[141]ForacomparisonbetweentheconductofItalianandEnglishecclesiasticsasregardsgeology，seeLyell，PrinciplesofGeology，tenthEnglishedition，vol。i，p。33。ForaphilosophicalstatementofreasonswhythestrugglewasmorebitterandtheattemptatdeceptivecompromisesmoreabsurdinEnglandthanelsewhere，seeMaury，L’AncienneAcademiedesSciences，secondedition，p。152。ForveryfrankconfessionsofthereasonswhytheCatholicChurchhasbecomemorecarefulinherdealingswithscience，seeRoberts，ThePontificalDecreesagainsttheEarth’sMovement，London，1885，especiallypp。94and132，133，andSt。GeorgeMivart’sarticleintheNineteenthCenturyforJuly1885。Thefirstofthesegentlemen，itmustnotbeforgotten，isaRomanCatholicclergymanandthesecondaneminentlaymanofthesameChurch，andbothadmitthatitwasthePope，speakingexcathedra，whoerredintheGalileocase；buttheirexplanationisthatGodallowedthePopeandChurchtofallintothisgrievouserror，whichhascostsodear，inordertoshowonceandforallthattheChurchhasnorighttodecidequestionsinScience。
Wehavealreadynotedthattherearegenerallythreeperiodsorphasesinatheologicalattackuponanyscience。Thefirstoftheseismarkedbythegeneraluseofscripturaltextsandstatementsagainstthenewscientificdoctrine；thethirdbyattemptsatcompromisebymeansoffar-fetchedreconciliationsoftextualstatementswithascertainedfact；butthesecondorintermediateperiodbetweenthesetwoisfrequentlymarkedbythepittingagainstscienceofsomegreatdoctrineintheology。Wesawthisinastronomy，whenBellarminandhisfollowersinsistedthatthescientificdoctrineoftheearthrevolvingaboutthesuniscontrarytothetheologicaldoctrineoftheincarnation。SonowagainstgeologyitwasurgedthatthescientificdoctrinethatfossilsrepresentanimalswhichdiedbeforeAdamcontradictsthetheologicaldoctrineofAdam’sfallandthestatementthat“deathenteredtheworldbysin。”
Inthissecondstageofthetheologicalstrugglewithgeology，Englandwasespeciallyfruitfulinchampionsoforthodoxy，firstamongwhommaybenamedThomasBurnet。Inthelastquarteroftheseventeenthcentury，justatthetimewhenNewton’sgreatdiscoverywasgiventotheworld，BurnetissuedhisSacredTheoryoftheEarth。Hispositionwascommanding；hewasaroyalchaplainandacabinetofficer。PlantinghimselfuponthefamoustextinthesecondepistleofPeter，[142]hedeclaresthatthefloodhaddestroyedtheoldandcreatedanewworld。TheNewtoniantheoryherefusestoaccept。Inhistheoryofthedelugehelayslessstressuponthe“openingofthewindowsofheaven“thanuponthe“breakingupofthefountainsofthegreatdeep。”Onthislatterpointhecomesforthwithgreatstrength。
Histheoryisthattheearthishollow，andfilledwithfluidlikeanegg。MixingtogethersundrytextsfromGenesisandfromthesecondepistleofPeter，thetheologicaldoctrineofthe“Fall。”anastronomicaltheoryregardingtheecliptic，andvariousnotionsadaptedfromDescartes，heinsistedthat，beforesinbroughtontheDeluge，theearthwasofperfectmathematicalform，smoothandbeautiful，“likeanegg。”withneitherseasnorislandsnorvalleysnorrocks，“withnotawrinkle，scar，orfracture。”andthatallcreationwasequallyperfect。
[142]SeeIIPeteriii，6。