience of the individual and the family, and the nation in the life of humanity." We look to these arguments, therefore, for indications of the presence and activity of the Divine Being in the universe. And, when viewed in this light, they have a value and cogency which they did not before possess, and which the doctrine of Evolution increases, rather than diminishes, though at the same time it changes somewhat the form of their statement and broadens the conceptions in- ' The Republic of God. 52 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. volved in them, especially in the case o£ the argument from design. 2. The cosmological argument depends upon the principle of causation, and may be stated in the form of a syllogism : Every effect must have an adequate cause. The world is an effect. Therefore the world must have had a cause, adequate to account for its existence. The aim of this aro^ument is to establish the existence of an eternal and necessary Being, the First Cause. Prof. Bascom has shown ^ the impossibility of making a transition to the Supreme Being from the physical laws of the universe by the aid of this principle of causation. He finds the law — every effect must have a cause — to in- volve : — The duality of all facts, each being separated into outward expression and inward force. The exact equivalence of each cause and its corresponding effect. The uniformity of nature as a combination of causes. And, also, the unbroken continuity of causes and effects in their several series. Such an idea of causation fails utterly of affording any proof of the existence of God. * Natural Theology. ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 53 However far back we trace the connection of causes and effects, we shall find no change in the form of the facts, and we shall be no nearer their ultimate explanation. If at any point we arbitrarily suspend the investigation and as- sume or postulate a First Cause, we destroy the very principle of causation which we have accepted and upon which we depend for our conclusion ; and such a First Cause " can be neither less nor more than an expression of all the causes which flow from it." We must entirely fail of finding a Supreme Being. We are thoroughly persuaded that things are united by causal relations and that every efPect involves a sufficient cause, but we are at the same time utterly unable to transcend the physical process in the application of the law of causation and arrive at the beino- of God. In order to discover the evidences of a mind, presiding over and acting through the universe, we need to look more broadly upon its facts. If we find them to be concurrent and con- structive, if these efficient causes, working under general laws, are busy working out def- inite and comprehensive ends, we can assert the existence of final causes, and thus, in these 64 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. clear manifestations of the action of mind and its prevailing, determining inflnence, find un- mistakable indications of the presence and activity of the Supreme Being. Prof. Bascom asserts ^ that Evolution must exclude all final causes. " Efficient causes, existing as eternal forces, control all things. The energies of the Universe, like those of a torrent, come pouring out of the past and simply spread out and over the future as an open field. Guidance, di- rection, shaping conditions of all sorts are al- ready within them. They neither call for nor are capable of any modification toward any end whatever." Dr. McCosh, however, does not share in this view, but has said in a recent article'"^ that: — "It is generally admitted by evolutionists, by none more fully than Prof. Huxley, that the theory of Evolution does not undermine or interfere in any way with the doctrine of Final Cause." Indeed, it would seem that the doctrine of Evolution was cal- culated to afford most powerful support to this doctrine, for it endeavors to combine and comprehend all the phenomena of the universe under one conception, in one system. It is a » Natural Theology. ' Independent, Oct. 10th, 1889. ARGUMENTS FOB THE BEING OF GOD. 55 system o£ orderly development, the complex from the simple, along well defined lines, in accordance with universal laws. Divine action or interference from without may not be required hy this theory, but the continual presence of the Divine potency and energy, and the constant direction of the Divine will is a necessary assumption, if Ave are to understand or account for its progress and processes. Nothing less than the assump- tion of an Immanent God can explain the orderly development of the universe, the exist- ence of efficient causes, of all-embracing and controlling laws, and their unvarying potency and consistence. Efficient causes and universal laws cannot be considered the final and basal reality of the universe ; they in turn require explanation. No comprehensive and intelligent inquiry into the structure of the universe can fail in the discovery of final causes ; Evolution gives abundant evidence of their existence ; and they involve a belief in God. It is a singular fact, however,^ " that when- ever we find out how anything is done, our 1 Frances Power Cobbe : Darwinism in Morals. 56 EVOLUTION AND TUE IMMANENT GOD. first conclusion seems to be that God did not do it. No matter how wonderful, how beauti- ful, how infinitely complex and delicate has been the machinery which has w^orked, perhaps for centuries, perhaps for millions of ages, to bring about some beneficent result, — if we can but catch a glimpse of the wheels, its divine character disappears. The machinery did it all. It would be altogether superfluous to look within." 3. If we now turn to the details of the ar- gument for the being of God drawn from the evidences of Design in the universe, Ave shall find that the doctrine of Evolution renders necessary a complete change in the point of view from which the facts which enter into this argument are to be regarded ; and, at the same time, that it largely broadens the scope of the argument and strengthens its validity. With the old view of the immediate and special creation of the various species and forms of life, as found now upon the earth, the argu- ment was based upon the evidences of desio-n seen in each species or individual, looking upon it as a finished and complete product of creative wisdom. ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 57 With the new view, the view of Evolution, which often discovers rudimentary organs hav- ing no present use, and even dangerous to the health and life of the organism, and which considers no form of structure or Hfe as com- plete or perfect in itself, but, the rather, a step in or a stage of the process of development, which is still going on and has by no means reached its goal and consummation, and which teaches that these very adaptations of the organs and organism, which have been sup- posed to afford evidence of design, are them- selves, in a measure, at least, due to the influ- ence and effect of the environment upon the organism, surely we must change the form of the argument, if it is to have any longer force or validity. This necessary change, however, instead of destroying the force of the argu- ment, as it was originally presented, greatly broadens its scope and application, and corre- spondingly strengthens it. It is now no longer an argument based upon an adaptation of special organs to special re- quirements of circumstance and environment, thus depending for its convincing power in a great measure upon the suppositions and as- 58 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB, sumptions of the individual observer, but it de- pends upon the whole determining' web of de- sign and purpose which may be traced through the entire fabric of creation. It is no lono^er an induction from the special or particular, but it is the convincing and unavoidable con- clusion and teaching of the tendency and course of the whole process of development. In other Avords, Evolution itself is one all- embracing system of design, which requires for its explanation nothing less than the existence of the Immanent God. Evolution, instead of destroying this argument, takes it up out of the region of supposition, assumption and special pleading, and places it upon the secure foundation of universal and all-controllino* law. This fact, and the consequent gain to Chris- tian Theism coming so unexpectedly from this source, is being fully recognized on all sides by Christian thinkers : — Says Dr McCosh : ^ — " The proof from design proceeds on the observation of things as adapted one to another to accomplish a good end, and is equally valid whether we suppose adjust- ment to have been made at once or produced ^ The Religious Aspect of Evolution. ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 59 by a process which has been going on for millions of years. There is proof of a design- ing mind in the eye as it is now presented to lis, with its coats and humors, rods and cones, retina and nerves, all co-operating with each other and with the beams that fall upon them from some millions of miles away. But there is further proof in the agents having been brought into relation by long processes all tending to the one end. I value a gift received from the hand of a father ; but I appreciate it more when I learn that the father has been using many and varied means to earn it for me. Dr. Munger, in an article upon "Evolu- tion and the Faith," ^ asserts that, — " Evolution strengthens the argument from design. This argument may be based upon the course of civilization, or on the structure of the eye, or on the working of love. Paley's argument, as Bishop Temple has well shown, stands, with slight modifications, on as strong a basis as ever. But if we can look at the universe both as a whole and in all its processes and in all ages, and find one principle working every- 1 Century, vol. 32, page 108. GO EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. where, binding" together all things, linking one jDroeess to another with increasing purpose, and steadily pressing towards a full revelation of God's goodness, we find the argument strength- ened by as much as we have enlarged the field of its illustration. But if one part of the universe is abruptly shut off from another, if no stronger bond of unity be assigned to it than that of creative energy, and only the near-lying fields of design are used, then the argument is abridged and may even fall short of an absolute conclusion." H. W. Beecher, in his sermon on " Divine Providence and Desi2:n," ^ while showino^ that the argument may sometimes fail when applied to single acts or phenomena, concludes that, " If single acts would evince design, how much more a vast universe, that by inherent laws gradually builded itself, and then created its own plants and animals, a universe so adjusted that it left by the way the poorest things, and steadily wrought toward more complex, inge- nious, and beautiful results ! Who designed this mighty machine, created matter, gave to it its laws, and impressed upon it that tendency ^ Evolution and Religion. ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 61 which has brought forth the ahnost infinite results on the globe, and wrought them into a perfect system? Design by wholesale is grander than design by retail." 4. The Moral Argument depends upon the facts of man's own nature as they are revealed to him in consciousness. The world shows traces of intelligence, but they can only be recognized by an intelligent being, and man is directly conscious of the possession and per- sonification of intelligence within himself. While the whole course of nature seems bounded by the stern necessity of unchanghig law and determined thereby, man is conscious in himself of freedom developed out of, and, at the same time, inhering in, necessity. Moreover, man also finds in himself a sense of right and wrong, entirely distinct from that which is true, agreeable or expedient ; independ- ent of any influence of the intellect or will, and asserting an authority which is unicpie and which cannot be explained as being derived from himself. These facts of man's nature, indicating as they do the existence of a soul differing in all its distinctive capabilities, as- pirations and necessities from the surrounding 62 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. world, require for their explanation an intelli- gent, voluntary and moral Divine Personality, and give evidence of His presence and potency. Viewing man in his relation to the family and the state, this argument has also a historical side. In these lines we can trace the realization of the moral or ethical idea throuo-hout the development and organization of society. It thus becomes an appeal to the universal con- sciousness of mankind, as manifested in the establishment and development of human in- stitutions, and, as an unconscious and universal testimony to the presence and power of ethical ideas and ideals, it has great weight and evidences the presence and activity of God in the Avhole course of human life : ^ — " This process of the historical world Avhich, in the realization of an ethical life, tends to- wards righteousness and freedom, must pro- ceed from a force in which subsist qualities of righteousness and freedom. But these are qualities of will. They are the very elements of personality. The energy working in right- eousness and towards freedom cannot be an ' Mulford : The Republic of God. ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 63 indeterminate force or thing, and cannot be determined by contingency, as a thing in relation with a thing." There is nothing in Evokition to impair the validity of this argument. The doctrine of Evolution does away with no one of the facts of consciousness. On the contrary, Evolution must accept all these facts and find a place for them in its philosophy. Evolution alone can account for man's con- nection with the lower forms of life and sub- jection to the lowest conditions of earthly ex- istence, while at the same time according him a position representative of the highest forms of life, with the prospect of further development and advance in the line of the moral and the spiritual. Formerly man's sujieriority over nature was assumed on the basis of the facts of consciousness, and he was supposed to have been the product of a distinct creation, but Evolution regards him as the representative of that type toward which all the pro- cesses of creation have been tending, and for whose realization all that preceded has been but the preliminary and preparatory stage. G4 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. With the doctrine of Evohition the universe is one ; the course of human history continuous ; while the highest stage of development is the spiritual and moral, and the realization of ethical ideals is the end and aim of the whole process of development. Evolution thus connects the Moral and Historical Argument with that of Design, giving to the latter a new breadth of meaning and application, and to the former a correspond- ing debt of significance as indicative of that which is the most essential in the Divine character and j^^'poses — the moral and the spiritual, grounded upon and developed in the voluntary and personal. The connection of God with the world being: no longer merely assumed on the basis of a formal logic ; but accepted as a fact most essential to any understanding or explanation of the being, beginning, development and prog- ress of the universe, both material and spirit- ual ; we no longer depend upon special and isolated facts to establish the reality of the Divine existence, nor stake our faith upon any conclusions obtained by the processes of human ARGUMENTS FOR THE BEING OF GOD. 65 The visible universe — " The Time-vesture o£ the Eternal ; " law and its requirements ; life and its potencies ; mind, intelligence, morality and personality; and the whole process of development as it advances toward the realiza- tion of high and spiritual ideals — these are our evidences of the existence of a supreme and underlying Reality, and in these we would fain see manifestations of the presence and activity of the Immanent God, of whom the apostle said : — " In Him was life : and the life was the lio-ht o of men." 66 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. CHAPTER V. EVOLUTION AND THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. The question of the beneficence, or good- ness, of God ranks in imi3ortance with that of His existence, and the one seems inseparably connected with the other. On the one hand, we may say that a Being, complete in power and wisdom, such as the preceding arguments have revealed to us as present in and presiding over the universe, must also be perfect in goodness, and the logic of our position may seem invincible. And yet, on the other hand, when we try to take the direct testimony of nature and of human life and experience as to what kind of a Being it is who rules the universe and regu- lates the course of human life as well, there are many considerations, which, especially when viewed from the standpoint of science, go to cast THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 67 doubt upon the benevolence of the Creator and Ruler ; and this doubt involves all the evi- dences of the presence of God in the world in darkness, and its natural result or outcome is nothinof short of atheism ; the formal deduc- tions of logic having little power to withstand arofuments drawn from the observed course of nature and the dark side of human life and experience which appeals so directly and strongly to the sensibilities of the observer." A recent writer ^ has asked the question, — " Is God good ? " and gives, in answering it, a strong statement of the dark side of the prob- lem, that the atheist might not be able longer to say, — " Those who believe in a God of love must close their eyes to the phenomena of life, or garble the universe to suit their theory." Nature is found to be " orderly, wise, beautiful, mysterious, terrible, remorseless, cruel," or, as Stuart Mill has said, " Nature impales men, breaks them as if on the wheel, casts them to be devoured by wild beasts, burns them to death, crushes them with stones like the first Christian martyrs, starves them with hunger, freezes them with cold, poisons ' E. S. Phelps : The Struggle for Immortality. 68 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. them by the quick or slow venom of her ex- halations, and has hundreds of other hideous deaths in reserve, such as the ingenious cru- elty of a Nabis or a Domitian never sur- passed. All this Nature does with the most supercilious disregard both of mercy and of justice, emptying her shafts upon the best and noblest indifferently with the meanest and the worst." In the course of human life and the experi- ences of society, suffering, injustice and op- pression are found to largely predominate, and the goodness of God is involved in a dark- ness of misery and mystery which faith and revelation alone can penetrate. Without doubt the conclusions of this writer Avill seem to many to be extreme and based upon only a partial survey of the facts which have a bearing upon the case. It is true, nevertheless, that Natural Theology must ever fail of furnishins: a clear and in- dubitable demonstration of the ji'oodness of God because of the necessary limitations of its view. The mystery of the universe and its working is too deep for the human mind to penetrate, or the human mind itself is at pres- THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 69 ent unable to solve the problem. The most that we can presume to ask from science is that it should not involve the problem in greater obscurity, or increase the many and formidable difficulties and objections which must occur to any thoughtful mind, that looks out upon the universe and the workings of society with sympathy for all suffering and indignation for every wrong and injustice, real or imaginary. There seems to be nothing in the doctrine of Evolution calculated to aggra- vate this difficult problem : on the contrary, while it cannot bring us directly into the pres- ence of the God of love or entirely dissipate the clouds which for the time seem to darken the brightness of the manifestations of His benefi- cence, and while it is obliged, as all scientific theories and all theologies as well, to leave many problems unsolved, it suggests many considerations alleviating the difficulties, and illustrates in many ways the beneficence of the Creator. The evolutionist views the world as an un- finished picture : the canvas has been stretched — it is the universe of nature and of human life : the colors, of sunshine and shadow, of 70 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. joy and sorrow, of evil and of good, are ready mixed : the plan and general purpose of this stupendous study may be faintly discerned : but there is still much of obscurity and uncer- tainty, due to the unfinished state of the work : and only he who knows the mind of the great Artist can, even in imagination, discern anything of the details or comprehend the glory of the whole : to all others