8 THE HISTORY OF CREATION. 
sense, and it must be borne in mind that, strictly speaking, 
the expression “non-miraculous history of creation” contains 
a “contradictio in adjecto.” 
In order to understand this, let us for a moment examine 
somewhat -more closely what we understand by creation. 
If we understand the creation to mean the coming into 
existence of a body by a creative power or force, we may 
then either think of the coming into existence of its sub- 
stance (corporeal matter), or of the coming into existence of 
its form (the corporeal form). 
Creation in the former sense, as the coming into existence 
of matter, does not concern us here at all. This process, if 
indeed it ever took place, is completely beyond human com- 
prehension, and can therefore never become a subject of 
scientific inquiry. Natural science teaches that matter is 
eternal and imperishable, for experience has never shown us 
that even the smallest particle of matter has come into 
existence or passed away. Where a natural body seems to 
disappear, as for example by burning, decaying, evaporation, 
etc., it merely changes its form, its physical composition or 
chemical: combination. In like manner the coming into 
existence of a natural body, for example, of a crystal, a 
fungus, an infusorium, depends merely upon the different 
particles, which had before existed in a certain form or com- 
bination, assuming a new form or combination in conse- 
quence of changed conditions of existence. But never yet 
has an instance been observed of even the smallest particle 
of matter having vanished, or even of an atom being added 
to the already existing mass. Hence a naturalist can no 
more imagine the coming into existence of matter, than he 
can imagine its disappearance, and he therefore looks upon 
