Semler，professoratHalle，triedtosatisfybothsides。Heinsistedthat，whilefromascientificpointofviewcometscouldnotexerciseanyphysicalinfluenceupontheworld，yetfromareligiouspointofviewtheycouldexerciseamoralinfluenceasremindersoftheJustJudgeoftheUniverse。
Sohardwasitforgoodmentogiveupthedoctrineof“signsintheheavens。”seeminglybaseduponScriptureandexercisingsuchahealthfulmoraltendency！Asisalwaysthecaseaftersuchadefeat，thesevotariesof“sacredscience“exertedthegreatestingenuityindevisingstatementsandargumentstoavertthenewdoctrine。WithinourowncenturythegreatCatholicchampion，JosephdeMaistre，echoedtheseindeclaringhisbeliefthatcometsarespecialwarningsofevil。So，too，inProtestantEngland，in1818，theGentleman’sMagazinestatedthatunderthemaligninfluenceofarecentcomet“fliesbecameblindanddiedearlyintheseason。”and“thewifeofaLondonshoemakerhadfourchildrenatabirth。”Andevenaslateas1829Mr。Forster，anEnglishphysician，publishedaworktoprovethatcometsproducehotsummers，coldwinters，epidemics，earthquakes，cloudsofmidgesandlocusts，andnearlyeverycalamityconceivable。Heboreespeciallyuponthefactthatthecometof1665wascoincidentwiththeplagueinLondon，apparentlyforgettingthattheothergreatcitiesofEnglandandtheContinentwerenotthusvisited；and，inaclimax，announcesthefactthatthecometof1663“madeallthecatsinWestphaliasick。”
Therestilllingeredonelittlecloud-patchofsuperstition，arisingmainlyfromthesupposedfactthatcometshadreallybeenfollowedbyamarkedriseintemperature。Eventhispoorbasisforthebeliefthattheymight，afterall，affectearthlyaffairswassweptaway，andsciencewonhereanothervictory；forArago，bythermometricrecordscarefullykeptatParisfrom1735to1781，provedthatcometshadproducednoeffectupontemperature。
Amongmultitudesofsimilarexamplesheshowedthat，insomeyearswhenseveralcometsappeared，thetemperaturewaslowerthaninotheryearswhenfewornoneappeared。In1737thereweretwocomets，andtheweatherwascool；in1785therewasnocomet，andtheweatherwashot；throughthewholefiftyyearsitwasshownthatcometsweresometimesfollowedbyhotweather，sometimesbycool，andthatnorulewasdeducible。Thevictoryofsciencewascompleteateverypoint。[123]
[123]ForForster，seehisIllustrationsoftheAtmosphericalOriginofEpidemicDiseases，Chelmsford，1829，citedbyArago；
alsoinQuarterlyReviewforApril，1835。Forthewritingsofseveralonbothsides，andespeciallythosewhosoughttosave，asfaraspossible，thesacredtheoryofcomets，seeMadler，vol。
ii，p。384etseq。，andWolf，p。186。
Butinthishistorytherewasonelittleexhibitionsocuriousastobeworthyofnotice，thoughitspermanenteffectuponthoughtwassmall。WhistonandBurnet，sodevotedtowhattheyconsideredsacredscience，haddeterminedthatinsomewaycometsmustbeinstrumentsofDivinewrath。Oneofthemmaintainedthatthedelugewascausedbythetailofacometstrikingtheearth；
theotherputforththetheorythatcometsareplacesofpunishmentforthedamned——infact，“flyinghells。”ThetheoriesofWhistonandBurnetfoundwideacceptancealsoinGermany，mainlythroughtheall-powerfulmediationofGottsched，solong，fromhisprofessor’schairatLeipsic，thedictatoroforthodoxthought，whonotonlywroteabrieftractateofhisownuponthesubject，butfurnishedavoluminoushistoricalintroductiontothemoreelaboratetreatiseofHeyn。Inthisbook，whichappearedatLeipsicin1742，theagencyofcometsinthecreation，theflood，andthefinaldestructionoftheworldisfullyproved。Boththesetheorieswere，however，soondiscredited。
Perhapsthemoreinterestingofthemcanbestbemetbyanother，which，ifnotfullyestablished，appearsmuchbetterbased——namely，thatin1868theearthpasseddirectlythroughthetailofacomet，withnodeluge，nosoundofanywailingsofthedamned，withbutslightappearanceshereandthere，onlytobedetectedbythekeensightofthemeteorologicalorastronomicalobserver。
