10 ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE 



Looked at from this point of view the 

 differences between natural and, so-called, 

 revealed religion disappear and every dis- 

 covery of science becomes revealed religion, 

 and the scientific discoverer the minister of 

 the Infinite. Should such a discovery later 

 be replaced by something higher, or receive 

 limitations as the result of later discoveries, 

 then it is modified or disappears from revealed 

 religion just as much early legend that was 

 purely mythological in religion has had to 

 disappear with the advance of natural science, 

 although regarded by earlier theologians as an 

 intrinsic part of revealed religion in the 

 narrower sense of the word. 



Such reflections as the above might seem 

 ill -chosen in introducing a work on natural 

 science, were it not that this volume is intended 

 to deal with a subject which is supposed 

 to be shared by theologian and natural 

 philosopher, because it possesses both a 

 physico-chemical and a psychical side. The 

 natural philosopher is studying the machine 

 which evolves that set of energy phenomena 

 which display the mind, and hence although 

 working at a different level may be dealing 

 with matters of interest to the psychologist 

 and theologian. It must frankly be admitted 

 on both sides that this interpenetration does 



