314 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



philosophical, and irreligious manner in which sacred subjects and 

 questions are lugged into this controversy. 



Science deals only Avith the laws of ]^[ature, with secondary causes 

 only, and can never extend to first and final causes ; not that these are 

 denied, not that the supernatural is contemned, either explicitly or by 

 implication ; he is a shallow scientist that will do so ; on the contrary, 

 the supernatural, in its true sense and position, will be assumed — the 

 supernatural — that which is above — a higher than Nature, not con- 

 trary thereto, nor ever to be separated from it. " "Within Nature, but 

 not included; without, but not excluded; above it, but not taken 

 away ; underneath, and not a mere support, nor derived from it." * 

 Yet it is well, and even necessary, to be sure of a safe footing upon 

 the earth, before we lift our eyes unreservedly to the heavens. 



Socrates once desired to see the day " when Nature would be ex- 

 plained by reason alone." This is the end and aim of all philosophy : 

 to render all we see, and know, and think, and do, rational; to obtain 

 rational conceptions for all things. But, remember what explanation is. 

 No explanation removes all difficulties ; solves all mysteries. Prop- 

 erly considered, none pretends to such a thing. Explanations only 

 connect the unknown with the better known ; the less familiar with 

 the more familiar; new, un arranged phenomena, or ideas, with old. 

 classified facts. All classification, all science, consists of this correla- 

 tion of ideas. 



Now, if the scientist confines himself to the correlation of physical 

 facts, he cannot encroach upon the domain of religion, which is devoted 

 to supernatural beliefs and hopes ; yet a skeptical religionist is always 

 craving for some j)hysical facts to strengthen his faith, and the super- 

 stitious scientist is always afraid of meeting with miracles. How 

 utterly both are mistaken! No amount of wonders would impart 

 faith to a soul already filled with doubt ; nor would the scientist have 

 the least alarm on the subject of miracles and cataclysms if he under- 

 stood truly the finite and the infinite, the Creator and the creation, 

 the reign of eternal and universal law ! In going around the circle 

 of mere cosmical relations, time and space, man finds himself bounded 

 by the great impassable and incomprehensible Unconditioned — eter- 

 nity — ubiquity. And in vain the half-learned, and all not fond of ex- 

 ertion, because they cannot easily comprehend the relations of the 

 finite and the infinite, rush to the conclusion that they are in conflict, 

 and irreconcilable; so that, in the popular mind, the human and the 

 divine, reason and the imagination, our doubts, and hopes, and fears, 

 have become much entangled, and like " sweet bells jangled, out of 

 tune and harshly." 



It has been beautifully remarked of the perplexing contradictions 



* " Supernaturale igitur^ perficit guidem ct elevat Naturam^ non vero illi conlrarium esse 

 potest " (The supernatural perfects and elevates Nature, but cannot be contrary thereto). 

 (Branchereau, "Ontology," § 11, p. 6.) 



