349 
nights of rest. Since, lastly, it is the crowning principle of 
all to subordinate member to member in such a manner that 
to man shall be committed the dominion of the earth and all 
things in it, it follows that directly this system of organization 
is complete there succeeds not only the proper rest consequent 
upon the particular act of creation last accomplished, but also 
a final and lasting rest belonging to the whole — an idea 
represented in the cosmogony by the Sabbath, a day on which 
no work is done, because all is finished and complete. This 
seventh day is pronounced to be blessed and holy, because in 
it God rests from all His work. A most important point. For, 
observe, God does not rest because the day is holy, but the 
day is holy because in it God rests. It is the peculiar 
character of the rest that makes the day blessed. And what 
is the peculiarity of this rest ? It is a rest, not only from 
work ended, as before, but from work perfected, from work so 
perfected as to need no further addition or interference from 
the worker's hand. Since, now, such perfect work belongs in 
native right to God only, and none else, so the rest which 
that perfection brings is also His peculiarly, and is hence fitly 
called holy and blessed, — holy and. blessed just because it is 
Divine, — the perfect rest resulting from perfect labour. 
It would be an interesting task to examine how this view of 
the Sabbath of creation explains its use as the type and model 
of the Sabbath of men, both on earth and in heaven. The 
subject could scarcely, however, be considered relevant to the 
present paper. We pass it over, therefore, to inquire once 
more, what has Science to say to this principle of natural 
theology, enunciated in the Biblical cosmogony ? 
The fact of God being at the present time resting from 
creation, is one to which Science abundantly testifies. 
Minutely as she may examine Nature, whether animate or 
inanimate, no trace of creation as a process now going on can 
she anywhere detect. Changes, transformations, develop- 
ments, reproductions, there may be in abundance, but no 
creation. Creative force is not now in action. It can only be 
inferred from its results. No other token of its existence is 
perceptible. The Creator is resting. Nor does Science stop 
here, but boldly comes forward with a reason for this inac- 
tivity. There is no need for creative power, for all things in 
the universe are so constituted, so governed by law, so fitted 
into one another, that by mutual action and reaction the 
whole machinery of the world is kept in unceasing motion, 
self-guided, self-adjusted, self-energised. The wonderful 
spectacle thus presented has afforded a pretext to some to 
deny that there is any Creator at all. The world exists and 
2 b 2 
