The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-10-01
Science and Religion.

There never has been any conflict, and never
can be any, between true science and true re-
liqion. The God of nature is the God of reve-
lation. The hand that made the heavens and
the earth is the same that wrote the Bible.
Christianity has nothing to fear from the dis
coveries of modern science in any of its various
departments. The greatest students of nature
have been the most devout believers in the
Scriptures. Those who have learned most of
science have received with the simplicity of the
child the truths taught in the Bible. No intel
ligent christian discourages the keenest search
into natures secrets, for he knows they offer
new and ever-increasing evidences of the wis.,
dom, power and goodness ofhis heavenly Father.
There may be, and often is, conflict between
the theories and hypothesis which scientists
build upon their discoveries and the Word of
God; and there is sometimes conflict between
long and generally received interpretations of
Scripture and the facts of science. But theo-
ries are human, and not always logical deduc-
tions from ascertained facts; and these inter-
pretations are not inspired, but only human
views OF what is revealed, and may be defective
or entirely wrong, without affecting the integ-
rity of the divine record 1t furnishes strong
presumptive argument for the divine origin of
the Bible, that though written long before most
of the sciences had beginning, it never clash
es with any well established fact in the physic-
al world. Though not written to teach us as
tronomy, or geology, or natural history, yet its
language has been so carefully chosen and
guided by divine hand, that it is in accor-
dance with the discoveries of modern science,
and in some cases actually anticipates them.
1t is melancholy fact that some of the stu
dents of nature, and who claim to be the leaders
of thought in this day, have adopted material
istic or pantheistic opinions. But this is easily
explained; it is because they love to have it so
IJnbelief is natural to fallen man. The world
" wisdom know not God, and the wisdom of
the world is foolshness with God. 1t is not
surprising that the pride of reason ever strives
TO exclude God from the universe which he
made and governs. True faith is needed to
acknowledge his presence andsupremacy every
where. The widest vagary or the most
groundless theory is seized upon if it affords
the faintest justification for man in his rejection
of God. Common sense, reason and log gic are set
at defiance, if the feeblest support can thereby
be had for infideity. But the evidences for the
truth Of christianity are too numerous and con-
elusive to be set aside for some scientific theory.
That would be a fimsy pretext on which to
reject truths which have such overtowering
Importance to us who are guilty sinners II
the Bible is true, they incur fearful risk who
reject its teachings They would rob them
serves and us of saviour Of pardon and ever
lasting glory. Are all these, moro precious
than any created mind can conceive of, to be
exchanged for some hypothesis of little value
in itself, if true, and which in month may
give place to another, which, in its turn, will
be exchanged for something else? 1t is posi-
lively sickeEing to contemplate the dreary
blank which cold materialsm has to offer to
the christian world in exchange for that hope
of Gods favor and blessed Immortality which
has comforted thousands in sorest trials and
sustained them even in cruel deaths.-1. r.
PveSbyteriae.