REV. J. MARTINEAU AND BELFAST ADDRESS. 225 



fast. ' The impregnable position of Science,' I there 

 say, ' may be stated in a few words. We claim, and we 

 shall wrest from Theology, the entire domain of Cos- 

 mological theory.' Thus Theology, so far as it is rep- 

 resented 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 ' Religion 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 esthetic 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 in- 

 terpretation 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 ' Sacred Books.' Having 

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

 temptuously away, he does not define the Sacred resi- 

 due; much less give us the reasons why he deems them 



