ID- - REESE LIBRARY OF THK UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. \ ' Received -l^%(j2Z-S ' /cV.s Shelf A. *>0 LECTURES ON NATURAL THEOLOGY. UNIVERSITY LECTURES NATURAL THEOLOGY; OR, NATURE AND THE BIBLE FROM THE SAME AUTHOR. DELIVERED BEFORE THB LOWELL INSTITUTE, BOSTON, P. A. CHADBOURNE, A.M., M.D., Professor of Natural History in Williams College ; A uthor of Lectures on the a Relations of Natural History" etc. NEW YORK: G. P. PUTNAM & SONS, 4th Avenue and 23d Street. 1871. 3.1* l*t 0.5 . Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by G. P. PUTNAM & SON, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southen District oi *few York. THE NEW YORK PRINTING COMPANY, 8 1, 83, and 85 Centre Street^ NEW YORK. To REV. MARK HOPKINS, DD., LL.D., PRESIDENT OP WILLIAMS COLLEGB. SIR It is not as a mere formality, nor from a desire to connect my name with one so distinguished in the higher departments of Philosophy, that I inscribe these Lectures to you. It is especially fitting that I should now acknowledge my indebt- edness to you for tlxat kindness which is the most pleasant remembrance of my student life, and which has remained unchanged through all the relations of fifteen years of official labor. It was at your suggestion, that I first commenced a distinct work on Natural Theology. It has taken its present form in the moments snatched the varied duties that have daily demanded my time and strength. And whatever may now be its value depends much upon the counsel and encourage- ment which you have given me during the whole course of its preparation. With great respect and esteem, I am most truly yours, P. A. CHADBOURNE. THE Lectures are published in the form and order in which they were originally delivered. Nothing would be gained for the general reader by dividing them into chapters. For the' convenience of students and teachers a very full Table of Contents has been prepared, which will materially aid the teacher in recitation, and render frequent reviews easy for the student. It is hoped that while the Lectures present the great outlines of Natural Theology in a form easily understood by all, they will also awaken in the student a love for the study of Nature, and lead him on to independent obser- vation in this most profitable field of human thought. CONTENTS. LECTURE I. INTRODUCTORY. PAGl and Destiny. Questions presented for study. Effect of super- stition Religious nature. The great questions in man. Man naturally seeks to know if there is a God. Sufficiency of the pn.oi of His of our case. Answers that have been given tr<>m nature. I ible II must stand the tests of science Natural Religion defined. ;lic Lowell Leclun riot) in this world like that of ch'ldi n which men can obtain from nature al<>ii- ;ion. All that Natural Religion the I'.il.le unpiovided t"<>r. Civilization without it self-d' n implies relationship to a Mg. Topics presented. Amount of science required for the study. Conditions necessary tor fair discus 17 LECTURE II. PRIN( II'LES OF BELIEF. ADAPTA 1 I<>\ < >F OUR BODIES TO OUR WAN is AND TO 'III I'. WORLD. Perfect provision for organic beings. No provision in material world for man's highest nature. Claims of the Bible A natural provision for m:n. Prin- ciples of b_ei;- - of creation. First cause. Matter might be eternal. Beginning of life. Antagonism of physical forces and vitality. Apparent harmony between them. Man an effect. Hit creation to be accounted for. The | i"veloped being. llible account of creation. What we should expect to find in such a creation. Nature an unchange- able record. Questions that would arise without the I'.ible. Aid of Geology. The existence of being-;, and not their mode of origin, proof of skill and . Adaptation of our bodies to our use and to the world. Relations to the world established through the senses Distinctive use of each sense. Conditions necessary for sight. Relation of light to the atmosphere. Form of objects and effects of surface. Structure of the eye. Sense of hearing gives knowledge of objects beyond the range of vision. Mechanism of the ear. Ta.ste and smell. No special mechanism. Design shown by the use. Touch. Kinds of knowledge given by it. All the senses connected with the nervous system. Vegetative life. Relation of the body to the world considered. The atmosphere Structure of the lung. Nutrition. Sleep. Animals fitted for particular zones. Man for all. No special sciences needed to show our adaptation to the world Personality of the Creator inferred from the provision for our personality. Antagonism in nature 46 viii Contents. LECTURE III. ADAPTATION OF ANIMALS TO THE WORLD BY STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND INSTINCT. PACK Adaptation of Animals to the World. Special adaptations. Chance excluded. Man as a physical being differs only in degree. His sources of enjoyment complex. In animals nothing but adaptations to this world. Whole classes to be treated of. Water Animals Microscopic Coral Animals. Jelly- fishes Starfishes. Mollusks. Perfect provision for each form. The Pinna. Saxicavas. Nautilus. Worms Crustaceans. Insects. Fishes. Rep- tiles. Birds. Fitted for change of season. Hibernation. Relation to length of year. Instinct. Supplements structure and function. Gives higher type of life Defined Intelligence in Animals. Vegetative life in Animals. Relation of instinct to specific structure. The Natica. Instinct often blind in its action. The Cicada. Tent moth. Migration of fishes. Conscious parental relation in birds. Uniformity of action resulting from instinct. Wide range of instinct in Mammals. The Muskrat. Instinct of the young supplemented by that of the parent. The body and mind fitted for each other 78 LECTURE IV. SPECIAL CONTRIVANCES PRESERVATION OF SPECIES. Special adaptations. Functions. Cases mentioned by Paley. Ball and socket joint. Cuttle-fish. Terebratu'as. Leech. Gnats. Bees. Spiders. Vari- ation of substance according to their instinct. Silk- worm. Lobsters and Crabs. Rattlesnake. Birds. Fitted for fight Oil gland. Structure of birds of prey. Water birds. Form of bills. Grebe and Loon. Waders. Woodpeckers Development from use consi :lered. Homologous structure. Limbs of animals. Teeth. Whales and Rays. Crop of birds. Preserva- tion of species. Definition of. Multiplicity of germs. Distribution of seeds Springs, balloons, hooks, barbs. Same end secured by diverse means Vitality of seeds. Fertilization of flowers. Growth of plants sup- plementing instinct. Carnivorous animals limited in number. Destruction of animals provided for. Suffering and death Goodness of Deity to be vindicated. Man's enjoyment and suffering on different grounds. Present discussion confined to lower animals. Suffering never inflicted for its own sake. Enjoyment in excess of suffering. Death secures parental relation. Sum of enjoyment increased by succession of animals Introduction of car- nivorous animals increases the sum of enjoyment. Disease. Provision for its alleviation. Design may show cruelty. Apparent cruelty often real bene- volence. Creator Infinite in His attributes 103 LECTURE V. ADAPTATION OF PLANTS TO THE WORLD. Design in plants seen only in organization. Natural selection. Provision made by plants compared with instinct. Wisdom manifested by instinct referred to the Creator. Relation of plants to earth and air. Polarity. Structure of leaves. Fall of leaf. Structure of wide-leaved trees. Of ever- Contents. greens. Position of buds. Mathematical order. Symmetry and welfare of tree secured. Variety of habit Fitted for soil Cl'imate and place in the solar system. Power of the bud. Young fruits. Structure of buds. Food stored up. The potato. Beet and Parsnip, Century plant. Orchis. '>ns->eal. Structure of seed. Perfection and variety of machinery. Relation of plants and animals. Effect of each on the air. Vegetable kingdom subservient to the animal. I ts support. Oak galls. Plants respond to the insect's instinct. Fertilization of plants by insects. Squashes. For- get-me-nots. Orchids. Results 126 LECTURE VI. PRO; or YARir.TIFS AND THF.IR FINAL CAUSE. Origin of specie*. May be varied for a wise purpose. Living and fossil forms, parts of one whole. Four plans of structure. The rocks the true record. Mar be mistranslated, but not changed. Unity of plan in the Divine mind. nigcs that favor development n,.m Darwin. .. For a definite purpose Adapts species i -i man. Definition of varieties. n from Gray. Final cause. Reference toman. Beauty iom of life. Organs of plants. Antli. Petal-, wers. Propagation of double plants. Fleshy fruits. "f beauty in some plants. Of fruit in others. Two series according to - ltd. - Indications in wild plants. Exceptions. Some plants for a double purpose. Vegetable kingdom for the animal. Appears primarily for itself. Multitude of germs, wheat represent food and plant life. Use of soft fruits Plants and animals constructed Jor man as an intellectual being. Increase of beauty not for the plant. Varieties offer condition of continual progress. Develop- ment M urable scepticism. Geology must explain origin of species. Law 01 .dence of design and wisdom 148 LECTURE VII. CHEMICAL ELEMENTS AND THEIR MUTUAL RELATION. Argument for design may rest on collocation alone. Character of Creator learned from the very proofs of His existence. Number of elements known. Results secured by their nature and relative quantity. Fixed laws of combination. Neither matter nor force lost. Pillars of organic life. Evi- dence of design in the constitution of matter. Equilibrium, how restored in the four elements Balanced affinity. Nature of their compounds. Oxygen specially considered. Its compounds. The air. Original condition of matter. Oxygen in the air a residual substance. Essential to animals. form the tissues and secures activity. Produces artificial light and heat. Common and active state. Ozone. Affinity of oxygen varied by temperature. Hydrogen. Basis of flame Its inflammable compounds Combination of properties fitting it for a light-producer Combines with carbon to produce light Summation of properties. Its fitness for organic structures. Constant change in animal bodies, Relation of hydrogen to nitrogen Nitrogen adds to weight of atmosphere. Moderates the action of hydrogen. Negative properties. Nature of its compounds. Carbon. Dif- ferent forms. Supplements hydrogen in combustion. As an element, always solid. Coal. Indestructible at common temperature. Carbonic acid 1 Contents. LECTURE VIII. PROVISION FOR THE INTELLECT OF MAN IN THE STRUCTURE OF MINERALS AND LAWS OF CHEMICAL COMBINATION. Preservation of man requires preservation of other beings. The whole plan to be grasped. Field of mind. Animals remain the same. Man's physical nature conditional for his higher. Provision for our personality to be expected. Personality of the Creator. Mind seeks for the laws of nature. Physical good never sought for by the great leaders in science. Search for thought among ancient inscriptions. Physical and intellectual appetite com- pared. Mind of man and the order of nature from the same Creator. Nature the great teacher. Her models perfect Proofs of the provision for mind. Minerals. Mind must be taxed. Language of Minerals. Our work is to translate it. Perfectly adapted to the human mind. Crystalline forms. Progress of mind in unfolding them. Fundamental forms. Effect of crys- talline force in the crust of the earth. Beauty of crystals for man. Taylor's description of the Russian jewels. Bible language. Chemical relation of the elements. Power of the chemist. Condition of progress. Beyond the reach of development theories. Man has increased in knowledge, but not in mental power. Answers which nature gives aia LECTURE IX. PROVISION FOR MAN'S INTELLECT IN THE RELATIONS OF ORGANIC BEINGS AND IN THE CRUST. OF THE EARTH. Kingdom of life. Mathematical law continued Orders of plants. Animals Fossils. All form one picture. Science discovered. Manifestation of thought in nature. Astronomy. Enthusiasm of Naturalist. Geology. Present changes. Its key. Provisions for man's physical wants presuppose his intellectual nature Crust of the Earth shows design. Man multiplies his powers. Properties of metals. Gold and Silver. Platinum, Mercury, Iron. Loadstone-Metals essential toman's progress. Fuel for man alone Power which Chemistry gives him. Plants and Animals made to minister to his physical wants through his intellectual power 231 LECTURE X. PROVISION FOR THE EMOTIONAL NATURE AND THE VARIED INTELLECTUAL TASTES AND POWERS OF MEN. Love of the beautiful Provision for it in nature. Taste. Fine Arts founded upon nature. Poetry Bible language. Paintirg and sculpture. Music. Conditions necessary for it. Beauty of outline and color. Clouds Crystals. Plants. Increase of beauty in leaf and flower. Double flowers Micros- copic animals. Corals. Jelly-fishes. Shells. Their beauty not for them- selves. Insects. Distribution of their color Vertebrates Beauty of fossils. Grandeur and sublimity. Emotional nature perfect in man ages ago. Different intellectual tastes provided for. Advance in science and art thus secured. Sciences yet to be unfolded 331 Contents. xi LECTURE XL THE MORAL NATURE OF MAN AND THE BIBLE AS A NATURAL PROVISION FOR HIM. PAGB Decisions of the moral nature. Chief characteristic of man. Conscience. Implies accountability. The existence of a moral governor. Approval of conscience. Public opinion. Others suffer from our acts. Malevolent feel- ings produce unhappiness. Appetites. Physical suffering from sin. Labor tends to virtue. The world as it is best for us. This world not enough for man's powers. His immortality inferred. Questions which we need to have answered. The Bible a natural provision. Adapted to meet the wants of man's moral nature. Answers questions which nature cannot answer. veness of sin. Immortality brought to light With the Bible, man completely provided for . 