INTRODUCTION. xlvii 



stand God's word without a knowledge of 

 his ivorks, and perpetual appeal is made to 

 his works in his word ; neither can we per- 

 fectly understand his works without the know- 

 ledge of his word. 



The penetrating mind of Bacon clearly 

 perceived, that if supposed statements of 

 Scripture were made the sole test by which 

 philosophical systems were to be tried, there 

 was an end of all progress in science, no use 

 in making experiments, or pursuing a course 

 of inductive reasoning. And this was the 

 temper of the age in which he lived ; light 

 was beginning to spring up, and because it 

 was novel, it was thought to be heretical and 

 subversive of Scripture. But men's minds 

 are now much altered in this respect, and 

 there is no danger of persecution on account 

 of heterodoxy either in religion or philosophy. 

 In fact the tide seems turned the other way, 

 and a clamour is sometimes raised against 

 persons w T ho consult the revealed word of 

 God on points connected with philosophy and 

 science. But surely if the Scriptures are, as 

 we believe, a revelation from the Creator of 

 that world concerning which we philosophize, 

 and if some parts of them do contain 



