NATURAL HISTORY OF CREATION. 285 



saiy at certain times to make advances into the field of 

 .si)eculation, in order that a direction may be given for 

 the acquisition of new facts. If my doctrines shall 

 appear to have general probability in their favo\ir, I 

 anticipate that attention will be drawn to the dubious 

 points in question ; observations will be made, and 

 discussions will take place ; and, in the long run, we 

 shall find we have made a movement, and that towards 

 a settlement of some of the greatest questions affecting 

 humanity. 



My sincere desire in the composition of the book was 

 to give the true view of the history of nature, with as 

 little vexatious collision as possible with existing Ijeliefs, 

 whether philosophical or religious. I have made little 

 reference to any doctrines of the latter kind which may 

 be thought inconsistent with mine, because to do so 

 would have been to enter upon questions for tlie 

 settlement of which our knowledge is not yet ripe. 

 Let the reconciliation of whatever is true in my views 

 with whatever is true in other systems come al)out 

 in the fulness of calm and careful incjuiry. I can- 

 not but here remind the reader of what Di-. Wiseman 

 has shown so strikingly in his lectures, how different 

 new philosophic doctrines are apt to appear after we 

 have become somewhat familiar with them. Geology at 

 .first seems inconsistent with the authority of the Mosaic 

 record. A storm of unreasoning indi<,mation rises aijainst 

 its teachers. In time, its truths, being found (piite 

 irresistible, are admitted, and mankind continue to 

 regard the Scriptures with the same respect as before. 

 80 also with several other sciences. Now the only 

 objection that can be made on such ground to this book 

 is, that it l)rings forward some new hypotheses, at first 

 sight, like geology, not in i)erfect harmony with that 



