ORIGIN OF LIFE ON THE EARTH. 131 



attained, and thus that every planet is biologi- 

 cally independent of the others. Miraculous 

 agency in the development of the earth is in the 

 present state of science incredible ; and our 

 increasing knowledge of nature always tends to 

 prove more and more convincingly that the 

 origin of life is a natural phenomenon. It 

 therefore follows that the organic world must be 

 evolved from inorganic matter by the regular 

 action of the unchangeable order of Nature. 

 Sir W. Thomson's theory, even if fully admitted, 

 would only account for one link in an- endless 

 chain, and could never bring us any nearer to 

 the ultimate origin of life. 



Beale, in his " Life Theories and Eeligious 

 Thought," strongly insists on the difference be- 

 tween living and non-living matter, and asserts 

 that if life became extinct upon the earth, the 

 physical conditions of the world would remain 

 unaltered, but that life could never reappear 

 without the intervention of some power able to 

 overcome ordinary tendencies, and capable of 

 setting at nought natural [physical ?] laws. Much 

 of this reasoning may be admitted, for it is 

 now believed by the best authorities that life 



precedes, and is essentially independent of 



K 2 



