516 
class of minds amongst which he goes from our continual small efforts to 
pick holes in science. We should rather endeavour to arrive at certain strong 
principles with regard to revelation on which we might take a firm stand. 
I do not know that I have anything more to reply upon, as the criticism has 
been so exceedingly favourable to my paper. 
Mr. Redd ie. — But you have given us nothing as to the geological com- 
mencement of the world. (Hear, hear.) 
Rev. C. A. Row. — I am not called upon to say what I believe. I say 
the periods of geology rest on very high probability, and you must wait 
for the present. 
Mr. Reddie. — By which you mean that the science of the world rests upon 
chronology ? 
Rev. C. A. Row. — Ninety-nine out of every hundred geologists think 
that 8,000 years is too narrow an amount of time for the existence of the 
world. I think that the enormous preponderance of geological evidence 
gives us aright to assume the probability of that view. It may be true or it 
may not. 
Mr. Reddie. — But you have not noticed the fact that the long geological 
periods were based on the nebular theory ; geologists thought that the 
immense heat, which they had assumed, would take all that long time to cool 
down. But the nebular theory has now gone. 
Rev. C. A. Row. — It would be ridiculous in me to attempt to go into this 
question ; it has nothing to do with the paper. I only wanted to establish some 
sound ground for believing in revelation, and for not constantly running our 
heads against science. 
The meeting was then adjourned. 
