,,the ,,limits ,,of ,,atheism  ,or1 ,why
 should ,sceptics be ,outlaws8  ,,by ,g4
 ,j4 ,,holyoake4       ,it is           
historically true that a large          
proportion of ,infidels      in all ages
 have been persons of distinguished     
integrity and      honour4--,john       
,stuart ,mill ',on ,liberty1' p4 #hj4   
,,london3 ,j4 ,a4 ,,brook  ,,co41 #bhb1 
,,strand1 ,w4,c  #ahgd4  ,,price        
,,twopence4    ,,reverend ,,richard     
,,william ,,jelf1 ,d4,d41  ,,principal  
,,of ,,king',s ,,college1 ,,london1     
,,who ,,has ,,lately ,,alarmed          
,,convocation  ,,by ,,connecting  ,,the 
',,essays ,,and ,,reviews' ,,with       
,,atheism  ,,these ,,pages1  ,,written  
,,in ,,arrest ,,of ,,the ,,parliamentary
 ,,judgment ,,which ,,places ,,the      
,,word ,,of ,,the ,,atheist ,,below     
,,that ,,of ,,the ,,felon1  ,are        
,respectfully ,inscribed1  ,,by         
,,george ,,jacob ,,holyoake4            
,,preface4  ,the object of these pages99
 is not to defend the intellectual      

accuracy of ,atheism 7which could not be
 attempted in this brief space71 the    
object is to explain its case1 to       
vindicate its moral rectitude1 and the  
right of those who hold these views1 to 
legal equality4 ,there are two ,atheisms
 in literature--the ancient one of mere 
negation2 and the affirmative form1     
whose relevant name is ,cosmism1 and of 
which ,humboldt1 in his ',cosmos1' is a 
great illustrator1 and ,comte1 in his   
',positive ,philosophy1' an expounder4  
,the term ,cosmism ought to supersede   
the misleading term ,atheism2 just as   
,secularism has superseded the libellous
 term ,infidelity4 ,cosmism1 as well as 
,secularism1 expresses a new form of    
,freethought1 and ,i use the term       
,atheism1 as the subject of a ,lecture1 
for the first time here4 ,it is a       
worn-out word1 used by ,theists in      
hateful senses4 ,i employ it1 as a      
title1 to-day for political reasons1 in 
order to show those who make it a ground
 of civil exclusion1 that it is a thing 

of law and limits3 that the reputed     
,atheism of ,english working men1 so far
 as it prevails1 is no longer the old   
,atheism of mere negation1 but the      
,cosmism of modern science2 neither     
dissolute1 anarchical1 nor              
impious--recognises that the universe   
is1 without theorising why it is4       
,negative ,atheism says there is nothing
 beyond the universe4 ,cosmism says it  
cannot explain anything beyond1 and     
pauses where its knowledge ends4        
99,a report of a ,lecture delivered in  
,bendall's ,assembly      ,rooms1 ,city 
,road1 ,london1 ,march #hrd1 #ahfa4     
,atheism questions--,cosmism affirms4   
,the language of ,cosmism is that of the
 poet in the ',purgatory of             
,suicides'3--       ',i do not          
say--there is no ,god1      ,but this ,i
 say--,i know not4'  ,i prefer          
,secularism1 which concerns itself with 
the moral life of man1 and maintains a  
well-advised neutrality upon these      
speculative questions4 ,my sympathies   

are with ',adam ,bede1' that striking   
and greatest creation of modern genius1 
in which the ,national ,review          
recognised ',the strong-headed1 manly1  
sharp-tempered1 secular carpenter1 with 
his energetic satisfaction in his work1 
and impatience of dreamers4' ,but as ,i 
stated in the ,york ,debate1 in #aheh1  
at which the ,reverend ,canons ,hey and 
,robinson presided1 it is an act of     
self-defence in ,england to question the
 assumed infallibility of ,theism--to   
prove that ,atheists are entitled to    
civil recognition1 as persons having    
legitimate1 actual1 and conscientious   
views1 and who1 therefore1 ought not to 
be outlawed as they are now4 ,so long as
 sceptics of ,theism are refused the    
right of affirmation in courts of law1  
and their lives and property            
consequently placed at the mercy of     
every ruffian and knave1 so long will a 
,sceptical propaganda be a parliamentary
 necessity1 to justify these opinions1  
and to spread them1 that those who hold 

them may1 like the ,quakers1 win by     
pertinacity what is denied to reason4   
,and while this state of things lasts1  
,i confess that ,i listen to arguments  
of opponents with distrust1 for ,i see  
in them1 not so much the confutation of 
my opinions1 as the limitation of my    
freedom1 and the justification of my    
political exclusion4 ,in the present    
state of theological liberty in         
,england1 for the alleged ,atheist to be
 silent1 is to be a slave consenting to 
his own degradation4  ,g4 ,j4 ,h4  #adg1
 ,fleet ,street1 ,london1 ,e4,c41 ,april
 #acth1 #ahfa4     ,,the ,,limits ,,of  
,,atheism  ,twenty years ago ,i stepped 
forward to defend the right of          
expressing ,atheism on the part of those
 who conscientiously held it4 ,on ,mr4  
,southwell's imprisonment in ,bristol1  
,i took his place as ,editor of the     
,oracle of ,reason1 and shared his fate 
at ,gloucester4 ,under the same         
circumstances ,i would do it again      
to-morrow4 ,in the expression of        

