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exclude one another" an exploded axiom-The centre of gravity of
Truths The Ideal conciliates all-Conciliation of reason and senti-
ment-No absolute falsehood-Error the opposition of one relative
truth against another to the exclusion of the latter-All truths positive
Negations are nothing-Private judgment the negation of other
judgments-Private judgment the negation of absolute Truth-The
proper function of private judgment-It is the resolution of what is
true to the individual self-Universal truth the combination of all
appreciations of truth . Page 41
CHAPTER IV
THE BASIS OF RIGHT
Right and its relation to Liberty-difficulty in defining Right-Is right a
rational or a sentimental verity?-Difficulty of establishing it on a
rational basis-attempt of Hobbes-of Spinoza-of Grotius-of Kant-
of Krause-confusion between right and will or force-Right based on
duty—a sentimental verity-Liberty alienable and inalienable-Right
the faculty of realizing our nature-Possibility of alienating our right—
Consequences which flow from the admission of the dogmatic basis of
right—1. All rights are equal-2. All infringement of rights is im-
moral—3. All primitive rights are inalienable-4. Primary rights are
not mutually antagonistic-The primary rights of Man--1. The right
of personal freedom-2. of good reputation-3. of liberty of conscience—
4. of expressing his convictions--5. of appropriation-All these rights
dogmatic
Page 55
CHAPTER V
THE BASIS OF AUTHORITY
The physical condition of man renders society necessary-The Social In-
stinct-Social organizations the product of the ideas of right and autho-
rity-The family, the first society-The idea of parental authority a
prolongation of the idea of right-That authority ceases when the child
has become a man-for then its rights are equal to its father's rights-
Two kinds of authority, Moral authority and effective authority--
Moral authority must rest on God-necessitates the hypothesis of free
will-Effective authority must derive from man—its mode of exercise
compulsion-not to be confused with Sovereignty-Sovereignty, the
right to violate rights with impunity-Sovereignty only possible, logi-
cally, if God be denied-Attempt to subordinate sovereignty to moral
authority impossible-The only possible mode of preserving moral au-
thority and effective authority intact is to distinguish them, and derive
the one from God, the other from men-Effective authority not neces-
sarily immoral
Page 72
CHAPTER VI
THE PRELIMINARY HYPOTHESES OF CHRISTIANITY
The subject of the preceding chapters--The First Hypothesis: There is a
First Cause self-existent, absolutely free, the Creator of the world—
The motive of creation not necessity nor duty-To be sought in the crea-
tion, not in the Creator-The creature is the object of creation-The
motive of creation is Love-pure love unmixed with selfishness-Second
hypothesis: God has made man in His image, i.e. with a free will—
Man's duty is to distinguish himself, and thus constitute his personality
-He cannot do so by denying God-He can only do so by simultane-
ously distinguishing God and preserving the link between himself and
God-This link is love-Recapitulation of the argument
CHAPTER VII
THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE INCARNATION
. Page 89
The difficulty of obtaining a rational idea of God-The idea traverses two
stages, one constructive, the other destructive-The first process, the
idealizing of God-The second process, the emancipation of the idea
from all relations-The true rational idea of God one of negation-The
rational idea opposed to the Ideal-Are philosophy and religion neces-
sarily antagonistic ?—The hypothesis of the Incarnation conciliates
both Christ is the Absolute and the Ideal-conciliates reason and
sentiment-Belief and Reason necessary to one another-No system of
thought without a postulate-The postulate of the Incarnation may be
turned into a demonstration—Elucidation of the difficulty of identify-
ing the Absolute with the Ideal—-and of considering God as a Person
Page 99
CHAPTER VIII ·
THE DOGMA OF MEDIATION
The advantage of the Hegelian trichotomy-dread of Hegelianism-unrea-
sonable-Hegel's method destined to reconcile philosophy to religion-
The finite and the infinite supposed to be irreconcileable-The Incarna-
tion consequently rejected as absurd—The true idea of the infinite-of
space and time-The ideas of space and time inapplicable to God-
relative only-The Word the equation between the Infinite and the
finite-He is the Mediator as well.
