Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-02-24
Science and Revelation,

'einateu III the skeptlclsm OF second-rate
sarans, to whom, as Pope well said, lit
tie learning is dangerous tbirg. The
great luminaries of science, in nearly ev-
cry country, have been, on the contrary,
not only sincere believers in Deity, bu,
conscientious supporters Of Christianity.
At the head of this immortal band stands
Newton, who had probably the greatest in
.ellect Of its kind the world bas ever seen.
Since his day, a host Of illustrious men,
only less able, have also testified to the
agreement between physical science and
revealed religion. Now and then, indeed,
some new fact is asserted in science which
appears to controvert the Bible. But it
has been always found either that the al
legged fact was false conclusion, or that
it was the first of series of new discover
les, which, when taken together, proved
directly the reverse Of what it alone would
have done. We can not illustrate this
better than by selecting one out of many
problems Of this description.
Some years ago, the reading public was
astonished by the appearance Of book,
which, under the name of tie Vestiges Of
Creation, undertook to show that man, in
stead Of being created by specific act Of
Almighty power, as inculcated in Scrip
ture, was the result of progressive devel-
opement. In other words, the theory was,
that fish, by mere length of time, and in
the earlier ages of the earth's history, had
been developed into a reptile; that the
reptile, in time, had changed into lemur;
that the lemur, had become an ape; that
the ape, had been developed into man.
The foundation on which these assump-
tons we're built, was the assertion, decla-
red to be verified by geological discover
les, that the older the rock, the less per-
feet were the fossil organizations. One
answer, among many, to this theory, was,
that too little, as yet, was known of the
earlier geological epOchs, to be certain that
the alleged fact was true. The wisdom Of
this reply has been shown by subsequent
discoveries. For, since then, mammalia
have been found in very ancient beds of
the secondary rocks mammalia as perfect
as most which now walk the earth; and
thus the assumption, that the older the
rock the less perfect the organization, is
blown to the winds. The whole theory
Of progressive development tumbles in
to pieces.
So much for Negative proof Now for
the positive. The assertions of Revelation
are, that not only species, bu. whole OF
ders we're created from time to time, by
an absolute act of the Almighty mind.
Birds after their kind, beasts after their
kind, man last of all and each and every
one, by distinct exercise of creative pow
pr, aud not by Development, the one from
the other. NOw,'the general drift of the
discoveries, SO far made by physical sci
ence, corroborates these views. Moreover,
he further these discoveries extend, in
my one walk of science, the more cumu-
atiye is the evidence in favor Of these as
,ertions and revelations. The presump-
ion that follows, is, that, wherever any
discovery seems to initiate against divine
ruth, it is in consequence of our imma-
ure knowledge on the subject, aud that,
f we wait for further discoveries, the dis
repancy will disappear. Apart from this,
very fresh discovery in physical science,
y increasing our ideas of the magnitude
nd wonders of creation, eularges our con-
option of the attributes Of Deity, and
our conviction that only AL
mighty power could have called these
myriad existences into life. In the child
ood of nations, the being of a God had to
&c accepted on faith, to be believed be-
ause it was revealed. In these later ages,
hysical science, as potent in its way al
,ost as the thunders Of Sinai, declares the
xistence of Creator in every sod it turns
p, in every rock it breaks, in every star
discovers.-Hiladephia Le3yer.
Gov. Chase tells the story that when
lieut.. Gov. Newman of Tennessee was in
incinnati, with the Kentucky and Ten
essee Legislatures, he was accompanied
y his "body servant" sprightly, saddle