New-York tribune., 1875-11-29
Tile LECTURE


70 he the science which all others most directly leads
the mind from Nature up TO Natures 6 God and Re
proceeds to tell why the study OF astronomy shoulu
"''A' True all things speak of Cod the small
Men seek out Him in great he selses man yor al tbe
porton of the universe into which even the Ilighest
telescope penetrate while his thoughts dss oSyonu
that portion to inhnty OF space Itself, he OF all mea
shonld be most nightly influenced 10y his concepions OF
the Being in whom and through whom an things t NM
move. and have their being But on me M ot'ea had h
astronomy and dogmac religion theLe mas Deeh
longsanding feJd. Astronomy first of all the scence
introduced doubts rtspscg tns elns "1 Ti iJs &
the truth, OF portions OF the Bible record luOse Oos
resort to force and cruelty. Gshleo was tortured
for opposing the doctrine OF centrh eHtn
that other words besides our earth exist, for that
and similar heresiee burned at the stake Inc contest
but eOncnsyey favor OF science and ;or more thas
century no weinfonned man, whether ueol9f,,oo1 of
those passages OF Scripture which =. nS h nm in he te
earth rs the central and most mtrng the first success
science raised nov apd apdd1dng science Herschel search
@ 4noy va" se stardepths had found vast tracts OF
nnbnsss light, and had been LED 10 conneet t@9ese @
by series OF links suggesting process process
Of gradual evolution from dlfused nebulosty
though irregular nebulp, planetary nebul@, and nebu
lous stars tin the star or sun ltseli OI eise schee o
the solar system distinguishing between the charac
teristics which explained 10y the law OF gravllalOn
that the solar system must have reached its present con
dtion by process Of evolution and though ne a1uIeu
hesatlngy asserted that some process 0i devciolnent
there have been unless all tue laws OF pr99aehy
have to be abandoned and unscenc method n 10 be
adopted in dealing with this essentially sclenuhc ques
tiOn. ,,, - a.,
bible narrative, though fercely opposed by the
few among theOiogans who understood its significance
caused NV no widespread an excitement as the
nrst attempt introduce the system oi CopeITieus 1t
was not till geology began 70 present lie evidence Ol te
earth's crust indicating history far other than the
Bible account heretofore understood that theoogaus
began 10 be again notably dlsqueted heed not ennu
you OF the fierce contest which herenpon ei5ued Inc
doubts raised by geoiogsts were al hIst dGraSd me.
the weight OF evidence given ny rlle9ntoPeSis, %
ncroscOpsis, chemists, and others gradually also by
lIuIogiss gan be felt, the amazing theory was ad
vaDoed that all the features o tne eai.s us " &c
created in the beginning az they now exist prposey 10
delude inquisitiye and unhehevng mem IN point oil
faef TO give satan a far chance in his game for
human souls with tneir Cessor Tbs hypothesis give
Che very ignornnior whose beneht II had been invent
ed Ii was discovered quickly that the Bible account
WIS right after all, but had simply been misunderstood
Il now Nay. was found that the p0eiica sketeh OF
creaton beginning Of the book Of Genesis accoIds
60 remarkably wh these modern scientific discoveries
that evidence IL thus supplied n PROOF or te lhsl
ration OF Noses time supposed TO be the writer
of the Pentatcdch. This explanation of the meaning Of
the Bible account OF creation is SIN IN vogue among
theologiaus some OF whom consider thdt lie nt. eI
is reduced hy this explanation to the simple demna
Either Moses tor whoever wrote the BOOK o. Genesis
inspired 10 w1te az ne did OF else ne must nave
been perfect master of science now taugI and tle
latter alternative no less than the former implies that lie
received miraculous assistance.
