

REV. JAMES MARTINEAU AND BELFAST ADDRESS. 227 



Science,' I there say, ( may be stated in a few words. 

 We claim, and we shall wrest from Theology, the entire 

 domain of Cosmological theory,' Thus Theology, ?o far 

 as it is represented by Mr, Martineau, and Science, 

 so far as I understand it, are in absolute harmony 

 here. 



But Mr, Martineau would have just reason to com- 

 plain of me, if, by partial citation, I left my readers 

 under the impression that the agreement between us is 

 complete. At the opening of the eighty-ninth Session 

 of the Manchester New College, London, on October 6, 

 1874, he, its principal, delivered an Address bearing 

 the title c Keligion as affected by Modern Materialism ; ' 

 the references and general tone of which make evident 

 the depth of its author's discontent with my previous 

 deliverance at Belfast. I find it difficult to grapple 

 with the exact grounds of this discontent. Indeed, 

 logically considered, the impression left upon my mind 

 by an essay of great aesthetic merit, containing many 

 passages of exceeding beauty, and many sentiments 

 which none but the pure in heart could utter as they 

 are uttered here, is vague and unsatisfactory. The 

 author appears at times so brave and liberal, at times 

 so timid and captious, and at times, if I dare say it, 

 so imperfectly informed, regarding the position he 

 assails. 



At the outset of his Address Mr. Martineau states 

 with some distinctness his ' sources of religious faith.' 

 They are two * the scrutiny of Nature ' and ' the inter- 

 pretation of Sacred Books.' It would have been a 

 theme worthy of his intelligence to have deduced from 

 these two sources his religion as it stands. But not 

 another word is said about the 6 Sacred Books,' Having 

 swept with the besom of Science various 'books' con- 

 temptuously away, he does not define the Sacred 



