ON GEOLOGICAL TIME. 45 



tides that we refer for such conclusions. Go to 

 other bodies besides the earth and moon ; con- 

 sider the sun. We depend on the sun very much 

 for the existing order of things. Life on this 

 earth would not be possible without the sun, 

 that is, life under the present conditions life such 

 as we know and can reason about. When Playfair 

 spoke of the planetary bodies as being perpetual 

 in their motion, did it not occur to him to ask, 

 what about the sun's heat ? Is the sun a mira- 

 culous body ordered to give out heat and to shine 

 for ever ? Perhaps the sun was so created. He 

 would be a rash man who would say it was not 

 all things are possible to Creative Power. But we 

 know also, that Creative Power has created in our 

 minds a wish to investigate and a capacity for 

 investigating ; and there is nothing too rash, there 

 is nothing audacious, in questioning human as- 

 sumptions regarding Creative Power. Have we 

 reason to believe Creative Power did order the 

 sun to go on, and shine, and give out heat for 

 ever ? Are we to suppose that the sun is a per- 

 petual miracle ? I use the word miracle in the sense 



