OF THE CREATOR. 203 



sary to cite particular passages ; almost all those 

 which I have already adduced have this bearing ; 

 but in addition to them there are the teachings of the 

 Lord Jesus, which on several occasions pointed in 

 the same direction. Would He inculcate a confident 

 trust in our Heavenly Father for the supply of needed 

 food ? He enforces it by these words : — " Behold the 

 fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they 

 reap, nor gather into bams ; yet your Heavenly 

 Father feedeth them." (Matthew vi. 26). Are we 

 tempted to be anxious for raiment ? The beauteous 

 array of the lilies of the field reads us a homily of the 

 Divine care over them, and therefore a fortiori over 

 us (verse 30). Would our gracious Master guard us 

 against " the fear of man which bringeth a snare?" 

 He sends us to the sparrows, and tells us that " not 

 one of them shall fall to the ground without our 

 Father" (Matt. x. 29). 



This, then, is one important use to be made of the 

 study of natural science ; it brings us, in some sense, 

 into the presence of God ; or rather it gives us cogni- 

 sance of Him, and reveals to us some of his essential 

 attributes. But here natural theology stops. Beyond 

 this point it cannot go a single step as a guide ; 

 though, as a comjpanion^ it may still accompany us 

 under the tutelage of another directory. This might 

 have sufficed us if we had stood in Adam's position 

 of unsinning innocence ; we might have come to God 

 with our offering of praise gathered from our consi- 

 deration of his works, and have been accepted. But 

 to come to Him now^ with such a tribute and nothing 

 else, is to offer Cain's offering ; to plead not guilty 