it is one wilderness of color, one chaos of unintelligible form and feature. Man himself is in the process of evolution : he stands comparatively at the beginning of a great and far-reaching system and cannot, therefore, be expected to be able to under- stand the process as a whole. The development and realization of the moral is but in its incipiency, and evils, diffi- culties, and delays are perhaps characteristic of the early dawn of a day which may soon exhibit great and unexpected gains, unpre- cedented growth, and overwhelming compensa- tions for all the darkness and coldness of the early morning. It is true all this is, in a great measure, merely the hope of the future ; but it is a well- THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 71 grounded hope, built upon the development and the advancement of the past, and in har- mony with the evident tendency o£ the pres- ent. I£ we believe the end of all develop- ment to be the moral, we must also admit that man in his present immaturity can hardly be considered a competent critic of comprehensive moral discipline, either in its methods or ends. His ideas of goodness, even while he is discussing the evidence furnished by the uni- verse of the goodness of God, are not always by any means consistent or satisfactory. Suffering and evil are not necessarily syno- nyms ; nor are happiness and joy the only products of that love which is working for moral ends and attainments. Moreover, we ourselves are subject to moral discipline, and that not by our own choice or election, and " all chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous, but grievous : yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of right- eousness." Too often we desire pleasure more than virtue, happiness rather than holiness. In our attempts to understand others and 72 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. appreciate their experiences, we are obliged to look oil from the outside, seeing only the hard conditions which appeal to our sympathy and compassion, little appreciating the inward need or understanding the true and loving ministry which seeks the development of the good rather than the maintenance of the pleasant, which would establish blessedness in the place of ha})piness, and lead the object of its attention and care into the assured and permanent joys of the higher life, even at the expense of many of the pleasures of the lower existence. If Ave accept the idea of a moral system and moral discipline, we must expect that in the action of moral laws suffering will follow sin as its penalty unavoidably : and such suffering, while evidencing the action of wise and benef- icent law which has as its aim the development of holiness, cannot be considered as militating against the goodness of God; indeed it must be regarded as an indication of the wisdom of His love. Moreover, it is more than probable that we exaggerate the amount of human suffering, in our conceptions of it, by joining to and pred- icating of the external states and conditions THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 73 of others coming under our observation, our own feeling", or the feehngs we imagine we shoukl have in like circumstances. In our own experience we find the internal and the external constantly adjusting themselves to each other, and so producing the maximum of happiness with the minimum of pain. The most intense suffering is produced only by sudden changes in the one before such a harmony or equilibrium is approximated. It is highly probable that the sum of happiness, or of sorrow, in the life of each person living, in each period of history or each stage of civilization, is much nearer equal than we have been accustomed to sup- pose from the judgment we have been in the habit of making of the lot and experiences of others, on the basis of feelings developed in our own inner lives by our peculiar and personal experiences and environment. However this may be, it is clear that it would be unfair to assert that the suffering that is incident to the development of righteousness, necessary as a spur for intellectual groAvth, involved in the realization and consciousness of happiness itself, or indeed that which is in- cident to life in all its hio^her and worthier 74 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. forms, can, in any way, or to any extent, be opposed to the conception of a beneficent God. On the contrary, it would seem that much of what we account as sulfering had clearly its ministry of mercy and blessing-, and might be given a place in the plan and administration of the God of love and of g-race. Besides the above-mentioned considerations, mainly preliminary to any direct attempt to adduce proof of the beneficence of God, which are inferred from or strengthened by the doctrine of Evolution, this doctrine is also of value to us as affording direct and positive evidence upon this subject. Evolution is a doctrine of universal, all-embracing law ; and it is clearly an evidence of beneficence that the universe should be governed by law, and that in its unfolding one stage or phase should follow another in the course of an orderly development and progression, rather than that all should be determined by the caprice of chance or ih^ decree of an arbitrary fiat. Surely the method of Evolution is well suited to man and his faculties. Man, gathering experience from the past, looks forward to and provides for the future. If it were not for the uniformity and THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 75 consistency of the laws of nature, it would not be possible for him to plan or act ; nor could he maintain his own existence for any consider- able period of time. If there were no uniform laws and invari- able methods of procedure in the course of nature, man could not, as now, by putting himself in harmony with them and by taking advantao[-e of their observed methods of work- er ing, achieve any success or make any advance- ment in any line of endeavor, whether physical, mental or moral. Moreover, the extended interaction and com- bination of various laws produce as a resultant a chance element which is of the utmost im- portance in relieving the routine and monotony of existence, and in stimulating mental develop- ment as well. With the consciousness of our own freedom, guaranteed to us by the requirements of the higher and spiritual law, there is no reason why we should fear the tyranny of law, or hesitate in acknowledofino^ its benefits. If it is regarded by us as the expression of the will of the Immanent God, we must rejoice in its supremacy and prevalence and regard its 76 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. workings with confidence. The laws which govern the universe are all constructive, and in their action they express a prevailing benig- nant purpose. Not that evil and suffering do not follow in the train of law, or rather from its transgression. But even these untoward results are neces- sary to call attention to the meaning and scope of the law, that its true purpose may be seen and that man may be able thus intelligently to take advantage of its behests for the attainment of valuable and beneficent results ; and the law itself has only reference to order and well- being. The laws which govern the action of fire, steam and electricity, and which regulate the seasons, admit of much devastation and loss, when transgressed or disregarded, but they are most serviceable to man when properly used, and upon them depends much of the glory of the achievements of our civilization and the productiveness and beauty of the world we inhabit. It is only under the action of and in har- mony with appropriate laws that health and mental and spiritual activity are achieved and THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 77 maintained, and thus a vast amount o£ happi- ness is enjoyed : while it is the transgression of these same laws that produces sickness, igno- rance and vice, and thus occasions so much of the pain and suffering of the world. As these laws come to be better understood, even as a better comprehension of them is forced upon the human race by the penalties which their transgression exacts, we may ex- pect to see man ever increasingly take advan- tage of their beneficent intent ; a larger result- ant physical, mental and moral robustness, and an ever increasing preponderance of happi- ness and pleasure in the world. The method of Evolution is also a beneficent one, because it implies a progressive advance. It is true retrogression and failure are some- times found ; but one form of life only fails that it may give place to a better and stronger one ; and the general course and tendency of the process has been from the first that of a steady advance. The " survival of the fittest " is the law of this development, and this insures that, while many forms of life shall each have their day and opportunity, the weak and useless shall be left behind, while only the strong and 78 EVOLUTION AND TUE IMMANENT GOD. capcable shall remain to carry forward the pro- cess of Evolution with ever advancing stej^s to higher levels of attainment. The bearing of this doctrine upon the ques- tion under consideration depends entirely upon our definition of " the fittest." Fortunately Evolution has itself defined this word for us in the unmistakable terms of fact, and this definition agrees well with the intuitions of our hio'her natures. The o-oal of the evolu- tionary process is not huge proportion, or great physical strength, nor yet superior cunning. These qualities were found in the earlier forms, which were soon forced to give place to other and more enduring species. No beauty of foliage or flower in the vege- table kingdom ; no glory of blended colors in the plumage of the bird ; no speed in locomo- tion, no grace of movement and no strength of bodily organs in the brute could satisfy the demands of the evolutionary process. Man is therefore developed, gifted above all that pre- ceded him with that intelliofence wdiich ensures his rule over all nature, animate and inanimate, and continually demonstrates his fitness and ability to survive over all preceding forms of THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 79 life. But the process of differentiation and development does not stop here. The sifting process still goes on among humanity itself without cessation or abatement, and many there are, individuals and nations as well, that are left by the way in the onward march of civili- zation and progress, while others press forward and, with glorious achievements, demonstrate their fitness to survive and