Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-12-08
DR.. Hall on Huxley

DR.. Hall on Huxley
The Rev. DR.. John Hall preached IN an
tt Huxley sermon, Sunday, to a con gre
CATION that compactly flledss his spacious
and beautiful church. Many persons no
pewholders attended, and were kept stand
ing, according to the custom Of his house
until half an hour after the beginning of
the services, and just as the preaching wal
about to begin. At that time the door,
were closed, to prevent annoyance by those
who otherwise would have entered.later.
The sermon haG the following points: II
a good lawyer had cross examined the wit
nesses against Christ the charge OF bias
phemy could not have been sustained. The
prosecution showed a strong animus, the
points made against Him were frivolous
and if the evidence had all been true it was
not incompatible with His innocence.
Likewise the present hostility to Christi
anity shows an animus. Huxley teaches
contempt and hatred Of the Bible, and his
animosity springs naturally out of his po>
sitlon. He starts out in his theory with
an assumption the sustaining of which ne
cessitates opposition to the word Of God.
Huxley and his kind must, therefore, be
a~ntagonistic. The Bible assumes that
mind and matter are essentially separate,
and if this is true, Huxley men must go
down. If Christ's claims stand, they mus
fall.
The recent attacks on Christianity take
| Tho forp, of r11aotiap;nr tho tr,Nb ~ &Io
Bible. There has Of late been no assault
on Christ. On the contrary good words
are often spoken Of Him by unbelievers,
who commend the blamelessness of His
life and the purity of His teachings. Also,
the Bible pronounces directly on most
moral questions, and as to that there is nc
criticism. The attack is on Genesis. The
record of facts before the creation of man
is but a portion of Bible truth, yet upon
that the current of opposition is centered.
We have competent geological explorers,
and their examinations in the Holy Land
sustain the Bible. The ~antiquarians have
been Industrious and generally fair inves~
tigators, and their work brings corrobo-
ration of the Bible. The historians learn
from the Bible instead of c%onfounding it.
The ethnologists' studies result in nothing
! not in harmony with the Bible. All the
delving among the ruins bring forth cor
roboration, and not opposition. Thus we
see that only against the Mosaic account
Of creation is the assault made.
Scientific opponents Of Christianity do
not agree among themselves. The hostili-
ty of the eighteenth century is not like
that of the nineteenth. The criticism Of
only a few years ago is rot current now.
Darwin claimed a demonstration, but
Huxley says that Darwin's theory is not
positively proved. Huxley asserts that
man is an automaton, yet talks of mans
duties. An automaton with duties When
we are tempted to make an escape for our
among the opposition. They are false wit
nesses because they do not agree among
themselves.
The facts addlced by these men are sus-
ceptible of being construed in harmony
with the Bible. It is painful for Christians
to stand in opposition to public spirited
men, but when the gage is thrown down
it is a comfort to know that the arms of
the assailants are not dangerous. 1.-THE
constancy of nature" for example, is one
of their favorlte phrases. That is no dis
covery of modern science, but a funda-
mental principle Of the Word of God.
Miracles are a proof of 1.-THE constancy Of
nuture," because their performance re-
quires Divine interposition with the ma
tural course Of things. The creation of
the world in six days is questioned; but
there is nothing in the Bible account that
cannot be harmonized with all the demon
strations Of science. Spontaneous creation
was a theory largely maintained but Hux
ley repudiates it; and when there is more
definite knowledge, and less animus, all
these arguments will turn for the truth.
AS IN the trial Of Jesus, the animus is
strong, the array Of facts is partial, and
the witnesses do not agree. The assault
upon a single point negatively provesss the
truth Of all the rest. Do not reject Jesus.
The Jews by doing SO, came to destruction
DO not be deferred from making your
peace with Hmm. Y. Sun.