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 NEW BOOKS. 267 latent sense of the mysterious infinitude of the ever-changing universe," and to contrast the chief modes of philosophy which undertake to rationalise this awakened sense of mystery. Monism, in its three modes, materialistic, panegoistic, and pantheistic, was examined and found to involve universal nescience, and was abandoned in favour of a conception of the universe of things and persons worked out on a homo mensura principle and method, and in favour consequently of certain postulates suited to man's place intellectually intermediate between omniscience and mere sense. In the present series of lectures, this method is pursued into its theistic achievements. Half the new volume is devoted to a positive justification of theistic postulates, on the ground of man's intellectual and moral nature and limitations, and half to the removal of the contradictions which experience seems to offer to such postulates by the presentation of evil along with good in the course both of natural events and of human volitions. Prof. Fraser recognises the just criticism made on ordinary psychological epistemology, that we are there assuming we know something in order to prove that we do know something, or do not know anything, as the case may be, but he contends that it is a different thing to assume that something is knowable by man before we proceed to show that not everything is knowable, that omnisci- ence is beyond human reach. The arrest of the understanding before the infinities is the opportunity for the play of our moral nature, which now by an activity which may be distinguished as Faith brings us into rela- tion both with cosmic order and with final goodness. The via media between the impotence of mere empiricism represented by Hume, and the over-confidence of rationalism represented by Spinoza, is a Philosophy of Faith. Prof. Fraser's references to theistic literature are comparatively few, the circumstances of his lectureship having led him to attempt an exposition of his own philosophical views on Theism, rather than a critical discussion of current Theistic literature such as is attempted by Mr. Lindsay in the book noticed below. His book is on this account most valuable as an introduction to be used by all students of Theism, and is of special interest to students of philosophy. Its usefulness is increased by a good marginal analysis, by recapitulations judiciously introduced into the text, and above all by the uniform use of clear and restrained language. Recent Advances in Theistic Philosophy of Religion. By JAMES LINDSAY. Edinburgh and London : Blackwood & Sons, 1897. Pp. Ivi., 547. This book takes a wider sweep than Prof. Fraser's. It includes, besides a survey of the Philosophy of Theism in its stricter meaning, a shorter estimate of what the author calls Philosophy of Natural Theology, really the comparative psychology of Keligion ; and in his survey of what he calls Theistic Philosophy of Eeligion (Man) occur several further topics of Psychology, Functions of Reason, Personality, Freedom, Immortality, etc., which have become associated with Theistic Philosophy proper. But the distinctive claim of the book is its comprehensive references to authorities. The author mentions, with a touch of con- tempt, that " belated treatment of Theism which only loves to dilate on the oft-criticised positions of Descartes, Hume, and Kant ". He proposes rather to " view the new vast increase of knowledge with its wealth of scientific result for theistic thought ". He quotes a great number of recent authors, and criticises them by appeal to an assumed standard of opinion vaguely designated as " recent Theism ". The quotations are