oive tone and direction to the coming generations. Vice, ignorance and barbarism are the qualities or forces which hinder the onward movement of society and destroy the life and influence of nations and of men ; while virtue and intelli- gence are the qualities which alone have power to preserve and energize. In the history of the race, whether mankind be considered individ- ually or collectively, it is the wise and good that are found to survive and maintain their power and influence ; they are the fittest. " Righteousness exalteth a nation : but sin is a reproach to any people." This is the teaching of Revelation and of Evolution as well. It would thus seem that the law of tlie " survival of the fittest " is capable of furnish- ing us most trustworthy evidence that He who 80 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOB. presides over the process of Evolution, and the expression of whose will it is, is beneficent and intends the final triumph of righteousness, and is working throughout every stage of human progress for the consummation of His design and the full manifestation of His plan of love. And yet, wdien we look at the animal king- dom, the struggle for existence involved in this beneficent law has another and an exceed- ingly dark side which many find hard to rec- oncile with the goodness of God. This objection or difficulty has been most forcibly stated by a writer quoted by A. R. Wallace in his " Darwinism " : — " Pain, grief, disease and death, are these the inventions of a loving God? That no animal shall rise to excellence except by being fatal to the life of others, is this the law of a kind Creator ? It is useless to say that pain has its benevolence, and that massacre has its mercy, why is it so ordained that bad should be the raw material of good ? Pain is not the less pain because it is useful ; murder is not the less murder be- cause it is conducive to development. Here is blood upon the hand still, and all the perfumes THE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 81 of Arabia will not sweeten it." Mr. Wallace, however, after carefully examining the objec- tion, concludes,—" That the popular idea of the struggle for existence entailing misery and pain on the animal world is the very reverse of the truth. What it really brings about is, the maximum of life, with the minimum of suffering and pain. Given the necessity of death and reproduction — and without these there could have been no progressive develop- ment of the organic world — it is difficult even to imagine a system by which a greater balance of happiness would have been secured." Moreover, it is doubtless true that we habit- ually exaggerate the amount of suffering en- dured by animals. With our nervous organism, differing greatly in extent and sensitiveness from any found in the animal kingdom, and to an extent that cannot well be exaggerated from that found in the generality of animals ; even when we attempt to make allowance for these differences, we are likely to magnify, out of all due pro- portion, the sufferings of animals, judging of them by our own experiences. Animal life is a Hfe of instinct, where stimuh largely take 6 82 EVOLUTION AND TEE IMMANENT GOB. the place of sensationsj and consciousness is a term of no real significance. Thus brute life is free from a very large portion of the suffer- ing incident to the life of man. Intellectual suffering^ : the anxieties of foresiofht and the terrors of apprehension must also be foreign to the experience of the animal : and these comprise the greater, or, at least, the most acute and oppressive, part of the sufferings of man- kind. The problem of the world's suffering has never obtained a complete and satisfactory solution. The old puzzle of Theology and of Phi- losophy, as to the origin and ministry of evil and suffering, comes to us now in a scientific form, and, Avliile Evolution is not able to remove every difficulty, it does not complicate the problem, and, on the whole, it may be said to powerfully aid and reinforce our conception of an Immanent God whose beneficence is illus- trated in the process of development, and will, we believe, become ever increasingly manifest as we come more fully to understand that pro- cess, and as its ideals and aims are more fully realized. TUE BENEFICENCE OF GOD. 83 As we look upon the universe to catch some reflection o£ the Divine glory and beneficence, we find tliat we have neither the breadth o£ viev^ nor strength and ^penetration o£ vision to make out more than the mo*>t naked outlines o£ the mani£estation which we believe to lie there reflected : — " For now we see in a mirror, darkly (in a riddle)." But we are glad £or what we are permitted to see, £or it strengthens our £aith and hope and enables us to wait with more confidence £or that time when we shall see all reality " £ace to £ace." " For we know in part, and we prophesy in part : but when that which is per£ect is come, that which is in part shall be done away." 84 EVOLUTION AND TEE IMMANENT GOD, CHAPTER VI. EVOLUTION AND REVELATION.* THE INCARNA- TION. All Eevelation may be said to be included and to find its highest and most complete ex- pression in the Incarnation. In all distinct- ively Christian thought Christ is the centre and moving power of the universe; the explana- tion and ground of existence of all things; the source of all life : — " In the beginning was the Word. . . . All things were made by him ; and without him was not anvthino^ made that hath been made. . . . There was the true light, even the light which llghteth every man, coming into the world. . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." THE INCARNATIOX. 85 These words of the Apostle John may be taken as a synopsis of the course of Divine Revelation, or the Divine manifestation in the history of the v^'orld. Looking merely at the Revelation given to us in the Bible, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that, " God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the proph- ets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son." The Incarnation may, therefore, be consid- ered as the consummation of Revelation and as inclusive of all Revelation, at least in the sense that the greater includes the less. The Christian doctrine of the Immanent God also depends upon and finds its highest and clearest expression in the Incarnation : in- deed, without this doctrine of the Incarnat'oii, it could hardly be maintained without degen- erating into pantheism, and Christianity itself loses its power and coherence, both as a sys- tem of thought and as a religion. It is, therefore, to the relation of the doc- trine of Evolution to, or its effect upon, this doctrine and its consequent attitude toward all 86 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. Kevelation that the Christian thinker looks with the greatest interest, not unmixed with apprehension. It is not so much that we ex- pect Evokition to deal directly with this doc- trine, by endeavoring to prove or disprove it, as such a function clearly lies beyond or out- side of its sphere. We have not been in the Imbit of expecting any special light or help in understanding or explaining the methods of the Divine Revela- tion from any theory of science based upon deductions from the observed facts of nature, nor, on the other hand, have we been willing to accept any strictures on Revelation or the possibility of its occurrence from this quarter. We have, in general, been content to maintain the inability of empirical science, based upon natural law and the facts of observation, to cope with this problem. Evolution, however, is being urged as a universal philosophy : it believes the universe to be one : the processes of development throughout this universe to move on the same or on parallel lines : and the general method of all development to be the same, however the details may vary. It is, therefore, an THE INC A B NA TlOJSf. 87 interesting question as to what view this new philosophy will find itself constrained to take of this central and basal doctrine of Christian- ity. It is not difficult to discern a likeness or parallelism between the manifestations of God afforded by the Argument from Design and the Cosmological, Moral and Historical Argu- ments and the two Revelations, the one by the medium of creation, and the other through man's own spiritual nature, mentioned in the passage already quoted from the Gospel of John. In like manner, can we find any place in the system of Evolution for "The Word became flesh" — the doctrine of the Incarna- tion? Is this transcendent event in any sense pre- figured in, or suggested by, the earher stages in the process of Evolution, or can it be con- ceived of in harmony with the observed meth- ods of the Divine working, which Evolution has made known to us? If the Incarnation be accepted as a veritable fact, we must admit into our system the intro- duction of a new force or cause. We thus postulate a new stage in the process of Crea- tion or Evolution, or a new and spiritual 88 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. creation. Can Evolution, with its doctrine of the gradual development of all nature, organic and inorganic, and of man up from the lower forms of life, admit of the introduction of a new cause and the possibility of a still higher stage of development ? Would not the intro- duction of such a force or cause break the continuity of the whole process and prove fa- tal to Evolution itself as a system ? An an- swer to these questions can only be given after noting the requirements of the theory and its necessities of assumption at the differ- ent stages of progress or transition, from the inorganic to the organic, from the vegetable to the animal, etc. If the doctrine of Evolution, besfinnino- wdth the primal forms of matter, is able, with- out admitting any new force or cause to ac- count for all the preceding stages of, and transitions in, the process, surely it will be un- willing now to admit of the introduction of any new element. If, however, at every stage in the develop- ment of nature it is obliofed to admit new elements or forces to account for the chancres observed and the new direction and increase THE INCARNATION. 89 in breadth and scope of the process, it cannot have now any fundamental objection to the acceptance of any new element which may be capable of explaining- a further advance in the process of development, in Jine with that which has preceded, and otherwise unexplained. In- deed, by all the analogy of what it has had of experience in the past, it will be looking for and expecting some such discovery, some new and higher stage in the process, brought about, as the preceding steps in advance have been, by the introduction of a new element, or the action of a new force. That the latter supposition is clearly in har- mony with the facts of the case is well shown by the statements, or concessions, of Mr. Wallace in his recent volume.