Inourowncountrysuperstitiousideasregardingcometscontinuedtohavesomelittlecurrency；buttheirlifewasshort。ThetendencyshownbyCottonMather，atthebeginningoftheeighteenthcentury，towardacknowledgingthevictoryofscience，wascompletedbytheutterancesofWinthrop，professoratHarvard，whoin1759publishedtwolecturesoncomets，inwhichhesimplyandclearlyrevealedthetruth，neverscoffing，butreasoningquietlyandreverently。Inonepassagehesays：“Tobethrownintoapanicwheneveracometappears，onaccountoftheilleffectswhichsomefewofthemmightpossiblyproduce，iftheywerenotunderproperdirection，betraysaweaknessunbecomingareasonablebeing。”
AhappyinfluenceinthisrespectwasexercisedonbothcontinentsbyJohnWesley。Tenaciouslyashehadheldtothesupposedscripturalviewinsomanyothermattersofscience，inthisheallowedhisreasontoprevail，acceptedthedemonstrationsofHalley，andgloriedinthem。[124]
[124]ForHeyn，seehisVersucheinerBetrachtunguberdiecometun，dieSundfluthunddasVorspeildesjungstenGerichts，Leipsic，1742。ALatinversion，ofthesameyear，bearsthetitle，SpecimenCometologiaeSacre。Forthetheorythattheearthencounteredthetailofacomet，seeGuilleminandWatson。
ForsurvivaloftheoldideainAmerica，seeaSermonofIsraelLoring，ofSudbury，publishedin1722。ForProf。J。Winthrop，seehisComets。ForWesley，seehisNaturalPhilosophy，London，1784，vol。iii，p。303。
Thevictorywasindeedcomplete。Happily，noneofthefearsexpressedbyConradDieterichandIncreaseMatherwererealized。
Nocatastrophehasensuedeithertoreligionortomorals。IntherealmofreligionthePsalmsofDavidremainnolessbeautiful，thegreatutterancesoftheHebrewprophetsnolesspowerful；theSermonontheMount，“thefirstcommandment，andthesecond，whichislikeuntoit。”thedefinitionof“purereligionandundefiled“bySt。James，appealnolesstothedeepestthingsinthehumanheart。Intherealmofmorals，too，serviceableastheideaoffirebrandsthrownbytherighthandofanavengingGodtoscareanaughtyworldmightseem，anycompetenthistorianmustfindthatthedestructionoftheoldtheologicalcometarytheorywasfollowedbymoralimprovementratherthanbydeterioration。Wehavebuttocomparethegeneralmoraltoneofsocietyto-day，wretchedlyimperfectasitis，withthatexistinginthetimewhenthissuperstitionhaditsstrongesthold。WehaveonlytocomparethecourtofHenry
withthecourtofVictoria，thereignofthelaterValoisandearlierBourbonprinceswiththepresentFrenchRepublic，theperiodoftheMediciandSforzasandBorgiaswiththeperiodofLeoXIIIandHumbert，themonstrouswickednessoftheThirtyYears’WarwiththeennoblingpatriotismoftheFranco-Prussianstruggle，andthedespotismofthemiserableGermanprincelingsofthesixteenthandseventeenthcenturieswiththereignoftheEmperorWilliam。Thegainisnotsimplythatmankindhasarrivedataclearerconceptionoflawintheuniverse；notmerelythatthinkingmenseemoreclearlythatwearepartofasystemnotrequiringconstantpatchingandarbitraryinterference；butperhapsbestofallisthefactthatsciencehasclearedawayonemoreseriesofthosedogmaswhichtendtodebaseratherthantodevelopman’swholemoralandreligiousnature。Inthisemancipationfromterrorandfanaticism，asinsomanyotherresultsofscientificthinking，wehaveaproofoftheinspirationofthosegreatwords，“THETRUTHSHALLMAKEYOU
AmongthephilosophersofGreecewefind，evenatanearlyperiod，germsofgeologicaltruth，and，whatisofvastimportance，anatmosphereinwhichsuchgermscouldgrow。ThesegermsweretransmittedtoRomanthought；anatmosphereoftolerancecontinued；therewasnothingwhichforbadeunfetteredreasoningregardingeithertheearth’sstrataortheremainsofformerlifefoundinthem，andundertheRomanEmpireaperiodoffruitfulobservationseemedsuretobegin。
But，asChristianitytookcontroloftheworld，therecameagreatchange。TheearliestattitudeoftheChurchtowardgeologyanditskindredscienceswasindifferent，andevencontemptuous。
Accordingtotheprevailingbelief，theearthwasa“fallenworld。”andwassoontobedestroyed。Why，then，shoulditbestudied？Why，indeed，giveathoughttoit？ThescornwhichLactantiusandSt。Augustinehadcastuponthestudyofastronomywasextendedlargelytoothersciences。[125]
[125]ForacompactandadmirablestatementastothedawnofgeologicalconceptionsinGreeceandRome，seeMr。LesterWard’sessayonpaleobotanyintheFifthAnnualReportoftheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey，for1883-’84。AstothereasonswhyGreekphilosophersdidcomparativelysolittleforgeology，seeD’Archiac，Geologie，p。18。ForthecontemptfeltbyLactantiusandSt。Augustinetowardastronomicalscience，seeforegoingchaptersonAstronomyandGeography。
