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to take up a chain which natural philosophy was unable to 
link together or to find ; in other words, to make statements 
which could not even be guessed at, or carried out by. natural 
philosophy alone ; as there was no necessary induction that 
could certainly follow the announcement of the facts which 
natural philosophy thought she was able to make. Let me 
make this clearer by example : the fact that death was to be 
announced from the earliest period to which geology really 
could point, showed this truth; viz., that while Revelation 
would not contradict natural philosophy as far as the certainty 
of this fact went, that death had come into the world ; at this 
point she takes it upon herself, if we may so say she takes it 
out of the hands of induction, i. e. out of the hands of geology, 
and at once proceeds to give the reason why death came into 
the world, — viz., as the consequence of sin; and when it came 
into the world, — viz., as the consequence of Adam’s sin. 
Natural philosophers here, very unwisely, advanced beyond 
the confines of that science which they undertook to unfold. 
They told us that it was in order that other creatures might 
take the place of those that had died, that death was brought 
into the world. 
But if this was the truth, then it must be seen by all, 
that Revelation and Natural Science are not agreed upon this 
point ; and which of the two standards of truth has most 
claim on our belief, no one, I think, can doubt, after what 
has been said. It must be clear to any one, that the con- 
nection between the fact of death and its true cause was not 
likely to be found buried in the strata of the earth ; and 
though it is not necessary to enter here into all the important 
circumstances that render it essential to his eternal safety 
that man should know that the sin of Adam was the cause of 
death ; yet we may say here, that it was the peculiar feature 
of the truths conveyed through Revelation that they were 
not written in the Book of Nature. The Book of Nature 
confirmed the fact, and there stopped ; the Book of Revelation 
went on to explain the cause of that fact. 
The position, therefore, that Revelation took up was, to say 
the least, a very remarkable one, for it not only confirmed 
what natural philosophy had discovered, as far as the simple 
facts were concerned, but it proceeded to unfold in detail 
the particulars of a wide scheme of divine purpose, which 
was to iufluence and regulate the future history of the world, 
though all that it stated on this point was before unknown. 
The veracity of what was advanced, claimed our highest 
attention, and commanded at once our respect and belief. 
And here I must mention a circumstance which, to me, is 
