1864. | Pamphlets. 375 
species through secondary agencies ever come to be an acknowledged 
law, Professer Owen will have done much to prepare these young men 
for its reception, for after showing them that the Creator has brought 
all his works to perfection by a gradual development, he told them that 
“just as death is met by birth, so extinction has been balanced by 
creation, that is, a constant and continuous operation of Creative 
Power, which has produced a succession of species ;” also, that ‘“ we 
discern no evidence of pause or intermission in the creation or coming 
to be of new species of plants and animals.” And lest there should be 
any mistake as to his meaning, he repeats his belief in “the world’s 
vast age, and in the unintermittence of creative acts,” notwithstanding 
that such views may be regarded by some of his hearers with “ abhor- 
rence.” Professor Owen hoped, however, that there were no such 
prejudiced persons in his auditory. 
Nor did he confine his admonitions to his lay hearers. He spoke 
to the clerical portion of his audience of the futility of attempting, 
to put a literal interpretation upon symbolic texts in Scripture, as 
though they were statements of matter-of-fact. His illustration he 
drew from the supposed erect attitude of the serpent before the tempt- 
ation of Eve, explaining that, instead of being the “progeny of a 
transmitted species, degraded from its original form as the penal con- 
sequence of its instrumentality in the temptation of Eve,” the struc- 
ture and organization of these animals are specially adapted to their 
position and habits, being replete with “ instances of design in relation 
to the needs of their apodal vermiform character.” And he reminded 
his clerical friends of the opposition interposed in the way of progress 
by the priesthood of old, repeating the admonition of St. Augustine, 
that men will believe the earth to be rotund, and should they preach 
it to be flat and denounce the new doctrine, they will say, “If ye 
know so little of earthly things, how shall we believe you when you 
tell us of heavenly ones?” 
There need be no apprehensions for Christianity under the new 
regime, he said, inasmuch as it has suffered nothing since physical 
doctrines “declared contrary to Holy Writ” have been established ; 
and he concluded his address as follows :—‘“ Allay, then, your fears 
and trust in the Author of all truth, who has decreed that it shall 
never perish; who has given to man a power to acquire that most pre- 
cious of his possessions with an intellectual nature that will ultimately 
rest upon due demonstrative evidence.” 
Some may think that the lecture is marred by the too frequent 
introduction of Scripture texts and quotations; but, on the whole, it 
is a noble address, and the Committee of the Young Men’s Christian 
Association have studied their own interests in giving it a large and 
unrestricted circulation. 
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