266 CREATION BY LAW. 



of parents. As a simple but striking example, take 

 an oak forest. Every oak will drop annually thou- 

 sands or millions of acorns, but till an old tree falls, 

 not one of these millions can grow up into an oak. 

 They must die at various stages of growth. 



3. The Law of Heredity, or Likeness of Offspring 

 to their Parents. This is a universal, but not an 

 absolute law. All creatures resemble their parents in 

 a high degree, and in the majority of cases very ac- 

 curately; so that even individual peculiarities, of what- 

 ever kind, in the parents, are almost always transmitted 

 to some of the offspring. 



4. The Law of Variation. This is fully expressed 

 by the lines : 



" No being on this earthly ball, 

 Is like another, all in all." 



Offspring resemble their parents very much, but not 

 wholly each being possesses its individuality. This 

 u variation " itself varies in amount, but it is always 

 present, not only in the whole being, but in every 

 part of every being. Every organ, every character, 

 every feeling is individual ; that is to say, varies from 

 the same organ, character, or feeling in every other 

 individual. 



5. The Law of unceasing Change of Physical Con- 

 ditions upon the Surface of the Earth. Geology shows 

 us that this change has always gone on in times past, 

 and we also know that it is now everywhere going on. 



6. The Equilibrium or Harmony of Nature. When 

 a species is well adapted to the conditions which 



