The New York herald., 1878-02-24
FORTY-FOURTH STREET SYNAGOGUE.

TORIf-FOUhIH lhEEI SINAOOGOrls e.
DEsTRUcTIvE SCIENCE THE. MODERN BAAL--
SERMON BY REV. DR. DE soLA MENDEs.
DR.. De Sola Mendss took ms text Ia tho Forty.
fourth Street Synagogue, yesterday Kings xviii. II
and 29-"How long halt ye between two opiuionsY II
tho Lord be God. thon follow him but II Baal, then
follow him. And the people answered not word
And came TO that ~ they prophes'ed until the
time Of the offering ofths evening sacrifice that there
was Mother voice answer response"
The Doctor commenced by describing the state OF
immortality into which the northern confederacy OF
Israel sank solomon's death. When Ahab, no said,
asosnded the throne the chronicer that If
had been too lgnt thing for him to walk In the
ways OF the wicked Jerobosm, he married Jezebe the
daughter Of the King OF the Sidonians, and adopted
made grove for the usual Immoral practices. The
Jealous prophet Eiijah oretold that IN punishment
hereof there should be neither rain nor dew
In the land. such distress followed that Ahab
himself went to look tor grass ana crooks TO save
the cattle. On OF these excursions he met Elijah
and their mutual recrminations led 10 the assembly
Carmel. The priests or tho falso god Baal
sembled the King the court and people, and 10 them
COD follow him but II BaaI, thsn fol ow him." trial
oil superior power was arranged. The sacrifices were
made, tue lesson described; buI although me
idolatr0us priests called all day long and wounded
themselves force answer from tue nsensato god
'tnere answer ana no response and no voice. +"
El,Jah then made ns preparations, anu prayed as
never prophet prayed before. Az once the heavens
crashed and lightning descended and burnt up the
altar and its conteLts and the people tnen ack
edged that the Lord OF Israel true God The
heavens grew black, the couds masscd their dark
iegons and, amid Wild Storm plentiful ram deluged
The parcned country.
IL would scarcely be advisable to assemble the 500
priests OF the 500 creeds and secIs OF the world and
convene similar grand trial OF supremacy by now
ordeal OF ire SAID Dr. Mendes such contest would
received with dstrust. But the same struggle ID
beng carried out on less concerted plan. The mod
ern Baul oil science disputes the supremacy OF re-
lgion The people, too mid In their hearts 10 throw
OF God, PROSTATE themscive in abject be-
the Incompetent IDOL OF the age, man-made PM
iosophy aud world Interpretation. This serving Of
two masters 10 what EtUah chiued In the text, aud
the modern world 10 equally cupable.
WHAT IS SCIENCE
What Is this mighty IDOL that Of late has bidden
cast of their oia beliefs, declared the records OF
mighty new invention Of human progress
potent aud giant-lkef Before the world had left It's
Eastern cradle men mad formulated science ana the
huge pyramids OF Egypt stuIufy boastfui moderns
Being then no new engine OF enormous weight on
what grounds does declare religious false
II draws It's pen across Genesis, points to Swedish
cliffs 900 feet high shat rise three ieet per century and
proves tnst they thus have taken 900 years tn
form, while Genesis says they appeared IN day and
gives oniy thousand years Tor their develop
ment But put the question " science whether that
rise Of the rocks always took place al that SLOW rate
when the world WAS younger aud they cannot tell.
"rnere Is no answer and no voice and no response"
Can system that rests upon 30 questionable base
overturp the received tradition OF genera
tions OF men, and scientific men among LhemY The
Tamud says the burden Of proof rests with hum who
aSSAiIS POSSESSION. we walt lOr stronger argument
The Doctor next showed that the great discovery OF
gravaton rested upon mere supposlton, as also that
OF Lght. True, he said, the theories ntted the
Iacs but they were founded these simar facts,
shaped exactly TO SUIT them. While rcligon Is only
analytic explanatory science claims also 10 be syn
thetlc, formative. The chemist dscomposes water
forms IL again. But Let HIM separaie The nbres
q blade OF grass aud Its coloring matter and
him II he Gun put them together aga'nf "rhers
is no voice and 10 response After dis
secting and testing and searching to his ILL.,
he must confess his ignorance even OF accom-
piisned that whca he IL unable 70 perform. II is an
impenstrabie mystsry even 70 science. Shall he who
knows not how blade OF grass grew pretend to de-
clare that all wrong as " how moun-
lains brought forth and The eartn and
were formedY In claiming such iniaIlbiity science
should not iorgsI It's own blundsrs-h0w the French
Academy long declared fossils to be rude
OF animals and plants, manufactured by men
by Internal power; how they laughed Ut Franklin
anu his electricity drawn from the clouds. Harvey
was held insane by scienlsts because he discovered
what taxing place the very Oodes OF his oppo-
uentsths circulation of the bioodand the fathers OF
steam communication had to encounter the dsrision
OF oi science. Science IL not infallible. Trace
any avenue ot scientific research lar men havo
gone you met ny IN impassable barrier from
which microscope and scslpeI Can elliott mo voice. 40
answer and no response"