The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-15
SCIENCE AND RELIGION.


DEAN sTANLEY's SERMON OVER THE REMAINS OF
SIR CHARLES LYELL-To DE THE DISCIPLE
is TO BE THE SCHOLAR"
From the London Times, March IL
Sir Charles Lye was buried on Saturday in
Westminster Abbey. Dean Stanley read the SER
vice and the lessons unasslsted by the canon OF
the day, was absent through illness. The
Queens carriage and the Prince OF Waes' were
among those which followed the hearse ana Mr..
Donald Cameron, or Lochlel, the member for
Ivernessshlre one of the grooms-n- aiting placed
upon the coffin at the last moment memorial
wreath OF white camellias ana hyacinths, to which
was affixed paper with the worus. "a marx OF
esteem from the Queen" The choral service with
Croit's and Purcell's music only Offered from the
usual brefa ana Impressive order by the custom OF
the abbey, which interpolated at the end just be-
lore the benediction, the anthem, to Handers
music, "His body is buried In peace but his soul
1ivetn evermore.n
DEAN sTANLEY's SERMON.
The choir anu the transepts OF the abbey were
thrOnged again yesterday at three when the Dean
preached memorial sermon. Dean Stanley Sc
lected for his sermon the words of the second
verse OF the first chapter OF Genesls-"The earth
was without form, ana VOID; and darkness was
upon the lace OF the deep. And Inc spirit OF Goa
moved upon the face OF the waters" The sermon
was, IN iact discourse on the religious aspect or
geology.
Ine words OF the text, the Dean SAID. have
sense wider than the mere literal ..,-.,":-.
They express the transition from at point
the ancient Greeks called Chaos to ,s.e e,EAs nre-
the universe when u MODERN ~ s 9e-
scIibed under the head Oi "COsmf l9tf .n'
In TIE original which portray the ~. TlitSs VOID
OF the earth convey most precisely the
image of warning elements. while the words
used for the moving of the divine spirit
on the lace OF the waters express the gentle brood
ing as 1t were OF a bro OF psace. me language,
scientific, lmpresses upon us the principle which
applieS III LOtn the moral and IN the material
world that the law oil the divine operation Is the
gradual, peaceful, progressive development OF
ness into nent. Il is We'll known that when the
study OF geology first arose 1t was involved III
tetmlnaoe schemes o. reconcL,at'on with the
modes OF reconciliation which have each totally
and deservedly taiied. The one attempts TO wrest
science, and the other attempts to ialsliy
Of the Bible Tue seventy" dndd rsA'e tnas
the hare was described as chewing tue
hand, the Jesuiis. In editing Newton's "Princpan,
announced N the preface that they were con.
titious hypothesis else 1t would conflict with the
DEGREES or me popes against the motion Of the
higher kind. or, rather not reconciliation, but
an acknowledgmsnt OF the affinity and identity
exist hs sos tqs spirit Of science ana the
OF the general spirit OF the truths OF
s sensn u 70 me general spirit o. the Bipls
methods For instance, The geological truth which
our lllustrious student was the chief instrument
III clearly setting forth and establishing was the
in ali parts oi the world. that the frame OF this
earth was gradually brought into its present con.
diii0n not 0y sudden and violent COMMISSIONS. put
by the slow and silent action u the same causes
which we see low, but operating through long
succession OF ages beyond the memory and imagf.
nation OF man. There need be no question
or the Bible. We do not expect it should. For,
had there been no such scientific conclusions, we
now know perfectly We'll. rom our incre ased in.
sight INTO the nature and origin OF the early
Biblical records, that they were not aud could not
be literal, prosaic. matrer-ofiact descriptions OF
the beginning of the world OF which, as OF IT'S
end, no man knoweth or can conceive except
Students OF the Bible that the first and second
chapters CT Genesis contain two narratives OF the
creation side by SIDE differing from each other
In almost every particular Of time and place and
order 1T rs now known that the vast epochs de-
manded by scientific observation are incOmpa tlbe
Doth with The COCO years OF the Mosaic chronology
and the SIX days OF the Mosaic Creation No one
now infers from the Bible that the earth is liked.
60 lOrth Us bridegroom RON his chamber, or
tnat the stars sung with an audible voice In the
spirit. the deal the general drift and purpose OF
the BIBLICAL accounts, We find ourselves IN an at.
1nosphere OF moral elevation wnicn meets the
highest requirements PHILOSOPHY can make. AS to
the likeness OF the general spirit OF the method
to the student in It's slow but increasing purpose
OF revelation. through sundry times ana divers
manners, warning eacD succeeding age TO have
lis eyes open and every MEMBER or tue human race
to be the ''disctpler-tnat ls, .'scbOar,D as the
1ounuer or Christianity called His followers. To
invest the pursuit OF truth with the sanctity OF
religious duty IL the true reconciliation or religion
and science. such union mas been the special
glory or the great school OF English BIOLOGISTS and
the two pioneers Of the science at the time when IL
had TO fight Us way against prejudice, ignorance
and apathy were both honOred Glgnltares or the
English Church; and now within these walls there
rests beneath che monument OF WOOD ward one
VINO was the friend or Sedgwick and the publ OF
auckland. He followed truth with O sanctlhed
zeal, chiidlKe humility. For discovering,
1irming, recClIying his conclusions, there was
journey he would not undertake. From early
youth TO extreme Old age Il was 10 him religious
duty learlessly to correct ali his own axes,
and he was always ready TO receive from others
and reproduce that which he had not Ia hilnselr.
In his mind science and religion were indivistbe.
The freedom OF religious inquiry In the National
large. were to him as dear Us though they we've
his own personal and peculiar concern. There Is
unusual solemnity in the tnought OF MS passage
shadow or mirror, he had SO long medi-
taxed IN those long ages OF which ne was, as
ip0 rain Ss Nn:e w aSS
old tradition ascribes to Moses, the Man Of God,
whether 1t De or not the funeral hymn OF the great
lawglver, well represents The feeling OF one grown
gray with vast experience, who at Che close OF his
earthly journeyings contrasts the neetinR genera.
tons OF man with the granite forms Of the noun.
contrasts those mountains aud man alike with
Him WHO existed before. hey ond ana above them
OIL IL sums up with peculiar force che inner lie
or the Christian philosopher who concluded his
chief Work with the contrast between the finite
powers or man and the ati rlbutes OF Oh infinite
coVerles on EARN OF sea or SKY, the religious
sentiment remained the greatest and most Inde.
structible instinct OF the human race.
BENDIGO ON BACKSLIDING FROM TIE
CHURCH.