338 THE FUTURE OF RELIGION AND MORALS. 



our new materialism, and which is brought prominently 

 forward by Darwinism, is precisely this old and threaten- 

 ing one Was the universe born of chance ? And are all 

 the grandest things that have since appeared in it 

 thought, will, affection, beauty, enthusiasm, like random 

 products ? This is the real question forced upon us by 

 the latest aspect of the materialistic philosophy, in alliance 

 with the doctrine of evolution ; and now we are face to 

 face with it. 



Was it accident that first deposited the tingling nerve 

 sensitive to the sun's rays, that afterwards, under favour 

 of natural selection, developed into the miracle of the 

 human eye ? Was it accident that endowed the optic 

 nerve with such very remarkable properties ; and that 

 awoke the inner and totally distinct seeing power the 

 reader behind the refracting lens and the optic nerve, 

 who uses both ? And finally, was it accident that awoke 

 all the other senses, together with consciousness and all 

 its varied components emotion, sensations, and thoughts? 



Let those who can believe this ; I for my part must 

 believe differently. We must believe that, in some way, 

 though possibly only faintly analogous to our design 

 and intention, the great results attained by Nature were 

 intended by her, and that she reached them by a route 

 which was not any of the cross-roads of chance. They 

 were both intended to appear, and they were not reached 

 at hap-hazard. We are compelled to interpret the course 

 of evolution as being under guidance; to believe that 

 the final results were aimed at, that Nature did not 

 stumble on her best works by sheer accident, the further 

 results of which would have utterly astonished herself 

 had she eyes to see. Let us freely grant that the 

 intention, design, plan, and purpose which we must read 

 into Nature, and which we must suppose in some way 