You viii remember, therefore, that II now proceed TO
show how nadequatey the account OF creation III Nehe
sra as formerly understood, accords with received
scientific Ideas, need by no means be REGARDED as
t6 he received theological Interpretation, am reading
you up t. fact hat science has in this matter proved
the true meaning - part Ot the Bible lonly somehow
It go chances that theoiogian5 are not 50 grate-
fnl 10 seipucc this service as one might
have expected The Bible account, then, as thus msn.
trpretcd or rather long eriGdl oegs ny tSs @ M ,s t
earth forless the sky dark Then hgbt appeared ana
under ne name OF Day separated from the darkness
called Night AZ the sun had not yet been made t,ls
light was sunlight, day aud night caused by
t.e rotation of the earth Indeed me account talWys
a. misinterprcted gave the idea OF nat circular earth
not OF rotating gObe. II may be the ight was aurOra
picture OF the aurora was shoW ana i's Spectrum et
az shOwn II may be the hight was OF the nature Of
tha faint luminosity winch we see III the Gaseous heou
and had the spectral character next hucaleu DC ,nIs
may, hrInauient or clear space was next Iorhed
tae frmanen, the other forming water sup
ply above the armament (whence ram was suPposeuo 70
tSr Goo The waters under tue frInaIient OF sky
then gathered INTO one place 20 tat airy Iahd apedtu
were formed by special creative acts And now TIE time
had come When the celestial bodies which form te SUP
iect OF astronomical sCudy we 10 De created lor Signs
,astroOgcaD for seasOus and fof days and years Ihe
sun, with his mighty globe, eSveedlns the eartns
dous that the whole frame of the earth would be
destroyed r subjected neE or ocion OSn' %a St @ te ae
IN the sy 10 measure our days by the moon next
to rule tie night; and the were ad planets
-orps Of like nature with III but maiJ ssgef
and xed stars suns Ike our own but some So yasi as 20
dwarf his buk into insgnfcance, ana to make Dis
mighty energy seem ike WEAKNESS
And God thesr IN the ornament OF the heaven 10
give hgt upon the EARTH There was at once according
10 thai old and but very natural interpretation
an ansv all doubts about the purpose IL winch All
iless orbs made. "surely not 10 illuminate our
nights" says j. Hersche not TO sparkle "s pa
eent void meaning aud reality and bcwcer us among
vain conlectures. He must have studied astroh-
omy 70 little purpose VINO can suppose man 10
be the only o1ect OF his Creators care But
for no other purpose the Bible account, as mlsn-
terpreted .sselts God set them In the tI1namcn OF
the heaven to give snt upon the earth and to rule over
the day and over ngn and 10 divide tic light from
the darkness" pass over TIC remaining pCroh OF te
In passing that mink they err who consider
that struggle respecting evolution must rage eheny
a.
II s the struggle is wrncst but the ine may be
logical questions in the study OF cerebral phenomena
tie most yltay interesting matters for inquiry Nor is
IL AZ a imuossle that astronomy already twice In the
forefront of the contest, may again De found III
that position, because OF the bearing OF lacS
vet 70 oe aseertamed respecting SUBJECTS now
forming the great mysteries OF astronomy, eometle
phenomena, the true action OI giaNtaGO Jaws OF re
pulsive action &C. besdes the maesi Dearlng on tso %
noInea raseicn tDaj vitaly yinportant subject the
conservation OF Energy Nor must las: i1D tns id.
my subject without noting the apparent discrepancies
between accOuns given IN the rst aud second cha
ters OF Geness In the first told that plants were
made after the waters had oee sepaIated tbeh followed
TIE creation Of the sun ana moon, the stars also sea
ereatu aud birds land creatures generally, ana man
In particular, III the maze oi God, nler LIS hAencss
"nale and female created He them IN tne secohu
wstsred the whole face Of the earth then
was formed, the Garden OF Eden planted by the
lord God formed out OF ground every beast OF the
field and every fowl Of the air ana brought tnem 10
ndan fen asleep and n rib taken rom his side war made
into woman helpmeet for him AZ both accounts,
howeyer interpreted quite differently than OF
yore discrepancies have been made TO disappear
need not 20 10 describe how the circumstances 10
which Adam and Eve had boen placed led 10 trouble ana
deatn how thereafter wickedness increased, until GOD
saw that every imagination OF mans heart was
only evil continually that repented The Lord tDat
ne had made the earth, and II g1eved Him al
His heart" ~ that course seemed good 10 HIN, but
10 destToy both man and beast and creeping thing
and the fowls air. not by Hs mere Will that as they
Lad been created they should perish, but by the COM
plex device Of universal deugei during which certain
and animals safely foated about In the Ark
Returning account Of creation appears tns tne
real oxplznAaion aAcepds perfectly with ASTRONOMICAL and