4. THE LEFT HAND SIDE. a On the left hand side of the Section the strata are so divided as to correspond to the six great groups of animals and plants that have appeared on the globe. The names attached to the groups are derived from Laos, (vivus, living,) with the Greek numerals prefixed. The lowest group, being destitute of organic remains, is called azoic, (from privitive and wès,) that is, wanting in the traces of life; and corresponds to the crystalline group on the other side of the Section, embracing gneiss, mica slate, limestone, and clay slate, of unknown thickness. The Protozoic group corresponds to the Palæozic of the right hand side, and embraces lower and upper Silurian, Devonian, or old red sandstone, the carboniferous group, and the Permian, or lower new red; the whole in Great Britain not less than thirty-three thousand feet thick. The Deutozoic group consists only of the triassic, or upper new red sandstone, and is only nine hundred feet thick, but marks a distinct period of life. The Tritozoic embraces the lias and oölite, with the Wealden, and is three thousand six hundred feet thick, The Tetrazoic consists of the chalk and green sand, one thousand five hundred feet thick. The Pentezoic embraces the tertiary strata of the thickness of two thousand feet. The Hectozoic is confined to the modern deposits, only a few hun dred feet thick, but entombing all the existing species of animals. 5. CHARACTERISTIC ORGANIC REMAINS. Had space permitted, I should have put upon the Section a reference to the most characteristic and peculiar mineral, animal, or plant, in the different groups. Thus the Azoic group is crystalliferous, or crystal. bearing. The lower or Silurian part of the Protozoic group is brachio. podiferous, trilobiferous, polypiferous, and cephalopodiferous; that is, abounding in brachiopod and cephalopod shells; in polypifers, or corals; and in trilobites, a family of crustaceans. The middle part, or the Devonian, is thaumichthiferous, or containing remarkable fish. The upper part, or the coal measures, is carboniferous; that is, abounding in coal. The Deutozoic group is ichniferous, or track-bearing, from the multitude of its fossil footmarks. The Tritozoic group is reptiliferous, or reptile-bearing, from the extraordinary lizards which abound in it. The Tetrazoic is foraminiferous, from the abundance of coral animalcula, called foraminifera, or polythalmia, which it contains. The Pentezoic is mammaliferous, because it contains the remains of mammalia, or quadrupeds. The Hectozoic is homoniferous, or man-bearing, because it embraces human remains. There is no one place on earth where all the facts exhibited on this Section are presented before us together. Yet all the facts occur somewhere, and this Section merely brings them into systematic arrangement. THE RELIGION OF GEOLOGY. LECTURE I. REVELATION ILLUSTRATED BY SCIENCE. HE leading object, which I propose in the course of lectures geology and religion. This cannot be done fully and fairly, however, without exhibiting also many of the religious bearings of several other sciences. I shall, therefore, feel justified in drawing illustrations and arguments from any department of human knowledge which may afford them. I place geology first and most conspicuous on the list, because I know of no other branch of physical science so prolific in its religious applications. In treating of this subject, I shall first exhibit the relations between science and revealed religion, and afterwards between science and natural religion; though in a few cases these two great branches cannot be kept entirely distinct. Geology is usually regarded as having only an unfavourable bearing upon revealed religion; and writers are generally satisfied if they can reconcile apparent discrepancies. But I regard this as an unfair representation; for if geology, or any other science, proves to us that we have not fairly understood the meaning of any passage of Scripture, it merely illustrates, but does not oppose, revelation. A fundamental principle of Protestant Christianity is, that. the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the only infallible standard of religious truth; and I desire to hold up this principle prominently at the outset, as one to which I cordially subscribe. The mass of evidence in favour of the divine inspiration of the Bible is too great to be set aside by any thing short of scientific demonstration. Were the Scriptures to teach that the whole is not equal to its parts, the mind could not, indeed, believe it. But if it taught a truth which was only contrary to the probable deductions of science, science, I say, must yield to Scripture; for it would be more reasonable to doubt the probabilities of a single science, than the various and most satisfactory evidence on which revelation rests. I do not believe that even the probabilities of any science are in collision with Scripture. But the supposition is made to show how strong are my convictions of the evidence and paramount authority of the Bible. But does it follow, from these positions, that science can throw no light upon the truths of Scripture? By no means; and it will be my leading object, in this lecture, to show how this may be done by science in general, and by geology in particular. In discussing this subject, we ought to bear in mind the object of science, and the object of revelation. And by the term science I refer mainly to physical science. Its grand aim is, by an induction from facts, to discover the laws by which the material universe is governed. Those laws do, indeed, lead the mind almost necessarily to their divine Author. But this is rather the incidental than the direct result of scientific investigations, and belongs rather to natural theology than to natural science. On the other hand, the exclusive object of revelation is of a moral character. It is a development of the divine character and the divine government; especially that part of it which discloses a plan for the reconciliation of a lost and wicked world to the favour of God by the death of his Son. Every other subject mentioned in Scripture is incidental, and would not. have been noticed had it not some connection with the plan of salvation. The creation of the world and the Noachian deluge, for instance, are intimately related to the divine character and government, and therefore they are described; and the same is true of the various phenomena of nature which are touched upon in the Bible. |