298 Natural Theology. 



their own yearnings as the revelation of things that 

 do exist. There are various arguments against this 

 view, which belong strictly to the theologian ; but 

 there is one argument against it which fairly belongs 

 to natural religion. It is the actual correspondence 

 of the Bible with the works of nature. In this re- 

 spect it is peculiar. Written in an early age, by a 

 people little versed in the natural sciences, it chal- 

 lenges criticism in this respect. As morals and poli- 

 tics have never gone beyond the principles laid down 

 in the Bible, so science has found nothing here con- 

 trary to its teachings. All seeming collision, and all 

 fear of collision, have arisen from an ignorance of 

 nature, or that narrow view of Bible exegesis which 

 is constantly transferring something of the reverence 

 which is natural for the Bible, to the old commenta- 

 tors, who have explained the Bible. To show the 

 actual correspondence of the Bible with the works 

 of nature, no better portion can be selected than 

 the first chapter of Genesis ; for there alone are the 

 operations of nature made the object of special reve- 

 lation. If any portion of the Bible presents claims 

 to be inspired, it is certainly this portion ; for it 

 claims to record events that transpired before man 

 was created. 



In other places, nature is referred to only for 

 illustration, and hence the common usage of speak- 

 ing of things simply as they appear must be ex- 

 pected. But when the Bible proposes to give a 

 history of the creation, it must ultimately stand or 

 fall by that record. It will survive all the mistakes 



