| | Page |
| INTRODUCTION, | | [1] |
| CHAPTER I. |
| INTRODUCTORY SKETCH. |
| Article |
| Object of the Book, | [1] | [22] |
| Two classes of speculators, | [2] | [24] |
| Why doubters of immortality have lately increased, | [3] | [26] |
| Belief of the Ancient Egyptians— | | |
| Separation between priests and people, | [4] | [26] |
| The abode of the dead, | [5] | [27] |
| Transmigration of souls, | [6] | [28] |
| Embalming of the body, | [7] | [28] |
| Belief of the Ancient Hebrews— | | |
| Position of Moses, | [8-9] | [28] |
| His task, | [10] | [29] |
| Belief of the Jews in an unseen world, | [11] | [30] |
| Their belief in a future state, | [12] | [31] |
| Their belief in a resurrection, | [13] | [32] |
| Belief of the Ancient Greeks and Romans— | | |
| Unsubstantial nature of Elysium, | [14] | [33] |
| Transmigration introduced, | [15] | [34] |
| Rise of the Epicurean school, | [16] | [36] |
| Uncertainty of philosophic opinion, | [17] | [37] |
| Belief of the Eastern Aryans— | | |
| The Rig-Veda, | [18] | [37] |
| It inculcates immortality, | [19] | [39] |
| Double source of corruption, | [20] | [40] |
| Zoroastrian reformation and tenets, | [21-22] | [40] |
| Reformation of Buddha, | [23] | [41] |
| Meaning of Nirvâna, | [24] | [42] |
| Observations on ancient beliefs, | [25-29] | [43] |
| Belief of the Disciples of Christ— | | |
| The resurrection of Christ, | [30] | [47] |
| Future state taught by Christ, | [31-32] | [49] |
| Perishable nature of that which is seen, | [33] | [50] |
| The Christian Heaven and Hell, | [34] | [51] |
| General opinion regarding the person of Christ, | [35] | [52] |
| General opinion regarding the position of Christ, | [36] | [53] |
| Spread of the Christian religion, | [37] | [54] |
| Rise of Mohammed, | [38] | [55] |
| Materialistic conceptions of the dark ages, | [39] | [57] |
| Extreme scientific school, | [40-41] | [59] |
| Points of similarity between this school and Christians, | [42] | [60] |
| Varieties of opinions among Christians, | [43-44] | [60] |
| Believers in a new revelation, | [45] | [62] |
| Swedenborg and his doctrines, | [46] | [63] |
| Remarks on Swedenborg, | [47] | [65] |
| Modern spiritualists, | [48-49] | [67] |
| CHAPTER II. |
| POSITION TAKEN BY THE AUTHORS—PHYSICAL AXIOMS. |
| Class of readers to whom the Authors appeal, | [50-53] | [69] |
| Position assumed by the Authors— |
| Laws of the universe defined, | [54] | [72] |
| Embodiment of some sort essential, | [55] | [73] |
| Materialistic position described, | [55] | [74] |
| Unjustifiable assumptions of materialists, | [56-58] | [74] |
| Intimacy of connection between mind and matter, | [59] | [77] |
| Essential requisites for continued existence— |
| An organ of memory, | [60] | [78] |
| Possibility of action in the present, | [61] | [78] |
| Principle of Continuity— |
| Illustrated by reference to astronomy, | [62-75] | [79] |
| Breach of the principle illustrated, | [76] | [87] |
| Extension to other faculties of man, | [77] | [88] |
| Application of this principle to Christian miracles— |
| Erroneous position of old divines, | [78] | [89] |
| Such opposed to the genius of Christianity, | [79] | [90] |
| New method of explanation, | [80-82] | [90] |
| Application of this principle to the doctrines of the extreme scientific school— |
| The visible universe will probably come to an end in transformable energy, | [83-84] | [92] |
| It must have been developed out of the invisible, | [85] | [94] |
| The Universe,— | [86] | [95] |
| Similar errors committed by the extreme schools of theology and science, | [87] | [96] |
| Application of this principle to Immortality— |
| Three conceivable suppositions, | [88] | [96] |
| These reduced to two, | [89] | [97] |
| Future course of our argument, | [90] | [97] |
| The problem may be profitably discussed, | [91] | [98] |
| CHAPTER III. |
| THE PRESENT PHYSICAL UNIVERSE. |
| Definition of the term ‘Physical Universe’, | [92] | [99] |
