The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-01-10

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always continued as they now seemf
Science, il we do not greatly misGn-
derstand her, teaches that God has Of
ten intervened in nature TO arrest its
ordinary course. The speaker said, II
all things continue IS they existed
from eternity, without intervention.
then all science is hypothetical and
without facts and reason--is n mtre
ignis .fdtWis, cleaning but to deceive
and destroy. For example, we NAV
inquire OF geology wht ther the monu-
ments declarative of the ruins of cen
tinents, and of the tombs of tue pre-Ad-
amite races of plants and animals,
teach that they sprang into exISter ce
and were swept into destruction in &C.
cordance with the laws Of nature as
known to us, or do they plainly 6e-
clare that God intervened to destrsy
the old and to introduce the new. The
speaker then, in grand and imposing
review, took his audience back to the
remote ages of eterrity past, when
earth was teRantless, molten mass
glowing with fervid heat, beyord
which, he said, there is known to us
only God. When all the volatile sub
stances of our own world existed as an
elastic vapor, when there was carbonic
acid, but no carbon, saiphuric acid ,hut7-
no sulphur, when tho fiery cab MS al
that was viible. Tie then asked, VIII
tsi4 course sI nature eeatEus,e !.
tongues, proclaims9 Do you ask what
kind Of an order of nature Il was1
Shall again portray its succeeding
counterpart, as CLEANED from geology9
The cycle rolls ON while eontendsng
elements rage, world-conyulsing thun-
ders echo through the universe. The
hghtnings dart through zimmerman
gloom, and about its funeral pile gatL-
ers the smoke of a burning world.
The smoke-covered abyss and sur
rounding space constitute one stupen-
dous scene of ebullition, confusion,
strife and elemental war. Rain and
waLerspouts precipitate themselves on
the lurid mass, which, quick as tho
lightning's flash, dissipates and filings
them back to the bosom of the cloud,
whence, condensed, they fall again, to
be again driven to the overburdened
clouds. In surrounding space angry
clouds gather until black, impencire-
BILE darkness is thrown about the world
burned up, and we have the age when
darkness was upon the face OF the
deep. Oh,-ye wItless sons of mis-
called philosophy! Did the laws of
changeless order enshroud the burning
worldg Will the laws you defy now
dispel old night and chaos, anf all this
brood of contendIng elcments7 What
A 4 ..sa.
of years roll on Of storm and tempest,
of lightnings and thunders. epd would
continue to roll on through baunaless
eternity. But at the fat of Jehovah q
higher law is introduced, and 10.
miracle, attested by science.
The primordlal tempest is oyer and
now around an encrusted sphere sweep
the vast tidal waves of shorelcss
ocean, making deposits of stratefied
rocks for unnumbere ages. To an
observer of those chiliads of years 1t
might have seemed idle TO ask il this
long established order Of nature would
continue foreverl But again the voice
Of the Eternal is heard sounding
through immensity and lol another
miracle
In strains of splendid eIcquence
which we would mar in an attempt to,
portray, the learned gentleman pre-
ceeded TO trace the wondrous revolu-
tions of the geological ep chs Gown to
the time, when man Was hrs az suOn
the stage as the crownins glory Of he
creations. He portrayed the Uany sue
cessiye Interruptions OF congratulated
orders of nature-the gathering to-
gether OF the waters and the lifting ut7-
of the continents, the sudden produce
tion of vegetation, and then the alter
nate destruction and creation Of succes-
sive races of plants and foFcste--and
anon the equally wonderful suspension
of the prevalent order of the azoie agos
the startling introduction OF animal
life, first of fishes and great sea mon
sters, and then Of the birds OF the arr
again the sweeping away OF these to
give place to new orders both OF vege-
tables and animal life in a succeeding
epoch. The grand phenomena of the
carboniferous periods, dcnominated by
! the speaker, 'tthe commissaries OF SUE
ceediDg ages, were described. Then,
dwelling for a time on preceding
reign of death and chaos, with a new
burst Of eloquence he passed in rcview
the last great miracle OF creation, de-
scribed by Moses as the work OF the
sixth day. Without seeming intcn-
ton to present the fact, he showed
throughout striking accord between
the story of the rocks and the Mosaic
record. But the grand corollary was
that all nature from eternity has been
but series OF stupendous 'nirae.es.
Space, however, will not permit suit
able reference to the percratIon, closing
with a sublime presentation Of what he
termed the grandest Of miracles the
amazing condescension Of the Etern1l
majesty in the mission Of Jesus EN-
manuel.