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CONTENTS.
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CHAPTER I.
THEISTICAL WITNESSES.
The Trial' less a form than a mode of thought
Conversions real and unreal
Voices weighed not counted
The Socratical questioner not absolved from decision
Perverts not renegades
A true advocacy independent
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Recent instance of Hindoo renunciation of Christianity
Modern development of Theological Schools
It amounts merely to presumption-never to proof
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Inferences of design in Nature made on artificial ground
The great principle announced by Mr. Grote........
CHAPTER IV.
TESTIMONIES AGAINST THE ARGUMENT OF DESIGN.
Gillespie's Defects of the Design Argument
De Pentheny O'Kelly's 'Theological Papers'
Testimonies of Professor F. W. Newman, Baron Humboldt, and
Thomas Carlyle
Problems of life and nature incapable of absolute solution Atheism seeks satisfaction for the understanding
CHAPTER V.
CLEARNESS THE CRITERION OF TRUTH.
Edmund Burke and Chevalier Bunsen on the Authority of Reason
Sectarian opticians
Impatience of ignorance not always conducive to knowledge
De Potter on the law of truth-speaking
Reply to the author of the 'Eclipse of Faith'.
To what extent do men believe in what they do not understand?
Actual Knowledge the measure of actual power
Knowledge is always a restriction upon ignorance
....
A man may deceive men who know less than himself, but never those
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Only quacks in logic attempt to cure all errors by a single pill
Coups d'état in arguments the dream of quacks in logic
Marriage and worship
CHAPTER VI.
UNDERSTANDING A CONDITION OF BELIEF.
Dr. Parr's retort, and Pascal's experiment
...
25
What the properties of matter accomplish, and how far man assists 26
What is life?-the answer of the Theist
Toleration established by sceptical criticism
27
The pre-Lutheran doctrine of ignorance being the source of reverence,
Dean Trench on Ignorance being the mother of adoration
Basil Montague's description of the intellect of Bacon
CHAPTER VII.
THE ETERNAL PROBLEM OF EVIL.
Intellectual histories of converted Sceptics a deficiency in polemics
The discipline of spontaneity of expression
The conclusions of Theism more disquieting than those of Atheism... 32
The presumption of the Theist compared with the criticism of the
If the system of prey be a necessity, is it a mercy?
The one philosophy with which we combat evil..
Both head and heart testify that evil is evil
The history of the idea of Deity disproves its innateness
CHAPTER IX.
DIFFICULTIES OF THEISM.
Theistical difficulties stated by the North British Review
Theism the production of a Term instead of a Fact
The essential condition of definition never complied with by Theists...
What a definition is according to J. S. Mill
Failure of mathematical analogies of Immaterialism.......
Professor Whewell on dependent and successive causes
Distinctions between the Deity of Theism and the Entity of Nature ...
The two aspects of Nature-unheeding those who pray, teaching those
who study.........
Theistical theories which do not satisfy the understanding
The Infinite Enigma-its alleged characteristics
CHAPTER X.
THEISTICAL NEGATIONS.
Pierre Leroux
Theism the denier of Nature
Archbishop Whately's allegation that sceptics account for nothing
Relative value of negative truth
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Distinction between the position of the Theist and Atheist
The Cosmist the student of realities
Moses, Lamarck, and Miller on creation
The Cosmical and Theistical views compared
Herbert Spencer on the development theory of nature
There is no natural theology
Nature, matter, materiality, calculability, and law
John Stuart Mill's definitions of Matter and Mind
What is a being?-Mill's definition
Matter and mind both unknown in their essences
.....
The Priest construes the rejection of his errors as the rejection of
truth and justice
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CHAPTER XIII.
THEODORE PARKER.
The testimony to the character of Atheists borne by Theodore Parker 54
The coward and the murderess equally condemned by Atheism as by
Theism..
In what does the Atheist believe?
Christianity was once the latest form of Infidelity'
Atheism a manly refuge from a certain effeminacy of Theism
Theism paternal government, and tends to keep men children
The utter impotence of Theism for political protection
Ebenezer Elliott's prayer for the people
CHAPTER XIV.
FRANCIS WILLIAM NEWMAN.
Mr. Newman's views on the independence of Morality
The deficiencies and misdirection of popular literature...
Characteristics of Mr. Newman's theological writings
The qualities of the religious nature enumerated
Passion, Prudence, Duty, Freethought, and Reverence, the problem of
their reconciliation
The eight points of philosophical religion
The conscience competent to decide religious questions
The moral uses of religion described
Mr. Newman's axiom of human thought
His answer to Byron's question
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The transmutation of attributes into entities one of the habits of Theists
New statement of the argument of Design..
A God uncaused no explanation of a world uncaused
Francis Place's definition of Faith
Naturalism not without morals...
We must not buy the patience of the poor by propagating delusion
The duty of approval as well as censure
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The inciters of the French Revolution were Theists, not Atheists
Evangelical ministers enter into a controversy after a century of pro-
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Mr. Jordan of Eustone's quotation from the Reasoner
The circle of Freethought writers disclosed by Mr. Pearson
Coleridge's prayer of love
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The disappearance of 'vulgar and ignorant Infidelity' admitted
Classification of Atheistical and Sceptical objections to Christianity
Theists ignorant of the eminent objectors to their views
Argumentative and speculative minds, it is admitted, are attracted by
scepticism.......
The wonderful trumpeting of Dr. Campbel!
Why controversial dialogue so commonly fails
The clerical definition of Infidelity'
The reply of Atheism to Mr. Pearson
Examples of the offensiveness of Theistical imputations
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Legibility of the signature of Heaven admitted to be essential to belief 89
Theism judged by its temper as well as its tenets
CHAPTER XVII.
HENRY ROGERS.
The answer given formally demanded by Professor Rogers
Reply to his argument of Reason and Faith
The Greyson Letters as cited by the Saturday Review.....
Four lines only of Positivism in a volume of Theism
Professor Rogers transcends Paine in licence of speech
Professor Newman's reply to the Eclipse of Faith'
Professor Rogers and Thomas Pooley
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Morality as a fixed certainty held by Atheists and Theists
Professor Newman's remarks on Mr. Harrington and Mr. Holyoake... 95
The folly of construing agreement on some points as coincidence on all
Reasons for Atheism in the non-reason of Theism
Theistical censures founded on partial quotations from their adversaries 99
The Editor of the Leader on controversial admissions
The judgment of the Westminster Review on the Bridgewater Treatises 101
Important passage from the Scotsman
101
The Scotsman on Dr. Beattie's 'dead cats'
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The Athenæum's refutation of the Thompson and Tulloch Prize Essays 103.
Mr. Thompson shirks,' Dr. Tulloch begs the question
Is the separate existence of mind necessarily evident?...
Dr. Tulloch's new Syllogism of Design