But something else waxed real as they waned | To sit in silence. But to know the pain Of all those weary hearts, and how a chain I cannot paint as Angelico could, stones. I could do this one thing, but may no more, But, hush, what is the utmost that I would, He has a thousand sons to do His will. I would have given my body to the flame, There is a sweet dream sometimes comforts me, In some far land, a crowded fane I see, And one, with eyes which watch a dawning day, Is saying more than all I tried to say; From the dear lips that speak no more to And I am in the throng which hangs above, you, And you can't realize the days to come, him. But slowly the cold misery o'er me stole, say, And yet have taken chance of speech away? Have shown me how the world was hungering sore, Only to let me feed it nevermore? There was a pang of self, but that soon spent ; Let others speak, and I should be content Where man translates one word of God's great love. But then I dwell on heaven's sunlit hill, Sunday Magazine. ON THE THRESHOLD. STANDING on the threshold, with her wakening heart and mind, Standing on the threshold, with her childhood left behind; The woman softness blending with the look of sweet surprise For life and all its marvels that lights the clear blue eyes. Standing on the threshold, with light foot and fearless hand, As the young knight by his armour in a minster nave might stand; The fresh red lip just touching youth's ruddy rapturous wine, The eager heart all brave, pure hope, oh happy child of mine! From The Church Quarterly Review. ON SOME ASPECTS OF SCIENCE IN RELA ABSTRACT. Prevalence of Scepticism at the present time-Its Causes, those especially connected with the pursuit ogy, from dogmatizing on the part of the latter, and from speculations in matters of Revelation, with historical retrospect - Philosophical theories of nature legitimate in their proper place; of these Evolution at present the most influential - Notice es of Natural Science - Collision of this with Theol pecially of the theories of Lamarck, of the "Vestiges of Creation," and of Darwin - Difficulties from gaps in nature, as between inanimate and living bodies, unconscious and conscious existence, and the lower animals and man, and that in respect both of intellectual and moral powers- Question of Interposition -Bearing of Evolution on the primary act of Crea tion Conclusion as to its bearing on Natural The ology-Question of accordance with the language of Scripture-Plea for toleration and Church guidance in such questions- Explanation of the line of argument taken. Yet, on the other hand, the impression seems to be so far true, that in, the everrecurring oscillations of public feeling the wave of religious fervour, which followed the deadness of last century, is now in turn subsiding, in many quarters, into a state of spiritual apathy; and this, falling in with the unprecedented advances of physical science, has led to the latter being put forward as a sort of substitute for religion, and so thrust into a position false and damaging to both. It does not materially affect the conclusion, to admit, as in candour we must, that other influences have contributed to these results, with which even good churchmen may have more or less sympathy - such as a reaction from the intolerance which marked the older usages, and the mixing up of politics with religion, which was in its ultimate effect as adverse to the spirituality of its professors as the present temper of public opinion is to the avowal of a definite creed. Nor does it seriously affect the argument to admit also that the jealousy and strife caused by our longstanding differences in doctrine have had no small share in bringing about the present state of matters, for the two influences have in fact been working all along in opposite directions—the increase of scepticism and indifference among the masses going on side by side with a multiplication of religious sects, and a marked increase of earnestness among their respective adherents. Is there any real ground for the prevalent impression of the rapid advance of scepticism among us at present, or is this feeling a mere panic, due to some casual turn of that conflict between faith and unbelief, which can never cease so long as the Church of Christ is militant here on earth? It partakes probably of both characters. It must be a panic or groundless fear that Christianity will be overborne, and lose its hold on the minds of men, for our Lord's words stand sure, that the gates of hell shall never prevail against his Church; and a short retrospect of the history of modern thought will show that it has passed before this through times when the opposition of sceptical To appreciate fully the results of that tendencies was both fiercer and more wide- separation of general education from respread than now. Matters, at least among ligious training to which we are now so us, have hardly yet reached such a pass obviously tending, we must consider esthat we could adopt the words of Bishop pecially its effect on our more advanced Butler, in the advertisement prefixed to students, who are at the time of life when the first edition of his "Analogy' "It is the intellectual powers first come into vigcome to be taken for granted by many per- orous play, and