3 
citing ridicule or giving occasion for scepticism, neither of 
these results can be justly charged against Geology, as pro- 
perly belonging to it as a science. The more, in fact, the 
science is investigated, the more shall we find it rise above 
such unworthy results, and the more shall we be impressed 
with the wisdom and goodness of the Divine Being, which 
its researches must develope, — and the less prevalent will 
be those follies and prejudices which an imprudent theorizing 
on very imperfect knowledge of the subject has engendered. 
For nothinof is more certain, than that the works of nature 
and the word of God must be essentially the same, — that is, 
when speaking of the same thing, they must declare identi- 
cally the same truths. But there is one cause, not generally 
taken into consideration, why there is sometimes an apparent 
discrepancy between the word of Revelation and the revela- 
tion by the works of creation. We should remember, that 
although the works of God and the word of God, with regard 
to what they teach concerning the earth, must be essentially 
the same, yet they teach in different languages. The lan- 
guage of nature and the language of revelation are different. 
Now, it is the province of the Christian geologist to resolve 
the language spoken by the earth into our mother tongue ; 
and it is the province of the scientific theologian to resolve 
the original language of the bible also into our mother 
tongue ; and we may rest perfectly assured, that when this 
is fairly and effectively done, we shall find the revelation of 
God in the bible, and the works of God in creation, equally 
demonstrating His wisdom and goodness, and uniting the 
same testimony and bearing the same witness of their perfect 
accordance, inasmuch as both are written by the finger of 
God. With reference to the pursuit of this or any other 
science, there is one effect which, in my judgment, is of 
great importance, though, perhaps, we do not attach to it 
sufficient weight. One of the universal effects of scientific 
inquiry, well pursued, is, that just in proportion as it gives 
B 2 
