, these laws themselves are the work of the
teleologically acting Creator--he, indeed, will have given to them such a
quality that with them he is able to reach his ends as a whole and in
detail. The inviolability of the laws of nature also results from this
idea. For means which would have to be supplemented, sometimes set aside,
occasionally replaced by others, would be less perfect than such means as
by virtue of their quality are able with certainty to serve the designs
which are to be reached by them. How theism can reconcile with this view
the indispensable idea of divine freedom, we shall have occasion to show in
Chap. II, Sec. 4.

Among the writers who defend teleology, we can mention two who, starting
from the analogy of human teleological action, have pointed out the idea
that teleology itself requires a necessity, conformable to law, in the
activity of the forces of nature. One of the two is K. E. von Baer, in his
oft-quoted essays on striving towards end; and the other is the Duke of
Argyll. At a time when the assault against teleology had just begun, this
noble author perceived the whole importance and weight of these attacks,
and most energetically defended teleology. The expression of the
just-mentioned ideas, {289} among others, forms one of the fundamentals of
his work, "The Reign of Law" (London, Strahan & Co., first edition
published in 1866, and since then in frequently repeated editions); a work
which is well fitted to instruct us, in the most interesting manner,
regarding the present state of the related questions as they are treated of
in Great Britain.

* * * * * {290}

CHAPTER II.

THE DARWINIAN THEORIES AND POSITIVE CHRISTIANITY.

Sec. 1. _The Creation of the World._

Now that we have come to a clear understanding of the position of the
Darwinian theories in reference to the basis of all religion and of all
living religiousness, to theism in general, it remains to be seen what
position those of the theories which are reconcilable with theism take in
reference to the positive Christian view of the world.

We naturally omit all those objects and parts of Christian dogmatics which
have no points of contact, or are very indirectly connected with the
Darwinian ideas, or which--as, _e.g._, their position in reference to the
idea of God in general--have found their principal illustration in our
investigation just finished. We shall nevertheless have now to take