speculative opinions there may be error 
and there may be outrage2 but the error 
is best corrected by discussion1 and the
 outrage by cultivation2 but to prohibit
 the free publication of opinion is to  
strike at the root of all intrepidity of
 thought and individuality of character2
 and against a uniformity of profession1
 whether brought about by the tyranny of
 the majority1 by the policeman1 or by  
the magistrate1 ,i ever have1 and ever  
will1 protest as unwise1 dishonest1 and 
degrading4  ,because ,atheistical       
opinions were attacked by the law ,i    
defended them3 ,i defended the right to 
hold them without sharing them4 ,and in 
all the publications ,i have edited1 ,i 
have accepted the responsibility of the 
views of coadjutors and correspondents  
without conditions1 and my name is      
associated in consequence much more with
 other persons' opinions than with my   
own4 ,when the rights of conscience in  
,free-thought are attacked1 to          
discriminate is to condemn2 and while   

persecution is attempted1 ,i make it a  
point of honour never to pass in        
appearance on to the side of the        
persecutors4 ,as soon as legal          
opposition to the publication of        
heretical opinion ceased1 ,i was the    
first to insist that the day of good    
taste must commence4 ,the moment fair   
play is permitted1 all excuse for       
invective or outrage ends4 ,violence1   
exaggeration1 denunciation1 are crimes  
against ,freethought the moment         
,freethought is permitted4 ,now that    
,sir ,george ,cornewall ,lewis1 on the  
part of the ,government1 has refused    
,sir ,john ,trelawny's request to alter 
the law which treats an ,atheist as an  
outlaw1 which denies him the common     
right of legal protection1 which exposes
 him to plunder or assault without      
redress1 which cedes to the ,theist a   
monopoly of veracity in courts of law1  
and places the word of every man and    
woman1 however honest1 cultivated1 and  
reputable1 unable to make a ,profession 

of ,faith1 as below that of a convicted 
felon1 ,i am most reluctant to enter    
upon any explanation of my own views on 
the great speculative propositions of   
theology1 lest it should appear to      
others as timidity1 retreat1 or         
disposition to compromise44 ,if a man   
had 7which ,i have not7 a change of     
opinion to own1 this is not the hour to 
make it4 ,but with respect to           
,affirmative ,atheism1 the necessity for
 newness of view is chiefly felt by     
those who do not understand it4 ,it is  
refused civil recognition because it is 
conceived to be some lawless thing4 ,the
 consternation excited just now by the  
',essays and ,reviews' is owing to an   
apprehension that public opinion is     
tending to the negation of theology1 and
 that is concluded to be a state of     
intellectual lawlessness4 ,to trace any 
outline of the ,limits of ,atheism1 may 
serve to give more intelligent          
definiteness to the misgivings          
entertained concerning it1 and lead     

earlier to its legal recognition2 and   
therefore alone ,i attempt it4  ,let us 
avoid verbiage if we can4 ,too many     
words are the locusts of the mind1 which
 darken the air of the understanding and
 eat up our meaning4 ,i believe that    
language is given us not to be          
used--except upon clear compulsion4     
,there are two terms which especially   
excite religious reprobation1 and one of
 them excites mine4 ,i refer to         
,infidelity and ,atheism4  ,infidelity  
is a term ,i detest4 ,it implies that   
you believe enough to subject you to    
reproach1 and disbelieve enough to      
entitle you to be damned4 ,it signifies 
disbelief too inveterate to allow you to
 go back to superstition1 and too much  
timidity to carry your doubt to a       
definite or legitimate result4 ,i am for
 thoroughness and decision4 ,if it be   
criminality to disbelieve1 ,i will put  
scepticism far from me4 ,i will not even
 tamper with doubt4 ,but if it be lawful
 to reject from the understanding       

whatever seems false1 then ,i will      
disbelieve error as a duty1 and         
unhesitatingly doubt whatever is        
doubtful4  ,atheism--objectionable as it
 is from wanton negative                
associations--is a far more wholesome   
term4 ,it is a defiant1 militant word4  
,there is a ring of decision about it4  
,there is no cringing in it4 ,it keeps  
no terms with superstition4 ,it makes   
war1 and means it4 ,it carries you away 
from the noisome word-jugglery of the   
conventional pulpits1 and brings you    
face to face with nature4 ,it is a      
relief to get out of the crowd who      
believe because their neighbours do1 who
 pray by rote1 and worship through fear2
 and win your liberty to wander in the  
refreshing solitude where the heart may 
be honest1 and the intellect free4      
,affirmative ,atheism of the intellect  
is a proud1 honest1 intrepid1           
self-respecting attitude of the mind4   
,the ,negative ,atheism of mere         
ignorance1 of insensibility1 of lust1   

and gluttony1 and drunkenness1 of       
egotism or vanity1 whose talk is        
outrage1 and whose spirit is blasphemy2 
this is the gross negation of ,god1     
which superstition begets in its        
slavery1 and nurtures by its terrors4   
,these species of ,atheism ,i recognise 
only to disown and denounce them4 ,of   
these the priest is the author who      
preaches the natural corruption of the  
human heart1 who inculcates the guilt of
 ,freethought1 the distrust of reason1  
and despair of self-reliant progress4   
,utterly different from this is the     
,atheism of reflection1 which seeks for 
conclusive evidence1 which listens      
reverentially for the voice of ,god1    
which weighs carefully the teachings of 
a thoughtful ,theism2 but refuses to    
recognise the officious1 incoherent     
babblement of intolerant or presumptuous
 men4 ,reflective ,atheism is simply a  
reluctant uncertainty as to the         
consciousness of ,nature1 or as to the  
existence of a ,power over ,nature4 ,as 

