228 PROP. G. MACLOSKIE^ D.SC, LL.D., ON 



to explain the world too well, lest science should explain 

 away our God, and leave us ignoi-ant where to find Him. 

 Even those Avho are liberal enough to concede the consistency 

 of mechanicisni and theism, fear the effect of the new science 

 on our faith in the Bible, and especially in the great miracle 

 of the resurrection of Jesus Christ ; a fear which has been 

 intensified by attempts to account for all the miracles as 

 natural occurrences or unfounded traditions. But whatever 

 view may be held of the origin of mind, whether we regard 

 it as a derivate under Divine direction from the material 

 organism, or as a substance primitively created apart from 

 matter, we are compelled by its actual phenomena to 

 assign to it a certain measure of independent activity as 

 to the moral quality though not as to the physiological 

 quantivalence of cerebral action. AVe presume that the 

 cerebration of the evil disposed is as great quantitatively as 

 that of the well disposed, and that the cerebration of an 

 idiot involves as much expenditure cf blood and brain-tissue 

 as that of Newton ; but there are moral and intellectual 

 scales by which brain-work must be weighed, independently 

 of its chemico-physical value. In man as well as beast 

 there is much of the mere machine or automaton ; and 

 some have gone so far as to accord to the lower animals 

 some measure of intelligence and will and often of "social 

 virtues" which are found more liberally in ourselves. There 

 is no special evidence of a soul in the lower animals any more 

 than in plants : but in consideration of man's moral endow- 

 ments and aspirations, the science which has invented ether 

 as a vehicle of light, regarding it as a specially active form 

 of matter, ought not, even on a mechanical theory of mind, 

 to reject the hypothesis of something that shall carry our 

 persona.1 identity, with our faith and our joys, into Heaven. 

 This is a subject beyond the scope of inductive science; but 

 there seems no ground for fear tliat our hopes of immortality 

 are at stake, if we accept the mechanical concept in its 

 entirety. 



The problem of miracles is frequently brought into the 

 case, though not strictly pertinent. We do not think that 

 any conceivable amount of evidence Avould convince us that 

 a man rose from the dead at Jerusalem Avithin the past year, 

 or that we could be led to accept any of the mediaeval or 

 modern so-called miracles in support of corrupt cults ; and 

 pure cults make no claims to miracle-working. Thus in the 

 ordinary course of nature we have no dispute with Agnostics 



