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THE following Lecture was spoken extempore, and taken down by reporters. The great object of the Lecturer was to use such simple terms that those of his hearers,-and there were many such-who were unscientific, and wholly unacquainted with his subject, might not only understand him, but might be induced to investigate the subject for themselves, not being deterred by the difficulties of technical terms. The Lecturer is aware that this course has betrayed him into a colloquial style, perhaps too plain and familiar; but his unpretending object was simply to impart useful knowledge to the masses, in which he hopes he may in some measure have succeeded.

HUGH MILLER'S "TESTIMONY OF THE

ROCKS:"

OR, GOD IN HIS WORD AND IN HIS WORKS.

ONE of the most striking and thrilling incidents in our Indian warfare occurred as follows:-The brave Campbells had released the women and children from their fearful captivity at Lucknow, and had sent them, together with the sick and wounded, on their way to Cawnpore, under a faithful escort of Sikhs: Peel, and his naval brigade, seeing this suspicious-looking band approaching, loaded their guns, lighted their port-fires, and were on the very point of pouring a round of artillery into the midst of them, when, at this critical moment an English face was recognized, and the awful catastrophe was averted.

Now, you must forgive me for saying that the Church of Christ is somewhat in this position, with regard to the great body of scientific men at the present day. The Church sees these men of science approaching, sometimes it may be in questionable shape, and she too readily assumes that because they are men of science they are not men of faith, and therefore must be the enemies of revealed religion; and she is accordingly ready to pour forth her anathemas

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upon them, and to condemn them almost unheard. It is my own persuasion, however, from a somewhat large acquaintance with persons who may be ranged on both sides of this great question, that these men of science are not our enemies, but our aux liaries-that they are many of them piously, others of them unconsciously, and some of them reluctantly, doing a work for the glory of God and the confirmation of his truth-and being persuaded that there is much error, and much misapprehension, and much mistake upon this point among religious people, I have consented to lecture upon these topics this evening; and I may truly say that I have not done this without earnest communication with Him whose is the preparation of the heart, and whose the answer of the lips.

Let me, then, in the first place, make a few observations upon this particular branch of my subject-namely, the hostility which even now exists, to a great extent, between the believers in the Word of God, and the students of the Works of God. This feud is somewhat ancient. It commenced in the mediæval, or dark ages, when the Church of Christ, having thrust itself out of its proper position, and entered upon a ground which it had no right to occupy, decreed that various false views of philosophy and of natural science were true, and were to be received on peril of salvation; and it followed that the first enlighteners of the world respecting the earth we live in and the heavenly bodies around us, were imprisoned for simply saying, that the earth went round the sun, instead of the sun went round the earth. We are all ready to agree in condemning this: and we now see the consequences. The Church, little by little-the Church, I mean, of that day and in its darkest phase was driven back from one false position to another until at last the result was, that the professors of religion came to look upon the inquirers and investigators of science

as their natural and inveterate enemies: and the professors of science regarded religious people as blind, ignorant believers, who would have respect to nothing but just the written word.

Now this evil exists to a great extent in the present day; and this prejudice, as a prejudice I believe it is, ought to be removed. And I will speak here with great freedom of both parties, having friends, as I have said, on both sides of the question.

First, it may be observed that scientific men have in a measure themselves to blame in this matter-not only because there are undoubtedly amongst them, and ever have been, men who are trying to avail themselves of any physical fact to overturn the evidence of Holy Scripture, but because there are also among them men who profess to be believers in the Word of God, and yet speak unadvisedly with their lips, and who recklessly venture to assert dogmas and establish positions which are enough certainly to terrify any humble believer from the studies which they would recommend. Take, for instance, only one example; and it is a rather remarkable one. There is an Oxford professor who has stated in his publication on "the Unity of Worlds," that all geological science is in direct opposition to the Word of God. Nay, he goes still further than this, and using a very scientific word,-and sometimes scientific words conceal very evil things-he speaks of the "Mosaic cosmogony;" a phrase which means nothing more than the first chapter of Genesis; and he says that the belief in the "Mosaic cosmogony," or the first chapter of Genesis, or in the facts recorded in the first chapter of Genesis, "has died a natural death:" and that any person who has anything like an enlarged knowledge of geology knows that the whole history recorded by Moses is irreconcilable with physical fact. Now, if any one came to me with a science, and told

me at the beginning that his science was in direct hostility to the first chapter in the book on which I pledge my salvation, I should feel much disposed to reject him and his science too. I have further been given to understand, that this professor propounds the doctrine of the progressive creation-creation rising up from inferior animals creators of themselves, till monkeys became men, and so on. If all this be so, one cannot be surprised to find this learned professor presiding on behalf of an anti-sabbatarian movement: having first destroyed Moses' rocks, it is not unnatural that he should wipe out the words that God had written thereon!-But, my friends, let me put this consideration to you :-because, unwise men, or unholy men, or sceptical men, have drawn false doctrine from the written Word of God, would you therefore reject that Word? With equal consistency could you say 'I will not look into or investigate the works of God, and especially the crust of this earth on which I tread, because certain men have discovered something in it which they say is contrary to the Bible.' Commentators err, and philosophers err; but the book on which either of them comment remains true and unchangeable. The works of God in the earth around us, and the words of God in this blessed Book, have one author and one object, and must be and will be proved eternally true, whatever may be the differences of men upon the subject.

Let us, then, assure ourselves that the Christian believer and the profoundest student of natural philosophy may walk hand in hand through God's word and God's world, and find only that which will establish everlasting truth. And before I leave these scientific men, I must say another word in their favour: and remind you that if there be among them sceptical men, if there be among them injudicious or fanciful men, there are also

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