Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-05-25
SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE.

1t is an old and stale infdel objection to the
Bible, that it contradicts the discoveries of
science. But closer examination has invaria-
bly, shown that the objection was founded in
ignorance. The very passage upon which it
was founded have been proved to accord with
the well ascertained facts and principles of
science. 1t is indeed surprising that in so many
instances the declaration of Scripture should SO
well accord with facts developed by the expert
mental philosophy of the present age. Here is
a passage from Ecclesiastes, book written al
most two thousand years ago, by the prince of
rural kingdom "All the rivers run into the
sea yet the sea is not full unto the place
whence the rivers came, thther they return
again" To an untaught mind it must appear
strange thing, that the immense multitude of
rivers, great and small throughout the globe,
which rises in tho mountains, and roll on, ac-
cumulating force as they 20, should continue
for ages to empty their measurless waters into
the ocean, and yet never fill it, or increase Its
size. But Solomon gives us the simple fact in
explanation " Unto the place whence the rivers
come, thither they return again" lie does not
attempt to tell US how, but simply announces
the fact. The modern philosopher confirms the
fact, when he tells us in explanation of the
mode. that the suns rays evaporate the waters
Of the ocean, which rise up in the form of vapor
or steam and are carried by the winds to the
distant mountains, where they are condensed
and fall to the earth in the form of rain or
snow, to feed the sources Of tho rivers. The
most critical scientific writer could not express
the fact in more exact language than that en-
ployed by Solomon; and we must conclude that
either he, in that semi-barbarious age, was &C.
quainted with the principles of modern science,
or else be spoke by inspiration.
There is another interesting circumstance, in
connection with the one already named, though
it is little depression from the subject named
in the heading of this article-the exact agree
ment of the Bible with facts. 1t is remarkable
that every new discovery, in the region wher
the Bible was written, confirms this. Among
these ore the monuments of Egyptian oppres
sion and Assyrian captivity Of the Israelites
and the monuments to Jonah and Daniel, du,
out of the mounds of buried cities. In tn
twenty-eighth capter of Job there is, as MI
Goode has shown, graphic and truthful des
cription of the process of mining for the pre-
cious metals,
The passage in Joshua, " Sun stand thou sti
upon Gideon and thou, moon, in the valley {
Aijon," has often been quoted to show that hi
as writer, protesting inspiration, was una'
Quainted with the fact of the earth's rotatio
upon its axis. suppose, however, that tn
most accurate scientific men among us, in CIV
ing popular description of the occurrence
would use similar language. But, in additio
to the mode Of explaining the language, "
have remarkable confirmation Of the fact. 4.
few years ago, heard Rev. Eli Smith, who ha
then just returned from a tour in Palestine
state that he was passing along near the Jorda
at that time of day and of the year when
supposed that the SUN and moon would hold