277 LECTURE XII. THE MOSAIC AND GEOLOGIC RECORDS. Natural religion not sufficient Supposed origin of the Bible. Correspondence to the works of nature. Seeming disagreement. First chapter of Genesis. nbolcjt Purpose of the Bible demands some account of the creation. The position taken in the argument. Chemistry Our guide before the sedimentary rocks. Progress in creation. First condition df matter. (ir.ivitation. K.iU-u of Bringing particles together. Light Nott and Gliddon. Geologic day. Hugh Miller's view. Firmament. Office of the atmosphere. Dry land. Introduction of life. Plants created Sun and Moon. Water animals and birds. Land animals. Man. Picture of creation as presented to an intelligent being. Seventh day. Conclusion 296 PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. THE extent to which the Lectures have been used in the study of Natural Theology has sug- gested the propriety of recasting them in a form more like ordinary text-books. That something would be gained in brevity and simplicity of state- nu-nt by doing this is evident. But there are reasons connected with the delivery of the Lectures why it is best that they should remain essentially as they first appeared. And to make a new book on this subject the author has, at present, no time. It may well be doubted, however, if it is best for students always to use text-books in structure so unlike ordinary books, as most of them are. The time comes when all the student needs in a study like Natural Theology is to have the subject for investigation fairly presented to him, and be shown the relation of his previously acquired knowledge to it. These Lectures attempt to show that we find in nature not only evidence of design, but of such de- sign as could originate from no being but a personal xiv Preface. God the God of the Bible. They also attempt to show that this design, manifested in the complete provision for the lower animals and for man as a physical and intellectual being, is such as leads us to expect a provision for man's moral nature, just like the Bible. Whatever line of investigation we take, we come to a point where we demand for the race the provision of a written word to complete the revelation begun in nature. And the more com- plete the proof from nature of the existence and perfections of God and of His intimate relations to us as Creator and Benefactor, the more settled does our conviction become that He will do for us just what is done in the Bible. We feel that the charac- ter of God, as revealed in nature, makes a higher revelation than physical nature can give, absolutely certain. In treating of these subjects, such use is made of the higher problems of Natural History and other natural sciences as gives many of the best results already reached in the study of nature, and incites the student to original observation and generaliza- tion. As an aid to such study of nature, the Lec- tures have received the approval of the best instruc- tors who have used them. PREFACE. THE following lectures are the natural outgrowth of professional study and instruction in College. Portions of them have already appeared in Reviews and in my published addresses. In fact, several of them are but the unfolding of the fourth lecture on "Tin: RELATIONS OF NATURAL HISTORY," deli- vered at the Smithsonian Institution in 1859. When I received the invitation to lecture before the Lowell Institute, the press of other duties left no time to do more than to arrange the materials already on hand. In the text, I have endeavored to indicate the authors from whom special aid was derived. All who have studied any subject for years, without thought of publication, know how difficult a task it is to tell all the sources of their knowledge. Much of Natural Theology, instead of commencing with Paley, or with Nieuwentyt, to xiv Preface. whom Paley was probably much indebted, has so long been the common inheritance of thinking men that, like some of the fruits and grains, it is impossible to trace it back to its original source. Much of it, indeed, is so apparent to every student of Nature, that it is like the sunlight, seen by all without aid from others. To the leading idea in these lectures, exceptions will be taken by some at the outset ; especially by those who, following the lead of Comte, regard all inquiries respecting efficient and final causes as unphilosophical and useless. The world is here represented as having been made for man. To him as an intelligent and moral being, all- nature is subservient. Where he has to yield, it is not evidence, that man is disregarded in the mechanism of the universe, nor is he overcome as inferior to inanimate nature ; but it is simply the individual suffering under the operation of some law made inflexible for the benefit of the race. It may be objected to some of the lectures, that theories are introduced in respect to which we know nothing with certainty now, and perhaps never can know anything. The question of the validity of such theories will not affect the general argument. They are presented as theories only. It is impossible that the human mind should always Preface. xv stop with ascertained facts. When it has reached the limit of the known it will push on, as best it may, into the region of the unknown. No harm can be done, if the writer fairly states where he is, and relies upon facts alone for proof. In treating of Chemistry and other Sciences, the common language and most familiar formulas 2nd theories have been adopted. As the facts will always remain the same, no advantage would be gained by introducing into a work on Natural The- ology discussions on the nature of force, and on the constitution of matter, or the language and for- mulas that have come into partial use in conse- quence of new theories. The Theory of Development has not been at- tacked directly. In fact, those who hold to' that theory present so many phases of belief, that it is difficult for one to refer to it at all, without being liable to the charge of unfairness. The learning and the labors of the men who hold to it, in some form, entitle it to respectful consideration. Its leading principles, grounds of proof, and theological tendencies, are evidently misunderstood by many who oppose it. It is believed, however, that the arguments from the final cause of varieties and from the chemical relation of the elements to each xvi Preface. other and to the wants of man are strongly opposed to that theory as it is generally held. Natural Theology, like the study of Nature in general, can never be exhausted. We have in these lectures been like a traveller passing through a con- tinent from side to side, describing only the narrow territory that comes within his own range of vision. Other explorers will have new wonders to tell, and whole regions are ready to unfold yet other proof of the being and character of the Creator to those who, in the future, shall search for them. WILLIAMS COLLEGE, January, 1867. (UNIVERSITY; \\ ^w M ^^ Jc j* Ds_ X&tlFOlO^x NATURAL THEOLOGY. LKCTURE I. INTRODUCTORY. A fan's Origin and Destiny. Oucstions presented for study.- Efft\: nature. The great ques* t'ference to man. Man naturally seeks to know if there is a God. Sufficiency of the proof of His exist- ence. Theory of our case. Answers that have been given from nature. The Kible.It must stand the tests of sci- ence. Natural Rcli-ion dejined. Design of the Lowell / /// this iwrld like that of children in a palace. Knowledge of Religion which wen can obtain : nature alon:. Difficulty of deciding the question. All that Xatural /V - r aone.~Man -cithout the />i- ! for. Civilization without it self-destructive. Religion implies relationship to a /// ^. Topics presented. Amount of science required for the study. Cant lit ions necessary for fair discussion . WHAT is man's origin, and what is his destiny ? These two questions will at some time engross the attention of every thinking man, in spite of all sys- tems of Positive Philosophy. In seeking for the answers, every field of knowledge will be explored. All history and all science will be called upon to throw their light upon the past condition of the race, and upon its future destiny. It is not possible 1 8 Natural Theology. that man should measure the heavens and compre- hend the dust of the earth, read its past history in the rocks and predict the coming changes in this physical universe, and yet so far ignore himself as to forget to ask how he came upon this earth, and for what purpose he is here. We see a vast chain of being stretching below us, but no race above us. Are we then the highest order of beings in the universe, or are there other orders to whom we sus- tain relations, and by whom we may be affected for good or for evil ? We know that our course on earth will soon be run. Is this our only theatre of action ; or is there another yet to come, independent ol this, or having some relation to it ? This is the great question that must force itself upon the thoughts of every civilized man. An attempt to give an answer involves the consideration of all those subjects, which give us the great outlines of Natural Theology and of Natural Religion. Among these subjects thus presented for our study, we find the being and character of God the origin and final destiny of man his relations to God and the duties growing out of those relations. All observation shows that before man becomes civil- ized, he is under the power of a superstition that takes the place of rational belief in reference to all these subjects. This superstition may retain its hold long upon the mind even in the midst of civil- ization, and may be joined with some of its highest manifestations in literature and art. The first burst- ing away from that superstition is often to infidelity Religious Nature in Man. 19 and sometimes even to atheism. But neither athe- ism nor infidelity is the natural state of man. He has a religious nature. We may say that there is no foundation for it, nothing that corresponds to it out of himself. But no student of the human mind would deny the possession of this nature to the race, any more than he would deny man's social nature or his appreciation and love of the beautiful. Thisy religious nature has ever proved too powerful to al- low infidelity and atheism more than a passing tri- umph. They have sometimes, indeed, fallen like a disease upon whole masses of men; but generally they have appeared only here and there, as blindness and deafness are the misfortunes of but few. This religious nature, which no condition of the race has ever been able to eradicate or weaken, except under abnormal and temporary conditions, marshals the highest powers of the mind to seek by reason that certainty for its advanced life which superstitious bel; to the race in the times of ignorance. It becomes a great moving power, that can no more be destroyed nor restrained from its legitimate ac- tion than any of the great forces of nature. Under its promptings, man will not believe that progress in knowledge is to shut the soul out from that en- joyment which ignorant belief gave it. The con- viction of the great thinkers of the race has been that even the absurd superstitions and religious be- liefs of ignorance are not entirely groundless that they must rest on a basis of truth, because they meet so fully the desires of the soul. As the light 2O Natural Theology. of civilization advances, those desires are not weak ened, but strengthened ; and therefore it follows that when superstition has lost its dominion over the mind, an attempt will always be made to satisfy by reason that want which the soul demands to have met. And thus it has come to pass that the history of the human mind includes a history of struggles with these questions. Am I a creature of chance ? Am I like the brutes, except in degree ? Am I the highest intelligence in the universe, or is this whole world the work of an intelligent personal Being, and does its Creator rule and govern it, so that I am now accountable to Him, and ever to remain so ? In other words, am I a mortal being with power to close my existence at any moment, accountable while I live only to my fellow-men ; or am I immortal, and is my destiny in the hands of a Higher Power? It is necessary for the peace and true dignity of man that these questions should be settled. What peace can there be for him while he is in doubt whether death brings to him eternal oblivion, or opens the portal of another life related to the present ? How can man rise to the dignity of an immortal in thought and action, while uncertain that there remains to him another hour of conscious existence ? We do not wonder then that these questions have engrossed the great minds of all ages. They speak in a lan- guage so loud that they must be heard even above the roar of passion and the thousand tongues of this physical universe. All questions of mere physical science sink into insignificance compared with these, Sufficiency of Proof. 