order that still stronger
ramparts might be erected around the citadel of their faith. Why should
the tone be changed now? In the year 1840, the Rev. Albert Barnes, of
Philadelphia, who has long occupied a highly respectable and influential
position among the clerical body in this country, in an address on the
'Progress and Tendencies of Science,' delivered before the literary
societies of one of the colleges of Pennsylvania, gave utterance to the
following noble sentiments:

'It has cost much to overcome this'--that is, the panic fears of
Christian people at the amazing progress and discoveries of
science--'and to restore confidence to the Christian world that the
researches of science will never permanently clash with the
doctrines of revelation. But the Christian world has come to that;
and science is to receive no more obstruction henceforth from any
alarm that its discoveries will contravene the revealed truth of
God. No future Galileo is to be imprisoned because he can look
farther into the works of nature than other men; and the point
which we have gained now, is that no obstruction is to be thrown in
the way of science by any dread that any scientific truth will
infringe on any theological system. The great truth has gone forth
at last, not to be recalled, that the astronomer may point his
glass to the heavens as long and as patiently as he pleases,
without apprehending opposition from the Christian world; the
chemist may subject all objects to the action of the crucible and
the blowpipe, 'with none to molest him or make him afraid;' the
geologist may penetrate to any part of the earth--may dig as deep
as he pleases, and no one may be alarmed.'

This exhibits true Christian courage and confidence, and has the genuine
Protestant ring. It is based, however, on the supposition that no
possible conflict can arise between science and his understanding of the
Scriptures, and it is doubtful whether the same equanimity could be
maintained even in the author's mind if the 'progress and tendencies of
science' should take an unexpected direction. Thus, in the same address,
he says:

'One fact is remarkable. The geologist proves that the world has
stood many thousands of years, and we cannot deny it. He points to
fossil remains, and tells us of orders of animals that lived many
years before the Mosaic period