Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-04-07
THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE.

THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE.
The discoveries of eminent scientific
men of the day, and the theories which
they are presenting to the world, have
tendency to create doubts and skepticism
in the minds of some in regard to the
truth of the bible. 1t is mans privil-
eye, if not his duty, to use the reasoning
powers with which he is endowed, in
searching into the beauties and mysteries
of nature; but it is not reasonable, be-
cause he has discovered some of the laws
by which the bud expands into the deli
cate and fragrant flower. to declare that
there is no beauty OF mystery in the
flower; not reasonable because the mi
croscope enables him to behold some of
the mysterious operations going on in
the animal kingdom, to say there is no
mystery connected with animal life nor
is it right for the profound scholar, who
has traced nature back through it's COM
pick works to the more simple, to declare
that at some early period, there was
nothing wonderful or grand in the works
of nature | believe that whatever sci
ence has done or shall be able to do, will,
eventually, make more magnificent the
wisdom and goodness of the Creator.
An ingenious writer, in work entitled
''The Origin of Species would lead us
to believe that, at an early age of the
world, the creature we now call man,
was thing of the lowest order of veg
etable or animal life,-it may be the
zoophyte, clinging to the rocks in the
bottom of the sea, and waiting for some
subtle influence to move it forward in
the scale of progression, so that at some
time In the future, its descendants might
take upon themselves the image of the
Creator, and endow themselves with i'm
mortal souls. If it were the case, that
man had come up through the different
stages of development and progression,
from some poor animal to reach his pres
ent state of perfection to my mind it
would detract nothing from the wisdom
of his Creator; for it would seem to be
a creator work to make a thousand crea-
lures, perhaps ten thousand, each little
nearer perfect than his predecessor, until
the acme was reached in man, than it
would be to form man at once, from the
dust, and breathe into him the breath of
life. In the preparation of the earth to
be the abode of plants. animals and man,
there were doubtless progressive stages
: but belive them to have been as dis
tinct as the bible account of the creation
makes them. When light was needed
to illuminate the chaotic mass, from
which the worlds were to be made, the
Maker said "'Let there be light, and
, there ao0S light" When the earth was
prepared for vegetable life, God said
) "'Let the earth bring forth grass, the
> herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree
yielding fruit after his kind, and it was
l so;'' and again when the appointed time
7 came, the Almighty fiat went forth auc
l man was created not developed. If ami
+ mails in any particular age have advanced
in the scale of development or perfec
| ton, the historic age might also b,
> included in this process Of development
f What are the facts? Is there any speci
t of animal that is more beautiful, excep
n such as man has domesticated, than
was when driven from the ark of Noah
: Are the lions that roam about the plain
e of Abyssinia to-day, more ferocious O
t. more docile than those into whose de
l. Daniel was thrown? Are the mos
is noted horses of to-day, more sagaciou
e OF more powerful than the celebrate
l. steed upon which Alexander rode to viz
IS tory Has the association of the o
/, with man. taught him mans reason {
q. mans vices !? Has science or inventio
ct discovered any process by which thu
7e creature nearest resembling man, tt
OF monkey, can be made man? Has ma
ly himself become physically more perfec
re with all the experiences of the past
in Does not intellect pay tribute to IL
or shrines of ancient intellectual greatness
n. If no development toward higher orde
u have been made in the animal kingdo
he during the last six thousand years,
ID would appear that this is not progress
m i've age, so far as that kingdom is co
he cerned; and reasoning analagously,
N, might be believed that progression
"a any particular age, was not law
re nature.
le- But let science determine this if it ca
he To the unlearned it is we'll enough