INTRODUCTION. xliii 



I trust I may render some service to the 

 cause of truth and science, if I again revert 

 to the subject which I mentioned at the 

 beginning of this introduction, I mean the 

 study of the word of God, together with that 

 of his works, with the view to illustrate one 

 by the other. 



The great and wonderful genius before al- 

 luded to, Lord Verulam, who laid the founda- 

 tion upon which the proud structure of modern 

 philosophy is erected, who banished from sci- 

 ence the visionary theories of the speculator, 1 

 and the unfounded dogmas of the bigot, and 

 made experiment, and, as it were, the anatomy 

 of nature, the root of true physical knowledge ; 

 warns the philosopher against making holy 

 scripture his text book, for a system of phi- 

 losophy, which he says, is like seeking the 

 dead amongst the living. 2 I am disposed, 

 however, to think that this illustrious philo- 

 sopher, by this observation, did not mean to 

 exclude all study of the word of God, with a 

 view to discover what is therein delivered 

 concerning physical subjects, for he himself 

 speaks of the book of Job, as pregnant with 



1 Idohi Speciis. * De Augment. Sc. \. ix. r. 1. .>. 



