355 



ORDINAEY MEETINa, March 3, 1873. 



Mr. Charles Brooke,, F.R,S.^ Vice-President^ in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 

 following Elections were announced : — 



Members : — David Howard, Esq., F.C.S., Stamford Hill ; Theodore 

 Howard, Esq., Bickley, near Chislehurst ; William Dillwoth Howard, 

 Esq., Tottenham. 



After which, the following paper was read by the Author : — 



THE LAW OF CREATION; UNITY OF PLAN; 

 VARIETY OF FORM. By the -Rev. G. W. Weldon, 

 M.A. Cantab. 



IF I venture to bespeak the indulgence of this meeting, I do 

 so on the plea of the frank admission of my own compara- 

 tive ignorance and felt insufficiency to deal with a subject 

 which affords scope for inexhaustible inquiry. 



2. On some points relating to natural philosophy, a man may 

 speak without incurring the charge of presumption ; but the 

 vain attempt sometimes made to dissect the mighty mind of 

 God as it appears in His manifold works of wisdom from 

 all eternity, leads to conclusions as contrary to revelation as 

 to common sense. On such a subject, even if finite minds were 

 competent for the task, we can only reason in so far forth 

 as the proven facts of science, and the unequivocal testimony 

 of Scripture seem as it were to lead us by the hand. 



3. With regard to the immediate topic under review, allow 

 me, by way of apology, for selecting one so comprehensive 

 in its application, to observe that anything advanced in this 

 paper is necessarily elementary and suggestive. 



4. However feebly the subject may be handled by me, still it 

 is hoped that the thoughts herein expressed may serve, if ever 

 so little, to augment the brilliant and varied evidence which 

 ever waits on the Divine workmanship "to justify the ways of 

 God to man.^^ If unhappily it should fail in this respect, 

 it possesses at least the merits of having supplied to my own 

 mind arguments for an unclouded belief in the coincidence of 

 a unity of design between the author of the Bible and the 



VOL. VII. 2 c 



