198 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



the universe. He was wrong, too, in calling 

 creation a miracle, for before it there were no 

 natural laws, and consequently such laws 

 could not have been violated by creation. 



Dr. Schmidt-Jena is plainly confused as to 

 the differences between Theism, Deism, and 

 Pantheism, therefore I will here give a short 

 and accurate statement of the distinctions 

 between them. 



(a) According to Theism, God is the infinitely 

 perfect and eternal Being, and so God's nature 

 differs essentially from the nature of the world, 

 which consists of finite and imperfect things. 

 The finite could proceed from the infinite only 

 by an act of creation on God's part. In virtue 

 of His infinity, God is most intimately present 

 in all creatures, and because of the continuous 

 dependence of the finite upon the infinite, He 

 is active in all creatures through their preserva- 

 tion (conservatio) 9 and He participates in all 

 their actions through co-operation (concursus 

 divinus). 



He does not arbitrarily interfere with the 

 working of the natural laws which He Himself 

 has laid down, because to do so would be 

 incompatible with His infinite wisdom, which is 

 identical with His power. Therefore in the 

 natural order there are no miracles, i.e. excep- 

 tions to the natural laws. But over and 

 above the natural order, God has given a 



