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the ordinary sense of those words, true enough. If, however, 
in the first eleven chapters of Genesis (to say nothing here of 
other portions), if, in the very commencement of this wondrous 
revelation, to which, moreover, as that revelation proceeds, 
continual reference is made, the subjects are mainly physical 
and historical, surely so much of science and history as this 
was intended for man’s instruction. If, again, the Author of 
the works of creation and providence, and the Author of the 
records of those works contained in the Holy Scriptures be the 
same All- wise and unerring God, no real variance can exist be- 
tween the two. Between misconception and mere theory on one 
side, and truth on the other, or between misinterpretation and 
mistake on the side of Scripture and fact on the side of science, 
or between misconception there and misinterpretation here, 
there can scarcely fail to be opposition. But between the 
works and dealings of God, and His own record of them, 
there can be none. And let me be allowed to observe that 
the liability to misinterpret Scripture and the liability to 
misconceive the laws of nature appear to me nearly equal. 
For just as there are certain powers of mind, and these the 
gift of God, without which a man, whatever may be his 
talents of another kind, cannot fairly grasp any one portion of 
the system of nature, so there is a gift of that same God, the 
possession of which is necessary in order rightly to understand 
on any subject the true bearing and reach of Scripture. As 
reasonably may a man expect, by hammering one or two 
rocks, or by the possession of a few pebbles, to take in the 
whole science of geology, as to find in a few detached texts 
the true teaching on any subject of the word of God. On 
those subjects of which I am speaking there is in both records 
an analogy which must be carefully studied. They who would 
not misconceive the one, nor misinterpret the other, must 
possess a capability of comparing things that differ ; and they 
must be careful to do this. 
One word more on this subject. Both in natural science 
and in Scripture there is a class of facts and truths, which, 
from the first appearance of these records, has been patent to 
the most unlearned. Such are those which in science relate to 
the life of the body, and which in Scripture relate to spiritual 
and eternal life. While in both there is another class, teaching 
or illustrating the nature of God and of His works, which, 
though obscure at first, becomes clear and evident in the 
lapse of time. To this latter order I consider those to belong 
of which I now proceed to speak. In doing so I turn for the 
present from direct history to a passage in the 104th Psalm. 
And in justice to my argument I may be allowed, to observe 
