ideas of the leaders of mankind upon this subject. The idea of immortality comes spontaneously upon us, just as do the ideas of God and duty, from the invisible spiritual order. From the beginning men have sought to justify the idea of immortality, and the author's plan is to follow the course of that justification in its highest expressions. He begins with the Hebrew prophets, to whom the second chapter is devoted. Chap. Ill is given up to the poets. Chaps. V and VI deal respectively with the relations of the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ to immortality, and Chap. VII with the grounds of faith to-day. In Chap. IV, with which we are more particularly concerned here, Mr. Gordon considers "The Philosophers and Immortality." He begins with Lotze, whose criterion of immortality is: "that will last forever which, on account of its excellence and its spirit, must be an abiding part of the universe; what lacks that preserving worth will perish." Lotze's criterion can only be of value if the universe be regarded as being at its heart eternal goodness. Lotze himself did so regard it, and bore witness to his convictions in his life. J. F. Ferrier is next taken up, and it is stated that to him death as annihilation of conscious being was unthinkable. Ferrier argues that if a man try to think himself as dead, he always presupposes his living self present as on-looker. This argument, it seems to me, throws absolutely no light on the question of a real continued personal existence. Mr. Gordon gives it a place and importance that it does not merit. Kant's moral argument for immortality is clearly sketched. Duty demands moral perfection. Such cannot be attained in this life, and so continued existence is postulated as necessary for the achievement of perfection. Butler's argument for immortality is stated as two-fold. First, it is according to the analogy of nature that things should exist in new forms; second, whatever exists now has in its favor a presumption of ever-lasting existence, unless good reason can be given why it should perish. For Berkeley death is simply the separation of the active principle, or soul, from the passive principle, or body. Origen's belief is based on his view of the preëxistence of souls and of this life as a process of education. Lastly, we have a clear statement of Plato's dramatic presentation of the case in the Phaedo. The climax of the argument, says Mr. Gordon, is the picture of the death of Socrates. The impression made by Socrates' life and character is more convincing than any argument, for "life is concrete and vital truth." In every case the views of the thinkers discussed are very clearly stated. The book, as a whole, is vital and stimulating, and will with many give strength to a reasonable faith in immortality. The doctrine of conditional immortality is severely criticised. The author rightly says that this doctrine is unphilosophical. A full pulse beats through the work, and the style is that of fervid pulpit eloquence, abounding in rich imagery.
J. A. Leighton