one who will allow me the pleasure of   
calling him my friend1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,h4     
,lewes1 said1 all reflective ,atheism is
 suspensive4  ,he invented the phrase   
,suspensive ,atheism to describe the    
only form of opinion which he knew ,i   
maintained4 ,the thoughtful ,atheist    
wishes to perceive the whole truth of   
,nature1 he hesitates unwillingly1 and  
waits longingly for more light4  ,let us
 dismiss at once that crude and evasive 
state which affects ,atheism1 and1 at   
the same time1 denies it2 which says no 
,theist has defined ,deity1 and         
therefore the disbelief in it is an     
impossibility4  ,affirmative ,atheism   
may be wrong1 but it is at least        
intelligible4 ,it has a definite        
foundation1 or it could claim no        
position1 and would deserve none4 ,it   
must go upon facts if it would maintain 
a place in the kingdom of thought1 and  
it finds these facts in ,positivism4    
,the mind that has wandered in the      
torrid zones of error1 thirsts ardently 

for the cooling draughts of positive    
truth4 ,it is this sentiment which      
causes ,freethought to take the form of 
,secularism1 and exchanges the verbal   
distractions of conflicting creeds for  
the clear criterions of moral truth4 ,it
 is the same wise impatience of         
metaphysical unrealities which leads to 
,affirmative ,atheism1 and explains it4 
,a series of material and mental facts  
arrest the attention of one taking an   
unbiased and independent view of the    
universe1 of time1 and space1 and       
matter4  ,there are two classes of      
thinkers--one who commence with ignoring
 ,nature1 seeking in something outside  
it for the origin of it1 and who look   
upon the infinite processes of the      
worlds which people space1 with the dull
 astonishment accorded to mere agencies1
 rather than with the native wonder and 
awe which the consciousness of original 
powers awakens--these are ,theists4     
,the other class are those who regard   
matter as the very garment of the       

unknown ,god1 to whom every spray1 and  
pebble1 and flower1 and star is a       
marvel1 a glory1 and an inspiration2    
who1 comprehending not an external cause
 of nature1 recognise its existence1 its
 surpassing affluence1 its multitudinous
 marvels1 and give them the first place 
in their wonder1 study1 reverence1 and  
love--these are ,affirmative ,atheists4 
,to believe in ,nature1 in its          
self-existence1 its self-subsistence1   
its self-action1 its eternity1 infinity1
 and materiality1 and in that only1 is  
,affirmative ,atheism499 ,reflective    
,atheism is pure inability to1 realise  
the fact of the consciousness of the    
universe1 or to conceive the existence  
of a ,being over it4  ,to believe in    
something besides nature--is ,theism4   
,to believe in the consciousness of     
nature--is ,pantheism4  ,the explanation
 of ,affirmative ,atheism99 here given1 
involves many considerations which ,i am
 not going to discuss4 ,it is not my    
province here to defend1 but to state   

the case4 ,a definition is a map1 but it
 is not the journey4 ,a definition is a 
high road through a subject1 and a high 
road should be a straight road3 it may  
run out of the way of some populous     
towns and beautiful scenes1 but it gives
 the means of quickest transit through a
 territory1 from which the country can  
be viewed1 and the traveller determine  
its general features4       99 ,this    
might stand for a definition of         
,cosmism1 which term ,i      employ at  
substantially reciprocal with           
,affirmative ,atheism1      and as its  
substitute1 if ,i may employ it in its  
modern and      wider sense than defined
 by ,pythagoras4  ,if we have said      
enough for this purpose1 we may attempt 
to trace the limits of our subject4 ,the
 road through every high question lies  
over precipices4 ,every great question  
has its ,mont ,blancs4 ,the higher you  
climb the deeper the chasms on the right
 hand and on the left4 ,the ,roman      
,catholic makes worship an art1 and     

abject submission a duty4 ,to relieve   
you of anxiety he deprives the mind of  
initiation and freedom4 ,the ,protestant
 concedes you private judgment1 and     
surrounds you by a social despotism lest
 you should use it4 ,he substitutes a   
creed for the ,church4 ,the ,church is a
 cell1 and the creed is a cage4 ,the    
cage is lighter1 more airy1 and less    
repulsive than the cell1 but the        
imprisonment is complete in both4  ,mere
 ,atheism inculcates freedom and        
intrepidity of the understanding1 but   
may land you in negation1 in dogmatism1 
in denunciation1 in irreverence4 ,these 
are the chasms that lie in the path of  
mere ,atheism4 ,the traveller who passes
 into these is lost4 ,to avoid this     
danger we must keep within the limits   
naturally prescribed to ,affirmative    
,atheism1 which are3--  #a4 ,positivism 
in ,principle4  #b4 ,exactness in       
,profession of ,opinion4  #c4           
,dispassionateness in ,judgment4  #d4   
,humanism in ,conception4    #a4 ,the   

