Youwillreadilyadmitthatnodescriptionofthephenomenaofthereligiousconsciousnesscouldbebetterthanthesewordsofyourlamentedpreacherandphilosopher。Theyreproducetheveryraptureofthosecrisesofconversionofwhichwehavebeenhearing；theyutterwhatthemysticfeltbutwasunabletocommunicate；andthesaint，inhearingthem，recognizeshisownexperience。Itisindeedgratifyingtofindthecontentofreligionreportedsounanimously。Butwhenallissaidanddone，hasPrincipalCaird——andIonlyusehimasanexampleofthatwholemodeofthinking——transcendedthesphereoffeelingandofthedirectexperienceoftheindividual，andlaidthefoundationsofreligioninimpartialreason？Hashemadereligionuniversalbycoercivereasoning，transformeditfromaprivatefaithintoapubliccertainty？Hasherescueditsaffirmationsfromobscurityandmystery？
Ibelievethathehasdonenothingofthekind，butthathehassimplyreaffirmedtheindividual’sexperiencesinamoregeneralizedvocabulary。Andagain，Icanbeexcusedfromprovingtechnicallythatthetranscendentalistreasoningsfailtomakereligionuniversal，forIcanpointtotheplainfactthatamajorityofscholars，evenreligiouslydisposedones，stubbornlyrefusetotreatthemasconvincing。ThewholeofGermany，onemaysay，haspositivelyrejectedtheHegelianargumentation。AsforScotland，IneedonlymentionProfessorFraser’sandProfessorPringle-Pattison’smemorablecriticisms，withwhichsomanyofyouarefamiliar。[300]Oncemore，Iask，iftranscendentalidealismwereasobjectivelyandabsolutelyrationalasitpretendstobe，coulditpossiblyfailsoegregiouslytobepersuasive？
[300]A。C。Fraser：PhilosophyofTheism，secondedition，EdinburghandLondon，1899，especiallypartii，chaps。vii。andviii。A。Seth[Pringle-Pattison]：HegelianismandPersonality，Ibid。，1890，passim。
ThemostpersuasiveargumentsinfavorofaconcreteindividualSouloftheworld，withwhichIamacquainted，arethoseofmycolleague，JosiahRoyce，inhisReligiousAspectofPhilosophy，Boston，1885；inhisConceptionofGod，NewYorkandLondon，1897；andlatelyinhisAberdeenGiffordLectures，TheWorldandtheIndividual，2vols。，NewYorkandLondon，1901-02。I
doubtlessseemtosomeofmyreaderstoevadethephilosophicdutywhichmythesisinthislectureimposesonme，bynotevenattemptingtomeetProfessorRoyce’sargumentsarticulately。I