es it
depend whether the prevailing theology shall be upheld, impugned, or
transformed. The chief weapons of the defenders of the faith are forged
in the schools of metaphysics. Locke and Butler, Reid, Stewart and Brown
are theological authorities. And when theology is attacked, its
metaphysical buttresses have to be assailed as the very first thing. If
these are declared unsound, either it must fall, or it must change its
front. It is Natural Theology, more particularly, that is thus allied to
metaphysics; yet, not exclusively; for the defence of Revelation by
miracles involves at the outset a point of logic.

Now I do not mean to say, that this is a purely factitious and
ill-grounded employment of the metaphysical sciences. I fully admit that
the later defences of theology, as well as the attacks, have been
furnished from psychology, logic, ethics, and ontology. The earliest
beliefs in religion, the greatest and strongest convictions, had little
to do with any of these departments of speculation. But when simple
traditionary faith gave place to the questionings of the reason, the
basis of religion was transferred to the reason-built sciences; and
metaphysics came in for a large share in the decision.

[METAPHYSICS AND THEOLOGY.]

What I maintain is, that there is something factitious in the degree of
prominence given to metaphysics in this great enterprise; that its
pretentions are excessive, its importance over-stated; and when most
employed for such a purpose, it is least to be trusted. Theological
polemic is only in part conducted through science; and physical science
shares equally with moral. The most serious shocks to the traditional
orthodoxy have come from the physical sciences. The argument from Design
has no doubt a metaphysical or logical element--the estimate of the
degree of analogy between the universe and a piece of human workmanship;
but the argument itself needs a scientific survey of the entire
phenomena of nature, both matter and mind. Our Bridgewater Treatises
proceeded upon this view; they embraced the consideration of the whole
circle of the sciences, as bearing on the theological argument. The
scheme was so far just and to the purpose; the obvious drawback to the
value of the Treatises lay in their being special pleadings, backed by a
fee of a thousand pounds to each writer for maintaining one side. If a
similar fee had been given to nine equally able writers to represent the
other side, the