Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-03-21
Daily a'ir9inian.
voR THE viRalNiAN.
Scripture and Geology. No l,


Scripture and Geology No l
M. Editor: :--Whilc greatly pleased in many
respects, with the lecture Of Prot, Rogers before
the Young Mems Christian Association of this
city. on last Tuesday night week, ! could not but
regret, with yourself that the learned speaker
made no effort 10 satisfy an inquiry so naturally
started in tho minds Of his hearers: y such IN
d.fnft periods af hmt rcrr it3nJed fo Me for
na'ton II he codi deposits and "her inferior
siIaii hom is Il that he Mpsac history assigns. dc-
co,eling 10 The ordinary chronology. tm about sir
MonNrai gcds,ani iaccoId,ng 10 N, longest the Sep
htdyini). bHt dbont serrn Mo sand gears 10 The er-
iNcacc ef om yiobcf This question possesses At
present special significance. Tho most lahored
attempts have recently been made both in Europe
aud in this country to array tho discoveries OF Sol
cncc against tho teachings If Revrlation--to show
that tho incts Of the one contradict the statements
"f the other. The German philosophers, hbtrious
cleaners in every field of knowledge, but far bet
ter fitted To 'collcct facts than to draw conclu-
sions" aud tho visionary S,r0ns of Francc. who
pro,crbully "n, 10 conclusions in seorn of tho
tnrdy wisdom "i incts, hnvc combined their forces
IN nm unconlpromisng crusade ngninst tho Word
# God Especially have they cnLca, rcd l., show
from the newest, aud mnst incomplete Of Sciences,
TINT of Geology. that there is n direct contet be-
tween the Sacred history oi the creation, and tho
records If creation it>elF-thnt the earth contains,
IN its own bosom, evidences Of I'm antiquity inti.
~plcl volume. One class Of these theorists. not
content wlih their hostility to the Christian Rcyr
latinn hn,c merged into absolute Athcism--mnin-
tainiug that the constitution nud order at nature,
with all their attendant phenomena, hnyc their
eolntlon in inherent vital force belonging to the
eemcutn,y PARTICLES f matter. and that out Of
them have been evolved, by progressive dc,clo;r
mcnt from the lower IL the higher, all material
and animated forms "All things" sn>s Lamark,
the pioneer of this school. "werc originally fluid.
The waters gave birth to microscopic insects; the
insects. in the of ngcs, mnEnifcd themselves
into the larger animals; the animals, in the course
of agcs converted the water into cacarnous earth.
the vegetables converted another portion into clay.
These two substances, IN the course ot ngeS, con.
,rrcd hcmsclvcs into scx: and thus the Siliccous
mountains the oldest of all Such is the
profound (?) philosophy which, setting aside tho
agency of Infinite Wisdom aud Power in the
alton, would nscrhe it 10 mere mechanical and
Secondary causes 1t would seem ms though n
theory 80 ridiculous and absurd would hnvo died
with it's author, but il found its advocates even
among those whose names mnkcd high IN tho
world Of letters. But few years hack this very
doctrine, in II most subtle and sprcious FORM
was introduced into England through that
remarkable book "Thc Vcstges Of Creation"
whose appearance created such widespread
scieation aud such intense curiosity in liter
nrv ,irclc, and though triumpllnntly
rciulcd 10y Hugh Miller. in his "Old Rod Sand
stone by mn array Of geological evidence amount
ing Ia absolute demonstra iou, yet it sail counts
It's disciples IN Continental Europe by scores.
How far this ultra view of the foreign school mny
have infused itself into the scientific ranks of this
country. we are not prepared to say. Certain it
is however. TINT there not few of
of science who. though they readily admit tho
agency of the Creator in his works, do not implic
lilly acknowledge the authority Of that Revelation
which hc has given for the instruction and com