o 



(i.^ 20) lie declares that the attributes of God — the invisible 

 tilings of the Godliead — should have been recognized by them 

 from the visible creation, and that those who have not so seen 

 them are without excuse. 



That the Deity, one and the same with the Lord God 

 Jehovah, the Personal God of Israel, was the Creator of the 

 universe, — that all animate and inanimate objects of this world 

 owe their existence to His divine power — has, therefore, un- 

 doubtedly been in some form or other the creed of the large 

 majority of mankind in all ages. 



During the last two centuries many volumes have been 

 written in this country with the express purpose of bringing out 

 more fully the objects of natural theology. Thus we find the 

 names of More, Cudworth, Stillingfleet, Parker, Rae^ and Boyle 

 in the last century ; while Paley, the authors of the Bridge- 

 water Treatises, Brougham, Smith, and others in the present, 

 who have discussed from various points of view and with ever 

 varying illustration the doctrines of natural theologj^ 



On the other hand it must not be forgotten that there have 

 ever been atheists, pantheists, materialists, positivists, &c., who 

 * would not concede the existence of design or recognize an 

 overruling Mind apart from Nature at all. Such was Lu- 

 cretius, the poetical exponent of the Democrital philosophy ; 

 while atheists, pantheists, and materialists of various denomina- 

 tions have ever been and are only too numerous at the present 

 day. But besides such dissentients to the belief of a Personal 

 God, the newly-established doctrine of Evolution has amongst 

 its advocates men who, while believing in God as the Creator 

 of the world, yet professedly deny design to be anywhere 

 present in it. So far, therefore, are they in opposition to the 

 writers mentioned above. 



The main object of the present essay is to endeavour to find 

 an answer to the question. Is design* compatible with evolu- 

 tion? I would state, before entering upon the inquiry, my 

 firm conviction that it is ; and that both design and evolution 

 are incontrovertible facts of creation. 



Definitions of Views on Natural Theology. 



In accounting for the existence of the works of creation, 

 various elements of cause, so to say, must be considered. I 

 think it will be, therefore, not without advantage to attempt to 

 classify chief or typical opinions by some such method as the 

 following. 



* It will be seen, hereafter, that the word " design " must have a more 

 extended meaning than the somewhat restricted use hitherto assigned to it. 



