God’s representative in nature, God’s vicegerent upon earth-man and man 
has been able so far to go, but no farther. Another view that I ^approve 
of in your general observations, is with regard to the objection to the theo- 
logical interpretation. Now, when there is a different feeling, which seems 
to be getting abroad, in refusing to make use of the interpretation of the 
Bible for the benefit of natural philosophy, I think it is a pity that the 
theological departments should continue to a great extent to repudiate the 
most Important chapter in the whole record. The firs verse in the fas 
chapter of Genesis I hold to include the most important fact that has ever 
been recorded. It shows the perfect existence of God, and His necessary 
creation of the universe. “ In beginning ’’—the very initiation of begmmng, 
the very first instance at which creation was to be exerted- In beginning, 
God began the universe.” That is slightly phraseologically different from 
the words of our translation, but I think it is in perfect accordance with the 
orioinal Hebrew. Now I think it is a pity that there are those who would 
wish to separate the proper reverential application of the Scriptures, even 
from experimental philosophy and the common business of life ; for it is our 
charter. (Hear, hear.) The Church and theologians took it up for a long 
time, and kept it as their Divine right to hold ; but it is now thrown on the 
world. It is our charter ; we can use it for everything : it contains truth ; 
and God is the source of truth ; and therefore I always regret that, if not 
ignored, they have at least silently admitted the influence of those who 
dislike the Bible, and who say the first chapter is a mere myth. We all 
begin from the second chapter, and they say the first and second chapters 
are the same, as if some historian should say that when the first Napoleon 
returned to Italy after his brilliant successes, and when the present Napoleon 
also returned from Italy after his great success, Napoleon I. and Napoleon 111. 
were the same person. Bo they say that the man recorded m the first 
chapter of Genesis, the man created on the sixth day, was the same as Adam, 
the individual man whose creation is narrated in the second chapter-that 
those were the same people. It would be a parallel case, and I regret that 
ecclesiastics do not read the whole thing as it is— read it as they do any other 
historical book containing true facts. This is the first opportunity I have 
had of appearing at this Institution. I was pleased when you were good 
enough to bring it under my notice, for I quite cordially agree with its 
objects, which seem to have been well carried out as yet, and I wish it all 
success. 
The Chairman.— I shall now call upon Mr. Warington to reply. 
Mr. Warington. — I must ask you to bear patiently with me, because I 
have the discussion of two whole meetings to answer, and if I do not reply 
as fully as I intended, it is owing to the lateness of the hour, for I imagined 
I should have had at least half this evening at my disposal. I begin with Mr. 
Reddie’s paper. Mr. Reddie wishes he could have changed places with me. 
That cannot be ; but I can undertake to give him one-half of the pleasure 
he would thus have derived ; for although he cannot have written the pape 
as I wrote it, I can at all events supply the criticism on what he has written. 
