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Article SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE. * ← Page 4 of 7 →
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Science And The Bible. *
watches the changes going on around him , and the changes which Nature , in her work , passes through in his laboratory . He thence learns not merely the absurdity of the ancient fancy that water , air , earth , and fire are elements , and not only that these are [ not ] true elements , and that water is made of two , oxygen and hydrogen , and so each substance has its elemental constitution ; but he goes
further : he discovers , as his facts accumulate , that there is a law in these combinations ; that oxygen and hydrogen , for example , unite only in certain ratios ; that they exist in water in the ratio of 8 to 1 by weight ; that in another compound containing oxygen anjl iron , the ratio is 8 to 28 ; in another , containing oxygen and nitrogen , the ratio is 8 ( oxygen ) to 14 ( nitrogen ) , or else , 8 to 28 , 8 to 41 , 8 to 56 , 8 to 70 , equivalent , in parts , to 1 : 1 , 1 : 2 , 1 : 3 , 1 : 4 , 1 : 5 parts ; and so , throughout Nature , in compounds of all kinds , he ascertains that the elements have their definite combining ratios , and
combining weights ; and thence he learns to calculate , with the utmost precision , the constitutions of compounds . Here then is a fundamental law of attraction , at the basis of chemistry , and upon it the science rests . It is a law of numbers and harmonic relations—the ordained will of God , which the chemical student has been enabled to apprehend , and is now endeavouring to follow out into all its beautiful developments . No future research can revoke that will . The supposed elements may be resolved into others ; but all matter , organic and inorganic , is constituted upon this
law ; and the law must stand , until the Being who said , " So let it be , " reverses all Nature and his own enactment . In the study of light , the division of the beam into its component
coloured rays , was a first fact ; the different refrangibilities of those rays , a second . Then came the law that each colour corresponds to a specific rate of vibration or of wave motion : the vibrations were measured ; and , finally , whatever the freaks of light , they were found to be explainable by the interferences and other inter-actions of just such rays with these specific rates of vibration . This
established , Science says : " sic Dens vult , " and pays Him the homage due . Thus we might go on with the departments of physical science , heat , magnetism , electricity , and others ; and in all , it would appear , that science has reached immutable laws , simply by comparing one tracing in nature with another , and thus reading the hand-writing of God in
His works . The attraction of gravitation , chemical attraction , cohesive attraction , light , heat , electricity , may yet be referred to some higher laws : they may be found to be but the workings of a common law , embracing the whole ; and to this science is tending . But in so doing , what are now laws will stand firm as laws under a more general law ; what is knowledge will be knowledge still .
The laws in the kingdom of life are of similar import , equally intelligible to the humble pupil of nature , and , if possible , more grand in their scope and relations . The great universal law for all life Moses announced when speaking
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Science And The Bible. *
watches the changes going on around him , and the changes which Nature , in her work , passes through in his laboratory . He thence learns not merely the absurdity of the ancient fancy that water , air , earth , and fire are elements , and not only that these are [ not ] true elements , and that water is made of two , oxygen and hydrogen , and so each substance has its elemental constitution ; but he goes
further : he discovers , as his facts accumulate , that there is a law in these combinations ; that oxygen and hydrogen , for example , unite only in certain ratios ; that they exist in water in the ratio of 8 to 1 by weight ; that in another compound containing oxygen anjl iron , the ratio is 8 to 28 ; in another , containing oxygen and nitrogen , the ratio is 8 ( oxygen ) to 14 ( nitrogen ) , or else , 8 to 28 , 8 to 41 , 8 to 56 , 8 to 70 , equivalent , in parts , to 1 : 1 , 1 : 2 , 1 : 3 , 1 : 4 , 1 : 5 parts ; and so , throughout Nature , in compounds of all kinds , he ascertains that the elements have their definite combining ratios , and
combining weights ; and thence he learns to calculate , with the utmost precision , the constitutions of compounds . Here then is a fundamental law of attraction , at the basis of chemistry , and upon it the science rests . It is a law of numbers and harmonic relations—the ordained will of God , which the chemical student has been enabled to apprehend , and is now endeavouring to follow out into all its beautiful developments . No future research can revoke that will . The supposed elements may be resolved into others ; but all matter , organic and inorganic , is constituted upon this
law ; and the law must stand , until the Being who said , " So let it be , " reverses all Nature and his own enactment . In the study of light , the division of the beam into its component
coloured rays , was a first fact ; the different refrangibilities of those rays , a second . Then came the law that each colour corresponds to a specific rate of vibration or of wave motion : the vibrations were measured ; and , finally , whatever the freaks of light , they were found to be explainable by the interferences and other inter-actions of just such rays with these specific rates of vibration . This
established , Science says : " sic Dens vult , " and pays Him the homage due . Thus we might go on with the departments of physical science , heat , magnetism , electricity , and others ; and in all , it would appear , that science has reached immutable laws , simply by comparing one tracing in nature with another , and thus reading the hand-writing of God in
His works . The attraction of gravitation , chemical attraction , cohesive attraction , light , heat , electricity , may yet be referred to some higher laws : they may be found to be but the workings of a common law , embracing the whole ; and to this science is tending . But in so doing , what are now laws will stand firm as laws under a more general law ; what is knowledge will be knowledge still .
The laws in the kingdom of life are of similar import , equally intelligible to the humble pupil of nature , and , if possible , more grand in their scope and relations . The great universal law for all life Moses announced when speaking