EVOLUTION AND THEOLOGY. 257 



of evolution, although it states one side of the case 

 moderately well, as far as it goes. 



Dr. Hodge approaches the subject from the side 

 of systematic theology, and considers it mainly in its 

 bearing upon the origin and original state of man. 

 Under each head he first lays down " the Scriptural 

 doctrine," and then discusses "anti-Scriptural theo- 

 ries," which latter, under the first head, are the hea- 

 then doctrine of spontaneous generation, the modern 

 doctrine of spontaneous generation, theories of devel- 

 opment, specially that of Darwin, the atheistic char- 

 acter of the theory, etc. Although he admits "that 

 there is a theistic and an atheistic form of the nebu- 

 lar hypothesis as to the origin of the universe, so there 

 may be a theistic interpretation of the Darwinian 

 theory," yet he contends that " the system is thorough- 

 ly atheistic," notwithstanding that the author "ex- 

 pressly acknowledges the existence of God." Curious- 

 ly enough, the atheistic form of evolutionary hy- 

 potheses, or what he takes for such, is the only one 

 which Dr. Hodge cares to examine. Even the " Reign 

 of Law " theory, Owen's " purposive route of devel- 

 opment and change .... by virtue of inherent ten- 

 dencies thereto," as well as other expositions of the 

 general doctrine on a theistic basis, are barely men- 

 tioned without a word of comment, except, perhaps, 

 a general " protest against the arraying of probabili- 

 ties against the teachings of Scripture." 



Now, all former experience shows that it is neither 

 safe nor wise to pronounce a whole system " thorough- 

 ly atheistic" which it is conceded may be held theis- 

 tically, and which is likely to be largely held, if not 



