CHAP. XIV.] A POSTSCEIPT. 431 



keep the Professor waiting, but shall shortly proceed to give 

 him these additional references at once. 



Let it be borne in mind that in view of the popular con 

 ceptions current in England on the subject, my argument 

 was that if even those who receive the teaching of St. Thomas 

 Aquinas and the Jesuits, and who look to Koine for doctrinal 

 decisions if even those are free to accept evolution, then, 

 a fortiori, other Christians, supposed to be comparatively 

 untrammelled, need not hesitate as to the harmony and 

 compatibility of Christianity and evolution. 



Of all I said in my book on the subject I have nothing to 

 retract ; but I repeat yet more confidently than before that 

 &quot; evolution is without doubt consistent with the strictest 

 Christian theology ;&quot; that &quot; it is notorious that many distin 

 guished Christian thinkers have accepted, and do accept, both 

 ideas ;&quot; that &quot; Christian thinkers are perfectly free to accept 

 the general evolution theory ;&quot; and, finally, that &quot; it is evident 

 that ancient and most venerable theological authorities dis 

 tinctly assert derivative creation, and thus their teachings 

 harmonize with all that modern science can possibly require.&quot; 



The point I had to prove was, that the assertion of the 

 evolution of new species (whether by Mr. Darwin s &quot; natural 

 selection&quot; or according to my hypothesis) was in no oppo 

 sition to the Christian faith as to the creation of the organic 

 world. 



In order to prove this I had to consider the meaning of the 

 word &quot; creation,&quot; and I found that it might be taken in three 

 senses, with only two of which, however, we had to do. 



The first of these was direct creation out of nothing, of 

 both matter and form conjoined absolute creation such as 

 must have taken place when the earliest definite kind of 

 matter appeared. 



The second was derivative or potential creation : the crea 

 tion by God of forms not as existing, but in potentia, to be 

 subsequently evolved into actual existence by the due con 

 currence and agency of the various powers of nature. 



Searching for information on the subject, I found to my 



