8 
inevitable result. It is accepted, or rather it is advanced, m the 
plainest manner in the “ Essays and Reviews,” — most especially 
in Mr. C. W. Goodwin's essay on the Mosaic Cosmogony ; and 
it is the very ground upon which the Bishop of Natal left his 
diocese and came to England, to write his books against the 
Pentateuch. In one of the latest of his public enunciations, 
before returning to South Africa, he advanced distinctly the 
same proposition. I allude to a paper he read before the 
Anthropological Society of London, on May 16th, 1865. In 
it he says, “The elementary truths of geological science flatly 
contradict the accounts of the Creation and the Deluge ; 9 and 
he adds, “ At all events, I have done my best to secure that 
the simple facts revealed by modern science— some of which, 
as Dr. Temple has justly said on a recent occasion, are utterly 
irreconcilable with Scripture statements, if these are taken as 
announcing literal historical truth, — shall not be kept back 
from the heathen with whom my own lot has been cast in the dis- 
trict of Natal.” Here Dr. Colenso is simply declaring, that he 
holds it to be impossible that the truths of nature can be con- 
trary to the truths of revelation ; and he quite consistently 
rejects the scriptural statements which are at variance with 
what he regards as truths of science. 
The difference between him and the students who signed the 
Declaration referred to, is this : — He distrusts the Scriptures, 
and considers his science unquestionable ; they rather question 
science, and are not prepared to give up the Holy Scriptures. 
They say, “We are not unmindful that Physical Science is not 
complete, but is only in a condition of progress, and that at 
present our finite reason enables us only to see as through a 
glass darkly;” and they afterwards declare, that they confi- 
dently believe that a time will come when the two records will 
be seen to agree in every particular.” 
Now, in this state of things it is perfectly clear that men 
must naturally range themselves either upon the side of Scrip- 
ture or of science. If, like Dr. Colenso, Dr. Temple and Mr. 
Goodwin, they have implicit faith in what they consider to be 
scientific truth, then they must distrust the Scriptures; 
whereas, on the other hand, if they have faith in the woid of 
God as revealed in Scripture, they must distrust that science 
so called, which contradicts it. They cannot believe equally m 
both. They must hold to the one or to the other. Even those 
who are puzzled, and scarcely able to realize so definite a 
course, must feel that it is most unsatisfactory to have science 
and revelation thus at issue; and they must naturally be anxious 
that something should be done to get rid of. such contradic- 
tions. Now this is precisely the end which is proposed 
