The Future Life & Modern Difficulties

The second part is mainly occupied with the moral revolt against the doctrine of eternal punishment, especially as presented in Dean Farrar's "Eternal Hope." The justice of his revolt is admitted, but it is maintained that that against which he revolted was only a crude caricature of the true doctrine. The importance of the doctrine of Purgatory to a sane scheme of Eschatology as admitted by Dean Farrar is urged, and his reluctance to accept it is maintained to have been unnecessary.

As it is maintained that positive knowledge of the invisible world in which the future life will have its place must rest on testimony, and as our witness is Our Lord Jesus Christ, a digression which forms the second chapter of the second part has seemed necessary on the defence of the Gospels as documents preserving a record of what He actually said.

It has been suggested to me that parts of Chapter VI are irrelevant and draw needless attention to the divisions of Christendom. To this I answer that these divisions are a fact and must be faced and if anything said in this book incidentally leads any reader to realize the evil of these divisions, and to do anything short of the sacrifice of truth towards healing them, I shall not be sorry. And I would add this. The Nineteenth Century has been an age of Biblical criticism, and whatever else may or may not come out of that criticism, it is now seen that the Bible cannot stand alone as a self authenticated authority, that is, apart from the continuous social tradition of a living Christian organization. This work is no place for discussing the rights of Episcopacy or the Primacy of a particular Bishop. I merely take the fact that the continuous organization has so far happened to have been episcopal as I find it. The Biblical testimony to the future life cannot stand apart from the Church's testimony to the Bible, be the constitution of the Church what it may.

A special word to readers who are of the Roman Communion, as to points on which we agree, and points upon which we must agree to differ. We agree that the Catholic Church is a visible organization, and that allegiance to Christ and His scheme of salvation require us to submit ourselves to the Apostolic Authority: this is a question of principle. On the question through which of the two rival Hierarchies which unhappily coexist in this island our allegiance is to be given, which is a question of fact, we differ. But this is a difference which has nothing to do with the line of argument

of this book. As to this irrelevant question of fact, let each of us, therefore, for the nonce, be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Another friend has questioned the necessity of some of the detailed description of the animal cell in Chapter IX. It has no bearing on the subject. I agree! My principal object in giving an outline of scientific doctrine has been to exhibit its irrelevancy. Also Apologetics bring under discussion much heterogeneous matter, and it seems to me that controversial work often fails by assuming complete information on the reader's part of all the departments of knowledge which come under discussion.

In controversial work one has to discuss various opinions, and when one disagrees with them one has to say so, and one ought to be able to say so plainly without lack of charity. Is it necessary for me to say that where I have done so I have done so without animus, and without intending any disrespect to those from whose opinions I dissent? It is, I believe, a tradition of the House of Commons for members not merely to disagree but to hold each others' opinions up to ridicule without personal animus; in private they may even be close friends. I ask my readers to receive anything with which they disagree, and they are sure to disagree with something, in the same admirable spirit.

In the matter of acknowledgments. Most of one's knowledge and of one's habits and methods of thought is derived either from books or lectures, and it is impossible to trace or to acknowledge the great part of one's indebtedness to others, although to them is due almost the whole of one's mental outfit, but I wish specially to acknowledge my indebtedness to the following :

For the principle of "pure agnosticism," which I maintain to be the essential and permanent basis of all relationship between Science and Religion, one moreover which avoids the necessity of either party having to ask or offer " concessions," I am in the main indebted to the late Mr. G. J. Romanes' "Thoughts on Religion" but also to the late Mr. Charles Darwin, whose letter to Mr. Romanes, which is given in the text of this book, takes up the same position and is of the greatest importance: and also to an American Roman Catholic Apologist, of whose book I can remember neither the name nor the title.

For the arrangement of my synopsis of the contemporary teachings of Science, and the selection of matter contained in it, I have been guided by Professor Ray Lankester's Presidential Address to the British Association delivered at York in 1906 and published in his volume " The Kingdom of Man," and also to Mr. R. H. Locke's "Recent Progress in the Study of Variation, Heredity and Evolution."

I have to thank Mrs. Romanes for permission to use Mr. Charles Darwin's letter which appears in "The Life and Letters of George John Romanes; Professor Ray Lankester for leave to make two quotations from "The Kingdom of Man"; the Rev. F. J. Foakes Jackson, for permission to make a quotation of some length from his "Biblical History of the Hebrews;" Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton for a short quotation from "Peter Pan." in any case I have in my quotations inadvertently gone beyond what is customary, and I may add necessary, in a controversial work, I crave indulgence.

As regards "apparatus," a Synopsis giving in brief outline the line of argument is placed at the head of each chapter, and also in the Table of Contents, with page references. There are also a bibliography, with a short description of books recommended; a few simple diagrams; and an Index. Finally, whatever I have said is said in submission to all that is formally declared and taught as de fide by the living keeper of Christ's testimony, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

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