,positivist conception of ,atheism      
exhibits the limits which modern thought
 has impressed upon it4 ,affirmative    
,atheism asserts the realism of ,nature2
 ,theism denies it4 ,theism refuses to  
recognise the self-existence1 the       
self-action1 the self-subsistence1      
eternity1 and infinity of the universe4 
,theism is the negation of ,nature4 ,it 
is a species of impiety towards nature1 
and supplants1 by an artificial         
superstition1 the instinctive reverence 
of the human heart4  ,modern ,atheism is
 falsely regarded as a mere negation1 as
 a species of criminal vacuity of the   
understanding4 ,to correct this idea is 
to win for these opinions attention if  
not assent4 ,the negation of any error  
is useful1 but it should be followed by 
its complement of positive truth4 ,all  
mere negative subjects are like the lime
 and pebbles swallowed by farm fowl to  
assist digestion1 but it fares ill with 
the fowl if they get nothing but stones 
to digest2 if no corn or barley follows 

to be operated upon4 ,now1 questions of 
,atheism and ,scepticism are the        
digestive stimuli of the mind2 positive 
principles supply the corn and barley   
which sustain the mental system and     
preserve its life4 ,if we give ourselves
 up to negative subjects merely1 we come
 to resemble the theologians who1 as    
,talleyrand said1 'pick a great many    
bones for very little meat4'  ,old      
,atheism shows that the alleged proofs  
of the existence of a ,deity are        
inconclusive1 untenable1 or             
self-refutatory4 ,as a discipline of the
 intellect1 as a questioning of that    
theistical speculation which has always 
been arrogant and tyrannical towards    
dissentients1 there is good in negative 
,atheism4 ,but it is more important if  
made to subserve practical objects4     
,mere negative ,atheism has no ulterior 
objects it untenants the mind1 and this 
may not be in all things beneficial4    
,the slave may be more healthy who is   
forced to take exercise1 and he may have

 more physical enjoyment of life than   
the indolent freeman1 who is sedentary  
by choice1 and diseased through         
inactivity and overfeeding4  ,you may   
pluck up weeds1 and the rank herbage be 
more fruitful of miasma than the weeds2 
or if the plucked up weeds produce no   
harm1 the ground may be left useless    
until crops are made to grow upon it4   
,so of the weeds of worship which spring
 up in the priest-ridden mind4          
,reverence may be cultivated by         
superstition1 good conduct maybe        
enforced by terror2 if superstition and 
terror be exploded1 the reverence and   
good conduct must be cared for and be   
better directed4 ,freethought is no half
 work1 it has much to do4  ,it is       
delusive to pull down the altar of      
superstition and not erect an altar of  
science in its place4 ,to pack up the   
household gods of superstition and leave
 the fireside bare1 will hardly do44    
,affirmative ,atheism must teach that   
nature is the ,bible of truth1 work is  

worship1 that duty is dignity1 and the  
unselfish service of others consolation4
  ,there is nothing wholly bad4         
,superstition has in it some elements of
 good4 ,i no more believe in perfect    
error than in perfect truth4 ,error1    
like truth1 is hardly ever found pure2  
error is mixed with good1 and truth     
alloyed by evil4 ,the mind must have    
something to feed upon1 and if it cannot
 have truth1 it will have superstition2 
and though superstition1 like some diet1
 is very hard of digestion1 and very    
innutritious1 it is better to feed upon 
that than die4 ,true1 it keeps the mind 
thin1 but it keeps it alive1 and it is  
better to be a skeleton than a corpse4  
,now it is true that some intellects1   
like some animals1 eat by instinct the  
right kind of food1 but being healthy   
are not fastidious1 and if you give them
 bad food they don't object to it and   
don't care for it4 ,if they take it1    
their digestion is so good that it does 
not hurt them4 ,but there are other     

people who pine for the knowledge of    
nature1 and cannot subsist unless a     
large proportion of their mental aliment
 consists of definite principle4 ,when  
these are not supplied by religious     
teachers1 and ,christianity by any      
intolerance prevents it being supplied  
by others1 such natures expire in an    
intellectual sense1 and ,christianity   
ought to be regarded as guilty of wilful
 murder4 ,and in the case of ,atheism1  
those persons who are accustomed to take
 superstition1 and are deprived of that1
 and no attempt is made to supply its   
place by more wholesome sustenance1 are 
no doubt injured4 ,negative ,atheism    
guilty of this neglect may be said to be
 guilty of manslaughter1 and it would be
 murder were the neglect accompanied1 as
 in the case of ,theism1 by intolerance4
 ,beware of reckless iconoclasticism4   
,mere negations give all advantage to   
superstition2 error seems wisdom and    
wealth when truth is silent4   #b4 ,the 
logic of ,affirmative ,atheism begins in

 self-confession4 ,not to see anything  
where there is nothing to be seen is the
 sign of the true faculty2 and not to   
say that you do see when you do not is  
the first sign of veracity of intellect4
  ,man is forgiven who believes more    
than his neighbours1 but he is never    
forgiven if he believes less4 ,if he    
believes more than his neighbours1 there
 is the presumption that he may have    
made some discovery which may become    
profitable one day to join in4 ,it may  
be that he who believes most1 may merely
 possess a more industrious credulity1  
or possess a greater capacity for hasty 
assumption4 ,but this is seldom probed4 
,he who believes less may have abandoned
 some important item of justifiable     
belief4 ,but when he who believes less  
than the multitude1 confesses to the    
fact in the face of public disapproval1 
the probability is that he has inquired 
into1 and sifted evidence which others  
have taken for granted1 and discovered  
some error which they have accepted4    