^ In considering the origin of man, he shows that in the development of the organic world there are at least three distinct stages where we must of necessity assume that some new power or force has been introduced or has come into action : — " The first stage is the change from inorganic to organic, when the earliest vegetable cell, or 1 Darwinism. 90 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. living' protoplasm out of which it arose, first appeared. This is often imputed to a mere increase of complexity of chemical compounds ; but increase of complexity, with consequent instability, even if we admit that it may have produced protoplasm as a chemical compound, could certainly not have produced living pro- toplasm — protoplasm which has the power of growth and of reproduction, and of that continuous process of development which has resulted in the marvellous variety and complex organization of the whole vegetable kingdom. . . . The next stage is still more marvellous, still more completely beyond all possibility of explanation by matter, its laAvs and forces. It is the introduction of sensation or conscious- ness, constituting the fundamental distinction between the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Here all idea of mere complication of structure producing the result is out of the question. We feel it to be altogether preposterous to assume that at a certain stage of complexity of atomic constitution and as a necessary result of that complexity alone, an ego should start into existence, a thing that feels, that is conscious of its own existence. THE INCARNATION. 91 " Here we have the certainty that something new has arisen, a being whose nascent con- sciousness has gone on increasing in power and clefiniteness till it has culminated in the higher animals. No verbal explanation or attempt at explanation — such as the statement that life is the result o£ the molecular forces of the pro- toplasm, or that the whole existing organic universe from the amoeba up to man was latent in the fire-mist from which the solar system was developed, can afford any mental satisfac- tion, or help us in any way to a solution of the mystery. . . . The third stage is the exist- ence in man of a number of the most charac- teristic and noblest faculties, those which raise him furthest above the brutes and open up possibilities of almost indefinite advancement. These faculties could not possibly have been developed by means of the same laws which have determined the progressive development of the organic world in general, and also of man's physical organism." It is also interesting to note, in connection with these important concessions or affirma- tions, that this prominent evolutionist concludes that these " stages of progress from the inor- 92 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. ganic world of matter and motion up to man, point clearly to an unseen universe — to a world of spirit to which the world of matter is alto- gether subordinate." Surely, if it is necessary to assume from time to time the introduction of new forces to carry forward and upward the process of develop- ment, and if the whole tendency of the move- ment is in the direction of the spiritual and gives evidence of a higher and dominating world of spirit, it cannot be said to be in any sense in oj)position to the teachings or methods of Evolution for us to postulate a new and spiritual element or force, introduced to carry forward the process of development to a still higher stage or plane in the direction of the moral and spiritual : indeed, from the consider- ations already adduced, it would seem that such a change or advance would be clearly in har- mony with the methods of development ex- pressed in the doctrine of Evolution. Evolution has ever a forward look. In its thouirht nothinir is considered as stationary or complete. The development of the universe could not stop with any organization of matter, however complex or beautiful ; under the constraining THE INCARNATION. 93 impulse o£ the will of Him who presides over and directs the whole process of Evolution it pressed on to the development of vegetable life, with all its many and varying- forms of beauty. No more could it rest satisfied with this attainment : animal life, with enlarged powers and capabilities, must appear, and the earth was inhabited with a vast number of different forms of life. But the brute creation could not be accepted as the end of the crea- tion through Evolution : man, a being of in- telligence and will, steps upon the scene, possessing still greater capabilities and potenti- alities, even the glimmerings of a still higher, a moral and spiritual life. Shall the natural man occupy the place, as the end and consum- mation of all these creative and developing processes, which has been denied to all that preceded him ? Does he bear in his nature and organization the marks of completeness, which clearly indicate that he must be a final- ity in the evolutionary process ? Have we reached the end of the road, or the summit of the mountain-peak, where all further advance is impossible ?' Are we not the rather bound by all the analogies of the process of Evolu- 94 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. tion, and encouraged by the fact that we find in man the beginnings of a new, a moral and a spiritual life, just as we discovered in the animal the beginnings of an intelligent life, to confidently expect the full development of the spiritual man on the basis of the natural, the spiritual following the rational as the rational followed the oro^anic and the orofanic followed and was developed out of the inorganic ? Such a step in advance in the process of Evolution can only be brought about by the introduction, as in the preceding transition periods, of a new cause or force. Now this is just what the Incarnation does, fully satisfying all the conditions and requirements of the case, and in full harmony Avith the preceding analogies of the process of development. We thus see in the Incarnation the beofinninor of the establishment and realization of a new and spiritual kingdom, with Christ as its "first fruits " and determining force, in which poten- tially all mankind has a place. The preceding stages of Revelation ; the predictions of the prophets ; the manifestations of that liglit " which lighteth every man com- ing into the world," to be seen in the universal THE IN CABNA TION. 95 moral consciousness o£ mankind, and discerned in many an ancient philosophy and ethnic re- ligion, these were all preparatory and prophetic ; even as were also all the preceding stages o£ that Evolution, which, working throughout countless ages and with infinite pains and con- tinuous adjustment and adaptation, has laid the foundation and prepared the way for the in- troduction and manifestation of the spiritual. In the Incarnation the Spiritual Kingdom is at last revealed and made actual. Long and thorough has been the prepara- tion ; many and varied the processes leading up to this event ; and most worthy and satisfactory is the consummation and end of all these pre- paratory steps in the evolutionary process : the corner-stone dignifies and solidifies the whole edifice of creation. The culmination of the processes of Evolution and the final and most complete manifestation of the Immanent God are both found in the Incarnation of Christ. The final and the per- manent, and that which can alone afford explanation of the preparatory and transient is the spiritual ; and the end of the ages is the new creation in Christ. 96 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. CHAPTER VII. EVOLUTION AND THE SUPERNATURAL : MIR- ACLES, PROVIDENCE, PRAYER. Religion arises from and depends upon a belief in the Supernatural, which includes in its conception freedom, potentiality and per- sonality, and only personality can afford an appropriate basis for and stimulate the exer- cise of worship, love and prayer. Ajiart from such a belief, no religion has been established, and no system can be main- tained with doctrines, worship and fellowship, that can in any measure satisfy the longings and desires of man's spiritual and religious nature. 1. Much of the conflict between Theology and Science has been carried on over the exist- ence of the Supernatural ; and in particular concerning the existence of the miraculous, as affording evidence of the Supernatural. MIR A CLES, PR O VIDENCE, PR A YER. 97 In this controversy Theology has been sub- ject to a great disadvantage in that the mirac- ulous has to a considerable extent been in- volved in many and gross superstitions, and has also been made the occasion of exceed- ingly pernicious errors, and has thus fallen into disrepute. The chief arguments against miracles which have been brought forward by science are purely philosophical presumptions, dealing with the question of the possibility of the oc- currence of a miracle from the standpoint of a lyrlorl opinions, without deigning to adduce facts or weigh evidence, for or against them. Indeed, it has been commonly asserted that no amount of historical evidence would suffice to establish tlie occurrence of a miraculous event, even though the evidence adduced in its favor should be far greater than that con- sidered adequate for other occurrences, which are accepted as beyond question or doubt. Science has so developed and conceived of the idea of the universality and immutability of physical law, which its own investigations are continually establishing upon a firmer basis, and giving a wider scope and application, as 98 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. to leave no room in the universe for the action of the supernatural ; it is ruled out by defini- tion. We are, however, far from being con- vinced that physical laws are supreme in the universe ; that mind is an empty term and has no existence in reality ; and that a spiritual kingdom and spiritual laws are myths. Nor can we bring ourselves to conceive of God as subject to laws of His own creation, and especially to the laws of matter. We are not willing to call that science w^hich is not ready to accept all the facts of the universe, and which, because of philosophical presup- positions, refuses to consider the evidence for a certain class of facts, or to give any adequate weight to the testimony of the facts of con- sciousness, which we believe are even more important than those of matter and force, and give evidence of the reality and existence of a world of mind and of spirit. Evolution, as we understand its necessary implications, does not deny the spiritual and the supernatural. Indeed, as we have already seen, the supernatural is implied in or must be invoked to explain the process itself and to account for the basal principles and elements MIRACLES, PROVIDENCE, PRAYER. 