The New York herald., 1874-09-21
CHURCH OF THE DIVINE PATERNITY.

Science vs.. ReligiOn-Rev. ID. ID. Miner
on the Theory of Evolution.
The Rev. d. d. Miner preached in the place OF
Rev. h. IL. Chaplin, yesterday morning, at the
Church OF the Divine Paternity, corner OF Fifth
avenue and Forty-hith street. The congregation,
ultra fashionable is always the case IN this
church. was moderately large, and the services
were characterized by great earnesrness and fer
vor. The choir. which Is evidently composed OF
trained and finished artists, deserves commenda-
tion for the thoroughness with which 1t mastered
its task. The reverend preacher took his text
from the First Epstle OF Paul to Timothy, vi, 20,
2l-'0 Timothy, keep that which is CON mltted to
thy trust, avoiding profane and vain habblings
and oppositons OF science, sO-called," &c.
Whatever placed the Bible on level with other
books destroyed the foundation OF the Christian
religion. BY the assumptions OF Deism men were
shorn OF their true relations with the divine
Creator. Did the revelations OF modern science
really imperil the foundations OF Christianity?
That was the great question. Could the existence
of this universe be explained by the theory OF de-
veopment? Mr.. Darwin had endeavored to give
the key to the existence OF the universe by show
ing this tendency to development il all matter
Professor Tynda had now proclaimed that matter
was the primal cause OF all life. The assertion
was not borne out by the lacts. Mr.. Spencer had
shown, as he thought, that matter grew in proper
ton to the resistance 1t encoun tered, and that
evolution was in the direction OF the least resist
ance. His thought plainly was that from common
germs the varieties OF lie were evolved. BY the
meteo rologcai Influences and accidents OF cult
vation as well as by other motors, In his opinion,
all the various organisms were evolved. Professor
Iyndal now wanted to prove that there was
God at all, and that all organisms could be traced
THE ONE COMMON SOURCE OF LIFE
on the theory OF steady DEVELOPMENT from
lower to higher the chasms IN the grades OF
growth could not be explained by science. II cer-
tain links mad been lost they must naturally come
back 10 tue CONVICTION that every being was
evolved out OF a fundamental germ OF its own.
SCteltIic men were by no means agreed that the
possibility ofevolvlng organisms from lower grades
mad been clearly established. Professor AgassZ
thought every organism sprung rom It's own
germ. aud he occupied a very high position In the
world oi science. " hen scientific men were thus
in conflict in regard TO the principles ty which athe.
ism could be scientifically affirmed, their teach
iugs as tar as they affected reiigion must be re-
ceived with great caution. There were no unds-
puted lacls open TO scientific men that one form
OF creatures had developed into another form.
This, II proved, went TO show that there was no
evidence Of one form Of life opening into some
thing different. Were IL not 50 they should mud
the oak looking to the maple or linden, but moth
Ing oi the KIND appeared anywhere 1t was true tnat
they had round them evolution springing from
idiysyucratlc Cvo!utloD one Kind oil animal de
yeloped INTO IT. form OF maturity, and another
MIND AND BODY.
Mind was not the nower or fruitage or the
bfaih ii tHcy VISITED q large factory Wnere the
water fell upon the great wheel they found
that il the wheel stood stlll the machinery was
useless. Would it not be absurd to argue tnat be-
cause the wheel was broken The water was
less powerful tnan beforeY SO the brain was
the organ of the mind, but the mind was,
The tendency OF the cereal to develop
its Kind was patent ana there was no
exhaustion III this process. If the mind stood
related 10 the body just the wheat stood related
30 the stalk there would be no sudden wresthng5
ana prostrations, but steady development.
"
the innux Of sudden Joy or paraiyzed by a
sudden grief. The primary TACT was mind Itself,
and 1t evolved the emotions and feelings OF the
body. II was possible for the nina 20 destroy the
physical conditions OF the body dependent upon It,
GRAVIfATlOE AND COHESION
IL was thus manifest that the higher forces OF
nature controlled the lower. No form OF attraction
was so universal as gravitation, but cohesion DOM
lldteo over RraNItatl)n. Coaesion Itself was
dominated over oy chemical aflinues, Tne rev.
erend preacher showed how these chemical
The chemistry OF Hfe transcribed mere
cheHC YHad aI 40 an4iy mt AL 10 i DEAD matter t9is
products without cultivation In the physiology
OF snsRas and and plants they found that !he lood
the whole economy OF the animal world. Drop
the acorn INTO the soil and II had Ia t the germ or
q ne Whlch would hnauY produce an OAK. There
was no eyloence that matter ever marshalled
Itself to tie formation OF an acorn. This single
example would hold good IN ali the animal aud
vegetable world. Tney had no evidence OF the
gram changing into the wheat aud orth.
tlops OF man had heen represented as being AL
tne onsnoots OF the primary germinal develop
ment. Wnat was human sensation II Ia
vowed the existence OF a sensitive beng. often
tunes IN conversation they were so absorbed in
one object that they let no sensation by other
causes. Thus they found that the sensation was
/ dependent on attention. condition OF the mind.
TIE MIND Most EXIST
/ before sensation could be created. Sensation
| Coui1 DOT possibly be eNpidned as entering into
dhelr experience until they were sentient beings.
Ine telescope stood related 10 the power OF VISION
very much as the eye did. 1t was not the eve that
saw, bot the organ DIVISION, which was much more
mgnV developed In one man than ig was In
another.
II they could not evolve thought from this ten.
dency OF matter TO deyelopment DO " could they