21 Indeed the value of questions in physical science / depends much upon how these higher questions are / answered. We assumed in the outset a religious nature in i } man manifesting its existence by his religious ; impulses and desires. Man naturally seeks to know if there is a God, and what relations he sustains to that God. No one will deny this who is at all versed in the history of human belief. Men have in their untutored state received a belief in the existence of some higher power, either from tra- dition or as the outgrowth of their nature. In the highest forms of society, investigations have led most men to the same result. These investigations have been so uniform in producing a belief in God, that we have in this fact a strong presumptive evi- dence of the sufficiency of the proof of His exist- ence, and of the power of the human mind to weigh that proof. As the childish credulity of an early age gave way before advancing knowledge, it was only the few who failed to find higher and surer ground of belief to grasp proof fitted to satisfy the progressing mind. As more proof became necessary to produce conviction, more proof always presented itself; so that the great majority of men who have left in words or in acts a record of their thoughts and convictions, have believed in an invisi- ble world, in a divine Personal Being, and in a future state of existence. So uniformly has this opinion prevailed that we are justified in assuming that there are some things in this universe that tend to 22 Natural Theology. show that it is the creation of a Personal Being, and that it has somewhere in its structure marks that may fairly be presumed to indicate the character of its Creator ; that there is also some proof that man is an accountable being, and that there are some means by which he can establish such relations with his Creator as that accountability requires. This may not be true ; but it has been held by so many of the best minds the world has seen, that we may be allowed to start with this theory of our case. Our theory then is, that man and all creatures in the universe are the work of a Personal Being. That Personal Being we wish to search for, to learn His character and our relations to Him. For such a result, no journey would be .too long, no fatigue too great. In this investigation, we naturally look to see what those who have gone before us have to offer for our aid and guidance. We ask where they searched for an answer to these questions which seem to have been the common inheritance of the race ? We ask them what answer they received, and in what language the oracle gave its response ? And lo ! all down the ages come the answers from those philosophers, who claim to have found their ora- cles speaking from the heavens, or from the foundations and adornings of this earth. Others have found, or fancied that they have found, the answer in the wondrous powers and relation- ships of their own being. Above all these sources of knowledge, we have a Book, c laiming divine ori- gin, claiming to be the written Word of the Being Claims of the Bible. 23 we are searching for, revealing His character and answering every question we need to propound re- specting Him and our relations to Him. If this Book is all it claims to be, it is all we need in this investigation. But we have not yet learned even that there is such a Being ; or, granting His existence, that the Bonk is 1 1 is work. \Ve are not yet prepared to pronounce the Bible obsolete, a collection of old wives fables mingled here and there with flashes of a high philosophy; but we freely acknowledge that the Bible must stand the tests which science can fairly put it to. If, by fair interpretation, it is shown to conflict with the revelations of nature, it can no longer claim authority as the Word of God, But we find this Book boldly proclaiming its own Author to be the same that created the world and all it con- tains. We find it boldly referring to the world as evidence of the existence and attributes of this Being. The heavens, the sea, and dry land, the change of M>ns and the history of nations, are all referred to as proof of the existence of this Creator and Governor of the universe. It makes no attempt to stand by itself; but claiming to be the Word of God, it claims also that the world was made by Him. Whether, therefore, we ignore the Bible in religion or desire to accept it, we are shut up in the first place to the study of nature. But if that Book is shown to be false, we are shut up to the study of nature alone for all knowledge of God and of a fu- ture life. Is there any evidence then in nature, not only of the existence of God, but that this Book 24 Natural Theology. with such wonderful claims is the word or work of Him who laid the foundations of the hills, and fash- ioned man with this curious body, and made him an intelligent being ? That we may be able to answer this question, we will gather the wisdom of the past, we will ourselves dig for some marble not yet dis- covered, that we may read on it the name and works of the Great Builder. If we can from this accumu- lated evidence satisfy ourselves not only of the ex- istence of a God, who has left His witness in the dust of the earth, in the varied forms of life, and in the golden stars that adorn the blue enamel of the sky, but can be sure that He has declared to us His counsel in a written Word, our work is done. No possible question can man ask for himself, either for his highest gratification or good, that is not answer- ed in the Bible. Assure him that this Book is what it claims to be, and he can learn there, in language too plain to be misunderstood, both his duty and his ~ destiny. Natural Religion, as generally defined, is , what can be learned of God and our relations to Him without the Bible. But if the Bible is what it claims to be, Natural Religion will appear in its greatest perfection, not when standing like an in* complete shaft, as it certainly now is, and proba- bly must of itself ever remain, but when surmounted by that gorgeous capital, the revealed Word, wrought by the same hand. They will thus both blend in a divine harmony of proportion and structure, each one the completion and explainer of the other. It was the desire to show not only that there is a Na- Object of tJic Lowell Lectures. s*^ tural Religion, but that it either embraces the Bible as a part of its complete development, or at least that it so harmonizes with the Bible as to show their unity of origin, that led the generous founder of this Institute to direct lectures to be given on this subject. His design is best expressed in his own words, which we here give as our guide in limiting the range of this discussion : " As the most certain and most im- portant part of philosophy appears to me to be that isliich shoiss the connection between God's revelations and the knowledge of good and evil implanted by Him in onr nature, I wish a course of lectures to be dclircrcd on Xatural AY//-/7 its conform- tJiat of our Saviour." We have here the re- cognition of the great truth .that there is but one religion, and that nature and the Bible are parts of the same divine revelation. If this is so, if the founder of this lectureship was not mistaken in what seemed to him the most certain as well as the most important part of philosophy, then nature and the Bible must be studied together; and those who would separate them, are like those who would study astronomy and ignore the sun ; or, charmed with the glorious effulgence of the day, scorn to study the brilliant hosts that bestud the canopy of night. We find ourselves in this world like children in a palace built and furnished by a royal father whom they have never seen. They admire its grandeur and beauty, and wonder at its marvellous adaptations to their wants. As they increase in age and their 26 Natural Theology. wants increase, new adaptations are constantly dis- covered to meet those wants. They see in one place evidence of power, in another of matchless skill and of exhaustless wealth, all so conspiring to their gratification that they cannot doubt it was intended for them. They may not be able to under- stand the use of all the parts, but the more they study them the more they discover adaptations intended for their good ; so that love towards them, and care for them, are plainly apparent as control- ling the entire plan. Certainly these conditions would awaken in them some desire to know the builder and owner. Gratitude would seek an occa- sion of manifesting itself ; or if gratitude found no place in the heart, there would be the desire to know, if they were to continue tenants at their own plea- sure, and enjoy such provisions for ever, without any accountability to the provider. While much might be learned from the building and its provisions of the character of the builder, it is evident many ques- tions would arise for which no definite answer could be found in the structure itself. It might be doubt- ful how far the owner still cared for the building and those it contained, or what new relations they might yet sustain to him. If he still exercised watchful care over them, there might be doubt as to what use of these provisions would meet his approbation, or what return he might require to be made for the benefits bestowed. If now a writing were pre- sented to them claiming to be indited by him, in which his character was fully set forth, for their more Method of Proof. 27 perfect instruction, we can well imagine what a trea- sure it would be regarded. With what eagerness would they examine the proof of its authenticity, when one set of witnesses appeared, assuring them that their father had spoken the words recorded to them, stamping the writings with his own royal sig- net, while bold declaimers were heard on every side declaring the book to be a forgery, or the work of men so deluded that they thought themselves record- ing the \\orcls of the king, when they were penning their own fanatical or mystical notions! Still more Id this i: ied, it" it were shown that the gravest consequences depended upon deciding this question aright. If we were called upon to ide the question, what would be our method of investigation, and what would be to us ample proof that the palace and the book were the offspring of the same mind, that they were the work of the same master's hand ? Plainly we should never expect fairly and successfully to settle the question by the examination of either alone ; but making ourselves complete masters of both, we should institute be- tween them the strictest comparison. Suppose we find in the book a history of our palace, even to its foundation-stones, and, removing the rubbish of ages, we find the gigantic courses laid as they are described in the book, while beneath the corner- stones are found the historic memorials confirming the written record, though we know those who pen- ned it never could have personally known of their existence. And the more we study the writing 28 Natural Theology. the more it agrees with what we have found out by observation and experience of the structure and its provisions, until it comes to be a grand epic giving in words what the solid stone and cunning ornaments of the palace both reveal. There is har- mony, there is nothing to lead us to doubt ; there is on the other hand a net-work of proof to convince us that both book and palace are the product of the same royal intellect and skill. We are satisfied now that we understand the king's will ; we have the law that is to guide us, the assurance of his con- stant, watchful care, and of untold future blessings in store for us. None but the most sordid and guilty could fail to rejoice at such a result, or to look upon every beauty of his home with increased delight and affection, and to cherish the written words as the most precious gift, not only because of the blessings they promise, but because they were indited by a father's heart. If we inquire now what knowledge of religion man can reach from the study of nature alone, the answer is most difficult. The trial has never been made under the best possible conditions. If we are to judge from what has already been done, we should say that in reference to the highest truths of religion, nature merely suggests probable results, simply cre- ates the desire for religious knowledge without giv- ing it. It prepares the moral system for its food, but the demand thus created must be supplied from a higher source. The ancients with minds equal, to say the least, to ours, were under the dominion Knowledge of tJte Ancients. 