find occupation for themsons that Christianity is not so much as a selves in filling up the blank left by the subject for enquiry, but that it is now at want of definite religious teaching at an length discovered to be fictitious, and ac- early period, with the current systems of cordingly they treat it as if in the present the day, as furnished to them in the textage this were an agreed point among all books in common use. The exclusion persons of discernment, and nothing re- from such manuals of any guiding princimained but to set it up as a principal sub-ple of religion - however consistent with ject of mirth and ridicule, as it were, by the general line of policy now adopted in way of reprisal for its having so long in- education cannot but foster a sceptical terrupted the pleasures of the world." turn of mind, for the practical effect of presenting to the young a system of na- | less acquiescence on the part of others, ture, complete in everything but the mo- such utterances though probably in mentous questions of its origin and sup- some degree misjudged in the popular esport, is of itself suggestive of these being timate unquestionably point to the adstill unsettled points, on which the mind vance of sceptical views among the more is free to fall in with any speculations educated classes. And though these are which take the fancy.* Some of the not now put forward in the same offensive books in use among our students are, manner as in the experience of a former moreover, open to the charge of a decided generation, it must be borne in mind that tendency to materialism, which, if not di- the energetic counter-movement also in rectly inculcated, is at least naturally sug-progress on the side of religion will probgested to the reader, by the way in which the facts are put before him, and the general treatment of the subject. Of this state of matters it is hardly possible to overrate the gravity. Its want of reticence lays the mind of the young open before us unconsciously, and we may well fear that it is more from prudential caution than through conviction, that a decent regard to orthodoxy marks more or less the general conversation of some of their elders. But if the rising generation grow up in the open avowal of such sceptical views, considerations of this nature are not likely to have much influence with them when their powers of thought are more matured, and thus we have before us a prospect which may well fill the minds of Christian parents with anxious forebodings, what the end of these things will be. ably, in its collision with the former, impress on it a much more aggressive and intolerant character than it ostensibly bears at present. The question, therefore, which the pursuit of natural science occupies with regard to revealed religion must be one at present of deep interest to every candid inquirer after truth. The conclusions drawn from such scientific inquiry are indeed only one of the causes to be assigned for the prevalence of doubt and scepticism. Bishop Ellicott, in his editorial postscript to the lectures published by the Christian Evidence Society, specifies two other sources of unsettlement - the results of the historical criticism of late years, and certain views recently put forward as to the grounds of our knowledge, and the true basis of religion and morality. But as it is impossible here to traverse all the grounds of doubt, those are selected which bear on the progress of natural science, as being the most urgent. For while difficulties suggested by historical It is true there is nothing here to outrage the religious susceptibilities of the country, as in some of the recent writings and addresses of the reputed leaders of scientific thought, but it should be consid-criticism or metaphysical speculations are ered that the overt character of their language goes far of itself to counteract its misleading power, except in the case of minds ready prepared by the insidious working of a secularized education to admit freely suggestions which conflict with the principles of religion. As indications, however, of the position taken by some men of scientific eminence, with more or There is much force in Mr. Pritchard's comment on this reticence observable in the modern writings of some able men, which, whatever the cause may be, is both disappointing and painful to religious minds. "The giants of old, who were the pioneers of modern knowledge- the Keplers, the Newtons, the Bernouillis, the Euiers, of ancient fame-had no such reticence. Why should the sons be more reticent than the fathers?" (Preface to "Hulsean Lectures," p. xxx.) confined comparatively to a few, or are adopted at second hand by others as stock arguments, those connected with some of the prevalent theories of nature come unbidden to many — nay, may be said to be thrust upon them-by the increasing efforts to popularize natural science, and the loose and unguarded way to use the mildest language in which some of its professors mix up unsound philosophical, or rather theological, speculations, with strictly scientific matter. This mode of treating the subject is no doubt often due to an involuntary confu sion of thought on the question of the proper limits of the province of natural science which underlies the whole matter |