92 REV. A. IRVING, B.A., D.SC, ON EVOLUTIONARY LAM, ETC. 



The language of the first chapter of Genesis seems to bear out 

 Dr. Irving's view that it is a story of evolution. Verse 11, for 

 example, says, " Let the earth bring forth (produce) green herbs and 

 vegetation," ^Xaa-Trjamu) ^o-ravi^v" (Ixx), and V. 20, "Let the 

 waters swarm with swarms of living souls " (Heb.), or as in French 

 E.V., " Let the waters ^mZwcg, in abundance, living beings." 



And in verse 26, the purpose of God in evolution is clearly 

 stated, " Let us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness, and let 

 them have dominion . . . over all the earth." A purpose which the 

 Scripture states is not yet accomplished. For " Not yet do we 

 see all things put under " man as the vicegerent of God, but in the 

 " age to come," this authority will be given to all mankind who shall 

 have attained to the image of God. Up to the present Christ alone 

 is said to be the impress of His Substance, " the express image of 

 His Person, but He is the first-born among many brethren, who are 

 fore-ordained to be conformed to His Image." For not unto angels 

 hath He subjected " the inhabited earth to come," but to Jesus as the 

 " First-born of an entire creation " — that is, the New Creation which 

 shall have dominion over all the earth. This is the end and purpose 

 of Evolution, as foreshadowed in Genesis i and completed in 

 Eevelation xxii. 



Dr. Irving. — My friend Mr. Whidborne will find many " co- 

 incident points " in the Synoptic Parallelism appended to this paper, 

 which, I may add, was in MS. before the paper was written. As 

 bo the inception of animal and vegetable life on this globe, I have 

 nothing to add to what is stated on p. 10. The infra-Cambrian 

 stratigraphical " gap " is well known, but is a small thing in the 

 totality of planetary evolution. To Mr. Proctor I may be allowed 

 to say that man's overlordship of creation is a fact. It is, however, 

 not absolute, but relative. Under the illumination of "God's Spirit 

 working in capable men,"*^ man has advanced a long way in 

 controlling the powers of nature to his own ends. I thank Mr. Eate 

 for the " nec proj)i'us " caution of Dr. Halley. 



Archbishop Benson, Sermon before the British Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, Southampton Meeting, 1882. 