29 of a false philosophy, and were mere children in their knowledge of nature compared to us. They had neither the background of history, nor the thousand means of physical research that we pos- They might be our masters in poetry and sculpture, and even in mental acumen and philoso- phi< . and yet not be able to -Tap pie with this question of God in natu can, any more than le to unfold the wonders of the heavens as we do, a: .ire with our telescopes that multiply the eye's power a thousand times, and with our analysis that traces planets that even the telescoj> aled Socrates, that great master of ancient times, seemed to consider the movement of the stars as above the comprehension of men, and all study of the heavens a useless w; of time, an attempt to pry into what belonged to the god to know. lUirdencd as they were by false philosophy, and beclouded by ignorance of can only wonder at the judicious they made of the materials at hand, and rejoice above all in the strength of the religious nature which impelled them to accept the great truths of religion, though sustained at that time only by so- phistry or del- roof. If we ask what progress has been made in modern times, even in the boldest attempts at establishing an absolute religion without the aid of revelation, we know not, the authors of such systems know not, how much of their light was first borrowed, and then reflected. Are the most brilliant and leading 30 Natural Theology. truths that shine in the firmament of their s) stems like the fixed stars that give their light constantly and certainly from their own bodies, or are they like the moon and primary planets, bodies that would have eluded all human power of discovery were they not gilded by a great central light ? If our earth were lighted by the stars alone, we could with our present organs of sight guide ourselves in some places in safety. Probably we should infer from the amount of light received that more would be highly desirable, and that we were fitted to enjoy and pro- fit by more. Perhaps we might argue from our need of it, and from our power to profit by it, that more would be given, if we were assured that what we already enjoyed was provided for us by a bene- volent Being, the Creator of the eye and the Author of light. But all we should be certain of would be the desirableness of more. This is as far as Natural Religion has ever gone, that we can learn. It has established the proof of a God or Creator of all things. It has shown that while all the desires and capacities of the inferior animals have a perfect pro- vision made for them, and that while the desires and capacities of man, as a physical being, have had full provision made for them, those desires which we call religious have never yet been satisfied by the study of nature alone. In fact, none of those great truths which relate to a future life have ever yet been substantiated except by a written Word. We simply indicate here as the result, what we hope to prove and illustrate. The assertion may be denied TJie Bible. 31 now ; it may be denied in spite of any amount of proof to support it. But it must be overthrown by proof of what has been done, and not by the mere rtion of what may be done, as the grand fruiting of some specious or arrogant philosophy. That some should claim that they have already found in Natural Religion all the light they need, is by no me; In such a world as I have supposed, lighted only by glimmering fixed stars, no doubt some would be found to declare the light sufficient. If they did so, it would not be proof that they ei Jit, or had better e than their neighbors! but rather that they did not fully appreciate the capacity of the eye, and had no conception of t; >us splendor of ] And if the written Word is proved t<> be an imposition, then man stands an anomaly among the creatures of the globe, with capacities and 9 for which no adequate provision has been ma le, For us, who have always lived in the light of the Bible, it is specially difficult to know what we should have been without it, or rather what it is possible for society to become without its influence. Certainly, the highest civilizations that the race r attained without it were marred by acknow- ledged principles of injustice, cruelty, and impurity. They contained within themselves the very princi- ples of self-destruction or degradation. The bril- liancy of such civilizations is no more to be com- pared with a civilization founded upon the righteousi 32 Natural Theology. self-preserving, and elevating principles of the Bible, than the flash of lightning is to be compared to the sunlight. But though the sun is the great source of light and life, it is not the only light that beams from the heavens. The stars are still worthy of ** our study and admiration. When the sun is down, they give light to the traveller. By them the mariner makes his way sure upon the pathless deep. They are like the sun itself, eternal sources of light, the same in kind, though to us offering faint and feeble rays compared with his. From the study of them, we arrive at a more perfect knowledge of the sun itself than ever could be obtained from the study of the sun alone. They are scattered over the whole concave, some blazing with the brilliant light of Sirius, others apparent only to the long- continued gaze of the best-trained eye, and whole firmaments are glittering with thousands beyond, that only telescopic power can reveal. They well represent the truths of Natural Religion. Whatever ideas may have been connected with the L word religion, it now involves the idea of relation- ship to a higher Being. The first condition, the very foundation of this idea, is belief in the exist- ence of such a Being. If proof of this is impos- sible, then the word religion may remain, and it may come to mean something ; but its present sig- nificance must be entirely lost. Nor is the mere existence of such a Being a sufficient basis for religion. It may be a grand theme for philo- sophic speculation ; but to make religion possible, Topics Presented. 33 it must be shown that this Being sustains re- lations to us ; that we either now are, or in some future time shall be affected by Him. This would be sufficient to raise in the mind apprehension, and a desire to know more of what that relationship re- quired of us, or at least what it would bring to us. So far as we might be able to determine the character of this Bein .us to us, and the results that would How to us from that relationship, would our religious kix>\\; ; and so far as we should act upon that knowledge, our religious prac- so. We have, then, the following general topics pre- sented for our consul First. The existence and attributes of God. "iid. His relationship to us, and the results that will flow from that relationship. This involves a discussion of our religious capacities and of our immortality. Third. The necessary failure of nature to an- swer fully all questions demanded by our intellectual and religious desires. Fourth. Proof from the physical universe and the spiritual constitution of man that the Bible is the work of God, because it is an absolute necessity to man, completing in its provisions what his nature demands, and the light of nature fails to reveal involving a discussion of the harmony of nature and the written word. The first two of these general topics are essential to the presentation of Natural Religion as generally 34 Natural Theology. defined ; the last two grow legitimately from the discussion of the others, and are needed to com* plete the scheme by which it is attempted to show that natural and revealed religion are parts of the same system of truth, and that nature and the Bible supplement each other in making the great provision for the religious nature of man. We have here no array of subjects for brilliant declamation, but those great questions that ever have moved the soul of man to its profounclest depths, and ever will move it, as the silent moon lifts the tidal waves from the depths of the ocean, and ever shall lift them in eternal succession, while the earth revolves upon its axis. In a field so vast, we can only make a few excursions at random ; but if in every exploration we find evidence of the same handiwork, we may well believe that the Great Master has left no place without evidence of His being. It need not deter us from the examination of so broad a field, that the cry is raised that sciences are so vast in their requirements that only a few men can speak on each with authority. This is true in regard to some questions connected with every science. Only a few stand upon the dividing line between the known and the unknown, peering out into the dark ocean for new discoveries. But when truths are discovered, they soon become the proper- ty of every educated mind. And every department of nature, so far as it is really needed for our pur- pose, is open to every man of ordinary scientific attainment. And we call upon those who can look or Conditions Necessary. \i* 3$ so far beyond their fellows to bring out ttra^dis- covcries and place them where they belong in science, and then others can judge as well as they of the simple question of the bearing of such dis- coveries upon the proof of the being and attributes of God, and upon the destiny of man. And the pretence that is sometimes made, that no one can judge of the bearings of a science upon these ques- tions, who is not in a position to undertake original research in such sciences, is unsound in argument, to apply no harsher term to it. We simply say that there is enough within the reach of all to prove every point we wish to make, and we challenge those who have entered the very arcana of the sciences to bring opposing testimony, We shall occupy the remainder of this lecture in" a consideration of the conditions necessary for the fair discussion of this subject, and of the difficulties likely to be encountered in the presentation and judging of the proof. It is a maxim of common law and of common- sense, that it is useless to try a case and present proof before one whose mind is already made up. To be fitted for a juror, one must be free from per- sonal bias, and competent to weigh the proof. In all that relates to Natural Religion, we may have decided opinions now ; but from the very nature of the proof from the impossibility of our having ex- amined and weighed it all, we can, if we choose, put ourselves into the condition of honest and compe- 36 Natiiral Theology. tent jurors. All that we are called upon to grant in the outset is, that the theory of the case is a pos- sible one ; that the case in its nature is one capable of proof. We do not ask you to grant that it can be proved with the means at our command, but simply that it -is a supposable case that convincing proof might be produced. With this concession there is also need of a determination to give a care- ful and candid consideration to the facts and argu- ments presented as proof. The condition of the mind will not be favorable to a just consideration of the proof, if the result aimed at by the investigation is considered undesirable, or in any respect adverse to our interests. Our desires and our interests, real or fancied, insensibly affect our judgment of the validity of arguments. It requires not only honesty of purpose, but the highest sagacity in unravelling our mental processes, to guard against the vitiating element of our own interest in the decision of any case. So readily is this acknowledged by all, that it is taken as one of the plainest maxims in human action. In the question before us, our highest in- terests are involved. Answer it one way, and we are accountable to men alone. We can free our- selves from all accountability and from all troubles with the stiletto or with poison. Answer it ano- ther way, and it becomes as impossible for us to escape responsibility as it is for us to stop the earth in its course. We are all either in favor of, or op- posed to the results which we shall attempt to reach in this investigation. Would it delight us to know Difficulties. 37 that God not only created the world, but that He is the Author of the Bible ; that we are now in His power, and must ever remain there ? According as we honestly answer these questions, we find our- seh iy to accept or reject the great truths which are essential to religion, natural or revealed. But the fact that our decision will not change our relationships, and the infinite interests that are at stake if those relationships really do exist, will do much, if rightly appreciated, to make us honest. The hazard would seem to be too great for us to be willing to make the least mistake in our investiga- tions. We ought to be willing to admit every new proof, and 1 to abandon, if need be, our long- cherished opinions. T!ie difficulties in the way of a proper presenta- tion of the subject are various, and not easily reme- died. \Ve meet with one formidable at the very outset. The subject is thought to be hackneyed. For thousands :s it has been one of the staples of human thought, and in its investigation : v field of knowledge has been explored by most successful observe!*. The Paleys and Bucklands will never be surpassed, and probably never equalled, in their peculiar style and line of argument. And if there is much that is false, and much that is worthless, yearly spoken and written on this sub- ject, it only shows how familiar must be all its leading truths to the common mind. It has then no charm like that which new discoveries and new subjects of human thought possess for the moment 38 Natural Theology. We are to tread ground that has been worn like the great thoroughfares, where we have travelled so often that not only the great monuments along the wayside, but the humblest flowers even, have been seen, and every spot of beauty has lost the charm of novelty. If there is delight in store for us, it must be from deepened convictions and clearer views of truths already acknowledged, or perchance from some new truth which we may gather as gleaners find here and there a scattered ear after the harvest has been carefully garnered. Still another difficulty which must always be taken into consideration is the impossibility of presenting the proof in its fulness. To do this, a naturalist must present the studies and observations of a lifetime. All he can do is to present the great outcrops of proof, while with the mental eye he can himself follow the strata deep beyond the reach of mere sight as surely as though they were open to every observer One viewing the outcropping rocks upon a mountain-top for the first time, wonders that the geologist can tell what will be found by those who tunnel through its base ; so there may reasonably be expected to be doubt when disconnected proof is presented for the first time, while that proof, if pon- dered on and seen in all its relations, would seem as firm as the hills upon their rocky thrones. When we have accepted the great truths of astronomy and other physical sciences because they have been proved to us, we are seldom aware how much our ready acceptance was due to the common belief of Influence of Common Belief. 