RELIGION AND SCIENCE COMPARED,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.

SIR-Impressed with the philosophy of that precept in holy writ, which enjoins line upon line," I would desire to set up my humble testimony in the Christian Examiner, against an evil which has already called forth the animadversions of minds of high order. It requires fortitude and decision in a public man, whose name may be associated with classic and intellectual associations, to set his face against that which is cheered on by the great, and noble, and titled in the land. It seems as if he would still monopolise knowledge, and shut her up in chartered colleges and cloistered cells. It seems as if he grudged a portion of her blessings to those who have been so long trampled upon, because placed by providence as the pedestal of society, and would assist in excluding the sun-beams from irradiating the minds of the working classes, and frown the world back to that state, when darkness intellectual, as well as darkness spiritual, covered the earth, and gross darkness the people-and, therefore, in adding my anonymous testimony to such as that to which I have alluded, some of your readers may think I am only a minor Goth treading in the steps of the greater. Perhaps, however, the following remarks may not be unacceptable to those who set truth higher in estimation than fashion.

Does it require to be reiterated that every professor of Christianity is glad at heart yea, that he thanks God and takes courage, in viewing the present diffusion of knowledge? But he joins trembling with his mirthhe looks with anxiety to the working of those principles now brought into such sudden and violent collision. To him, the movements in the religious, and political, and intellectual worlds, are the voice of the Almighty, speaking in sounds audible to mortal ears, and, amid the confusion and dismay, he can trace the footsteps of that wondrous Being, as he walks on in his grand designs, paving the way for ameliorating the condition of the beings he has formed, and converting this vast charnel house into a temple for his glory. Truly" all creatures sigh to be renewed," and if there be not in the breast of the Christian, as intense a desire, as ardent a longing for this event, as exists in the merely intellectual man, there must be a deficiency in his moral vision, arising from the constitution of his mind, and not from the creed he professes.

In attempting to draw the comparison between Religion and Science, and their effects upon the human race, I would wish to be understood as making no distinction between the things themselves. Religion and Science are closely entwined. It is an act of worship to be engaged in tracing any work of God, moral or physical-it is an act of worship to watch the movements of the heavenly bodies, to" contemplate the starry firmament," to" regard the operations of His hands," and to admire all the wonderful doings of Omnipotence. In this light, the "CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER" is an exalted being. He is rising to the true standard of intelligence, and taking his proper place in the scale of creation. It is not Religion and Science which are divided, but it is the human mind which divides them. It is sufficient to say that man is depraved, to account for this. He has no relish, naturally, for the self-denying doctrines of Religion, while the facts of Science, presenting nothing humbling to the depraved propensities, and every thing gratifying to the depraved pride, is received with avidity, and imbibed with eagerness. Religion purifies the heart Science enlightens the head. Religion lays the axe to the root of the tree-Science prunes, and digs, and drains, yet still leaves the soil encumbered with weeds.

Thus it is, that a man may have a finished accuracy in all that is connected with Science, and love her truths with an ardour, and trace them out with a perseverance, which nothing can chill or overcome; while, with regard to the truths of Religion, he can be listless, careless, indifferent, or hostile. Thus it is, that a man may be in raptures with a contemplation of the majesty of God, as displayed in his works, have his feelings worked up to intensity by the magic of a sublime scene, be melted into tears by a fictitious tale, or his taste powerfully excited by a work of art, and yet have a heart impure, base, treacherous, or malignant. Science may plead that she refines the taste, exalts the imagination, elevates the mind-but in doing so, she only enlarges man's powers of evil, bis capabilities of mischief-her rod falls powerless when she attempts to smite the corruptions of the heart, and, until religion steps in to her assistance, the tyrants of the sinner laugh at all her efforts. Religion can, and does save the soul-religion can, and does purge the conscience, and redeem from the power of motives and principles hostile to the present and future happiness of man ; while Science, or at least, the WORKS she investigates, may proclaim an invisible GODHEAD, by visible signs, and yet, see her votaries turn from the lesson which she reads them, and, worse than the brutes that perish, bow down to stocks and stones, crying out to rational creatures," See, Oh man! these be the gods that created heaven and earth!"

Doubtless this, and more than this, may, and has been admitted by many of the friends of the diffusion of knowledge. They tell us that science is assigned her proper station, as the handmaid of religion, and that they would conduct the mind "through nature up to nature's Lord." If such be the intention, why teach them separately? Why teach the one, to almost an exclusion of the other ? Why teach that which man may be brought naturally to love, and leave the other, which man naturally has an aversion to, for occasional times, and rare opportunities? But again we may be told, that the one can be taught, and fully appreciated and understood, by the mere force of intellect; while the other involves in it a machinery, in which Deity himself is especially concerned, and good and evil spirits the witnesses of, and participants in the scene. To this it can only be replied, that it hath pleased Inscrutable Wisdom to leave much of the means in the hands of men-that a religious education is an especial means and without at all depreciating, even in remotest idea, the power of that Spirit who pierced the hearts of thousands in one day, we aid or impede his operations by attending to, or neglecting the injunction, " to train up a child in the way he should go." We have been told, that "an undevout astronomer is mad;" but it is longer since we were told to "beware of philosophy and vain deceit :" and though this was applied to the unphilosophic and absurd dogmas of the Grecian and Asiatic schools, it holds equally of science in all her truth and simplicity, when she usurps the place of God and holiness in the human mind. Universities may be founded -mechanics' institutions may be established-debating clubs, and historical societies, and scientific academies, diffused over the land, nay, over the earth, and yet one real step never be made towards the amelioration of the human race.

