70 



creation of man by God. The origin of species is a lower doctrine ; but at 

 the same time it involves the truthfulness of what is stated in the early 

 chapters of the Book of Genesis, where wo find each individual species 

 traced to a Divine Author. As to the origin of mind, and of man himself, 

 and the perceptions formed of the mind of God — these I regard also as 

 fundamental truths which science cannot reveal to us, but which the Bible 

 does, I have now to express my thanks to the meeting for the kindness 

 with which I have been listened to. I am afraid my paper was rather long 

 and that some parts of it were rather dry ; but my connexion with young 

 men, and my responsibility in guiding them as far as possible in regard to 

 these things, have led me to study the subject, and to prepare the paper I 

 have read this evening. (Applause.) 

 The meeting was then adjourned. 



Note. — The following letter from Dr., now Sir Andrew Clarke, Bart., 

 F.R.S., was read at a recent public meeting : — " I take advantage of this 

 hurried note to express the hope that in dealing with the relations of 

 science and religion some one will point out what I have not myself seen 

 pointed out— (1) that there is nothing absolute in the whole objective world ; 

 no absolute standard of mass, quality, or duration ; that the knowledge of 

 an absolute primitive weight of atom is impossible, and that what wo call 

 the ordinary weight of a body is not a thing of itself alone, but a product of 

 the body by which it is attracted, the distance between them, and the 

 disturbances occasioned by other invisible but active forces ; (2) that the 

 assumption constituting the fundamental axioms of modern physics, that all 

 true explanations of natural phenomena are mechanical is incompatible with 

 demonstrable facts ; (3) that the progress of chemistry is becoming more and 

 more irreconcileable with the theory of the atomic constitution of matter ; 



(4) that there is no law of physics, not even the law of gravitation, without 

 great growing exceptions, and no theory of physical phenomena, not even 

 the undulating theory of light, whicli is not now becoming more and more 

 inadequate to explain the facts discovered within its area of comprehension ; 



(5) and that, therefore, the boasted accuracy and permanency of so-called 

 physical laws and theories is unfounded ; that very probably the greater part 

 of the so-called axioms of modern physics will be swept away as untenable ; 

 that theories of natural phenomena, apparently the most comprehensive and 

 conclusive, are merely provisional ; at present finality in this region is 

 neither visible, attainable, nor clearly conceivable, and that after all there 

 may be methods of spiritual verification which, within their condition, scope, 

 and use, may compare not unfiivourably with the methods so confidently 

 depended upon in physical research." 



