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nature, and of nature's power over us ; " also, “ to what goal 
we are tending." It reveals that “In the beginning God 
created the heavens and the earth ; " that “ God created man 
m His own image," and made him “ upright ; " but that man 
has sinned, and thus — in our great poet's words — 
Brought death into the world, and all our woe.” 
But it tells us more. It tells us of other powers than those of 
nature ; it tells us that though we are born in such a condition 
that “ nature," alas ! has only too much power over us, yet we 
are so born with the hope of restoration and of rising superior 
to this power of nature. It tells us, in short, of the power of 
grace upon man's soul, and it points us to the goal of Heaven ! 
I his revelation of our faith as Christians surely speaketh 
better things “ to every man born into the world " than those 
comfortless speculations of mere human theorists, which 
hitherto have only led to shipwreck upon the wide ocean of 
scientific conjecture. Is this revelation, then, not something 
to be cherished ? Is it not something that may well unite to- 
gether, as m this Society, all who profess and call themselves 
Christians, and whatever may be their minor divisions or dif- 
ferences, to make common cause in order to guard it with heart 
and soul against the common foe ? 
But it may be said, this is pleading the cause of faith rather 
than of science. That is true. But, then, it is pleading for 
laith where science fails; and, moreover, it is for faith based 
not only upon revelation, but upon all that the highest philo- 
sophy can teach us of things visible, and all that our own 
hearts can rationally conceive : it comprehends the highest 
science of the world and the highest science of man. True 
the Bible reveals that “in the beginning God created the 
heavens and the earth; " but is not that, also, the inevitable 
and rational conclusion of the Natural Philosopher? Here 
true science and religion unite. This is the rational deduction 
ot human reason and philosophy, though it is also an article 
ot laith So, the Bible reveals to us the fall of man, and 
tells us of the consequent sin and misery. But then, man's 
cxpenence m this responds sadly to revelation. We know too 
well both of the sin and of the misery ; the truth is revealed 
m our consciences and is witnessed in all we see among our 
fellow-men around us. The cause of all this, as revealed in 
nf We ^ he Z e ' fc T We find no other ke J t0 tke enigma 
i i e.^ The Gospel message thus “ commends itself to 
every man s conscience," even before we think of going into 
proofs or evidences of the truth of Christianity Study 
nature all around, we may say, as deeply and as thoroughly 