Butthegermsofscientificknowledgeandthoughtdevelopedintheancientworldcouldbeentirelysmotheredneitherbyeloquencenorbylogic；somelittlescientificobservationmustbeallowed，thoughallclosereasoninguponitwasfetteredbytheology。ThusitwasthatSt。JeromeinsistedthatthebrokenandtwistedcrustoftheearthexhibitsthewrathofGodagainstsin，andTertullianassertedthatfossilsresultedfromthefloodofNoah。
Tokeepallsuchobservationandreasoningwithinorthodoxlimits，St。Augustine，aboutthebeginningofthefifthcentury，begananefforttodevelopfromthesegermsagrowthinsciencewhichshouldbesacredandsafe。Withthisintenthepreparedhisgreatcommentaryontheworkofcreation，asdepictedinGenesis，besidesdwellinguponthesubjectinotherwritings。
Onceengagedinthiswork，hegavehimselftoitmoreearnestlythananyotheroftheearlierfatherseverdid；buthisvastpowersofresearchandthoughtwerenotdirectedtoactualobservationorreasoninguponobservation。Thekeynoteofhiswholemethodisseeninhisfamousphrase，“NothingistobeacceptedsaveontheauthorityofScripture，sincegreateristhatauthoritythanallthepowersofthehumanmind。”Allhisthoughtwasgiventostudyingtheletterofthesacredtext，andtomakingitexplainnaturalphenomenabymethodspurelytheological。[126]
[126]Forcitationsandauthoritiesonthesepoints，seethechapteronMeteorology。
Amongthemanyquestionshethenraisedanddiscussedmaybementionedsuchasthese：“Whatcausedthecreationofthestarsonthefourthday？”“Werebeastsofpreyandvenomousanimalscreatedbefore，orafter，thefallofAdam？Ifbefore，howcantheircreationbereconciledwithGod’sgoodness；ifafterward，howcantheircreationbereconciledtotheletterofGod’sWord？”“WhywereonlybeastsandbirdsbroughtbeforeAdamtobenamed，andnotfishesandmarineanimals？”“WhydidtheCreatornotsay，`Befruitfulandmultiply，’toplantsaswellastoanimals？”[127]
[127]SeeAugustine，DeGenesi，ii，13，15，etseq。；ix，12etseq。ForthereferencetoSt。Jerome，seeShields，FinalPhilosophy，p。119；alsoLeyell，IntroductiontoGeology，vol。i，chap。ii。
SundryanswerstotheseandsimilarquestionsformedthemaincontributionsofthegreatestoftheLatinfatherstothescientificknowledgeoftheworld，afteramostthoroughstudyofthebiblicaltextandamostprofoundapplicationoftheologicalreasoning。Theresultsofthesecontributionsweremostimportant。Inthis，asinsomanyotherfields，AugustinegavedirectiontothemaincurrentofthoughtinwesternEurope，CatholicandProtestant，fornearlythirteencenturies。
Intheagesthatsucceeded，thevastmajorityofprominentscholarsfollowedhimimplicitly。EvensostrongamanasPopeGregorytheGreatyieldedtohisinfluence，andsuchleadersofthoughtasSt。Isidore，intheseventhcentury，andtheVenerableBede，intheeighth，plantingthemselvesuponAugustine’spremises，onlyventuredtimidlytoextendtheirconclusionsuponlineshehadlaiddown。
InhisgreatworkonEtymologies，IsidoretookupAugustine’sattempttobringthecreationintosatisfactoryrelationswiththebookofGenesis，and，astofossilremains，he，likeTertullian，thoughtthattheyresultedfromtheFloodofNoah。
InthefollowingcenturyBededevelopedthesameorthodoxtraditions。[128]
[128]ForIsidore，seetheEtymologiae，xi，4，xiii，22。ForBede，seetheHexaemeron，i，ii，inMigne，tomexci。
Thebestguess，inageologicalsense，amongthefollowersofSt。
AugustinewasmadebyanIrishmonkishscholar，who，inordertodiminishthedifficultyarisingfromthedistributionofanimals，especiallyinviewofthefactthatthesameanimalsarefoundinIrelandasinEngland，heldthatvariouslandsnowseparatedwereonceconnected。But，alas！theexigenciesoftheologyforcedhimtoplacetheirseparationlaterthantheFlood。Happilyforhim，suchfactswerenotyetknownasthatthekangarooisfoundonlyonanislandintheSouthPacific，andmusttherefore，accordingtohistheory，havemigratedthitherwithallhisprogeny，andalongacausewaysocuriouslyconstructedthatnoneofthebeastsofprey，whowerehisfellow-voyagersintheark，couldfollowhim。