99 with which Evolution has to do, and to explain the introduction of new forces or causes at different stages in the process of development, and that the doctrine of Evolution, by the analogy of its own processes, points to the spiritual as the culmination and end of the natural. It would, therefore, seem almost superfluous to question further the attitude of Evolution toward the Supernatural ; but, on the other hand, in view of the prominence of this topic in the controversy between science and theology, a few additional considerations may not be out of place. I presume that many of those who appreciate the significance of the Christian doctrine of the Immanent God, and admire the magnitude of the plan and minuteness of the various processes displayed in the universe, have long before this become weary of a discussion which deals so largely in presuppositions, and the exaggerated promi- nence given to the exceptional, and are ready to say with Philo, — '^ But the truly miraculous has become despised through familiarity, the unusual, on the contrary, although in itself in- significant, yet through our love of novelty, transports us with amazement." 100 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. It might suffice to quiet the apprehensions of those who fear that the doctrine of Evoki- tion may destroy all basis for belief in the Supernatural, to say that true science cannot afford to reject veritable facts, and must the rather find a place for them in its system, otherwise it cannot expect for its theories any permanent interest or general accejDtance. But, further, taking as our definition of a miracle, — " A deviation from the known laws of nature," it is hard to see how the doctrine of Evolution is necessarily opposed to their acceptance. Have Ave not on every side intimations and evidences of higher and spiritual laws ? Are new combinations of known laws unthinkable ? The law reo^ulatins: the movements of two bodies mutually attracting each other cannot be depended upon to furnish the explanation of the variations produced when these bodies, or even one of them, are also subject to the attraction of a third body. Nevertheless, how- ever complicated and eccentric the resultant movements may be, in the case mentioned, we do not refuse to accept the facts, and we believe that there is a higher law capable of affording 311 R A CLES, PE O VIDENCE, PR A YER. 1 1 a satisfactory explanation of them, tliougli we may not as yet have discovered it, and are, therefore, not able to state it. The doctrine of Evolution teaches the universality of law, the very principle which science has long urged as necessarily fatal to any belief in miracles, and which many, for this reason, feared and hesitated in accepting. Such fear, however, is due to a misconception of the necessary im- phcations of the principle, or comes from a deistic conception of nature and its laws. What are these laws which control nature, life, mind, society and all human activity and progress, enabhng man to develop and realize his freedom and personality through and on the basis of their unchanging req uirements and regulations : how are they ordained : and who gives them their authority and validity ? Do they not require for their explanation nothing less than the presence and potency of the Immanent God, and must Ave not consider them as the expressions of His will ? Prof. Bowne has well said,^— " So far as the facts go, we may view Nature as only the orderly form under which a divine purpose is behig contin- 1 Independent, July 31st, 1890. 102 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. uously realized by a continuous divine activity. The unity o£ Nature is the unity of the divine plan. The progress in Nature is but the suc- cessive unfolding and realization of divine pur- pose. The bond of union, the ground of prog- ress, the living force of the whole, are to be found in a Supreme Intellect and Will in which Nature has its source and beinof." Indeed one mio-lit maintain that God does not work otherwise than through law, and even claim that His direct influence or action upon the human mind which gives it its power and sensibility is also an act under law, and there is little evidence or force of analogy from known facts that would not be found to favor, or be in perfect harmony with such views. We can accept with Evolution the doctrine of the universality of law, and at the same time believe in an all-embracino- and all-determinino- supernatural. Indeed, this doctrine of the universality of law affirms only that the Imma- nent God, " with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning," mani- fests His will in an orderly and consistent manner, and discredits only by arbitrary and capricious supernatural. MIRACLES, PROVIDENCE, PR A VER. 103 The suspension or violation of the hiws o£ nature, real or apparent, involved in a miracle, is nothing more than is seen constantly taking place about us. We find that one law frequently counteracts another: the resultant of two forces follows a path not marked out by either of them, but due to the influence of both: the chemical laws of matter are held in abeyance by the vital force of a living organism : there is hardly a law of nature that man cannot in a measure counteract or direct and modify in its action according to his desires and purposes. If the finite man can, to an ever-increasing extent, as he comes to understand the meaning and scope of the appHcation of the laws of nature, control them and realize his purposes through them, by how much more will the infinite God be able to employ these laws of His own creation in the accomplishment of His plans of love. It is not conceivable that the Immanent God can, in any way, be hindered, conditioned or constrained by these laws of his own establish- ment, and which are but the methods of his activity. 2. It will readily appear from the con- 104 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. siderations already adduced that the doc- trine of E\ ohition cannot be quoted as opposed to that of Providence. Indeed, Evohition furnishes us with a substantial and rational basis for the development of this doctrine, as broad as the facts of the universe and minute enough to include in the sphere of its direc- tion the most insignificant forces and elements. This doctrine of Providence manifested and realized throusfh universal and far-reachinof laws will come as a wholesome corrective for many of the loose theories and conceptions of Providence, which have done so much to brinir the doctrine into disrepute and contempt among thinking men. Evolution cannot be depended upon to bolster up that trust in Providence, born of presumptuous ignorance, which neglects or refuses to use well-accredited means to ward off disaster or obtain relief from sickness and disease, preferring, with a faith more simple than even childlike, to commit to God that which science and human experience have shown to be dependent upon human agency and the use of appropriate means. Nor will it afford any comfort or support for the hypocrisy and self-conceit of those Avho ascribe MIRACLES, PROVIDENCE, PRAYER. 105 all the evils experienced by those they do not like, and all occurrences that contribute to their own comfort, convenience and advantage to the direct and special action and interven- tion of the Divine Will. The doctrine of Evolution does not establish Fatalism, but it indicates the universality of a law workinof for the realization and the estab- lishment of the moral and spiritual ; it maintains an orderly and consistent Providence in har- mony with the dignity and all the high and holy attributes of our God ; and it teaches us, if we would take advantage of the Divine Prov- idence, we must put ourselves in harmony with the Divine ^Yi\\. In the direction of moral and spiritual attain- ment, the grand and all-important truth is well expressed by the Apostle Paul : — " And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good." We believe that all the forces of the universe, whether natural or spiritual, are arranged and calculated so as to co-operate with all the en- deavors of those who " love God " and strive to know and obey His will in the realization and attainment of all that is worthy and permanent. 106 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. Man, by his study of Nature and Revelation and by the constant experience of every-day life as well, is ever learning more and more of the will of God, as he comes to understand more thoroughly the laws of the universe and their many possible combinations and applications. Providence is waiting to co-operate with him ever increasingly as he attains to a more com- plete and exact knowledge of these laws of the universe and renders to them a more intelli- gent obedience. What a grand future of attainment lies before the race as man learns more and more how to co-operate with God in the Divine processes and in harmony with the Divine purposes, and so comes to command more and more the potency of the Omnipotent in the development of a higher civilization and the realization of high moral and spiritual ideals. 