,his greater accuracy of mind and       
exactness of speech are an offence1     
because a reproach to the careless or   
unscrupulous intellects of those who    
conduct life on secondhand opinions4    
,yet austerity of intellect and         
austerity of speech is as wholesome in  
character1 as austerity of morals4 ,i   
hope1 says ,mr4 ,grote1 in his great    
history of ,greece1 in a memorable      
passage that ought not to die out of    
recollection1 ',i hope1 when ,i come to 
the lives of ,socrates and ,plato1 to   
illustrate one of the most valuable of  
their principles1 that conscious and    
confessed ignorance is a better state of
 mind than the fancy without the reality
 of knowledge4' ,and in a passage which 
,i cannot now recall1 ,lord ,brougham   
has said that 'a mind uninformed is     
better than a mind misinformed4' ,in a  
state of ignorance we do nothing1 in a  
state of error we do wrong4 ,the popular
 condemnation of the ,atheist--which we 
have lately heard as ignorantly echoed  

in the ,house of ,commons as in some    
,conventicles--is not always uttered1   
because the ,atheist does not know more 
than others1 for none know anything     
certain concerning the existence of     
,god199 but because the ,atheist does   
not profess more4       99 ,in his      
remarkable work entitled ',first        
,principles1' now in      course of     
publication1 ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer has 
shown that      certain terms of        
,cosmism are as incapable of ultimate   
explanation as certain terms of ,theism4
 ,this shows how      unwise is         
dogmatism1 how unjustifiable is         
intolerance1 on      either side4       
,cosmism1 a thoughtful name1 which ought
 to supersede ,atheism in the future1   
neither denies nor affirms the existence
 of ,deity4 ,it waits for explanation   
and proof4 ,it admits there is evidence 
of something1 but what that something   
is1 does not appear4 ,there is evidence 
of more than we know1 but what that is  
we do not know1 and it is dishonesty to 

use a term respecting it1 which pretends
 that we do know4 ,why should it not be 
honourable to observe a scientific      
reservation in the exposition of        
opinion8 ,in science it is a sign of    
cultivation to understate a case and    
keep within the limits of fact and      
proof4 ,the reservation of ,cosmism1    
which so many regard as an offence1     
arises from a love of exact truth1 from 
an endeavour to attain to it in         
expression1 and from an honourable      
unwillingness to employ words which do  
not represent to him who uses them1     
definite ideas4  ,if we say ,god is     
,light1 ,love1 ,truth1 ,power1          
,goodness1 ,law1 ,principle1 we confound
 attributes with existence4 ,if we say  
,god is a ,spirit1 ,god is space1 we    
merely fill the imagination1 not satisfy
 the understanding3 it is feeding the   
thoughts with air1 and leaving the      
intellect hungry4 ,a ,trinitarian ,deity
 is one of the scholastic perplexities  
of the intellect4 ,the first rule of    

arithmetic is against it4 ,if it means  
three ,gods in one1 it is an enigma4 ,if
 it means three doctrinal aspects of    
,god1 it confuses all simplicity of     
feeling4 ,in the simple1 moral heart of 
man1 ,god is one1 and his name is ,love2
 not a weak1 vapoury sentimentality1 but
 an austere1 healthy love1 whose        
expression is strength1 purity1 truth1  
justice1 service1 and tenderness4 ,but  
this conception of ,deity belongs to the
 empire of the emotions1 it is a matter 
of feeling1 not of proof1 and can       
authorise no intolerance towards others1
 itself existing only by the sufferance 
of the intellect1 which has chastened   
its expression1 and is supreme over it4 
,exactness of phraseology is well       
understood self-defence4 ,well chosen   
terms are the true weapons of opinion4  
,employing an old1 battered1 rheumatic  
and abused term like ,atheism1 is like  
riflemen using the old musket instead of
 the far-reaching and fatal ,minie4     
,cosmism is the new term which conveys  

the new idea of the age1 and explains   
the improvements in thought and spirit1 
which the mere term ,atheism conceals4  
,to suffer an opponent to choose names  
for you is as though a combatant should 
suffer his enemy to supply his arms for 
the conflict4 ,he who consents to be    
called by a hateful name1 can be        
defeated at the pleasure of his         
opponent4 ,his ideas are never          
discussed1 his conscientious spirit is  
never recognised1 he is trampled down by
 a name which libels1 defames1 and      
destroys him4 ,let us banish the        
unqualified term ,atheism from the      
literature of theological controversy4  
#c4 ,dispassionateness is a law of      
,affirmative ,atheism4 ,those who       
commence by believing themselves        
infallible1 and their view of a question
 open to no dispute1 can never see      
reason in1 nor view with patience the   
dissent which others maintain4 ,it is   
the first instinct of the ,cosmist 7to  
use the preferable term7 to keep his    

mind open to reason4 ,the dogmatism     
which insists on its own case1 and shuts
 its eyes and closes its ears to the    
facts and arguments on the side of      
,theism1 is always to be condemned4     
,dogmatism1 the sin of superstition1 is 
excluded from the empire of speculation4
 ,the clergyman will often admit that   
,atheism endeavours to maintain an      
unprejudiced tone of mind4 ,the ,rev4   
,charles ,marriot1 of ,oriel ,college1  
observed to me1 when ,i had the honour  
some years ago to be his guest1 that 'he
 had always more hope of the ,atheist   
than of the ,dissenter1 for the         
,dissenter always moved in a little     
infallibility of his own1 while the     
,atheist was always to be reached by    
reason4' ,mystery will always conquer   
partisans1 and the ,cosmist who         
comprehends this1 will reason with      
superstition1 and never be impatient    
with it4  ,dispassionateness of judgment
 will also lead to dispassionateness of 
speech4 ,opinion in a minority should   