39 the world. The rejection of the same proof by minds of the highest order, and perfectly conversant with all the facts of the case, shows this. That proof which now seems to us like mathematical demonstration, was long years in overcoming the indices of the learned as well as of the vulgar, so any weight at all. Tyeho Brahe, with his eye almost continually fixed upon the heavens, would not believe the sun to be the centre of our . although daily recording observations that would now be received by every intelligent man as proof of this accepted truth. We do not accept the use we have greater mental power or than Tycho T.rahe. We accept the truth on the belief of the world, and then exa- mine the proof of what we are read}- and willing to believe on the testimony of others. The belief of men who have given long and patient investigation my subject ought to have weight with us. The world would make slow progress were it not a prin- ciple in our nature to have faith in the knowledge of such men. They are sometimes mistaken, and their m! do mischief and prevent progress for me. And for this reason, while their opinions are entitled to weight, we should hold ourselves reject them at once when they are shown to be mistaken. The men who have gone before us are worth}' of our respect, and are generally entitled to our confidence in the conclusions they have reached ; but as they have differed on many points, they are not infallible, and therefore it is that 40 Natural Theology. every generation has need to tread the ground for itself. Still another difficulty is the fact that objects in nature have so long been familiar that they fail to excite the emotions, or to convince the understand- ing as they ought, and they thus fail to impress us as proof of creative power. They appear in the ordinary course of nature ; and this unchanging course, always referable in the first analysis to the acknowledged forces of the physical world, fails to impress us as the expression of a personal power. The harmony of nature becomes to us like the mysterious notes of the ^olian harp, as the light air touches its strings, and wakes the sweetest music. We have always seen the combinations and changes around us. Or if $ome new and wonderful combina- tion is discovered, we are able to refer it at once to some force already well known. We content our minds with the word " natural." Whatever is com- mon makes little impression on the senses, or rather the mind ceases to take cognizance of the impressions. Novelty, on the other hand, has a charm that rouses the mind to activity, and this activity is necessary to the full apprehension of the value of the facts and relations upon which we rely for producing conviction of the truth. Aristotle, in a fragment preserved by Cicero in his DE NATURA DEORUM, beautifully illustrates the effect of common things, if seen for the first time. " If," said he, " there were beings who lived in the depths of the earth in dwellings adorned with statues and paint- Loss of Effect. 41 ings, and everything which is possessed in rich abundance by those whom we esteem fortunate ; and if these beings could receive tidings of the power and might of the gods, and could then emerge from their hidden dwellings, through the open fissures of the earth, to the places which we inhabit if they could suddenly behold the earth, and the sea, and the vault of heaven could recog- nise the expanse of the cloudy firmament, and the might of the winds of heaven, and admire the sun in ity, and radiant effulgence; and lastly, when ni-ht had veiled the earth in darkness, i-ould behold the starry b , the changing moon, and the stars rising and setting in the unvary- ing course ordained from eternity, they would surely exclaim, ' There are g. .els, and such great things must be the work of their hands.' ' These wonderful works have been ever before us, so that it is hard for us to realize that there was a time when they were not and harder still to feel the full force of the proof which their mechanism ought to be to us. And the humbler objects of natural history, not calculated to excite emotions iiuleur and sublimity, which we daily tread beneath our feet, according to the common laws of mind pass unnoticed, or when noticed, fail to con- vince us as they ought. There may be a wonderful arrangement of parts, all fitted to produce a certain result ; but then we cannot see the hand of God tinting the flower and arranging each part for its appropriate work. The plant springs from the 42 Natural Theology. ground, and its kind has done so for thousands of generations. If we could but for a moment see the Divine Hand apply the rule, weigh the elements, and join the varied cells, how different the case would be ! But from the work alone, the builder must be known to us. As we walk among the old ruins, it is hard to realize that the stones were hewn and raised and joined by men. When the Ameri- can first visits Mount Vernon, how difficult for him to realize that here really is the home of the hero whose name he has revered. It is not strange, then, that this difficulty of realizing should in the case of natural objects sometimes end in doubt of a Per- sonal God. It is not strange, at least, that it should result so to those who see no more than they saw when they were children the merest fragments of the common forms that surround them. And though the wondrous works of design should be described, it is not he who studies them in books alone, but he whose eye has seen the living loop and hinge, that can understand their power to convince. What knows the man who has merely read of Mount Washington, of the sense of power he feels who climbs the Titan blocks which form that grand monument of nature's forces ? What knows the man who has simply read of Niagara, of the emo- tions of him who looks up to the bending flood and is deafened by its thunder ? It is the real thing, and not its description, that must be relied upon to convince. And if we wish to prove the strength of the argument from design, must we look to those Competent Judges. 43 who have only read books and looked upon the same unvarying surface all their lives, or to the naturalist, who has been walking within the great cabinets of nature all his life, each day opening some alcove filled with new beauties and adapta- tions? Shall we inquire respecting the landscape in the distance, of him who has always walked upon lain at the base of the mountain, or of him who daily ascends that mountain and views that land- from every possible point ? The common observer is like Aristotle's fancied beings in the centre of the earth remaining- there for ever, hear- Of the gods and their works, but seeing the whole array of nature only as delineated in pictures of la: and tlu IS invented by men to represent the movements of the heavenly bodies. But the naturalist, with his trained senses for observ- 1 from the centre to the surface to look off upon a new world. And when the question is raised respecting the Bible, as to its claim to being a part of the great it ion, shall we accept the dicta of those men who are so ignorant of the Bible as hardly to know the Old Testament from the New ? Any man who should pretend to give a scientific opinion with the same ignorance of nature that most of those men of the Bible who undertake to decide upon its claims, would be driven from all intelligent society as charlatans and impostors. Theologians declaim- igainst the deductions of sciences of which they know nothing, and scientific men who have so 44 Natural Theology. much arrogance or so little philosophy as to ridi- cule the Bible of which they are often profoundly ignorant, it is to be hoped will soon be among the things of the past. We are also met with the objection that we may not be right in our physical explanations. Old theo- ries in science have been thrown aside as the dreams of children. Why may not ours ? Many of the theo- ries now received may be modified or rejected. But the facts upon which we shall in the main rely never change. If we introduce theories at all, it will not be as an essential part of the argument. It may not be true that water contains an equal number of atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, according to the commonly accepted chemical theory. There may not be atoms at all ; but the fact still remains, and will be un- changed while the world stands, that one-ninth of water by weight is hydrogen, and eight-ninths oxy- gen, and that its greatest density is between seven and eight degrees above the freezing point. And yet once more we have the unpopular side, because we attempt to sustain the old belief. It is more popular and more flattering to our pride to pull down and build anew with startling paradoxes, than to accept the old, although it may be the right. To tear down is a short and exciting work that seldom fails to attract a wondering crowd. Some minds can never be satisfied unless the thing presented is new. If new, its truth is little considered. We have no new and startling theories to present. We reverently enter the temple of Nature, that we Conclusion. 45 may there read the character of the Builder. Its walls, we believe, were not piled by chance ; its cun- ning adjustments are not the sporting of the ele- ments. From foundation-stone to topmost turret, we hope to read our Father's wisdom, power, and love. We hope to open the ark of the testimony and find his own seal stamped upon his written Word. We hope to hear Him speaking with one voice from Nature and the Bible, declaring himself the Great First Cause, the Creator of the world, our Creator, our God, and our Father. 46 Natural Theology. LECTURE II. PRINCIPLES OF BELIEF. ADAPTATION OF OUR BODIES TO OUR WANTS AND TO THE WORLD. Perfect provision for organic beings. No provision in m a fe- rial world for marts Jiighest nature. Claims of the Bible. A natural provision for man. Principles of belief. - Theories of creation. First cause. Matter might be eter- nal. Beginning of life. Antagonism of physical forces and vitality. Apparent harmony between them. Man an effect. His creation to be accounted for. 77ie genn as wonderful as the developed being. Bible account of creation. What we should expect to find in such a creation. Nature, an unchangeable record. -Questions that would arise with" out the Bible. Aid of geology. The existence of beings, and not their mode of origin, proof of skill and power. Adaptation of our bodies 'to our use and to the world. Re- lations to the world established through the senses. Distinc- tive use of each sense. Conditions necessary for sigJit. Relation of light to the atmosphere. Form of objects and effects of surface. Structure of the eye. Sense of hearing gives knowledge of objects beyond the range of vision. Me- chanism of the ear. Taste and smell. No special inechnn- ism. Design shown by the use. Touch. Kinds of know- ledge given by it. All the senses connected with tJie nervous system. Vegetative life. Relation of the body to the world considered. The atmosphere. Structure of the lung. Nutrition. Sleep. Animals fitted for particular zones. Man for all. No special sciences needed to show our adapta- tion to the world. Personality of the Creator inferred front the provision for our personality. Antagonism in nature. IN the last lecture we indicated something of the object aimed at in this course, and the topics to be introduced for proof and illustration. We shall first attempt to show that provision has been made in . Principles of Belief. 