andwhich，findingthemetaphysicalargumentdangerous，wasinclinedtofallbackuponthemerelyempiricalargumentofPaley。Ihaveshown，atfullysufficientlength，howbysubstitutinganantinomyforaparalogism，Hamiltonmanagesverballytoevadethisdifficulty；andbyextendingthesphereofbeliefbeyondthesphereofreason，justifiesbeliefinaGodwhoisatonceunknowableandyetmaybeanobjectofworship。
Mansel’saudaciousextensionofthistothehistoricalandmythologicalcreeds，andtheconsequentidentificationofJehovahwiththeAbsoluteandInfinite，canonlyberegardedasalogicalcuriosity。Theonlyresultswere，ontheonehand，MrHerbertSpencer’sagnosticism，andontheother，perhaps，someimpulsetothespeculationoftherisinggeneration。HamiltonandManseldidsomething，bytheirdenunciationsofGermanmysticismandontology，tocallattentiontothedoctrinesattacked。TheGermansmightafterallgivetherightclue；anditmightbepossible，bysubstitutinganewdialecticfortheoldlogic，toregardtheuniverseasstillwovenoutofreason，andtopreserveatheologicaloratleastanidealistmodeofconception。Withthat，however，Ihavenoconcern。
VII。MILLONTHEOLOGY
Hamilton’stheoryatleastrecognisedtheinevitablefailureoftheempiricalorPaleytheologywhichvirtuallymakestheologyadepartmentofscience。Mill，asathoroughempiricist，mighthavebeenexpectedtoabandontheologyalongwithalltranscendentalismandontology。Infact，however，hispositionwasdifferent。IhavealreadypointedoutthatatonepartofhisargumentheappearstobedefendingorthodoxviewsoftheologyasagainstMansel。Thisargumentmightappeartobemerelyadhominem，asintendedtoshowtheabsurdityofMansel’sdoctrineofinconceivability；nottodenytheinconceivabilityitself。
Mill，however，reallygoesfurther。HeapprovesHamilton’sstrangeassertionthat’religiousdisbeliefandphilosophicalscepticismarenotmerelynotthesame，buthavenonaturalconnection，’122*andholdsthatalltherealargumentsfortheexistenceofGodandtheimmortalityofthesoulremainunaffectedbytheassociationtheory。InhisLogicMillhadacceptedComte’s’lawofthethreestages’；butinhislaterstudyofComteheexpresslydeclaresthatthisdoctrineisreconcilablewiththebeliefina’creatorandsupremegovernoroftheworld。’Itimpliesabeliefina’constantorder，’butthatordermaybeduetoaprimitivecreation，andevenconsistentwiththecontinualsuperintendenceofan，intelligentgovernor。’123*Intheposthumousessaysthispositionwasdevelopedinsuchawayastogivesomescandaltohisdisciples。124*Henotonlyleavesroomfortheisticbeliefs，butheseemseventosanctiontheiracceptance。