So convinced am I of this, that I would rather see philosophical societies shut up, mechanics' institutions closed, and every scientific association dissolved, as see science becoming the "all in all" of men, and excluding from their minds the loftier concern of personal salvation. But I trust that the God of grace, who turneth even the wrath of man to praise him, will so overrule the present "running to and fro," and increasing of knowledge,

as to make it subservient to the accomplishment of his purposes, and the bringing in of that glorious period yet to arrive, when it shall be fully and broadly demonstrated, in the increased temporal happiness of the race, that "knowledge is power;" and when the study of the wORKS of God, instead of fomenting the pride, and strengthening the native infidelity of the heart, will only teach that heart to bow with reverence profound to the revelations of his WORD. Of the mischief, however, already produced by the ungodly separation of science and religion, I would produce a specimen, which may also display what religion alone can do, after science has done

her best.

In one of the cities of the British empire, a Mechanics' Institution was established, a few years ago, when Brougham and Birkbeck, and many enlightened and liberal men, were suggesting and stimulating the popular instruction of the working classes. To this institution a talented and efficient lecturer was procured, whose engaging and attractive manner soon gained him a high reputation. It was a delightful scene to walk in, on a winter's evening, and see such a crowd of young men, and amongst them many of the middle aged and old, who, instead of spending their leisure time in the roar and dissipation of a tap-room, were listening with breathless attention to the reasonings of the lecturer, and viewing his experiments with lynx-eyed curiosity. Many of them belonged to trades which could easily furnish an excuse for non-attendance, on the score of fatigue and want of cleanliness. But these very classes seemed to be among the most indefatigable of the audience. No storm could frighten, no distance detain-there they were, with clean washed faces, and aprons neatly tucked up, and almost every one with a book, for the purpose of exchanging at the library. The benevolent mind, in viewing such a scene, would naturally spring forward to the hour, when the wilds of America, the deserts of Africa, and the lone isles of the Pacific, would boast their Broughams and their mechanics' institutes-and every shade of humanity from the blooming white and red, to the deep glossy black, know no distinction but mind-no superiority but intellect.

and

In a very large public work in the same city were a number of young men, all about one age, and all having a rather strong desire after knowledge, though their dispositions were not a little dissimilar. The law of sociality, acting upon this one single article of agreement, drew them closely together. Previous to the establishment of the Mechanics' Institution, their leisure hours were spent in reading novels, plays, and poetry, intermixed with the usual quantity of adventures, travels, voyages history. But the fame of it having reaching their ears, they, one and all, determined on becoming members. The introductory lecture on the first night of session, was to them a matter of most extravagant delight. The lecturer set fire to sundry substances, made a dead frog dance, dropt a feather and a shilling in the exhausted receiver of an air pump, and crowned the whole by a dose of laughing gas, which was the cause of upsetting a few chairs and forms, and made one or two animated beings grin or knock about their neighbours. During the first week or two, our young philosophers were quite bewildered-they could talk of nothing but the wonders they saw-almost fancied that they felt the earth whirling away from under their feet, and began to dread the possibility of being struck down by red hot stones from the mountains of the moon. As they got on, they astonished their relations with rather an unscientific jumble of new notions-displayed the wonders of magnetism, the laws of the heavenly bodies, and the swelling of heated bars of iron-while the

amazing volubility with which they talked about oxygen, and hydrogen, and nitrogen-attraction, repulsion, gravitation, and electricity-bydrostatics, hydraulics, acoustics, and pneumatics-completely put every one to a stand, who could not rhyme over the ics of philosophy. Moreover, they proved, upon the authority of Newton, that colour had no existencethat there was no such thing as the rainbow, it being caused by the refraction of the rays of light-and one of them in particular took great pains, but in vain, to convince a stubborn old man that thunder aud lightning was not caused by the meeting of clouds of fire and water. These wonders, however, gradually subsided into regularity. They began to classify a little, and be less astonished at anything new, while the eager avidity with which they sought for knowledge of all kinds, was at once pleasing and promising. They were just at that critical period when the sun shines upon the morning path, and the dewy hopes of youth sparkle before them-when every object is rich and racy with novelty, and the vanity and vexation of all terrestrial things had not sat down upon their spirits. So they listened to lectures, read their books, and talked over all-while the winter passed over their heads, like Jacob's seven servitude years for Rachel, scarcely perceptible.

