440 LESSONS FROM NATUEE. [CHAP. XIV. 



the following thesis (&amp;lt;De Theologicis Disciplinis, lib. xi. 

 c. ii.) : 



&quot;Propositio I. Audacise potius et fidentise vitio, quam doctrine 

 laude debent notari, qui maledico dente carpunt Augustianam de 

 simultcmea creatione sententiam. 



&quot;Propositio II. Augustini de simultanea creatione sententia non 

 solum ab omni animadversione immunis est, verum etiam probubilis et 

 prope certa.&quot; 



And in n. 9 he says : 



&quot; Quare in distributione operum Dei omnia quidem spectant ad illos 

 dies invisibiles in quibus creavit omnia simul, videlicet ad diversas 

 cognitiones angelorum ; sed plura, hoc est, quae primum in rationibus 

 seminalibus, deinde visibiliter facta stint, si accipiantur secundum 

 priorem conditioner^ pertinent ad dies intelligibiles, et unico momento 

 fuerunt et ipsa producta; si vero inspiciantur, ut in propria forma 

 aspectabili constitute, istorum creatio perficitur in tempore, et post sex 

 illos dies invisibiles; spectatque ad dies naturales in quibus Deus 

 operatur quotidie, quidquid ex illis tanquam involucris primordialibus 

 in tempore evolvitur. Sed legite S. Patrem Lit. v. de Gen. ad lit.&quot; 



But now, coming down to our own day, the same com 

 plete refutation of Professor Huxley s position is most easily 

 eifected. 



Father Pianciani, a Jesuit, was president of the College of 

 Philosophy in the Eoman University. His work, &amp;lt; Cosmo- 

 gonia Naturale comparata al Genesi, was published at .Rome 

 in 1862, at the press of the Civilta Cattolica. Professor 

 Huxley will hardly dispute as to his orthodoxy. This author, 

 in his Historia Creationis Mosaic (published at Naples 

 as long ago as 1851), p. 29, shows that the whole of the first 

 chapter of Genesis must be read as a most sublime and 

 magnificent poetical description. Concerning St. Augustin s 

 special view, he tells us (p. 15), &quot; Ejus doctrina ad hsec capita 

 revocatur :&quot; 



&quot;1 Omnia simul a Deo fuisse producta: 2 Cum ipsa ita disponi 

 queant, ut infimum gradum materia elernentaris, supremum puri 

 spiritus occupent, interjectos et medios turn mixta, seu chimica com- 

 posita, turn corpora physice composita, ut saxa, turn pnecipue corpora 

 organica. Hinc quse ad infimum, supremumque gradum spectant et si 

 qu alia sunt, qiue naturre viribus neque nunc producuntur, plene et 