47 the material world for every organic being on the globe, including man, considered merely as a physi- cal being ; and that this provision is of such a nature as to show the contrivance and oversight of a personal Creator. In the second place, we expect to show that no adequate provision is found in the material world for man's highest nature, so that a written Word is absolutely demanded to make as full provision for man as has been made to satisfy the capacities and desires of every other creature. And in the third place, the question will arise how far the Hible can claim to be from the Author of Nature, by providing the information which man's highest nature demands, and thus becoming just as natural a provision for man's higher needs, as the sunlight and atmosphere and fruits of the earth are for his physical wants. ( )ur first work then is to show the nature and per- fection of the provision that has been made in the world for organic beings, commencing with man as the highest. Hut before proceeding to this examina- tion, I ask your attention to the consideration of some principles of belief, which must be accepted in all such discussions, and to the Hible account, and possible sci- entific theories of creation. In the preceding lecture, we took it for granted that the nature of the cause may be inferred from its effect. The palace must have a builder, and something of the character of the design- er and builder can be learned from his work. It is impossible for us to believe that anything has been produced without a cause that anything can begin 48 Natural Theology. to exist of itself. Everything in the universe must either be self-existent or be an effect. If self-exist- ent, it must have existed from all eternity ; if an effect, it must have been mediately or immediately produced by that which is self-existent and eternal. We are driven by our analysis back from cause to cause till we come to a First Cause, necessarily self- existent and eternal. That cause could not spring from nothing, and therefore could not begin to be. This we are sure of, or nothing can be accepted as truth. As we trace back the chain of cause and effect, we come necessarily to believe in some- thing which is not an effect, but the source of all effects. Not to believe in something eternal is sim- ply absurd. And that something has produced all secondary causes and the results which we see in the universe. What was that something ? Was it simply matter and the forces of matter ? So far as we know, matter may have existed for ever. There seems to be perfect evidence of design in the very consti- tution of matter and in the relation of its forces ; but still, if one chooses to regard simple matter as eter- nal, we see no absurdity in such a belief. But we then ask, if matter is self-existent, is it able to pro- duce all the results which we witness ? We know that it has not existed always in its present form upon our globe. But all the geologic changes, so far as mere matter and the physical changes were concerned, might have been produced by the action of these forces that we acknowledge to be the con- stant accompaniments, if not essential properties of Origin of Life. 49 matter. But there was a time when life was not here. This will be acknowledged by every geolo- gist. Now, life is only manifested in connection with organization. Did the vital principle seize upon matter, and organize it ? This would imply that it resides somewhere free from nmtter. Is vitality a force accidental in its manifestation, correlated to some other ton - ;>ed by the relationship of different kinds of matter; or was matter first organ- ized by a creator, and then life joined to it? There ate those who accept the second supposition and believe in spontane- .us generati< >n, the production of life from matter and physical forces, and the evolu- tion of higher types by development from lower. We pass fbf Ac present the geologic argument, which we believe to be conclusive against this the- ory, and ask its supporters how it comes to pass that the physical forces tend to originate an organ- ism, when the moment it is produced they tend to destroy it. And it is a remarkable fact, that some authors who have expressed their belief in the pro- duction of life through chemical forces, have also expressed their belief in the antagonism of life and those forces. We leave to them the task of harmo- nizing their own views. The organic being strug- gles for existence and lives only because the vital principle holds in abeyance the physical forces and makes them its servants. In a certain sense it is true that the physical forces build up all organic structures. But the moment vitality is gone, they i tear down the structure which they have unwillingly 3 50 Natural Theology. labored to construct under its control, and they cease not their work until every particle has taken the inorganic form. In the perfectly adjusted steam- engine moving the ship against wind and tide, or weaving finest fabrics with iron fingers, it seems to the thoughtless observer that the steam is a willing servant, bending its energies to the work. But the mission of the steam is to shatter and destroy. It rushes into the cylinder not to move the machinery, but in very hatred of itself, and struggles to escape. It is the genius of man that controls the struggling monster by bands of iron too strong for him to break, till in his rage he lifts the piston and moves the swift machinery, as he darts howling into the air. Thus also does vitality control and use the adverse forces of the inorganic world. As well might we think that the steam which drives the piston origi- nated the locomotive, or the locomotive the engi- neer that controls it, as to think that life is the off- spring of electricity or any other physical force. It is latest born of all the forces, if it is proper to call it a force at all ; and the time may come when it will vanish from our globe and leave the physical forces victors on the field. But while it is here, it holds its ground by warfare. It builds up only through the agency of physical forces. They build organized beings only under its control. We have had of late the announcement made that we must expunge from our text-books the assertion that the vital principle overrides or controls the chemical forces. We may expunge it from our text-books, but we might as Cause and Effect. 5 1 well expunge the satellites of Jupiter or the planet Neptune from our astronomies. But let us for the sake of the argument grant that matter may originate life. As it is impossible for us to accept anything as a cause, unless it is ade- quate to produce the effect, we look at once for the cause of man. We know with certainty that his body is produced. Physical man is therefore an effect. If matter and the physical forces produce lite, they must also produce life with all the adjuncts which we find in physical man, or his creation is still to he accou It is not enough to say that a germ was originated by matter, and that germ by developm- me man. To be satisfied with this statement is to deceive ourselves with words. That germ must have had in it from the beginning all the capacity of developing into man. It must have been sufficient to produce man. And no one can intelligently believe that matter could produce such a germ, unless he believes matter could produce a man in his highest possible physical and intellec- tual development. One result is just as wonderful {J5A as the other ; one supposition is just as reasonable as ^-L *"* the other. And any attempt to account for man upon this globe from a germ not as wonderful as man, and requiring as high creative power, is simply illogical and a deceiving of ourselves with sophistry Like an attempt to produce force where no force ex- , it is worthy of the wildest dreamers of perpetual motion. We have now in the Bible a simple account i *-' -' of creation. A Great First Cause is introduced. 52 Natural Theology. We are not told that He created matter and ordained the manifestation of its forces ; but we are certainly left to infer this, since He is represented as produc- ing by His command those changes, the introduction of light and the gathering of the seas, that we know were produced by the operation of these forces. According to this account, up to a certain time there was simply matter, whether created or eternal, passive in the hand of God. When the appointed time had come, he joinedjife to matter. Man was first organized in full perfection, and then the breath of life was breathed into him. We may reject this account ; but it is impossible to find among all the speculations with which the world has been favored > another method of creation more simple or less won- derful, viewed simply from a scientific stand-point. Having shown that the Bible account of the intro- duction of man upon the earth requires no greater power than the production of this germ that should in the end produce man, we have the same ground a priori, for accepting the Bible account as any other. We are not called upon to ignore the Bible, but im- partially to compare its teachings with those of na- ture, that we may accept or reject its claims. And we may say, as the first result of the com- parison, that the Bible account of the introduction of life upon the globe, and even of the creation of man, is as reasonable, when tested by the relations of cause and effect, as any theory of creation the most orthodox development theorists have ever been able to give us. Man the Image of God. 53 If they ask us to grant the creation of a germ that in myriads of ages should develop into man, we answer that if we accept their method of crea- tion, we require the same power to produce the ilt. If they ask us to believe that a germ of low type developed into higher tvpes until in ages it came to be man, we answer that the very first prin- ciples of belief forbid it. It is asking us to believe in an effect produced without an adequate cause. Among the assertions of the Bible, we find this in the very first chapter, that God created the heavens and the earth. If matter is eternal, cer- tainly all its relations in constituting this world are heir i-d to His wisdom and power. Kvery order of creature was made by Him, and last of all man, fashioned in his own image. If this is true, and if God is such a being as He is set forth to be in the Bible, the: rrtain things that we should naturally expect to find in the universe. If we failed to find them, we should so far be led to doubt the truth of the record, unless the record itself gave notice of the defect and gave a satisfactory reason for its occurrence. 1. If man is the image of God, then he will be able in some measure to enter into His plans and comprehend His character. 2. If God is infinite in all His attributes, it would naturally be expected that some of His plans would be too vast for man to comprehend fully, embracing too much of space and requiring too much time for their completion. * 54 Natural Theology. 3. We should expect that all things would show design design of the same kind as the works of man would exhibit, and never falling below them in perfection. 4. Man being confessedly the highest type of cre- ation on the earth, we should expect that the world would be, in a certain sense, created for him, or at least that it would have more important relations to him than to any other being that he would be the central figure of creation. 5. We should expect provision to be made not only for the body, but for the mind ; or at least we should expect as full provision to be made for all the powers and faculties of man as has been made for the lower animals ; this would involve provision for his emotional nature and for unlimited improve- ment in all his faculties. Finally, we should expect to find man and the world fitted for each other, and the same fitness running down through the whole order of nature ; every animal, and plant, and grain of dust, showing evidence of the work of a Being like man above him indeed, but above him only in degree and con- dition of existence. All this we should expect, if we had never given one thought to the study of nature, but were now coming to it for the first time to find proof in support of the Bible. If we found all these conditions fully met, we might well be satisfied with the proof. If we failed to find them, we should doubt the record ; because a book, though claiming to be from God, Geology. 