LECTURE BY THE REV. T. S. NEVILL, BISHOP ELECT.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2582, 27 May 1871, Page 2

LECTURE BY THE REV. T. S. NEVILL, BISHOP ELECT.

Last evening a lecture on Natural Theology was given by the B'shop elect of Dunedin, in the hall of the A themenm. The admission was by ticket, as the proceeds will be given to St. Paul’s Sunday school. The room was filled. On the motion of Mr Mason, the Rev. E. G. Edwards look the chair, and in a few words introduced the lecturer to the meeting. The Rev. T. S. Ncvill, referring to Pope’s Aphorism, “ The proper study of mankind as man,” suggested as an improvement, “The, proper study of mankind is God,” as the more man knows of the Creator, the more would he know of the being created by him, in his own image. The study of God was called Theology, whether it was pursued by means of revelation, or by the indirect revelation, to which he was about to allude. Natural Jheology meant the knowledge of God derived from his works, and addressed itself to the reasoning faculty, and could be divided into two portions. First: The knowledge of God derived from abstract principles, or a -priori arguments, or the deductive proca-s; It was the method of the schoolmun of old times. But there was also an inductive method of reasoning, founded upon observations of existent facts. This whs called the inductive philosophy. He would only give one illustration of the deductive process. For instance, it would be apparent that there is something everywhere; therefore, there was nowhere in which there was nothing. But nothing could come out of nothing ; therefore, either everything that now is has existed, as now we find it from eternity, or those very things now before us have proceeded from something that preexisted. The inference was that either matter had existed in its present condition from eternity, which was contrary to reason, nod not true, or it bad come

down from Home pre-existing condition of matter. It was only necessary to advance another step and then another, and so on until the conception of a Great First Cause was realised—which was none other than the Creator himself. The second division of which he had spoken was the inductive or a posteriori process, which was founded upon observation of surrounding objects. He did not think it safer than the other process ; but in both faith must go hand in hand, otherwise there was danger of being led into error. The necessary alliance of rca on with faith was beautifully enforced by Augustine of Hippo, who said reason had piercing eyes, but was deaf : bearing belonged to faith, but she was blind : therefore let reason and faith go hand in hand, that through the brightness_of day reason may be the guide of faith, while in the daih.ncss of night faith’s hearing may he the

guide of reason. In such a spirit the sun ject under considcrat ou should be cnterec upon. (Applause.) His object was not tc bring conviction to the atheist, but for tlu edification of deists, for he did not doubt al] present were believers in the being of a God. His wish was to elevate thought by consideration of the way in which God had dealt with man. After quoting appropriate lines from Wordsworth and another poet, the leeturer went on to say that in ad His works God was infinite in power, wisdom, and goodness. As illustrative of His power, it might be considered in its vastness and perfection. Its vastness was shewn by its extension, strength, and duration. Of these extension was the most striking. The subject was indeed too vast for human apprehension. Regarding the earth itself many had travelled round it—few present, in fact, but had been half round it—anti the impression could hardly be avoided that it was but a little world. Scarcely was the farewell bidden to one friend forgotten but another was greeted at the antipodes. But was it so little a world ? Its superficial area was 200,000,000 of square miles. But even those figures did not give an idea of that vast surface. It might be gathered by the fact that a surveyor surveying thirty square miles clai y, would require 18,204 years to complete his survey. f *o that if he commenced his work when Adam was placed in paradise, only one-third of his work would be done to-day. _ Then, as to the solid contents of the earth, it comprised 203,850,149,120 cubic miles, the weight of which was 2000,000,000,000,000, of tons. Moreover, this enormous mass of matter was continually moving. \\ hat force and power were required to give its first impulse at the rate of 08,000 m : les an hour. How long this matter was in assuming its present form who could say ? The chalk formation, if examin'd, w s found to be built up of infinitesimal creatures, each of which would only cover a point. By means of a little particle of gum it had power to secrete and clothe itself in a calcareous shield drawn from the wate s of the sea.yy-How many myriads of those must be required to form ten or twelve thousand feet of chalk, as seen in strata in our island home ? But passing from our own to the contemplation of other worlds, the idea of power was greatly enlarged. Saturn was 900 times greater than the earth, and the diameter of his ring would reach from the earth to the moon. Another planet would require 1400 globes of the s : zes of the earth to equal its mass, and the sun, the centre of onr system, was 1,300,000 times larger, while the rays of light proceeding from it would fill a apace equal to thirty three hundred thousand five hundred scxlillions of cubic miles. This was only one system. Each night about 1000 stars could bo seen by the naked eye; and assuming each to be a cen‘ re of a system, they represent 1,320,000,000 globes similar t) our own. This was but one eighty thougvndthpait of the number disclosed by the telescope, and even tho e were but a drop in the ocean of the infinite reality. ‘ ‘ Great is the Lord and great His power,” But perfection was also a part of power ; and it was seen

