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But there is one which brushes away every conjecture and 
every doubt — one which has never been disproved by the 
most elaborate ingenuity or deepest learning that has ever 
been brought against it — the Book of our Faith. 
The Bible-outsiders may think it hard, or beneath the 
dignity of mind, to be driven to so plain a record. To me it 
appears the only one through which we can account for the 
introduction of life upon the globe, or for the globe itself, in 
truth, simplicity, and consistency. 
Infidelity comes not forward with wit and banter, as it 
did formerly, and failed ; nor with the metaphysical subtlety of 
a past school, and failed. It now winds its insidious way 
under the mantle of science — and will fail too. Stripped of 
its externals, we have, instead of true science, an eccentrically 
put together and fantastic image of conjecture, girt about 
with the more pretentious matters of chemical experiment. 
Its votaries are not few ; and the intellectual wealth poured 
out at its shrine is very considerable. To some minds there 
is a fascination in the meretricious more intoxicating than 
strong drinks ; — how else could the gifted investigator 
condescend to such teachings as these? “No competent 
man of science now believes in Adam and Eve.” “The 
inroads which science is making in the established interpreta- 
tion of the Old and New Testaments.” “ No organism is, nor 
ever has one been created which is not microscopic. What- 
ever is larger has not been created, but developed ” — and so 
on, ad infinitum. 
One notable instance may, however, supplement the above. 
An attempt is being made to introduce a “new science,” 
under the name of “ Atomechanics.” It happens that this, 
or something so like it as to be of the same tendency, was 
propounded by Swedenborg more than a century and a 
quarter ago (1734). He says, that in the first finite which 
arises from the simple substance, there is a spiral motion (pro- 
ceeding from such tendency in the simple substance), and 
that, “ in the effort of the simple towards spiral motion, lies 
the single cause and the first force of all existences.” This 
appears to be identical with the pantogen, or primary chemical 
principle of the inventor of the new science, M. Hinrichs. 
The idealist's pride of intellect will not bend to seek where 
it may find. He works in the cause of his nature-deity — the 
aberrant, uncontrolled, unintelligent. Even though he may 
not designedly seek to overthrow our faith, but only point 
out some new paths — from the smooth and trimly-kept, to the 
savage and the fantastic — I think endeavour should be made 
to arrest the steps of those who have put foot on the dan- 