5 5 is written by man. But the everlasting hills were not raised by man. No man can roll back the stony tablets of the earth and blot out their record. No skill of man can adjust the nice mechanism of the living beings now upon earth ; no power of his can sustain them for a moment when it is adjusted. If there is a God who created all things, we know that in nature we can find his handiwork, which all the wisdom and strength of men are as powerless to create or change as they are to bind the earth in its course, <>r to blot out the sun in the heavens. On the other hand, suppose we had never seen or heard of a written Revelation, but were possessed of all the knowledge of nature we now have, what some of the questions that would be suggested to us, and some of the inferences we should draw from the world as it is ? How came man upon the ;h? would certainly be a question that could not fail to demand an answer. \Yith our present knowledge, the argument of endless succession is lolly, -and its labored refutation by Paley and others, mere lumber. Such arguments were needed in the day when Paley could say that if asked how a stone came upon the heath, he might answer that, for aught he knew, it had lain there for ever. But in our day, when that stone can be traced back to the bed from which it was torn ; when the forces that formed it, and those that tore it from its resting- place are well understood we should expect a dif- ferent line of argument. In fact, the whole science of geology has come in since Paley's day ; a science Natural Theology. not yet perfect, but entirely changing the field of argument for or against natural religion. By its light we can go back into the dark ages of the globe's history, when there was not only no man, but no living thing upon the earth. To this all men of sci- ence are agreed. This is certainly an important point, and makes an important difference in the argu- ment. We can go back to the barren rocks and trace in the successive strata rising above them the intro- duction of all new forms of life. The only question is, how they were introduced, or how they began to be. There is no question about the fact of a begin- ning. As to the mode of their origin, two diverse views are held, one requiring the same creative pow- er as the other, as we have already shown, so that an a priori argument cannot be made out conclu- sively in favor of either. We must rely entirely upon facts observed in nature. We are now leaving out of view the Bible account, relying solely upon nature to tell us of God. And if left entirely to nature, we could not see a particle of difference between the theory of distinct creations and the so- called development theory in proving the existence .and perfections of God. For we have already shown that the creation of a germ that shall develop into \ a perfect being, involves the same creative power as the creation of the being itself. So the creation of a germ that should evolve all created beings in their geologic and living order, would require equal skill power with the distinct creation of every speci- If we look at an oak, we see in it evidence Origin from a Germ. of design in every fibre of its wood, in flower, and fruit. But that monarch of the was once represented by a single cell, containing a power that was to determine the form of every fibre of that tree ; that, by controlling the physical forces, was to originate every tissue in the exact order and proportion in which it was needed, to determine the outline of every leaf, and the form and ilavor of the fruit. Surely, the evidence of skill and power was : in the creation of that germ as it would be in the creation of the full-grown tree in the twin- kling of an eye. And 1 don of a germ that should give origin to trees of every kind, with all their adaptations to the world and to the animal kingdom, would certainly be as wonderful, and be proof <>: ; ; skill and power, a> the Creation of the germ of a single oak. The existence of such Creatures as are found upon the globe is the proof of skill and power, and the manner of their origin does not in the least affect the question. We are to inquire what the creation of all the plants and animals now upon the globe, in a single moment, would prove in regard to their Creator. And what- r such an instantaneous creation would prove, the present creation proves, without regard to the time or manner that the species were introduced. In our first lecture we stated our case to be like that of children, who, on coming to the years of un- derstanding, find themselves in a palace perfectly furnished for their use, and set themselves to find from the provisions of the structure evidence of the 3* 58 Natural Theology. character of the builder, and of his relationship to them. I propose now to apply the same line of argument to another purpose, the adaptation of our bodies to our use, as well as the adaptation of the world to them. It is evident that a castle would, if built by a wise designer, have reference to the lo- cality in which it was placed. It could only meet the wants of its occupants, as its structure should have reference to the climate and ,other conditions of the country. In a land of snow and rain, we should expect carefully-formed roof's, and only there. We should expeet windows where light could reach them, and in fact all the changes of day and night, and change of season to be provided for. We should find then certain contrivances which would be adapted to our wants in all places, and certain other provisions and contrivances having reference to the particular condition of the outward world in that place. In the same light we may view our own bodies, or the world in reference to our bodies. We are conscious of our own existence, and that we use our bodies. They are as distinct from us as the houses we inhabit. They were prepared for us. They are not only temples for us to dwell in, but it is by means of them alone that we establish rela- tions with the external world. So far as the senses are wanting, so far the external world is a blank to us. As we know from geology that there was a time when there was no man on this earth, so we know from observation that each one of us must die, and that we must crumble back to dust. We TJic Senses. 59 know that there is nothing in our bodies that can- not be found in every spadeful of garden soil. If the Bible declares that the first man was made of the dust of the earth, science declares that all living men are fashioned of the same material. Having this knowledge, we are prepared to present certain considerations in regard to our bodies, showing their adaptation to the world in which we live. And for the present we slut'l regard man simply as a physi- cal being, reserving for some future lecture the mutual adaptation of the world and the higher nature of man. And we care nothing now about geolo-ic development theories. We take the fact of our own existence as it is, and inquire in re- gard to our present relations. Our physical good demands that we should have the power of compre- hending the world in all the respects in which it is possible for matter or its forces to affect our bodies. The senses completely meet this want. And we wish now to consider the senses simply as a means of establishing relations with the external world. We are too apt to confine ourselves to the mere mechanism of the eye or ear, without considering how the senses supplement each other, and without considering the provision made in the world that it may be a fit place for the exercise of the senses. The eye would be useless without all the properties of light ; the ear would have no power in a world without an atmosphere. Sight enables us to avoid danger, and seek distant needful objects. What a vast length of time and wearisome labor would it 60 Natural Theology. require for a blind man to learn what one glance of the eye may give to one blessed with sight ! This sense also gives certain ideas which the blind could never acquire, as of color, transparency, and play of light. But of those properties and relations that could be learned by the sense of touch, the eye will take in more in the landscape in one moment than could be otherwise learned in a lifetime. A race of blind men could not exist on this globe. The sense of sight alone, as a means of adapting us to the world, would strike us as wonderful in its results, and worthy of the conception of the highest intelligence in adapting means to ends, if we knew nothing of the adjustments by which sight is se- cured. We can conceive of the power of sight as direct perception, without the aid of light, or of a special organ corresponding to the eye. But con- stituted as we are, we see only through the agency of light ; and we perceive light only by a special organ ; and objects only in consequence of a pecu- liar structure of that organ. Of all of these rela- tionships of light to objects, and of light to the eye, and of the parts of the eye to each other, not one of them is a necessary condition of matter. The arrangement of so many things by which this won- derful power of perceiving distant objects is secured, is the only one that will secure the end desired, out of an endless number of arrangements that can be conceived of. The first thing we notice is the rela- tion of the light to the atmosphere, by which it bathes all objects, unless they are cut off from it by special Light Eye. 6 1 obstructions. That is, every particle of the atmo- sphere seems to be a point from which light is re- flected in all directions in right lines. And every object, either in consequence of its reflection or absoiption of light at every point, forms an image at every possible position that can be taken, from which straight lines can be drawn to the object. And the rays, passing from a multitude of objects across each other, never interfere. Even when through an opening in the shutter, a thou- sand o! ly be painted on the screen, and yet h one be as perfect as though that were the only object in the range of vision. The glowing threads that weave the gorgeous web of light never tangle, and never blend the pictures that they are ever forming. Whether we take the proof with the eye or with the photographic plate, we find these cross- ing-lines tracing at the same moment in a thousand places the perfect picture of every object on the landscape. We cannot but admire the varied forms of objects, and the effect of surface in producing color, by which distinctness of every part is secured. The wisdom and skill of man might be challenged to conceive of means more perfect than light in its varied relations to matter, to secure distinctness of individual objects. No less worthy of admiration is the organ through which we are to perceive. Whoever contrived it, understood perfectly all the properties of light, and the wants of the being that was to use it. We might introduce here modifica- tions of the eye in the lower animals suited to their 62 Natural TJieology. special wants. But as we are considering the rela- tions of man to the world, we need not pass beyond our subject to find arguments for design. The eye of man, though limited in its power to a certain range, gives all that the common wants of life de- mand. And if man needs greater range of vision, he has but to study the eye itself, and fashion instru- ments to increase its power ; as he is able when the proper time has come in his civilization, to increase by science and art the efficacy of nearly all his phy- sical powers. For the ordinary purposes of life, neither telescopic nor microscopic adjustment of the eye is needed. But the eye has not only the power of vision so necessary to man, but it is an instrument of power, an instrument made up of distinct parts, of soljds and liquids, of transparent and opaque tissues, of curtains, and lenses, and screens. Its mechanism can be accurately examined and the use of each part as perfectly understood as any of the works of man. We examine every part of it as we would a microscope. We have first the solid case which is to hold all the machinery, and upon which are to be fastened the cords and pulleys of its skilful mount- ing. This covering, opaque, white, and glistening, like silver on the back and sides of the eye, in front, where the light must enter, suddenly becomes trans- parent as the clearest crystal. Within this is a second coating, that coming to the front changes just as suddenly into an opaque screen, through the tissues of which no ray of light can pass. That Structure of the Eye. 63 screen is self-adjusting, with a net-work that no art of man ever equalled. Whether expanding or con- tracting, its opening in the centre always remains a perfect circle, adapted in size to the intensity of light. I low much light shall enter the eye it deter- mines without aid from us. Next there must be connection with the brain, the seat of the being for whom the provision is made. These two coatings pieived upon the back part of the eye, and a thread drawn out from the brain is passed through this opening and spread out within the eye as a delicate sen < n which all impressions are to be made. To fill the larger portion of the cavity, th is parked into it a clear jelly, and imbedded in this :i lens, fashioned with a skill that no artist ran equal, to refract the li-ht and throw the image on the per- ceptive screen. In front of this lens is another humor, not like jelly as the other, because in this, that delicate fringe, the iris, is to float, and nothing but a watery fluid will answer its purpose. Here then we have a great variety of materials all brought together, of the exact quality and in the quantity needed, placed in the exact position which they ought to occupy, so perfectly adjusted that the most that man can do is to imitate the eye without ever hoping to equal it. Nor is the curious structure of the eye itself all that is worthy of our attention. The instrument when finished must be mounted for use. A cavity is formed in solid bone, with grooves and perfora- tions for all the required machinery. The eye, when 64 Natural Theology. placed, is packed with soft elastic cushions and fas- tened by strings and pulleys to give it variety and rapidity of motion. Its outer case is to cover it when not in use, and protect it when in danger. The delicate fringe upon its border never needs clipping ; and set like a well-arranged defence, its points all gracefully turn back, that no ray of light may be obstructed. Above the projecting brow is another defence to turn aside the acrid fluids from the forehead, while near the eye is placed a gland that bathes the whole organ with a clear, soothing, fluid, to prevent all friction and keep its outward lens free from dust, and polished for constant use. When we consider all this, the perfect adaptation of the eye to our wants, the arrangement of every part of its structure on strict mechanical and optical principles, and all the provisions for its protection, we pronounce the instrument perfect, the work of a Being like man, but raised immeasurably above the most skilful human workman. What shall we say when we learn that this instrument was prepared in long anticipation of its use ; that there is a machin- ery within it to keep it in constant repair ; that the Maker not only adjusted the materials, but that he was the chemist who formed all these substances from the dust of the earth ? We may be told that the architect found this dust ready at hand, existing from all eternity. We may not be able to prove the contrary, nor do we need to for this argument. It is enough for our present purpose to know that the eyes with which we now see, these wonderfully Hearing. 