. God's two books; or, Plain facts about evolution, geology, and the Bible . f science have emancipatedthemselves from the trammels of metaphysical rea-soning, the science of geology still remains im-prisoned in a priori theories.— SiR H. to effect, from ^ general principle to its logical is an example of this method. Even in naturalscience it has an honored place, when we have arrived ata broad general truth which is absolutely certain. Theopposite of this is to reason from observed effects so as todiscover the cause behind them; to take a number of scatteredfac
. God's two books; or, Plain facts about evolution, geology, and the Bible . f science have emancipatedthemselves from the trammels of metaphysical rea-soning, the science of geology still remains im-prisoned in a priori theories.— SiR H. to effect, from ^ general principle to its logical is an example of this method. Even in naturalscience it has an honored place, when we have arrived ata broad general truth which is absolutely certain. Theopposite of this is to reason from observed effects so as todiscover the cause behind them; to take a number of scatteredfacts in nature, and, by correlating them together, trace outthe principles or laws embracing them. This is the inductivemethod, the modern scientific method, the method of Bacon might soon have a chance to forget some of the blunders nowmasquerading under the name of science. It should be remembered that Newton was a reverent Christian,and has left us some splendid commentaries on the prophecies ofDaniel, for which he was severely criticized by Voltaire. 92 GODS TWO BOOKS. JAMES HUTTON (1726-1797) In point of general education Hutton was not as ignorant aswas William Smith, the Father of Geology; nor was he asclosely tied down to the narrow circle of his birthplace asWerner. He understood what there was of chemistry at that time,and had traveled somewhat on the Continent. His Theory ofthe Earth (1785), the prototype of Lyells Elements of Geol-ogy, had this virtue about it that it urged that geology oughtnot to be considered a cosmogony. An adherence to this prin-ciple would have saved the world from many tons of what willsome day be yellow waste paper. GODS TWO BOOKS 93 and Newton, and is the way in which everything worthknowing in nature has been discovered. But, by the con-fession of Howorth, who is himself a voluminous and highlyrespected writer on geology, this belated science needs toface square about, as the other sciences have long since done,and proceed by wholly differ
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