Page 115
CHAPTER IX
THE EVIDENCE FOR THE INCARNATION
Private Judgment the basis of Certainty-Man accepts some truths by
conviction, other truths on authority --Historical evidence always dis-
putable evidence of an historical religion especially so-The evidence
of miracles unsatisfactory-Prophecy no evidence to the divinity of
Christ-Scriptural evidence weak-1. Scripture lays no claim to inspi-
ration-2. It is full of inaccuracies-3. And of discrepancies-4. Un-
certainty of authorship-Difficulty of proving from Scripture the Divi-
nity of Christ-The weakness of Protestantism-The authority of the
Church-The evidence of our own Nature-The legitimate position of
the Bible
Page 128
CHAPTER X
CATHOLICISM
Catholicism the religion of inclusion—a consequence of the Incarnation—
The conciliation of Reason and Faith-of Individualism and Solidarity
The conciliation of all philosophies-of all Religions-of Paganism-of
Sectarianism-Catholicism demands universal toleration, its opposite is
intolerance and persecution.
CHAPTER XI
PROTESTANTISM
Page 148
The affirmation of self and of God two duties-Medieval Catholicism
affirmed God but neglected the affirmation of self-Protestantism the
affirmation of self-Division and opposition the source of all misery and
error-Distinction not division-Christian ethics consist in the affirma-
tion of distinctions without division and opposition-The distinction of
God and His relations by meditation, prayer, and worship-Luther de-
nied these modes of affirming God-The affirmation of ourselves depends
on our affirmation of God—Immorality the division between higher and
lower natures-Duty to our neighbours consists in recognition of their
rights and non-interference with their liberties-The negation of moral
duty by Luther-He was disposed to sanction adultery-The evil of
opposing religion to morality-Calvin denied free-will and therefore
denied duty-The Reformers denied the holiness of God-The system of
negation and division carried on- -Deification of negation-Opposition
of the Church to God-Comte-Neo-Hegelian opposition of man to
man-and negation of the Absolute-Subjective Christ opposed to his-
torical Christ-and negation of the reality of the personal Christ-The
Protestant spirit one of universal negation and opposition-it has
opposed all truths, religions, and philosophies, scientific and æsthetical
Page 167
CHAPTER XII
CHRISTIANITY AND INDIVIDUALITY
The will the individualizing faculty-Individual will and collective will—
The tendency of society to destroy individuality-Yet individuality is
necessary for social advance-The rights of man were ignored before
the appearance of Christianity-The slave had no rights logically or
really-The poor had no place-The woman had no rights-nor had
the child-The dogmatic basis of right laid down by Christianity-
Christianity a social revolution-Testimony of the Apostles to its liberal
character-Equality in the Church-The union of Church and State
interfered with the emancipation of individuality-The doctrine of
equality of rights ignored in the Middle Ages - Exaggeration of
authority to the annihilation of liberty-Da Vinci freed science from
authority and made observation the test of truth-Luther made the in-
dividual judgment the criterium of religious truths-Descartes made it
the basis of philosophic certainty-Rousseau founded morality on the
individual conscience-The French Revolution established politics on
individual right
Page 191
CHAPTER XIII
THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF THE INCARNATION
The Ideal Man must have a double aspect, individual and social-The social
Christ is the Church-a necessary consequence of the Incarnation-The
characteristics of the individual Christ must also characterize the social
Christ--The marks of the Church-the marks also of its members-The
Communion of Saints a consequence-The organization of the Church-
tion consequently rejected as absurd-The true idea of the infinite-of
space and time-The ideas of space and time inapplicable to God--
conviction, other truths on authority -Historical evidence always dis-
putable evidence of an historical religion especially so-' --The evidence
ration-2. It is full of inaccuracies-3. And of discrepancies—4. Un-
Catholicism the religion of inclusion--a consequence of the Incarnation-
on our affirmation of God-Immorality the division between higher and