LECTURE II. 



THE SCIENCE OF LIFE AND MONISTIC EVOLUTION. 



IN the last lecture we have noticed the gen- 

 eral relations of agnostic speculations with 

 natural science, and have exposed their failure 

 to account for natural facts and laws. We 

 may now inquire into their mode of dealing 

 with the phenomena of life, with regard to the 

 supposed spontaneous evolution of which, and 

 its development up to man himself, so many 

 confident geheralizations have been put forth 

 by the agnostic and nionistic philosophy. 



In the earlier history of modern natural sci- 

 ence, the tendency was to take nature as we 

 find it, without speculation as to the origin of 

 living things, which men were content to regard 

 as direct products of creative power. But at 

 a very early period — and especially after the 

 revelations of geology had disclosed a suc- 

 cession of ascending dynasties of life — such 

 speculations, which, independently of science, 

 had commended themselves to the poetical and 



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