New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-11-17
For The Tribune.
OF ne If.o '1"
Or. Smiths Geological Lecture.

WAX. Eoiioh. VIII you permit Inc, On oo"At
of class of your readers respectable both IN pom
Of numbers and intelligence, to offer few stric
lures on the Geological Lecture OF Dr. j. Angus
TINE SMITH, as reported in last Saturday Tribune
In this age, 80 distinguished for its professions
transcendenta faith the charge OF intideiity ma,
sound harsh Indeed we have been lately tangh
tina, sush a thing no ioager exisis-that those who
are honest enough to avow the name are evidently
mistaken as to the state Of their own minds ano
that ths mistake has arisen from taking the bioie
as their Standard Of faith instead of that aspt40
ton after tie infinite, which at the Pfesehl ga!
scars so high, dispensing not only WIN cfeeos
and articles, but also with the AID Oh Tue hoiy
Scriptures themselves Hence Spnoza and Aonef
Kneeland yultaire and Paine, were Christians
wi,bout knowing il; and hence that saperabun,
dance of faith in every thing but the plain decia-
rs,;ons of rbe Bible, which find manifesting it.
self in every quarter around US. But to return to
DR. Smith; there are some things in his Lecture
as reported, to which, in honest age, the
charge of infdelty would have been freely APP,
oiled, aud frankly admitted. To this, however oil
tensive, we could have made objection, had The
author seen fit 10 express his sentiments in some
independent discussion, like the worthless above
mentioned, VINO, whatever else might be said Of
them, affected no disguise as to their real opin
ions. They did not assume an air of bland and
patronising condescension toward the Bible Will,
seeking to undermine The very foundations of al
belief in Revelation. DR.. Smith might have puI.
sued the same bold and independent course but
he has chosen different mode, and this is til,
grievance which forms the burden Of our com
plant. A lecture before public Lyceum, patron.
ised by Christian community has been made the
occasion of direct attack upon all proper faith
in the inspiration of the Bible. The Lecturer ha.
thus also found access to the public through th,
daily press, in the discharge OF its ordinary du
ties as reporter of the proceedings Of our public
institutions, -when according to its standing rule
the same press would have been closed to him
had he sought admission upon the frank and ope
ground of theological discussion.
1t is of this, Mr.. Editor, we complain. Should
I, as the representative of very respectable por
sen of your readers, send you disquisition in de-
fence of the Westminster Catechism, or som,
points of the old theology, you would doubtless
reject it under the rule aforesaid, Notwithstanding
the fact that many regard these not only truths
but as the highest and most transcendant truth.
presented to the human mind We do not
intend to charge you with any intentional violation
of your rule, in favor of opposing sentiments
Few presses seem to be conducted with more hon
esty OF purpose than your ewn; and yet it is =
fact, of which we do complain, that under the dis,
guioe OF lectures, discussions on the social state
letters from Boston, &c. with which our papers
daily TILED, the above mentioned old fashioned
doctrines not only indirectly attacked, but In
manner still more offensive, assumed to be without
foundation, or utterly exploded by the rapid pro
gress of the human mind within the last few years
Many authors and lecturers, at the present day, |
write and speak as though no now believed il
original sin, unless under some t1anscendentu
guise, or in depravity, or in regeneration, the
necessity of grace, or the sublime doctrine of JUS
ti6cation by faith No doubt the very terms them.
selves will startle many of your readers, as alto
gether strange and out of place in the columns OF
the daily press--although they simply intro
duced by way of example, without any intended
discussion Of their merits
Now Mr.. Editor, without impung any specia
bleme to yourself, (for are aware of the diff
culties of your postion,T permit us, who ale SO !
ters, respectfully to state grievances, and while
continually annoyed in the manner stated, may we
sometimes have the liberty of replyl We return
again to DIR. Smith and to the substantialion oil
oar charge If correctly reported, he tells US !!
withouton qualification 1.-THE facls Of geology |
are contrary to The account giuen in tie Bible |
We are aware of the sceptical tendencies of many |
biologists, yet still their opposition to the Scrip
lures has generally been disguised under the sheer
ing demand OF a new Interpretation. Our lecturer |
however takes bo,der ground. He proceeds MOI
merely upon the ncorrectness OF the interpretation
but assumes at once direct contradictions Mos, |
sober expostors have come to the conclusion, that
the existence Of the mass of the Earth, with per-
haPs living organization upon it,) long before the
period styled the Mosaic creation, is not contra |
dicted by any thing contained in the Bible If ge
ologists require 1t, they are,wiling concede mil
hons OF years, anterior to that period, when the |
Almighty proceeded to reorganize and reconstruc, |
the present order of things precisely in the man
ner described by Moses, whatever that manner !
may have been, and whatever reasonable latitud,
OF Interpretation may have been adopted This |
has not been forced upon them by biologists, for
many OF the most pioas, well as the mes, learn
ed believers, adopted this conclusion, long before
geology as a science was ever thought of. Dr.
Smith, however, with that profound ignorance OF
theology and Biblical literature, for which men OF
this class are distinguished, seems to be entirel,
unaware Of this He TOO must commence in the
usual style, and with every vulgar lecturer repeal
tor the hundred,h time the attack epon Moses
and then gravely assume that he is merely repe-
ling the assaults of narrow-minded relig Consists
ne contrarIety Is assumed-the man of straw is
set up, and ne then gravely proceeds to the work
of demolition. One would have thought, that SO
distinguished would have avoided this, ii
for other reason than that it had become utter
" stale and worn our hy repetition We nnl,