| It contains something else besides matter or stuff, | [93] | [100] |
| Grounds of our belief in an external universe, | [94] | [101] |
| These in accordance with our definition of the laws of the universe ([Art. 54]), | [95] | [102] |
| Meaning of conservation, | [96] | [103] |
| [Use and Abuse of the Term Force,] | [97] | [104] |
| Conservation of Momentum, | [97] | [105] |
| Conservation of Moment of Momentum, | [97] | [106] |
| Conservation of Vis Viva, | [97] | [107] |
| Definition of Energy, | [98-99] | [108] |
| Newton’s second interpretation of his Third Law, | [99-100] | [108] |
| Friction changes work into heat, | [101] | [110] |
| Historical sketch of the theory of energy, | [102-103] | [112] |
| Transformability of energy constitutes its use, | [104] | [115] |
| Case where energy is useless, | [105] | [116] |
| Historical Sketch of Second Law of Thermodynamics— |
| *Carnot’s perfect heat-engine, | [*106] | [117] |
| *Sir W. Thomson’s definition of absolute temperature, | [*107] | [118] |
| *Melting point of ice lowered by pressure, | [*108] | [120] |
| *Sir W. Thomson’s rectification of Carnot’s reasoning, | [*109-*110] | [120] |
| *Professor J. Clerk-Maxwell’s demons, | [*111-*113] | [122] |
| Degradation of energy, | [114] | [126] |
| Future of the physical universe, | [114-115] | [126] |
| Past of the physical universe, | [116] | [128] |
| CHAPTER IV. |
| MATTER AND ETHER. |
| Inquiry regarding structure and material of the universe, | [117] | [129] |
| Various hypotheses regarding matter— |
| (1.) Greek notion of the Atom, | [118] | [130] |
| Speculations of Lucretius, | [119-130] | [131] |
| (2.) Theory of Boscovich (centres of force), | [131] | [137] |
| (3.) Theory of infinite divisibility, | [132] | [138] |
| (4.) Vortex-atom theory, | [133-134] | [139] |
| Remarks on these theories, | [135-136] | [141] |
| Relative quantity of matter associated with energy, | [137-138] | [142] |
| Universal gravitation— |
| Is a weak force, | [139] | [144] |
| Two ways of accounting for it, | [140] | [145] |
| Le Sage’s hypothesis, | [141-142] | [146] |
| The Ethereal medium— |
| Its principal properties apparently incongruous, | [143] | [148] |
| Analogy of Professor Stokes, | [144] | [149] |
| Distortion and displacement of ether, | [145] | [149] |
| Inferior limit of its density, | [146] | [150] |
| Its supposed imperfect transparency, | [147] | [151] |
| Remarks on ether, | [148] | [153] |
| Remarks on the speculations of this chapter, | [149-150] | [154] |
| Modification of the vortex-ring hypothesis, | [151-152] | [155] |
| Possible disappearance of the visible universe, | [153] | [157] |
| CHAPTER V. |
| DEVELOPMENT. |
| Nature of inquiry stated, | [154] | [158] |
| Chemical development— |
| Changes in lists of elementary substances, | [155] | [159] |
| Prout’s speculations, | [156] | [160] |
| Experiments of M. Stas, | [156] | [160] |
| Family groups, | [157] | [161] |
| Mr. Lockyer’s speculations, | [158-159] | [161] |
| Globe development— |
| Hypothesis of Kant and Laplace, | [160] | [163] |
| Tendency to aggregation of mass, | [161-162] | [164] |
| Process cannot have been going on for ever, | [163] | [166] |
| Peculiarity of products developed inorganically, | [164] | [167] |
| Life development— |
| Morphological and physiological species, | [165] | [168] |
| Species regarded physiologically, | [166] | [170] |
| Position of a certain class of theologians, | [167] | [171] |
| Tendency to minor variations, | [168] | [172] |
| Artificial selection, | [169] | [174] |
| Natural selection, | [170] | [175] |
| Unproved point in the Darwinian hypothesis, | [171] | [175] |
| Remarks of Mr. Darwin, | [172] | [177] |
| Development of the Darwinian hypothesis, | [173] | [177] |
| Mr. Wallace’s views, | [174] | [178] |
| Professor Huxley’s remarks, | [175] | [178] |
| Position assumed by the authors, | [176] | [179] |
| CHAPTER VI. |
| SPECULATIONS AS TO POSSIBILITY OF SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCES IN THE VISIBLE UNIVERSE. |
