The distinction between the two seems to be this: The naturalists in theology assert that God comes to man through nature, and nature _only_; the supernaturalist declares that God comes to man, not only through nature, but also by other methods outside of nature, or above nature. There is no question between them as to natural religion. Both admit that; supernaturalists believe all that naturalists believe, only they believe something more. But how is _nature_ to be defined? What is meant by nature? Various definitions are given; but we wish for one now which shall really express the issue taken in this controversy. So we may define nature as law. All the nexus or web of existing substances and forces which are under law belong to nature. All that happens outside of these laws is either preternatural, unnatural, subternatural, or supernatural. If it is something _outside of law_, but _not violating_ it, _nor coming_ from a higher source, we call it _preter_natural; like magic, ghosts, sorcery, fairies, genii, and the like. What _violates_ law is _un_natural. What is so low down that it lies below law, as chaos before creation; or nebulous matter not yet beginning to obey the law of gravitation; or intelligences, like Mephistopheles or Satan, who have sunk so low in sin as to have lost the perception of right and wrong, is _subternatural_, _below_ nature. What belongs to a religion above the laws of time and space, above the finite, is supernatural. Thus brutes, and men like brutes, who are below the moral law, are _subter_natural as regards that law. We do not call it a sin in a tiger to kill a man, for he is _below_ law as regards sin. He is _below_ the moral law. Again, we can conceive of angels so high up as to be above the moral law, in part of its domain, not capable either of common virtue or of common sin, according to _our_ standards of morality, though perhaps under some higher code of ethics. They are supernatural beings as regards _that_ law—the moral law of this world. As regards some parts of the moral law, there are, no doubt, multitudes of human beings above it even in this world. There are many persons quite incapable of swearing, lying, stealing, getting drunk, flying into a passion, and to whom, therefore, it is no virtue to avoid these vices. They are simply _above_ that part of the moral law. They are _super_natural beings as respects that part of human character. After these illustrations, we can see what is meant by _supernaturalism_. If there is anything in this world which comes from above the world, and not from the existing laws of being, _that_ is supernatural. § 2. The Creation Supernatural.