Archaia. 473 



place an uncloubting faith. The result is that the common 

 Christian mind looks with suspicion upon science and questions 

 the veraciousness of its alleged facts. Whenever the state- 

 ments of science are brought into collision with those of Scripture 

 devout people hold by their Bibles, let science say what it list. 

 Their motto is : " Let God be true but every man a liar." This 

 is very much the state of the general christian mind at the pre- 

 sent day regarding the scientific interpretation of the Mosaic 

 account of the creation. It is remarkable that although attempts 

 have been made for nearly half a century to reconcile the record 

 in the Word with the record in the Eocks, christian men for the 

 most part retain nevertheless very much the old convictions con- 

 cerning the biblical account of creation, and none of the theories of 

 interpretation which have yet been propounded have gained any- 

 thing like a general acceptance. A few of the more enlightened 

 may be prepared to modify old interpretations in accordance with 

 the light of modern science, still, but few are quite clear as to 

 the precise idea they ought, in deference to the teachings of science, 

 to attach to the Bible record. Few ministers yet venture from the 

 pulpit to teach any other than the old views, and we know of no 

 commentator of any note who does more than allude to the scien- 

 tific interpretations of creation. To some this state of things 

 may appear to be a tacit acknowledgment on the part of religious 

 men of the weakness of their position and of the potency of scien- 

 tific facts — a kind of confession that the investigations of science 

 are undermining the foundations of christian faith. Such an 

 inference would however be a grand mistake. For at no time 

 since the beginning of this sera have the foundations of religious 

 belief been regarded as more secure that they arc at the present day. 

 At no time indeed since the revival of literature and science in 

 Europe has religion more bravely welcomed into its temple of 

 truth the clear inductions of science. Other reasons than those 

 of weakness and fear must therefore be assigned for the ueneral 

 non-acceptance of scientific interpretations of Scripture. 



The reason we would assign is one that has its seat deep in the 

 christian consciousness of sincere men — it is that these scientific 

 interpretations to a greater or less degree violate the plain common 

 sense meaning of the language of Scripture. There are, it is 

 allowed, certain modifications of the literal sense of words which 

 ordinary minds can at once appreciate because they are in accord- 

 ance with the forms of every day speech — figurative and secondary 