| Position of life in the present physical universe, | [177] | [180] |
| Two kinds of equilibrium, | [178] | [181] |
| Two kinds of machines or material systems, | [179] | [182] |
| Two respects in which a living being resembles a machine, | [180] | [183] |
| A living being resembles a delicately constructed machine, | [181] | [185] |
| The delicacy is due to chemical instability, | [182] | [186] |
| Delicacy of construction derived from the sun’s rays, | [183] | [186] |
| Delicacy of construction in atmospheric changes, | [184] | [187] |
| Worship of powers of nature—mediæval superstitions, | [185] | [189] |
| Theory which attributes a soul to the universe, | [186] | [190] |
| Real point at issue stated, | [187] | [190] |
| Man presents the highest order of the present visible universe, | [188] | [191] |
| The same idea pervades the Old Testament, | [189] | [192] |
| And it likewise pervades the New Testament, | [190-191] | [193] |
| CHAPTER VII. |
| THE UNSEEN UNIVERSE. |
| Decadence of the visible universe, | [192-193] | [195] |
| Its arrangements apparently wasteful, | [194] | [197] |
| Explanation of this, | [195] | [197] |
| Memory of the universe, | [196-197] | [198] |
| Connection between seen and unseen, | [197-198] | [198] |
| Physical explanation of a future state, | [199-201] | [199] |
| Dr. Thomas Young’s conception of the unseen, | [202] | [200] |
| Objections to the proposed theory of a future state replied to— |
| Religious, | [203] | [202] |
| Theological, | [204-207] | [202] |
| Scientific, | [208-212] | [206] |
| Quasi-scientific, | [213] | [210] |
| Miracles and the Resurrection of Christ— |
| Objections of extreme school stated, | [214] | [211] |
| How these are to be met, | [215] | [212] |
| Development has produced the visible universe, | [216] | [214] |
| Its atoms resemble manufactured articles, | [217] | [215] |
| Development through intelligence, | [218-219] | [215] |
| Idea presented in concrete form, | [220] | [218] |
| Christian theory of the development of the universe, | [221-227] | [223] |
| Life development—Biogenesis, | [228-229] | [228] |
| Life comes from the Unseen Universe, | [230] | [230] |
| Christian theory of life development, | [231] | [232] |
| Position of life in the universe discussed, | [232-238] | [233] |
| Meteoric hypothesis implies Discontinuity, | [239] | [240] |
| Discussion of the notion that all matter is, in some simple sense, alive, | [240-241] | [242] |
| Life, as well as matter, comes to us from the Unseen Universe, | [242-243] | [243] |
| Position reviewed, | [244] | [246] |
| Miracles possible without breach of Continuity, | [245] | [247] |
| Peculiar communication with the unseen in the case of Christ, | [246] | [248] |
| Apparent breaks are concealed avenues leading to the unseen, | [247] | [249] |
| Probable nature of present connection between seen and unseen. Efficacy of Prayer, | [248] | [250] |
| Angelic intelligences, | [249] | [251] |
| Remarks on God’s providential government, | [250-252] | [253] |
| Our argument may be very much detached from all conceptions of the Divine essence, | [253] | [257] |
| Christian conceptions of Heaven, | [254] | [258] |
| Two ideas in all Christian hymns, | [255] | [259] |
| Possible glimpse into the conditions of the future life, | [256-257] | [260] |
| Darker side of the future, | [258] | [262] |
| Plato on the markings of the soul, | [259] | [263] |
| Christian Gehenna, | [260] | [264] |
| Mediæval idea of Hell, | [261] | [265] |
| The process in the Gehenna of the New Testament apparently an enduring one, | [262] | [267] |
| Personality of the Evil One asserted by Scripture, | [263] | [269] |
| Brief statement of the results of this discussion, | [264] | [270] |
| The scientific conclusion is directly against the opponents of Christianity, | [265] | [271] |
| Criticism invited from leaders of scientific thought or of religious inquiry, | [266] | [272] |