3. Evolution has also been thouofht to destroy the basis of prayer with its doctrine of the universality of law, or to render its use irrational and meanino^less. It is true there are certain kinds of Prayer that this doctrine makes to appear irrational, MIR A CL ES, PH VIDENCE, PR A YER. 107 not that it changes the facts at all, only that it makes their true character manifest that all may appreciate their absurdity. To this class belong those prayers that are content to rest satisfied with empty words in the form of petition, when the means which must be employed to bring about the desired ends are within reach, and only half-hearted- ness, laziness or ignorance on the part of the petitioner keeps him from striving himself for the attainment of the desired object. No amount of prayer for bountiful harvests by the farmer can take the place of the necessary labor of preparing the soil, sowing the seed, and attending to the proper nurture of the growing plants. If man does his part, God, working through and by means of natural law, will crown his efforts with success, in proportion to the care and labor that he has expended, but He puts no premium on laziness or ignorance. Man must pray, if he would pray acceptably, according to the will of God, and that will is clearly manifested in the terms of law and has its unmistakable and unchangeable require- ments. The " Faith Cure/' so called, is a fail- 108 EVOLUTION AND THE IMMANENT GOD. ure, not so much because of the lack of faith, as the absence of that intelKgent faith which leads its possessor to strive to understand the will of God as manifested in the known laws of hygiene, and then to put himself in harmony wdth that will by using the best and most approved means at hand. Even in matters relating distinctively to religion, we have learned to value only those prayers that pledge the petitioner to use, him- self, all the means at his command for the attainment of the desired end : and here, also, we are besrinnino: to discern the fact that God works by and through laws, which we may hope to understand and use w^tli increasing efficiency. The influence of Evolution upon Prayer will be to make the petitioner more humble and earnest, and the petitions more rational and more nearly in harmony with God's manifested will : -^ — " As the Supernatural discloses itself more perfectly in and by and through the natural, prayer will pass more and more into silent trust and wise diliirence : not because intervention is felt to be unfitting, but because the wisdom ' Prof. Bascom : Natural Theology. MIRACLES, PROVIDENCE, PRAYER. 109 and grace o£ God are felt to be present un- solicited, and to be sufficient of themselves without importunity." Moreover, we may expect, with clearer and more rational conceptions of the nature and office of prayer, a deeper appreciation of its meaning' and value, both as a means of com- munication and communion with the Immanent God, and also as a force of supreme importance in the world of spiritual life and endeavor. Science, because of the many irrational uses of prayer, has never accorded to it its true place in the universe as a force : indeed, science has rarely taken much notice of the spiritual side of the universe, and has never been willino- to give as ready hearing or credence to the facts furnished by consciousness, as to those obtained by observation and experiment. The true science of the future cannot fail of takinits. The author of " Looking Backward" and others did a good work in introducing to the general reader many ideas which had been discussed for a long time by the best scientific writers of our day, but which were and are un- fortunately removed from popular sympathy through the strictly scientific character of the literary vehicles in which they appeared. But the author of " Looking Backward," probably on account of the limited compass of his book, has not given in detail a description of all the social con- ditions of the brighter future which is to witness the tri- umph of altruism. He has merely whetted the appetite of the reader, but he has not satified his hunger. " Young West " (the son of Julian West) will indirectly answer all these questions. Describing his own eventful career from his first awakening to consciousness to his age of three- score and ten, the hero of the book will picture life in its various phases, as it will be acted out by a citizen of the United States of America in the twenty-second century. The book is intended primarily to answer the many questions which are asked about the practical workings of nationalism and socialism. A Stirring Story of the lilar, Helen H. Gardener Price, cloth, $1.25 ; paper, 50 cents. AN UNOFFICIAL PATRIOT. This is a story of the Civil War, but it is the first story of its kind that has appeared in our literature. It deals with a phase of the war entirely new in fiction. It is a departure from all Helen Gardener's previous stories, and is perhaps the strongest piece of work she has produced. The Boston Home journal says: " Is in many ways the most remarkable historical novel of the Civil War which has yet appeared. The story is filled with strong dramatic incidents, and there is a bit of charming romance. Mrs. Gardener has produced a book that will take very high rank in the historical literature of the War of the Rebellion ; for although presented in the form of a novel, its historical value cannot be questioned." For sale by all newsdealers, or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. Fro7n the press of the Arena Piidtishing Company. George C. Ward Aims to Abolish Legalized Usury Every Man with a Vote is under an Obligation to Society to Think. He also owes it to him- self to be more than a Vote — a Voter Price, 25 cents. A BETTER FINANCIAL SYSTEil : or, Gov- ernment Banks. An important work just issued in the famous Copley Square Series. George C. Ward in his timely and valuable work, " A Better Financial System," attempts to demonstrate that every principle of the finance platform of the People's Party may be subserved and every demand realized by the nationalization of the banking system of the United States, and the assumption, as a public function, of the banking business of the nation. A system of govern- mental banks which would be operated by the people, for the people, at cost, v/ould materially aid the progress of civilization, by destroying and forever aboHshing usury. It would rob money of its present terrible slave-making power. This is one of the most valuable expositions of the financial situation, of the factors that are throwing the shadow of misery over the millions, that has appeared in print. It is the work of a strong, keen, logical, honest thinker and student, who has made finance the study of his life. It is a book that should be in the hands of every man with a vote and a mind. It is a compeller of thought ; a revelation of the undercurrents of our politics, economy and financiering. Frank Parsons Wi Price, 25 cents. OUR COUNTRY'S NEED : or, The Develop- ment of a Scientific Industrialism. Of this book Phillips Brooks, the well-known divine, wrote to the author as follows: " I have felt that ' Our Country's Need ' is destined to be an epoch-making book. It builds political economy on true foundations. I am in heartiest sympathy with your philosophy of ' Mutualism.' Our conversations about it have been a delight to me. The ' Law of Development ' and the ' Historic Parallel ' are worthy, I think, of the empha'^is you give them. All your underlying principles I fully accept. They are simply ' Brother-love and justice put in practice,' as you say, and how can a minister withhold his support from that? Your conclusions seem to me for the most part irresistible." For sale by all newsdealers or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. From the press of the Arena PublisJiing Co., Boston, Mass. Serious liiorhs for Slu6ent$ of Social, Economic an6 Political Problems. Samuel Leavitt A handbook for Money Reformers riarion Todd A strong work in favor of Governmental Ownership of Railroads Price, paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1 .25 . OUR MONEY WARS. The most complete and comprehensive history of American finance ever published. The book is the result of a lifetime of study and work, and will be indispensable to all who wish to keep posted on the money question. Mr. Leavitt is a man of wide experience, and his work shows not only remarkable ability but great insight and rare courage. Mr. Leavitt has long been before the pub- lic as a contributor to such publications as the A^orth American Review, the Fonnn, and the New York Tribune, IForici and Graphic. In 1878 he was managing editor of Peter Cooper's New York Advocate. In 1883 he was made superintendent of Riverside Park. In 1887 he made sixty speeches for Henry George in the memorable cam- paign in New York when the great reformer polled seventy thousand votes. This book will be a textbook for re- formers, and is invaluable to all who wish to acquaint themselves with the financial history of our country. The chapters deal with the money question during different periods as follows : 1600 to 1700. 1700 to 1776. 1776 to 1786. 1786 to 1796. 1796 to 1806. i8o6toi8i6. 1816 to 1826. 1826 to 1836. 1836 to 1846. 1846 to 1856. 1856 to 1861. 1861 to 1866 (the war period). 1866 to 1873. ^"^l?) to 1880 (seven years of famine in a land of plenty). 1880 to 1885 (the triumph of plutocracy). 1885 to 1893 (the beginning of the end). Price, paper, ^o cents -, cloth, $1.25. RAILROADS IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. An indispensable work for all persons interested in the railroad problem. It is a powerful and convincing argu- ment in favor of government control. This is a rather unusual subject to be treated of by a lady, but the author has done her work with thoroughness and ability. She considers one of the most serious questions of the times to be whether the railways shall own the people or the people own the railwaxs. In discussing this question she first gives the rail- way statistics from official sources of the United States, Ger- many, Austro-Hungary> India, Victoria, England, France, and a number of other countries, with an explanation of the Zone System in operation in Austria and Hungary. For sale by all newsdealers, or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. l-'rojii iJic press of the Arefia Publishing Company. Walter Blackburn Harte A Bibelot for Booh-Louers. Price in handsome cloth, $1.25. MEDITATIONS IN MOTLEY: A Bundle of Papers Imbued with the Sobriety of Midnight. This is a bundle of papers written in a vein of delightful humor, and filled with those sober and fantastic specula- tions that appeal to all those lovers of literature who have discovered among the older humorists some of the most agreeable philosophers of their time. " Meditations in Motley"" is a book for the fireside or outdoors ; for gray days or sunshine ; for solitude or society. It will take its place among those books handy at one's elbow which one instinctively reaches for as one sinks into a cosy armchair in a snug corner and abandons one's self to the seductions of meditation and firelight — and perhaps a pipe of tobacco. The papers are on the most various topics, and throw light on literature and social questions without touching directly the essay in criticism or sociology. " Meditations in Motley " is a book that tumbles out of every category. It is a book of its own kind — as all who know the writer's work can anticipate. The style of the essays reminds the reader occasionally of the older English humorists, but there