never have recourse to invective4       
,prejudice is inveterate enough without 
being inflamed by denunciation4         
,unpopular and unfriended truth must    
consent to placate opposition by        
respectfulness of tone and fairness of  
speech4 ,it must never compromise       
principle--that is submission1 and gives
 the errorist insolent confidence4 ,it  
must never outrage--that makes the      
errorist indignant1 and deaf to all     
reason4 ,the force of truth lies in     
invincible patience and in invincible   
perseverance of exposition4 ,progressive
 opinion ought ever to be kept on the   
high places of dispassionate advocacy4  
,it is wonderful how truth has been     
perilled by passion4 ,the battle of     
opinion has always been fought on       
impulse1 rather than on calculation of  
forces2 and the small band of the       
combatants for new truths has often been
 trampled down by the multitudinous army
 of error4   #d4 ,conceptions of        
,humanity1 or1 in other words1 ,reliance

 of ,humanity1 is a law and limit of    
,affirmative ,atheism4 ,every man who   
thinks1 must choose one of two things1 a
 standard without the universe1 or a    
standard within4 ,i choose one within1  
,i choose humanity4 ',men1' says ,lord  
,bacon1 speaking of ,atheism1 'who look 
no farther1 become wary of themselves4' 
,let us become wary of ourselves2       
nothing is more wholesome or            
progressive6  ,hardness1 assumption1    
egotism1 insubordination to worth--in   
one word1 irreverence1 ought never to be
 the characteristic of ,cosmism4 ,he who
 vindicates nature and reason1 should   
show that being left to nature1         
philosophy1 reputation1 and the laws1   
there exists self-regulation and        
reliable rationality499 ,cosmism is the 
highest form of self-reliance2 the      
responsibility1 which to others is a    
necessity1 is to him a duty and a pride4
       99 ,as the late ,gen4 ,jacob1 the
 illustrious commander of the           
,scinde ,horse1 testifies4 ',in the     

jangle and desert1 amid a      barbarous
 people on the extreme confines of      
civilisation1'      he applied these    
principles when ,bishops despaired and  
,christianity failed2 and he records    
that ',he was permitted      to witness 
with delight the fact of a whole nation 
being      raised from a state of       
barbarous violence1 misery1             
detestable cruelty1 and horror1 to one  
of peace1 comfort1      racial order1   
and happiness2' that ',he had seen their
      faithful and steady application in
 practice change thousands      of the  
wildest robbers and murderers into      
kindly and      industrious citizens4   
,the wildness1 excesses1 extravagances1 
and incoherences of superstition1 arise 
through men looking without themselves  
into those regions of the unknown where 
men make ,god after their own image1    
where they imagine their facts1 and     
reason upon them without check4 ,how    
impertinent is half our modern worship1 
and how poor the other half6 ,educated  

ministers speak of ,god1 and address to 
him praise they would be ashamed to     
offer to any gentleman4 ,that delicacy  
of reverence1 that reticence of         
laudation1 that avoidance of presumption
 and familiarity1 which the law of      
humanity imposes on all men of religious
 habits in human relations1 has no      
existence in theology1 where it is more 
to be expected and infinitely more      
needful4 ,when ,st4 ,augustine speaks of
 ,god1 there is a magnificent           
thoughtfulness in the terms he employs  
which his ,pagan refinement had taught  
him1 which we seldom find in modern     
saints4 ,how imposingly he exclaims in  
his ,confessions3--  ,what art ,thou    
then1 my ,god8 ,most highest1 most good1
 most potent1 most omnipotent2 most     
merciful1 yet most just2 most hidden1   
yet most present2 most beautiful1 yet   
most strong2 stable1 yet                
incomprehensible2 unchangeable1 yet     
all-changing2 never new1 never old2     
all-renewing1 and bringing age upon the 

proud1 and they know it not2 ever       
working1 ever at rest2 still gathering1 
yet nothing lacking2 supporting1        
filling1 and overspreading2 creating1   
nourishing1 and maturing2 seeking1 yet  
having all things4 ,thou lovest1 without
 passion2 art jealous1 without anxiety2 
repentest1 yet grievest not2 art angry1 
yet serene2 changest ,thy works1 ,thy   
purpose unchanged2 receivest again what 
,thou findest1 yet didst never lose2    
never in need1 yet rejoicing in gains2  
never covetous1 yet exacting usury4     
,thou receivest over and above1 that    
,thou mayest owe2 and who hath aught    
that is not ,thine8 ,thou payest debts1 
owing nothing2 remittest debts1 losing  
nothing4'  ,we forgive the sublime      
contradictions in the stately march of  
this ,pagan praise4 ,augustine was a    
noble old saint1 but he had a ,pagan    
intellect to the end4  ,the ',limits of 
,atheism' which obviously present       
themselves to those who reflect upon    
them1 rescue it from the imputation of  

lawlessness4 ,positivism engrafts upon  
it practical aims4 ,exactness of speech 
necessitates exactness of thought1 and  
dictates modesty of pretension4         
,dispassionateness of judgment checks   
invective1 dogmatism1 prejudice1 or     
unfairness2 and ,reliance upon ,humanity
 tends to self-trust1 self-direction1   
and chastity of worship4 ,why should    
persons who hold the views of           
,affirmative ,atheism under these       
',limits' be treated in the witness-box 
as public liars--men whose reiterated   
profession is--that they 'sum up        
personal duty in ,honour1 which is      
respecting the ,truth2 in ,morality1    
which is acting the ,truth2 and in      
,love1 which is serving the ,truth4'99  
99 ',last ,trial for ,atheism1' p4 #ajj4
  ,plato in his ',laws1' remarks that   
',atheism is a disease of the soul      
before it becomes an error of the       
understanding4' ,this just opinion1 if  
applied to mere sensualists1 who        
disbelieve in ,god because his holiness 