When summer came, and the lectures were finished, they did not know what to do with themselves. One of them suggested the formation of a little club, where they could discuss all things in heaven, on the earth, or any where else; settle the affairs of nations, decide on forms of government and political economy, and accustom themselves to speak in public. It was eagerly embraced-and on the very first night of the meeting of the club, the apples of discord, (shall I say of Sodom?) were placed on the table, in the shape of Volney's Ruins of Empires and Paine's Rights of Man. This produced a great sensation. But there were amongst them one or two who had a few weak scruples, who could hardly keep up with the others in their seven-league boot strides towards the pinnacle of reason, and who fought rather fiercely before they were overcome. They were beaten at last-and so the absurd distinctions of society were voted a nuisance, and kings, princes, and lords the relics and the dregs of barbarism. Like certain domesticated creatures, who, if they once taste blood, become blood-thirsty for ever, so, they having tasted the sweets of controversy, were determined not to relinquish them. As theology furnished a very fruitful source of controversy, it was immediately brought on deck. The first subject was the eternal punishment of the wicked. It appeared on first consideration, in its natural light-awful, tremendously awful-and was spoken of in terms of respect. After a little altercation it appeared dreadful, then horrific, then monstrous, then absurd. They took the common data of the population of the earth, and struck with the idea that one person dies every minute, began to spurn the thought that so many immortal creatures were daily consigned to endure all that is unutterably agonising in feeling, through a duration that mocks conception. My flesh creeps at the thought," exclaimed one of the juvenile orators, and I wish I could be placed, just for one day, at the gates of life and death, that I might ask all who pass into eternity whether they were Christians!" Emboldened by this sally, another quoted the blasphemous words of a popular poet

"Thou knowest that thou hast formed me

With passions wild and strong

And listening to their witching voice

Has often led me wrong!"

Having disposed of this subject, they crept from one degree of scepticism to another. Crept, did I say? No, they rather rushed boldly and at once and with a dashing hand give the reins to reason, and drove through every thing sacred in religion. In all their acquisition of knowledge in all the excitement of mind produced by scientific subjects there was no recognition of God, no spiritual perception of His moral glory, or any thought of their own character as sinners before him. They could talk of Him as the Governor of the universe, the every where present Deitybut knew him not as a sin-hating Being, or the Saviour as an atoning sacrifice and therefore no restraint was laid upon them. Two or three, indeed, who had been educated at Sabbath schools, and who had acquired some ideas of Christianity, and knew a little of the Bible, were not so easily induced to run in the race of intellect but scruples were gradually thrown down, and the right of reason to reign remained indisputed. They now enlisted their feelings on the side of mercy and the rights of man, became lovers of liberty, execrated slavery in every shape, talked of feudal institutions, and aristocracies, and oppression, and groans, and dungeons, and chains-praised the Sabbath as a fine contrivance, admirably adapted to the constitution of man, and admired the sagacity of Moses in making such a lucky hit in his legislation but instead of attending worship along with their more humble neighbours, they went in a body to a club of "Philanthropists," where men, women, and children regularly assembled to discuss plans for the amelioration of the human race, and where some fine heart-stirring speeches were delivered by intelligent fellows, in which far more information was to be acquired than while sitting dull and lifeless in a church pew, listening to the same thing over and over again. This same club, however, became a nuisance, and some active clergymen got it put down.This afforded an opportunity for a burst of indignation against the intermeddling clergy-and freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of action, were embodied in a petition, to which they affixed their names, and as they grasped the pen to do it, almost made the poor paper feel the vehemence of their wrath. The petition would not do of course there was not an honest man in power, from the petty magistrate to the Premier and the government of the country would never work well until it fell into the hands of men who knew what they were about.

In the midst of their growing scepticism their thirst for knowledge waxed more and more insatiable. They went to the theatre to acquire taste and fine moral perceptions-they went into the dissecting room to become acquainted with the organization of the human frame, and learned to laugh at the most awful and solemn exhibitions of the effects of sin-they went to a social club to discuss politics, and spend their evenings, and learned occasionally to reel home with folly in the heart, and fever in the blood-they subscribed for certain political and sporting journals, and learned to smile at impurity, sneer at the saints, think boxing a manly exercise, horse-racing an accomplishment, swearing no harm, and read with avidity every disgusting story, every tale of scandal, every lie of the day-while their aversion to aristocracy and their love of republicanism became more evident in the fierceness of their contempt for every scrupu lous though honest man, whose fear of change might lead him to object to salutary improvement. At the time when radicalism shook the land, they became members of a political club, and there they acquired intimate knowledge of the amount of every pension, and the nature of every place -and in the vehemence of their zeal, overlooked the fact that they were learning to ruin their own constitutions, in attempting to mend the consti