Theism; being the Baird Lecture of 1876 |
THEISM. LECTURE I.
BEING The Baird Lecture for 1876 BY ROBERT FLINT, D.D., LL.D. PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
AUTHOR OF 'THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY
IN EUROPE,' ETC. WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MDCCCLXXVII
PREFATORY NOTE. The Lectures in this volume have been delivered in Glasgow, St Andrews, and Edinburgh, in connection with the Lectureship founded by the late Mr James Baird of Auchmedden and Cambusdoon. They will be followed by a volume on Antitheistic Theories, containing the Baird Lectures for 1877. The author has to thank the Baird Trustees for having twice appointed him Lecturer, and for much indulgence extended to him during his tenure of office. His special thanks are due to James A. Campbell, Esq., LL.D., of Stracathro, for kindly revising the sheets of this volume, and for suggesting many corrections and improvements. Johnstone Lodge, Craigmillar Park,
Edinburgh, 22d August 1877.
CONTENTS. | lect. | | | page | | I. | | ISSUES INVOLVED IN THE QUESTION TO BE DISCUSSED—WHENCE AND HOW WE GET THE IDEA OF GOD, | 1 | | II. | | GENERAL IDEA OF RELIGION—COMPARISON OF POLYTHEISM AND PANTHEISM WITH THEISM—THE THREE GREAT THEISTIC RELIGIONS COMPARED—NO RELIGIOUS PROGRESS BEYOND THEISM, | 30 | | III. | | THE NATURE, CONDITIONS, AND LIMITS OF THEISTIC PROOF, | 59 | | IV. | | NATURE IS BUT THE NAME FOR AN EFFECT WHOSE CAUSE IS GOD | 96 | | V. | | THE ARGUMENT FROM ORDER, | 131 | | VI. | | OBJECTIONS TO THE ARGUMENT FROM ORDER EXAMINED, | 169 | | VII. | | MORAL ARGUMENT—TESTIMONY OF CONSCIENCE AND HISTORY, | 210 | | VIII. | | CONSIDERATION OF OBJECTIONS TO THE DIVINE WISDOM, BENEVOLENCE, AND JUSTICE | 233 | | IX. | | A PRIORI THEISTIC PROOF, | 264 | | X. | | MERE THEISM INSUFFICIENT, | 302 |
APPENDIX. | note | | | page | | I. | | NATURAL AND REVEALED RELIGION, | 323 | | II. | | INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON MORALITY, | 329 | | III. | | ETHICS OF RELIGIOUS INQUIRY, | 335 | | IV. | | TRADITIVE THEORY OF RELIGION, | 338 | | V. | | NORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY, | 340 | | VI. | | DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION BY THE HIGHEST TYPE, | 342 | | VII. | | PSYCHOLOGICAL NATURE OF RELIGION, | 343 | | VIII. | | ARGUMENT E CONSENSU GENTIUM, | 348 | | IX. | | THE THEISTIC EVIDENCE COMPLEX AND COMPREHENSIVE, | 350 | | X. | | INTUITION, FEELING, BELIEF, AND KNOWLEDGE IN RELIGION, | 355 | | XI. | | THE THEOLOGICAL INFERENCE FROM THE THEORY OF ENERGY, | 359 | | XII. | | THE HISTORY OF THE ÆTIOLOGICAL ARGUMENT, | 364 | | XIII. | | MATHEMATICS AND THE DESIGN ARGUMENT, | 367 | | XIV. | | ASTRONOMY AND THE DESIGN ARGUMENT, | 369 | | XV. | | CHEMISTRY AND THE DESIGN ARGUMENT, | 373 | | XVI. | | GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, ETC., AND THE DESIGN ARGUMENT, | 375 | | XVII. | | THE ORGANIC KINGDOM AND DESIGN, | 378 | | XVIII. | | EVIDENCES OF DESIGN IN ORGANISMS, | 380 | | XIX. | | PSYCHOLOGY AND DESIGN, | 383 | | XX. | | HISTORY AND DESIGN, | 386 | | XXI. | | HISTORY OF THE TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT, | 387 | | XXII. | | CREATION AND EVOLUTION, | 390 | | XXIII. | | THEOLOGICAL INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE OF SPONTANEOUS GENERATION, | 394 | | XXIV. | | DARWIN AND PALEY, | 396 | | XXV. | | KANT'S MORAL ARGUMENT, | 397 | | XXVI. | | DR SCHENKEL'S VIEW OF CONSCIENCE AS THE ORGAN OF RELIGION | 400 | | XXVII. | | CHALMERS AND ERSKINE ON THE ARGUMENT FROM CONSCIENCE, | 401 | | XXVIII. | | ASSOCIATIONIST THEORY OF THE ORIGIN OF CONSCIENCE, | 403 | | XXIX. | | CHALMERS AND BAIN ON THE PLEASURE OF MALEVOLENCE, | 403 | | XXX. | | HISTORY OF THE MORAL PROOF, | 406 | | XXXI. | | DEFECTS IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD, | 413 | | XXXII. | | NO BEST POSSIBLE CREATED SYSTEM, | 417 | | XXXIII. | | DEFECTS IN THE ORGANIC WORLD, | 418 | | XXXIV. | | EPICUREAN DILEMMA, | 420 | | XXXV. | | GOD AND DUTY, | 422 | | XXXVI. | | HISTORIES OF THE THEISTIC PROOFS, | 423 | | XXXVII. | | A PRIORI PROOF NOT PROOF FROM A CAUSE, | 424 | | XXXVIII. | | SOME A PRIORI ARGUMENTS, | 425 |
|
  |
