3.  A  Broadening  op  Mental  Attitude,  due  to  the  Spirit  of
LATER  Times. — It  has  been  stated  on  a  previous  page  -  t^iat  the
early  representatives  of  the  Evolution  School  were  not  wholly  of
one  mind  in  the  view  they  upheld  touching  the  origin  of  man's  idea
of  God.  We  have  seen  that  the  same  elasticity  of  opinion,
though  indeed  to  a  much  less  marked  extent,  prevailed  also
among  the  early  representatives  of  the  Revelation  theory.  It
therefore  came  about  that,  as  time  passed,  these  two  Schools
ceased  to  be  diametrically  antagonistic.  At  first,  of  course,  some
timid  souls  were  thrown  into  a  panic,  lest  the  introduction  of
Evolution  might  destroj^  all  the  foundations  of  belief  in  a  doctrine
of  Revelation ;  but  by  and  by,  as  the  situation  came  to  be  better
understood,  Evolution  ceased  to  disturb  anybody.  Its  funda-
mental teaching  at  least  was  recognised  to  be  undeniably  true.
"  It  made  its  contribution  to  the  world's  thought — smaller  than
was  expected,  but  real  and  important ;  and  to-day  it  is  no  offence,
either  against  theology  or  against  the  simplicity  of  the  faith,  for
a  man  to  confess  himself  an  Evolutionist."  ^  On  the  other  hand.
Evolutionists  ceased  to  be  irreconcilably  opposed  to  a  doctrine  of
Revelation.  It  is  not  to  be  thought  that  all — or  even  the
majority  of — the  representative  Evoltitionists  of  to-day  deny  that
man  has  ever  had  a  supernatural  disclosure  of  the  divine  pur-
poses. That  question  is  not  one  with  which,  in  the"  circumstances
of  the  case,  science  (strictly  so  called)  has  ever  had  anything  to

1  Studies  in  the  Philosophy  of  Reliqion  and  History,  p.  315.
2  See  page  225.  ^  The  Westminster.     Toronto,  1902.