65 complex and perfect instruments, were not long since common earth, dust upon which we perchance have trod. \Ve can understand the mechanism of the eye, we can comprehend the wisdom that devised it ; but the preparation of materials, and the adjustment of parts, speak of a power and skill to which man can never hope to attain. When he sees his most cun- ning workmanship surpassed both in plan and exe- cution, shall he tail to recognise design ? Shall we fail to recognise a builder when we contemplate such a work ? iring is the only other sense connected with ial mechanical contrivance. It is as well adapt- ed to its pu: se of sight, although the ear in its mechanism may not be so wonderful as the eye, and the use of some of its parts more diffi- cult of comprehension. Hearing glVCS us knowledge of objects far beyond the reach of vision, when thick walls, mountain ranges, and part of the con- vex earth divides them from us. It is perfect in darkness, when HTC eye is powerless. This sense is affected only by vibrations of the air, and the ma- chinery connected with it is adapted to collect them and transmit the impression to the inner portion of the ear, where the auditory nerve like a watchful sentinel waits and watches to telegraph the signals to the brain. We are thus warned of danger in the distance; we are invited to enjoyment; we hold con- verse with friends ; and have poured in upon us, for our instruction, the mingled sounds of all animate 66 Natural Theology. and inanimate nature. The ear thus beautifully supplements the eye in revealing distant objects, and thus connecting us with the world in which we live. The senses of taste and smell are more intimately connected with food ; and the securing and select- ing of this are of prime importance in our relations to the world. We can gain no knowledge of the taste of objects unless they are within our reach, and we need none. But odors may be to us a means of enjoying distant objects, or of avoiding poisons floating in the air. There is no special mechanism connected with either. There is simply a power. And hardly less wonderful is the power of a simple membrane to distinguish the number- less flavors and odors, than the most complex ma- chinery, although design can only be shown in the use of these senses to man in multiplying and per- fecting his relations to the world. The sense of touch supplements sight, by giving us knowledge of solids as distinguished from sur- faces, of hardness and temperature. So far as it is needed for our protection, it is diffused over the whole body; but for securing certain knowledge it is keenest in the finger-tips in those organs best fit- ted to trace out varied surfaces and curious forms. When now we group the senses, what a marvellous combination! Impressions of objects come darting through space on the wings of light, crossing in ten thousand lines, yet never mingling. The ear is charmed with sounds. Odors and flavors delight us, and touch protects from danger, or thrills us 'tative Life. 67 with pleasure. What other knowledge could we desire to have of the world of matter whick the scnsc-s do not give ? What other is needed for our life or our enjoyment ? We stand in bodies protected by the senses, like armies with picket-guards, through which nothing can enter without giving the counter- sign ; an-1 these guards telegraph to us all know- e of the outer world. We have seen some wonderful instruments that indicate the presence of electricity, or change of tem- perature. But how all human contrivances sink into insignificance when compared with the perceptive powers of our bodies, through the combined action of the We recognise the body as but an instrument, but its relations to the world through the senses is a marvel. It is a tenement worthy to be the habitation of the being made in the image of God. In its relations to the world, there is a wisdom and skill manifested worthy of a God. We look up to the stars, take in the glories of the land- scape, and drink in delicious music, without once considering the thousand strings that have been adjusted by the Master's hand that there may be this divine* harmony of adaptation for the whole from age to age. The senses are connected with a nervous system, or, where no nerves can be detected, with a nervous power. Sensation is distinctive of animal life, and is the foundation of all the functions of relation. But there is in man a vegetative life, by which the body is built up and preserved. The functions of 68 Natural Theology. this lower life involve perhaps as perfect and strik ing correspondence between the organs of the body and the inanimate world, as has been seen in con- nection with the senses. It has long been the cus- tom of natural theologians to trace out the mecha- nism of the organs of the body which certainly show design ; but we propose to direct attention rather to the same sort of correspondence between the body and the world, which has already been shown when treating of the senses. So long as we confine our attention to the minute structure of the body, the Creator is represented rather as a cunning artif- icer. But when we consider the relations of the body to the world, we are impressed more with the wisdom and benevolence of the Great Architect, and we thus gain fuller revelations of His character. The investigation requires thought and patience, but in the scheme we have marked out we cannot omit it. It makes but little difference what relation of the body we consider first. For convenience, we will take one that is most constant. We must breathe. The oxygen of the air is the great chemi- cal agent to aid in giving heat, and that constant change of material in the body by which strength and even life itself are secured. It is a constant want ; and to make the world inhabitable, it must be everywhere. Water and food may be taken at stated intervals, but the air must be ever present. We walk in an ocean of it. In deepest caverns, on highest mountains, on every foot of the earth, we are sure to find air, and always of the same composi- 77/6' Atmosphere. 6g tion. Although there are two gases simply mixed together, their nature is such that the mixture is tly the same in all parts of the world. No chemical analysis can detect a deficiency of either element. We may have occasion to point out other manifestations of design in the atmosphere, but for the present we notice its adaptation to the wants of man in the uniformity of its composition and its constant pn Hut in man we find the lung lor its reception. What a wonderful organ, ready when the in ii of the new-born child is to bo taken ! It has never been used before ; but it is all ready, like the engine when the steam is first thrown into it. The opening is there for the air to enter; the thousand tubes wind through the substance til] it becomes a mere mass of thinnest membrane. Hut all through these delicate linings the arteries ive their scarlet, gauzy web, to spread the blood to every part, and when the air has wrought its change, the thousand veins gather the vital fluid and send it back to do its appointed work. Every breath involves a combination of mechanical and chemical action compared with which the s^am- engine is a rude machine. The pouring of the blood to the lung, and its passage to the heart, and all this complex machinery, was adjusted with refer- ence to the air. Was it air, think you, that formed those channels to bring and carry the vital fluid ? Had it any tendency to adjust them ? What but the wisdom and skill of a High Intelligence could contrive so complex but perfect arrangements ; as /o Natural Theology. perfect before the circulation of the blood was known to man as it is now ! He may learn how not to interfere with this work of nature, but no contri- vance of his can supersede or even change it. The body must be nourished. Made of the dust of the earth, it must have the power of gathering up that dust, and of moulding it into bone and sinew and nerve. This is the problem before us. To do this directly the body has no power. The vegetable kingdom is the channel through which the elements are made available for our use. The corn and the fruits are so much soil, or so much air moulded and flavored to delight us, while they pass into the very tissues of our bodies and become a part of them. We need not speak now of ; the com- plex machinery nor the mysterious chemistry by which the transformations are produced ; but the course by which the nerve and muscle of the arm, or the delicate materials of the eye, came from the dark cold earth into their present living forms, we know as well as though we could with the eye trace each particle in its complete circuit. The sunl^jht and the showers bring up the precious fruits. The stomach of man is adapted to the fruits which the earth produces. They are adapted to give him life and enjoyment. Other adaptations are of importance, though less marked. Sleep has an obvious relation to the revo- lution of the earth ; our strength to the attraction of the earth ; our power of endurance to its temper- ature. While other animals are fitted by their Structure of the Body. 71 nature for the zone they are to inhabit, and by the process of moulting for the change of seasons, man, made to wander over the whole earth, to change his place rapidly, has no fixed provision for his protection. He is left to clothe himself, and thus to fit himself at any time for any place on this earth of which he is the lord and ruler. We find our bodies then wonderfully adapted to our wants, to give us a knowledge of the world and minister to our pleasure. Things are fitted for their . We want no chemistry and no anatomy to tell us this. It would be just as apparent to a rea- sonable being that the body of man is fitted lor its work, adapted to the world and adapted to the intelligent being that inhabits the body, though he had never looked beneath the skin and knew nothing of the curious chemical changes in the body, as it would to the best anatomist and physiologist in the world. We know that our eyes are fitted for sight, our ears for hearing, our limbs for walking, our tongues for speech, and our hands for cunning work. If we can look upon a little child when first waking to consciousness of a new world, or upon a trained man in the fulness of his strength, and not feel that there is a perfect adaptation of means to ends to bring the person into proper relations to this world in which it is to dwell, then the scalpel may remain in its case, and the crucible of the chemist may remain cold. They can simply multi- ply proof, but they can never present any proof higher in kind than we have without them. It may 72 Natural Theology. be said that they show more special contrivance in the structure of the body, and that the principle of perfect adaptation is continued to the last analysis of every organ and every process ; and this is true. But if this adaptation is not seen and recognised as proof of an intelligent Creator at the outset, then it never will be seen. When you fairly come to the edge of the ocean, if your friend cannot see it, he never will, though he sail a thousand leagues upon it. If we see that man is fitted to this world, the question naturally arises, was he fitted to a world eternally existing, or was the earth made in reference to him ? The earth was before man, that is, before his body. His body was either fashioned to the existing world, or the world was all pre- arranged in reference to the being that should be placed upon it. Either of these suppositions implies design, and would be enough to establish the exist- ence of a Personal Creator. There is a great deal of discussion as to what constitutes personality. But man is a person, and his wants have been fully understood and provided for. Grant, if you please, that we existed from all eternity, and that it is only in connection with the body that we become con- scious ; still, we find ourselves with these bodies which we did not prepare. We know that we have no more direct power over the structure and growth of our own bodies, or of our offspring, than we have over the bodies of other persons. The body of the savage is as perfect in all its parts as the body of him who can number every bone and locate every Perfect MacJiiucry. 73 nerve. The knowledge implied in the structure of our bodies, which fits them so perfectly to our wants, is the same in kind as we possess, but infi- nitely higher in degree. It is of the same kind, because we can understand the work and approve of it. It is higher, because we feel conscious that we never could have devised it. We need not spend time in pointing out the C adaptation of each part of the body, in form, to its function. Every part is so well adapted to its office, that no contrivance of man could improve it. He can discover no new principle in science that might have been introduced to bet _;e. We do not suppose that the most ardent believer in human improvement expects the time will ever come when human science can suggest a single improvement in the mechanical structure or chemical laboratory