is added a suggestion of French sparkle and wit and vivacity and lightness of touch. " Motley's the only wear." Ihe History of a iBreat Social Experiment Dr. John T. Codman The History of a Great Social and Intellectual Awakening Price in handsome cloth, $2.00. BROOK FARM. Memoirs, Historic and Per- sonal. A complete history of the famous Brook Farm experi- ment has been one of those books which demanded writ- ing to complete the most interesting era of American literature and social thought, and at last we have a volume that covers the whole ground adequately — Dr. John Thomas Codman's " Brook Farm : Memoirs, Historic and PersonAl." Dr. Codman is one of the few surviving members of the Brook Farm community, and his work has, therefore, the special value of intimate personal knowledge of the inner workings of the scheme and of the character and personalities of the group of famous men who were interested in it. The book will have an im- mediate claim upon the interest of all students of American literature, and of social thought everywhere. For sale by all newsdealers, or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass, A BiDidle of New Books. riarion D. Shutter, D. D. Wit and Humor are sometimes confused with Buffoonery. They, however, are to be found in the highest works only, and they are subtly present in the highest Thomas Alexander Hyde Published only in cloth ; price, $1.50. Wit and Humor of the Bible. A literary study. Many writers have written instructive commentaries upon the pathos and sublimity of the Bible, but the literary elements comprised in the title of this interesting and revealing work have rarely been men- tioned. Dr. Shutter has here entered into a field which before was untraversed. This side of sacred literature has been long neglected, probably because in so many minds wit and humor are somehow associated with mere ribaldry and irreverence. This is a grave mistake. Wit and humor are too fine, and have their origin in emotions too human and ennobling, to serve the purposes of coarse and mean, degraded natures. In human nature, the sources of laughter and tears lie close together; we need not, therefore, be surprised to find wit and humor in the Bible, in which every human passion is mirrored, in which the whole philosophy of life is to be found, with some con- solation and sympathy for every mood of humanity. This book of Dr. Shutter's is the work of one who loves and knows the Great Book thoroughly and reverently. Cloth . Price, post-paid, $1.25. Christ the Orator : or, Never nan Spake Like This Man. This brilliant work, the only one of its kind which has been given to the world, is a monograph upon the third side of Christ's nature — the expressional. The Rev. Thomas Alexander Hyde, the author, is a vivid and vigor- ous thinker, and before the publication of this book, which has made his name as familiar in the religious world as that of any contemporary religious teacher, he had made a reputation as the author of " The Natural System of Elocution and Oratory." "Christ the Orator" has already awakened widespread interest, and received high endorsement from leading editors, preachers, scholars and thoughtful laymen everywhere, representing every phase of Christian thought. Its earnest spirit, sympathetic and finished style and lofty purpose, render it a welcome guest in every family. Mr. Hyde is a vivid writer and a vigorous thinker. His mind evidently dots nut run in the old theological grooves, though we conclude that he is sufficiently conservative. His attempt to prove Christ an orator is at least unique. His book is suggestive, full of bright and beautiful sayings, and is quite worth a careful reading. — Nezu York Herald. For sale by all newsdealers, or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. From the press of the Arena Publishing Company. Bction : Social, Economic an6 Reformatiue. E. Stillman Doubleday A story of the Struggles of Honest Industry under Present Day Conditions. Charles S. Daniel A. Story of the transformation of the Slums Price, paper, $0 cents; cloth, $1.25. JUST PLAIN FOLKS. A novel for the industrial millions, illustrating two stu- pendous facts : — 1. The bounty and goodness of nature. 2. The misery resulting from unjust social conditions which enable the acquirer of wealth to degenerate in luxury and idleness, and the wealth producer to slave him- self to death, haunted by an ever-present fear of starva- tion when not actually driven to vice or begging. It is an exceedingly interesting book, simply and affectingly told, while there is a vast deal of the philosophy of commun- ism in the moralizing of Old Bat. All persons interested in wholesome fiction, and who also desire to understand the conditions of honest industry and society-made vice, should read this admirable story. AI: Price, paper, 50 cetits ; cloth, $1.25. A Social Vision. One of the most ingenious, unique and thought-provoking stories of the present generation. It is a social vision, and in many respects the most noteworthy of the many remarkable dreams called forth by the general unrest and intellectual activ- ity of the present generation. But unlike most social dreams appearing since the famous " Utopia " of Sir Thomas More, this book has distinctive qualities which will commend it to many readers who take, as yet, little interest in the vital social problems of the hour. A quiet humor pervades the whole vol- ume which is most delightful. The brotherhood of man and various sociological and philan- thropic ideas, such as the establishment of a college setdement and the social regeneration of Old Philadelphia, are a few of the topics discussed in " Ai," a novel by Charles Daniel, whc calls it " A Social Vision." It is alternately grave and gay; am the intellectual freshness reminds one constantly of'^Edwara Everett Hale's stories, with which " Ai" has much in common. This is a clever book, and, what is much more important, one whose influence is for good. — Public Ledger. A Bimdle of N'ew Books. B.O. Flower The Social Factors at Work in the Ascent of Man Time " brings its matter di- follow- A KeiXi Booh of Social Ihought. Just Published. Price, paper, 25 cents ] cloth, $1.00. The New Time : A Plea for the Union of the floral Forces for Practical Progress. This new work, by the author of " Civilization's In- ferno," deals with practical methods for the reform of specific social evils. The writer does not bind together a mere bundle of social speculations, that would seem to many to have only a remote and abstract relevance to everyday life. He deals with facts within every one's knowledge. "The New rectly home to every man's bosom and business ing Bacon's prescription. It is published especially to meet the wants of those who wish to apply themselves to and interest their friends in the various branches of educational and social effort comprised in the platform of the National Union for Prac- tical Progress ; but, from its wide sweep of all the factors in the social problem, it will also serve to introduce many readers to a general consideration of the newer social thinking. Price, paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.00. The Irrepressible Conflict between Two World=Theories. Five lectures dealing with Christianity and evolutionary thought, to which is added " The Inevitable Surrender of Orthodoxy." By the famous Unitarian divine, advanced thinker and author of "Psychics: Facts and Theories." Mr. Savage stands in the van of the progress of moral, humane and rational ideas of human society and religion, which must be inextricably commingled in the new think- ing, and a stronger word for moral and intellectual free- dom has never been written than " The Irrepressible Conflict." We are now going through the greatest revo- lution of thought the world has ever seen. It means nothing less than a new universe, a new God, a new man, a new destiny. For sale by all newsdealers or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. Rev. Minot J. Savage A New World, a New God, a New Humanity The New Relig- ious Thinking deals only with Verities A Bundle of New Books. A Remarkable Volume showing the Identity of all Religions in the Creeds Rev. S. Weil Comfort and Hope from beyond the Bourne A Book for Sincere and Earnest Sceptics The Higher Life Here and Now Price, paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.50. The World's Congress of Religions. To meet the general demand, the Arena Publishing Company has, with the consent of the Parliament Publish- ing Company, issued this popular work, which gives the proceedings of the opening and closing sessions of the council verbatiin, thus giving the reader a perfect picture of one of the most unique spectacles man has ever wit- nessed — a picture in which the representatives of earth's great religions united in welcome greeting and loving fare- well. These two great gatherings are given vet-batini, while in twenty-nine interesting chapters are given abso- lutely verbatim reports of the greatest and most represen- tative papers or addresses which were delivered — the papers which most clearly set forth the views, aims and mission of the great faiths, and which are immensely val- uable as contributions to the present literature of the world. It is important to remember that these addresses are in full and exactly as given. An impressive introduc- tion has been written for this volume by Rev. Minot J. Savage. Price, paper, 50 cents ; cloth, $1.25. The Religion of the Future. This is a work of great value, written by one of the keenest, most powerful and most truly religious minds of the day. It is particularly a work which should be put into the hands of those who have freed themselves from the dogmas of orthodoxy and from the dogmas of mate- rialistic science. It is a profoundly religious book. It demonstrates most indisputably to the unbiased mind the existence of a moral as well as a material cosmos. The book is addressed principally to sceptics who are seeking after truth. "The Religion of the Future" deals with that something lying behind the sympathy and interaction of mind and body at which natural science stops. It brings forward data to prove that this arbitrary invalidat- ing of modern science is itself invalid. This book starts with the axiom that the mental world is the realm of cause, of which the material world is the evanescent effect — that there is a " Power not ourselves which makes for righteousness." The chapters reveal a new method in psychic and spiritual research. for sale by all newsdealers or sent postpaid by Arena Publishing Co., Boston, Mass. DATE DUE ,^^*P**W Wf CAYLORD PRINTEOINU.S A