324 RELIGIOUS VIEWS. 



convictions among those who have made natural 

 philosophy their leading pursuit, has probably 

 gone far beyond the limits of the real fact. But 

 if we allow that there are any strong cases to 

 countenance such an opinion, it may be worth 

 our while to consider how far they admit of any 

 satisfactory explanation. The fact appears at 

 first sight to be at variance with the view we have 

 given of the impression produced by scientific 

 discovery ; and it is moreover always a matter of 

 uneasiness and regret, to have men of eminent 

 talents and knowledge opposed to doctrines which 

 we consider as important truths. 



We conceive that an explanation of such cases, 

 if they should occur, may be found in a very 

 curious and important circumstance belonging 

 to the process by which our physical sciences 

 are formed. The first discovery of new general 

 truths, and the developement of these truths 

 when once obtained, are two operations ex- 

 tremely different imply different mental habits, 

 and may easily be associated with different 

 views and convictions on points out of the 

 reach of scientific demonstration. There would 

 therefore be nothing surprising, or inconsistent 

 with what we have maintained above, if it 

 should appear that while original discoverers of 

 laws of nature are peculiarly led, as we have 

 seen, to believe the existence of a supreme intelli- 

 gence and purpose ; the far greater number of 