is a restraint upon their infamous      
passions1 has since been applied to the 
pure thinkers like ,spinoza1 to whom it 
is an insult and an outrage4 ,let us see
 how little such a remark is applicable 
to those who thoughtfully pause before  
adopting a creed which1 however dictated
 by a feeling of piety1 is far less     
reverential than thoughtful silence4    
,if we suppose an interposing           
,providence to direct the affairs of    
this world1 what scenes of sorrow must  
meet his eye8 ,condemned to poverty and 
pain1 how many human beings are there   
whose every word is a prayer1 and every 
thought a throb1 and every pulsation a  
pang8 ,is it not far more reverential to
 struggle for the right with what powers
 we have1 and with what ,secular light  
is vouchsafed1 and own ,theism          
inscrutable1 than connect all this      
misery with the name of ,god8 ,the      
theory of a ,god of ,prayer who hears   
and aids1 of a ,providence who orders   
and controls1 all issues to one great   

,will1 and who receives at last the     
sorrow-stricken1 the worn1 struggling   
and weary spirit1 after those conflicts 
which all who think1 and feel1 and      
aspire1 encounter1 are primitive and    
enduring conceptions1 which all         
humanity1 in every age and in every     
slime1 cherishes in its perplexity and  
clings to in its weakness4 ,it is not   
,cosmism which seeks or wishes to       
disprove this theory4 ,alas6 the ,god of
 ,prayer does not exist4 ,i say it not  
in wantonness1 or recklessness1 nor in  
any proud spirit of defiance1 nor in any
 hard spirit of denial1 nor in outrage1 
nor wilful scepticism1 nor simulated    
disbelief4 ,it appears to me an austere 
fact1 which all who observe must see1   
which all who are frank must own4 ,yet  
,i know not that ,i ought to say ',alas 
it is so4' ,why should any man mourn at 
truth8 ,what right have ,i to arraign   
the facts of ,nature4 ,to mourn what    
is--is to condemn what is4 ,sorrow is   
censure when it relates to what is      

possibly the order of ,god4 ,what       
authority have ,i to look on ,nature    
awful in its glories and mysteries1 and 
by the implication included in my grief1
 to judge it and say it is not what it  
should be8 ,my scrutiny ought rather to 
be directed to my weakness4 ,true       
reverence lies rather in accepting      
unmurmuringly the order of things we    
find2 in believing in the completeness  
and self sufficiency of nature and      
humanity1 and that these contain within 
them elements of self-sustainment4 ,our 
duty is to search there for ,truth1 to  
work there patiently for ,progress1 to  
regard the humblest conquest there with 
glad surprise4 ,all virtue is summed up 
in service and endurance4 ,a wise       
humility in expectation is surely the   
first element of reverence4 ,as to the  
,future ,life of man1 the whole question
 lies in a narrow compass4 ,the         
immortality of the soul is one of those 
problems which you approach with        
breathless perplexity4 ,is it possible  

that every human being brought into     
existence1 in the caprices of lust and  
vice1 is a candidate for heaven1 and a  
burden upon the celestial taxes1 and an 
inmate of the great ,poor ,house or     
,reformatory of eternity8 ,is it in the 
power of ignorance1 profligacy1 and     
passion1 to crowd the porticoes of      
,paradise with illicit offspring8 ,can  
it be true that every being born is     
liable to eternal perdition for acts    
done before it had existence--or for    
offences it was predestined to commit1  
or in the course of events may commit8  
,it is better never to be born than to  
incur this frightful risk4 ,is it worth 
while to live at all the prey of these  
awful anxieties1 to sport for a few     
years on the borders of ,hell8 ,who     
would enter the dance of life with the  
devil for a partner8 ,the toad that     
croaks his hideous existence away in the
 marsh2 the very dog whom men caress1   
and kick1 and despise2 the slimy worm   
that crawls the grave yard1 leads a life

 of dignity and undimmed bliss1 compared
 with the dread responsibilities and    
never-ending horrors thus imposed on    
human consciousness4 ,no man will       
persuade me that ,god would bring into  
existence any creature liable to so     
frightful a fate4 ,the belief in        
annihilation is a creed of holiness1 in 
comparison with the creed of the popular
 religion4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the  
future life include no hopeless horror1 
but a state of purification1 of         
restoration1 of atonement1 of           
instruction and progress1 however       
arduous1 protracted1 and slow1 ,i am    
willing to believe in it1 to hope in it1
 and rejoice in it4 ,i ask no golden    
crown--,i covet no angel wings--,i crave
 no presumptuous seat of honour at the  
right hand of ,god4 ,i supplicate for no
 effeminate security--no eternity of    
indolence and singing--,i am prepared   
for toil as well as enjoyment4 ,the     
instinct of adventure is strong within  
me4 ,study and danger are welcome to    

