182 
Society the subject may not be contemplated from the nobler 
stand-point which is furnished us in Holy Scripture, m con- 
ttst w P ith all conflicting hypotheses. What our rel^on teaches 
us of man’s origin is nothing new. And, to examine ^freely, 
we need not go beyond the scope of the objects of this Society, 
by entering upon theological discussion or exegesis of Scrip- 
ture. Our arguments, on the contrary, may be exclusively 
rational and based upon our knowledge of nature. They may 
be directed— like miracles at the foundation of our religion 
fo those who believe not, and not merely to those who believe 
the Scriptures. But we have no right to conceal the fact, that 
we have not invented the theory we may have adopted. And 
my endeavour shall now be to prove that apart ^together 
from its origin, the religious theory ought to be adopted 
fv° all rationfl men, as being in accordance with all evidence 
and analogy, and witli all our experience and knowledge 
of the human family. Surely there is no appeal to natural 
things in Scripture, that is not an appeal to man s reason, 
and to all he can investigate and tow r ® S | 
to the nature that surrounds linn. When bt. raid ai & ue. 
that the invisible things of God— His Eternity is power 
and Godhead-are clearly witnessed by the things that do 
armeur —that is, by the whole visible creation,— s not that 
an P app’eal to man’s reason, which throughout the whole world 
"cent long the few most degraded races or rather tribes of 
mankind, has been universally and rationally responded to ? 
Is not the beneficence of the Creator filling „ 
with food and gladness”— equally a matter of rational proof, 
Ippreciable by all mankind? And so, when it is recorded 
that God created man in His own image, an gave 
dominion over the inferior creatures have we not «- hyP°“ e 
sis of man’s place in nature, that also appeals to all we can 
discover of man’s past history, and to all we know now of 
mankind throughout the w orld ? 
Without prefuming to fathom all that is meant by man 
beS meld in God’s image and likeness, and taking merely 
the generally understood and universally accepted idea among 
Jews and Christians for ages, that man was created a pafe 
being, “upright,” “very good” (fm how, if created at all, 
could he come otherwise than perfect from the hand _ of God 
taking that as what religion teaches us of our origin, ] Iw sh 
to show what a wide field of investigation and inquiry we may 
have in this Society, without in the least _ trenching up 
the territory of the theologian or the Scripture _ expositor. 
Not that I undervalue theology or Scriptural exigesis, any 
more than I would admit that religion is not one of the 
