e; and it is their own fault if they do not gain the
ultimate victory,--not only as against science, but as against
intellectual dogmatism in every form. This can be routed all along the
line. For science is only the organized study of natural causation, and
the experience of every human being, in so far as it leads to dogmatism
on purely intellectual grounds, does so on account of entertaining the
fundamental postulate in question. The influence of custom and want of
imagination is here very great. But the answer always should be to move
the ulterior question--what is the nature of natural causation?

Now I propose to push to its full logical conclusion the consequence of
this answer. For no one, even the most orthodox, has as yet learnt this
lesson of religion to anything like fullness. God is still grudged His
own universe, so to speak, as far and as often as He can possibly be. As
examples we may take the natural growth of Christianity out of previous
religions; the natural spread of it; the natural conversion of St. Paul,
or of anybody else. It is still assumed on both sides that there must
be something inexplicable or miraculous about a phenomenon in order to
its being divine.

What else have science and religion ever had to fight about save on the
basis of this common hypothesis, and hence as to whether the causation
of such and such a phenomenon has been 'natural' or 'super-natural.' For
even the disputes as to science contradicting scripture, ultimately turn
on the assumption of inspiration (supposing it genuine) being
'super-natural' as to its causation. Once grant that it is 'natural' and
all possible ground of dispute is removed.

I can well understand why infidelity should make the basal assumption in
question, because its whole case must rest thereon. But surely it is
time for theists to abandon this assumption.

The assumed distinction between causation as natural and super-natural
no doubt began in superstition in prehistoric time, and throughout the
historical period has continued from a vague feeling that the action of
God must be mysterious, and hence that the province of religion must be
within the super-sensuous. Now, it is true enough that the finite cannot
comprehend the infinite, and hence the feeling in question is logically
sound. But under the influence of this feeling, men have always
committed the fallacy of concluding that if a phenomenon has been
explained in terms of natural causation,