48 SPONTANEOUS GENERATION. 



immediate bringing into life by the Creator, 

 as typified in the account given in Genesis. 



By " spontaneous generation " is meant 

 the beginning to manifest the phenomena 

 of life by matter not previously manifesting 

 these phenomena, and without the inter- 

 vention of anything already manifesting 

 them matter beginning to manifest the 

 phenomena of life spontaneously, from the 

 innate initiative tendency within matter. 

 Spontaneous generation really means genera- 

 tion by nature herself, or by the Creator 

 via nature, which is the same thing. 



Here the name " Creator " is used to 

 signify the maker of the universe, the 

 originator of all things that have been 

 created ; indeed, the apparent source of all, 

 whether created or not. 



From the earliest times to the end of the 

 middle ages no one called in question the 

 doctrine that, under favourable conditions, 

 living matter might come into existence 

 spontaneously, as well subsequently as at 

 its primitive genesis. In the latter part 

 of the seventeenth century, however, this 

 opinion became disputed, and about the 

 middle of the nineteenth century, by careful 

 experimentation, Pasteur, Virchow, Tyndall, 

 and other scientists satisfied themselves 



