10 JULY 1880, Page 25

CURRENT LITERATURE.

Religious Philosophy : a Forecast of the Religion of the Future. By 'W. W. Clark. (Triibner and Co.)—Forecasts of the future are always hazardous, and for our own part, we should say that it must be par- ticularly hazardous to venture on a forecast of what will be the ultimate (result of the many wild philosophical and religious speculations of the present day. Here is a book which harps on this idea, now almost become an old one, of the affinity between the alleged phenomena of spiritualism and Christianity. Jesus was a wonder- hilly perfect medium or channel of communication between the two 'worlds, and his so-called "miracles" were built on exaggeration of cures which he wrought in virtue of the possession of singularly keen sym- pathies and Christianity. The conventional Christianity which assumes his divinity will have to give place to a general %did in God as a father, and in doing to others as we would that they should do to us. There is to be next to no dogma, as all the "dreadful doctrines" of what is called orthodox Christ- ianity are to be clean swept away. This is the philosophy of religion; this is what our children will find all-sufficient. In the recent manifestations of spiritualism we have, it appears, satisfac- tory evidence of a future state, a belief in which cannot be dispensed with. This slender stock of troths must, it seems, suffice us. It is all very well, but we fear that such experiments have been tried -without much success. No doubt, there are minds so constituted that they can rest content with these primary convictions, which are to them intuitions, carrying with them their own assurance. The author has such a mind. But we rather think that such minds are exceptional, and that the majority of mankind want some such exter- nal supports for their belief as they find in the Bible or in the Church. We decline to accept our author's forecast.