HITCHCOCK'S 



821. — Wt ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY SHOW THE UNREA- 

 SONABLENESS OF OBJECTING TO- MYSTEBY IN BJELIGION. 



822. Any objection against religion that "will lie with equal 

 force against the constitution and eourse of nature is futile. 

 For none? but the atheist will deny that nature is the work of 

 God, and it is not reasonable to object to that in religion 

 which we allow to exist in nature. But the cases of mystery 

 in anatomy and physiology are more striking than icu religion. 

 A few examples* will suffice. 



823. — 1. Muscular movement We can see that muscles 

 contract, but the power that does it is concealed. We find 

 that this power comes from the brain through the nerves; but 

 this does not show us how the work is done. We find that 

 electricity is concerned ; but why should electricity contract a 

 muscle more thai* a wire ? This carries us to the end of our 

 knowledge, and still we know nothing of the nature of that 

 force by which the will is able to move a muscle. The whole 

 range of science gives not the slightest clue to the mystery. 

 It is, in fact, as profound as any in natural or revealed relig- 

 ion, and until we can solve this we have no right to object to 

 any religious doctrine on the ground of mystery. 



824. — 2. The entire connection between mind and matter 

 teaches the same lesson. When we have stated the facts as 

 to their mutual influence, we have nearly reached the limit 

 of our knowledge of the subject. There is no physical law 

 or mental law either that can explain their action and reac- 

 tion. All attempts to do this amount to little more than the 

 vaguest hypothesis. Any thinking man wha studies the phe- 

 nomena will be impressed by the mystery that hangs over 

 them, and if he be a true philosopher will be slow to reject 

 any doctrine of religion because it has depths iu it which he 

 can not fathom. 