most strikingly iu minuteness of deta 1. It was possible for man to attain a degree of perfection in the construction of machinery. JJut compared with what nature cousti noted nothing man could do was perfect, 'lhe eyes of minute organisms were astounding instances. Microscipic observation alone could disclose that perfection. Tt was seen iu precious stones, but especially iu minute organisms Some of the creatures in the chalk lormationfor instance. I hey weredivided into two classses those with calcareous coveringand those with silicious. .Perhaps thelittle speck of apparent dust would be invisible on an object glass unless held up between the eye and the light; but beneath the lens of a microscope it was seen to be beautiful in the extreme in form. Amongst those minute arganisms was the little vorticellae, so called because of their peculiar rotating habits produced by the action of their cilia-. If the water was agitated in the least degree, the muscles would contract, and they would become motionless. Then there were the diatomacae, of which it was not known whether they were plants or animals; but they were very beautiful in form and structure, and their colors were exceedingly rich. Those were instances of perfection, bo that whether iu infinite majes-ty or mtinite perfection, man must say “ Infinite, are Thy works Lord God Almighty.” I hen as to vvisdom : It was supposed to mean merely knowledge ; but it really meant adaptation of means to an end. Wisdom was founded on knowledge, so that in going to nature for instruction, those two attributes of Deity were found combined. For illustrations let the interior of the earth be considered. One instance alone pointed to the wisdom and goodness of good, in preparing the earth for man’s comfort, lioav long was required who could toil! but in providing coal me isures, there must have been a period in the earth’s history adapted to great activity of vegetable growth ; for coal was a vegetable product. J3ut bad the coal been allowed to lie in horizontal strata, man could not have reached it; if in vertical, he could only have obtained a small quantity. It was therefore arranged in basins, so ns to lie easily procurable. Passing from geology to comparative anatomy, numberless illustrations were to be found of adaptation of means to an end. The specialises of every animal, the delicacy of their structure, ami the special organs of animals. Take the eye for instance, with its three coats—with the retina which was nothing but a spreading out; of the optic netve —and the muscles necessary to give it motion. Three differed liquids of different densi ies were required for perfect refraction, and reflection of light received from objects and the minute perfect on of the human eye, might be estimated by ihe fact that an object—say a steamei 88f■. in length at a d stance of five miles—- ■ only require l-30th part of I-10lh of ai •inch, or l-4800th part of an inch, ti j;ave its imjregion on the retina. Yel

many animals had greater perfection of sight than man. Reference was then made to the teeth of mammalia, to the three component parts, viz., cement, dentine, and enamel, to the marsupeals—especially tho kangaroo, to the provision in the chambers of the shell of the Nautilus, for rising or sinking according •’o the will of the mollnsk ; and lastly, to the rotifer, in describing which a very clever account was given of the use of the cilicc and gizzard. A pass’ng allusion was made to the wonders disclosed by Chemistry, Botany and Entomology, and the lecturer, after pointing out that each of these sciences illustrated the power, wisdom, and goodness of God, closed with a passage from the works of Coleridge. The lecture throughout was listened to with great earnestness, and at the close, on the motion of Mr E. B. Cargill, a warm vote of thanks was given to the rev. gentleman, which was appropriately acknowledged.