GEORGE MANWARING,

8, KING WILLIAM STREET, STRAND.

MDCCCLX.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

Encouragement to speculative research afforded by the prevent-

ible nature of that which is the chiefly-prevailing, namely, the moral

cause of failure in it.

pp. 1-8

CHAPTER I.

THOUGHTS RELATING TO THE HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY.

Investigation into the constitution of our belief requiring to be

directed to the facts nearest to us in order-the existing state of

authoritativeness in the Christian religion demanding inquiry in the

first instance into the facts of History relating to it - the existing state

of religious feeling requiring that the search be bent towards facts

implicitly — preliminary difficulties needing to be removed by Criticism

-Strauss's "Life of Jesus;" exposition of the mythicizing tendency

of the early uncultured mind Hennell's " Inquiry concerning the

Origin of Christianity” — advantage in its freedom from prepossession

regarding forms of philosophy or of religious dogma-mode of its

research leading historical results — distinctness of meaning given

to the career of Jesus by regarding it with entire naturalness, as an

homogeneous portion of the life of his nation-difficulty liable to

be felt in accepting this view, on account of the dogmatical accepta-

tion of the moral perfection of the character of Jesus- this

doctrine a transitionary stage of supernaturalism, inimical alike to

historic truth and to moral perception the purely natural view

the one that finds its harmony with the whole course of Jewish

history.

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pp. 11-54

CHAPTER II.

THOUGHTS RELATING TO THE PSYCHICAL ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY.

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Recurrence to subjective facts-unsatisfactoriness of the interme-

diate stage of Theism - accounted for in Feuerbach's "Essence of

Christianity"— analysis of the natural history of religion contained in

that work-positiveness of its results, notwithstanding its destruction of

Theology — adaptability of the scheme to historical facts modification

or addition needed with regard to the gradualness of the development

of religious conception - the progress of the idea of Vicarious Atone-

ment, or the moral substance of Christianity, traced in harmony with this

combined principle-comparison of the view thus gained with that

which forms the basis of the "Analogy" — the natural ground of Feuer-

bach distinguished from the factitious surface of Christian doctrine ----

outer forms in general unsatisfactory as being the yet incomplete

representation of feeling the thorough reversal of the aspect of reli-

gion thus reached, demanding a re-examination of the support that is

adduced in favour of existing belief.

pp. 55-91

CHAPTER III.

THOUGHTS DERIVED FROM A GENERAL

REVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN

SYSTEM, TOGETHER WITH ITS EVIDENCE; AND FROM THE PROGRESSIVE

TREATMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS.

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Reconsideration of the ground of Christian controversy under com-
parison with present position - impression of contraction in theological
writings an evidence of our own growth the theological resistance to
intellectual growth the subject-matter of religious conflict-the moral
dilemma illustrated in Butler's "Analogy" - degenerate tone resulting
from the decision there made deficiency on the Christian side in
respect to criticism and morality-value of its religious spirit-
general result of examination a conviction that Atheism, in the Chris-
tian sense, is the consequence of unbelief in Divine Revelation - this
result however quite different from abandoning the essential part of
Christianity general purport of Christianity as it now appears.
view of the mode in which the apprehension of it has changed
in proportion to advancing general science, since the principle of

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analogy was established — Unitarianism — general inquisition into the

doctrine of Inspiration - conflict now existing with natural science

Baden Powell - Martineau -- F. W. Newman- tendency to union

with the scientific view of religion as a natural growth of the human

mind.
pp. 92-137

CHAPTER IV.

THOUGHTS RELATING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY.

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Spencer's "Principles of Psychology" - analysis of the scheme -
its definite working out of the idea of Unity of Composition — applica-
tion of it to religion — peculiar harmony with the system of Feuerbach
- theology the pattern work of human creative art the impressing of
self upon the divine image analogous to the mode of all creation, phy-
sical and psychical — two-fold nature of creation, external and internal
- feeling, the produciug principle, or art; intelligence, the abstracting

principle, or science birth, death, re-production in the world of

thought uniform course of psychical genealogy-reason, only de-

veloped imagination; hypothesis, of common nature with all art--

metaphysical imagery — exaggeration proper to invention: the inflation

of joy, controlled by wisdom-man's art, reduced to perfection, falls

into the work of nature-realization of religious principle constituting

"religious intuitions" - Wordsworth; overpowering sense of nature

nature of faith, and of scepticism -new aspect of religion, and changed

meaning of supernaturalism - notions of design and predestination

anthropomorphism permanently necessary to man, and leading to an-

thropology-materialism the required filling-up of metaphysical thought

which restores the interrupted sense of Deity.

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pp. 138--216

CHAPTER V.

THOUGHTS RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY.

Application of the principle derived from the examination of Theo-
logy to the subject-matter of Philosophy — confirmation as to the true
precedence to be observed in facts external over facts subjective-the