THE RELATION OF EVOLUTION TO MATERIALISM. 85 



they are new. True wisdom and true philosophy, on the con- 

 trary, try all things both old and new, and hold fast only to 

 that which is good and true. The new dogmatism taunts the 

 old for credulity and superstition ; the old reproaches the new 

 for levity and skepticism. But true wisdom perceives that they 

 are both equally credulous and equally skeptical. The old is 

 credulous of old ideas and skeptical of new ; the new is skepti- 

 cal of old ideas and credulous of new. Both deserve the unspar- 

 ing rebuke of all right-minded men. The appropriate rebuke 

 for the old dogmatism has been already put in the mouth of Job 

 in the form of a bitter sneer : " No doubt ye are the people, and 

 wisdom shall die with you." The appropriate rebuke for the 

 new dogmatism, though not put into the mouth of any ancient 

 prophet, ought to be uttered — I will undertake to utter it here. 

 I would say to these modern materialists, " No doubt ye are the 

 men, and wisdom and true philosophy were horn with you." 



Let it be observed that we are not here touching the general 

 question of the personal agency of God in operating Nature. 

 This we shall take up hereafter. All that we wish to insist on 

 now is that the process and the law of evolution do not differ in 

 their relation to materialism from all other processes and laws 

 of Nature. If the sustentation of the universe by the law of 

 gravitation does not disturb our belief in God as the sustainer 

 of the universe, there is no reason why the origin of the uni- 

 verse by the law of evolution should disturb our faith in God as 

 the creator of the universe. If the law of gravitation be re- 

 garded as the divine mode of sustentation, there is no reason 

 why we should not regard the law of evolution as the divine 

 process of creation. It is evident that if evolution be material- 

 ism, then is gravitation also materialism ; then is every law of 

 Nature and all science materialism. If there be any difference 

 at all, it consists only in this : that, as already said, iiere is the 

 last line of defense of the supporters of supernaturalism in the 

 realm of Nature. But being the last line of defense — the last 

 ditch — it is evident that a yielding here implies not a mere shift- 

 ing of line, but a change of base ; not a readjustment of details 

 only, but a reconstruction of Christian theology. This, I believe, 

 is indeed necessary. There can be little doubt in the mind of 

 the thoughtful observer that we are even now on the eve of the 

 greatest change in traditional views that has taken place since 

 the birth of Christianity. But let no one be greatly disturbed 

 thereby. For as then, so now, change comes not to destroy but 

 to fulfill all our dearest hopes and aspirations ; as then, so now, 

 the germ of living truth has, in the course of ages, become so 

 incrusted with meaningless traditions which stifle its growth, 

 that it is necessary to break the shell to set it free ; as then, so 



