The New York herald., 1874-09-27


remark abls varieties; his laws. in TACT, are no
laws and hH conclusions are far beyond his
premises.
spencer's theorysof evolution Is the work OF 4
master mind, giving scientific shape to Darwin's
hasy and imperfect generazations, and account
ing by few simple laws for the changes o. the
material, social and moral world. The authors
avowed sympathy with some OF the most DANGER
ous tendencies OF the Huxley scno0l has preju-
diced. and not unreasonab,y the religious schools
OF thought against all his writings. But, IL is
humbly submitted that. taking his theory OF evo-
luton as an analysis or the laws exhibited by the
alIcresting and all-ordaID1ng Intelligence for the
regulating of all force and motion and lie, 1t can
wonderfully help toward explaining and under
standing the universe.
1t is the proper nature OF truth to clear up and
unity and hsrmonIze, while error confounds, d.
vides and disturbs. Philosophy being the "knowk
edge OF things tnature) through their deepest and
simplest courses" q true philosophy, beginning
with the great First Cause, would show His
power and wisdom, unfolding this vast world OF
matter intelligence and llfe from a few simple
clements, and governing 1t through few simple
laws
In the magnificent synthesis OF Spencer, resum-
ing as 1t does and completing all that is OF any
scientific value in Darwin's works. there is not
one Jeatur6 WHICH is AoVcl W tnc great bCHOOiS u
Christian theology and philosophy; not one prin-
ciple which has not been, at time or other, and
under slightly different form. developed and IL
lustrated by some great mind within the Church
II Is the professed purpose OF doing without
creating and governing God, while accounting for
the existence, origin nature and destlnies OF all
things, that Is the primal mi stake OF our modern
scientists. This compels' religion to oppose and
denounce Them. And as We are apt to see in our
open and deadly loes none Of the good qualities
they may possess. so the defenders OF revelation
naturally overlook IN the new scientific theories
the most precious elements OF truth.
Now, the question oil evolution rightly under
stood and In It's natural connection with the Maker
and Ruler OF the world, occurred in the very first
ages OF Christianity TO these great men, the
Church fathers, who made 1t duty to explain to
their people every verse OF the Bible from the
first OF Genesis TO the last OF Re velatlOn.
The difficulty, then with the evolutionists does
not consist in their aflrming that the earth on
which we live, and all the similarly constituted
bodies around us IN space were, millions OF ages
ago, nebuous mass, ga fiery cloud; - or that
in this mass the hand or the Creator might have
deposited the primordlal germs of oil organic life.
This difficulty, hypothesis rather, came up inces-
sanity in scholastic disputes throughout the course
of ages, and was connected or Identified with the
Augustine menuons this and passes it lightly by
as well known intellectual problem which inno-
Gently exercised the intelligence OF students In
his day, as in every preceding generation.
IL was simply, Could God have created few
simple vegetable and animal forms and from them,
according to the essential laws OF their natures,
have evolved the wealth or life which covered the
earth and nled The aIr and waterss Or did the
nature OF things require that He should create in
staneously this solid earth as we now inhabit II,
with every plans and tree IN the ripe perfection
of its kind, every species OF animal In its adult
slater 1t IS manifest that here is Wide field l0r
speculation and discussion. In this feld while
believed by all the mind OF the student was per-
mitted free range.
readers are disposed to be alarmed by the
word revolution" 20 reflect on what Is here SAID.
Let me place side by side consideration pre-
sented IN former letter on '.CreatiOn from
ETERNITY" with correct notion OF what evolution
or mediate creation has meant in the Christian
schools. It was possible Tor GOD to create from
eternity; the contradictory has never been de-
mOnstrated true, nor can 1t be. Believing. then,
fa,f VS world rid can: without Violating my % baptisma
bcliel. go back IN Imagination not merely million
of years oat minion OF M minons 70 NIX hX me aaSs
and the earth. was the material world thus first
brought into existence oy tue Almighty word y
do not know, but II 1 conceive 1t so there Is
nothing that Is not consistent with the re;
began BY being f'aanis ct vacasa, without form
and void;" and over this fathonless, dark and
hovered, ripening the germs and preparing the
forms OF all order, beauty and life 1or their ap-
s IL Is Sg our Of
time, and With It's horizon limited to the little
span of our human Vie, to misconceive Gods
eternity, and to fix for Him some con tracted period
IN which He must needs display His creative
power. You can take lor unit in your calculation
million OF our centuries and multiply it with ten
CnOuSanQ mlluOQS, ana proceeding OaCkWdrQ
from the present day, nx that day when light first
Counting the our duraon that Went "e
lore; and all these aQes are as naught
compared to Gods antecedent eternity why.
shoulders OF the scholars that have gone before
and see even further than they into the legitimate
babes In a darkened room when this phantasmag0-
rc figure Of evolution" Is projected on the screen
OF our lancy2 The apparitiOn Is rot new one, no-
is there aught In the new form 1t takes which
should startle US out Of our propriety.
we can allow; ron the iirst instant when the y,
ages TO have elapsed while the nebuous fiery
mass, In obedience to the laws which govern its
atoms in every possible relation. was becoming
dt for the first living things. How long did the
first snurian or Laurenran waters cover the sea
Known Known to o. SCIENCE % % WHAT s duration s may asS we
assign to each successive stage marked
from @ out the tomb Of the past up to the age When
mans traces are first discovered at the super1ces
Of this geological charnel houseH Do not grudge
another. We are but too apt to measure His
thoughts D; our thoughts, His operations by our
own impatient iongings, and the sure, but slow,
action Of natures laws by the hurry and tmperfec-
tion of our own achievements. God has al eter-
nity to work in Our arbitrary measures OF time
and space, OF greatness and illness. are ours not
His. Ii from the one priinordia cell, let fall like
the protOcoccus ntudliS on the shining snow drit,
God so ordained that the first blade OF grass
should be evolved in 10000 years, and that from
this first grass the seed should spring which,
10000 more, the whole globe with verdure, there
is nothing in the suppostion but is in perfect
tormity with Divine power and wisdom and good
ness
Ii from one primordial "rrotopasm." when un-
counted cycies Of evolution had been completed,
God Wills 1t that man shall be un1Olded, every part
OF his bodily organism ripening beneath the suns
OF unnumbered years, until under the Masters
hand the members have grown into readiness for
the quckening and intelligent SOUL 1 benold In
the increased slowness and care with which God
brings to perfection the crowning work OF His
hand nobning that is repugnant 30 His attributes
or To mans nature. The laws now governing the