me--even suffering1 if it bring deeper  
knowledge1 purity and improvement4 ,i do
 not wish to be a ',saint made perfect1'
 lingering through an eternity of       
monotony1 in which there is nothing     
further to realise1 but desire rather to
 enter upon the eternal discipline of   
indefinite progress4 ,there never were  
disbelievers in a tolerable immortality4
 ,the question is not--is such a state  
desirable8 but--is it true8 ,the vital  
inquiry is--are we to conduct life on   
the basis of what we hope or what we    
know8 ,he who believes in what he       
wishes1 and is willing to teach as true 
what he desires1 has already passed     
through the gates of superstition4  ,to 
honour the brave1 to reverence the good1
 to give thanks to the martyr1 to be    
re-united to those you have loved and   
lost2 if these be the incidents of      
immortality1 there never was a          
disbeliever in it4 ,the ,cosmist only   
deplores the scantiness of the proof4   
,there is no scepticism here which is   

wilful4 ,every doubt is reluctant1 every
 misgiving is a self-denial4  ,the      
popular theology1 it must be owned1 has 
many repulsive aspects4 ,the vulgarest  
and most illiterate believer is         
encouraged to profess a familiar and    
confident knowledge1 hidden from the    
profoundest philosophers4 ,it is an     
unanswerable position1 that had ,god    
spoken1 the universe would have been    
convinced4 ,had ,deity desired that his 
personal existence should be daily      
recognised and eternally bruited abroad 
among men1 he would have placarded the  
fact on the walls of nature in letters  
of light--so luminous1 that time should 
never pale them2 so indelibly1 that the 
war of elements should never efface     
them2 so plainly and conclusively1 that 
no priest should ever be able to        
misconstrue them2 and no wayfarer1 in   
this hurrying world1 ever be in doubt   
about them4 ,as this is not so1 the     
great secret is left evidently to silent
 thought and reverent conjecture1 of    

which even mere negative ,atheism is a  
reserved expression1 and ,cosmism a     
scheme of philosophical adoration4      
,here is a particle of matter4 ,it may  
be amber1 or a ruby1 or a stone4 ,whence
 came the electrical properties of the  
one1 the lurid brilliancy of the other1 
or the density of the stone8 ,these     
qualities are wonders and miracles      
through all time4 ,science finds them   
marvels and leaves them mysteries4 ,the 
philosopher is no more provided with a  
solution than the peasant4 ,indeed1 the 
wonder of the philosopher has a deeper  
intensity4 ,he sweeps with his eye1 and 
bends his ear over a wider field of     
nature1 and no sign rewards his         
scrutiny1 no response repays his        
attention4 ,look at this humble1 secure1
 and commonplace stone6 ,we neglect it  
with the eye1 we spurn it with the      
foot--it is not worth raising from the  
shore4 ,yet no book was ever written1 no
 message was ever delivered1 no romance 
ever depicted1 no epic ever sung1       

containing such wondrous interest as the
 story of this stone1 could any man tell
 it4 ,what thronging conjectures6 what  
unbidden and tumultuous memories rise as
 we contemplate its possible mutations  
of existence6 ,history was unwritten    
when it first slept in the earth4 ,what 
generations of men have lived and       
struggled1 and died since it was first  
broken from the rock6 ,great battles1   
changing the fate of dynasties1 and     
involving the servitude of races1 have  
been fought over its calm resting place4
 ,possibly thousands of years ago the   
mastodon trod upon it1 and the          
ichthyosaurus paddled it into the sea4  
,ancient waves may have washed it into  
the ocean1 before the first ship was    
launched by the first mariner4 ,in the  
silent and wondrous caverns of the great
 deep1 which no plummet has fathomed and
 no eye has ever seen1 it has lain in   
regal rest4 ,what monsters have glared  
at it6 what tempests have raged1 what   
tornadoes have broken over it6 what     

earthquakes may have tossed it up from  
its hiding place4 ,on what shore did it 
reappear8 ,did some ,assyrian lover     
watch the wave which washed it up8 ,did 
some young ,pharaoh play with it8 ,has  
it been imbedded in the walls of ,troy8 
,did ,achilles plant his spear by it8   
,did it lie on the plains of ,marathon  
on the morning of the memorable battle8 
,has it been dyed by the blood of       
,caesar in the streets of ,rome8 ,have  
,chaldean shepherds picked it up as the 
orient morning sun broke over their     
silent plains8  ,when all these and a   
thousand other questions have been      
answered1 its history is not begun4 ,its
 elements are indestructible4 ,the parts
 of which it is composed were never     
created--in some form1 in some world1   
they always existed4 ,where were they   
when the earth was without form or void8
 ,to what astral system did the matter  
of this pebble once belong8 ,of what    
star did it form a part8 ,where was it  
before time on this planet began to be8 

,if matter has existed for ever1 this   
stone in its countless transmutations is
 a geological ,wandering ,jew of        
eternity4 ,if we cannot tell the history
 of a single stone1 who shall tell the  
history of ,god8 ,if a poor pebble be a 
surpassing mystery1 who shall understand
 the ,deity8 ,what must be the          
pretension1 the presumption to infinite 
capacity of that man who1 pausing not in
 reverent humility in the presence of   
these myriad miracles which crowd before
 him1 yet tells us in confident and     
dogmatic tones1 that he       ',looks   
through ,nature up to ,nature's ,god8'  
,for myself1 ,i cleave rather to that   
more modest form of opinion which stands
 in mute wonder and listens with greedy 
ears to the secret tale of ,nature1 and 
waits with undying interest the         
revelations which science1 or thought1  
or time1 or death1 shall make of these  
mysteries which surround us evermore4