, 1881-01-16
been deeply modified In China at au epoch Ger
| tainly later than the beginning oe the Christian


| THE TINE COMING WHEN THEY WILL AGREE.
| Dr. Waiker In the Ubserrcr.
[ An osogy Is science That is tho Greek way
of say Ing it And so it Is difficult to decide
| what Is 'ntellig1bly meant when science and
| theology arc constrasted, as they frequently
| are. 1t is the distinction, If anything. between
science and n science,-that is, between whole
| ana one Of its pnrts. This, however, is NOT tho
| popular n1cantng.-that Of popular science
'noathes, Or Of most OF those who write for and
| read such publications.. With these, and Elany'
others, such contrast usually means that theui-
OFT is misnanled; that it Is not o!ogy at all,
| and only holds such name from old and incur
able usage
What it may be asked, IS the ground Of such
| assumptlony 5ans religious nature has its
| laws, its wclE-estabIshed and welt-rccoguizcd
principles. 1t finds It's exercise and develop
| 1ncnt IN the appropriation and application OF
| certain truths, objective facts And laws~ re-
| vcacd and natural Que OF The laws ofsuch cx-
ercise and cultivation Of the religious nature ts
that it Ehull have truths, divinely revealed
truths and principles, for its material. This
material cer,,tcd aud systea,atizci is theology.
But this material. 1t is urged. does not belong
to he domain of science. Why not? 1t can be
certified. II can be systcmatizcu us to its pru-
ciles. Whether VIC speak of naeu al theology
or that which is contained In tto Inspired
Record these statements are a!lke applicable:
Each has its principles und laws, so to speak, OF
the manifestation Of tht. divine. These TO be
understood must be investigated, and the same
inductive process, which gives ccrtitudo and
system elsewhere, can give them here. Why.
then, not seek it lis results i'll ranonnl and
moral tntcrt:s. transcend all others. Mun hnds
himself with religious nature. the spontaneous
ant. normal exercise OF which IS reverence.
alteration, obcdcuce to II Power above himself
Here are sub bjecliSc conditions, WHICH imply OBJ
jcctive truths corresponding. As Is the case
with all the other parts OF his Imturc, these nre
not purEoseess; they prompt ~ the investfsl~
ton Ut that which they demand and to which
!.
verse vi mind und TT matter, discovered, ccrti-
fed. reduced TO system, rendered into theology.
personaliiy, Ills character. His, 'letl:
ngs especially with man, Endowed
with i nature WHICH Graves to know and nonor
Him. Why should nun refuse to seek Him here
we'll rs elsewhere: Is il The really scientific
spirit which dictates such course? IL it mt
mere caprice, not only - decline Investigation
nature, and demanded by it, hut to insist be-
forchand that such investigation, If made, is
not and ca;not be scieut:rl Such course. in
reference 10 anything but religious truth. would
not for I'LL Instant be tolerated.
Think Of it. Man i;a tho highest movements
Of his intellectual and moral t:tc. in the great
crisis Of his existence. spontaneously acts upon
the assumption OF his own. spiritual nature, Of
its rclnuoiIs to spiritual system. and t., tie
he realizes tknt he is dealing with the most
cred claims and duties. tue highest INTERESTS
that these. It's compared with Others are SUI
1,rcrue, properly controlling Here ,lre rhc-
nntnena, subjective and objective. They demand
u1l nd1.!it OF Investigation. They imply others.
When thus investigated the iuductive process
which reveals their ls1ws and principles 1uay be
as thoroughly reliable in its results as any In
physics Or chemistry.
tcEy. What Is its pertiucnce: 1t is never Of
ft.r.d In connection with other sciences. They |
a! inyolve r. !nsstssy, @ rest upon IT, and are Sr,
What is mind? What is spirt2 "On1ui, cxeunt /
in naysterium. M one, on the scort Ut mystic
~, declines scientific Investigation, or denies its
.}rt1 ofl
IT is on!y as tleu see or lear thar tse1' will en- |
counter God in His c!ain,s, that sucl objections j
nre offered. They d0 not like to retain God in |
their knowledge, lsd thus their effort is to try I
III make OUT thut He cAn,lut bc known.
But theology, it is nsan objected, fs so very
imperfect. Very true. tut 50 also are :ls1rono-
my. und geology, ard chemistry. There is no
perfect science. Let any une takc up the lntest
Treatise, say on ASTRONOMY. and With how much
made acquainted? Enlargculcnts Of the circ!o
,f light cusargcale!l,s Ut the circle of dark
ness around and beyond Still the Investigations
70 on, and the circle cnarges. Why may it not
in theology? The evidences and truths OF Nature
IS TO its author are not all perfectly mastered, -,
Lhe depths OF Revelation not fully. sounded
So. aEaln. as 10 the comparative advance of !
theology and Other sc:cires. 1t is Often iusnu-
ated that with only these latter nns any such al-
'ancc taken place. Eyery w'.il-inform2l tho
,logian knows better. Eight CENTURIES ago the
'toYy was regarded Us the Science Of sciences. I
II WAS So then in two respects: first in its st1b-
ect-lnat1er, secondly iii its progress, rs COM
imperfect. But how, as compared with astron-
,My, then Observation-Disclosures, t.cn alchemy.
physics with it's four elemental principles Of
'arth, air, fire, and water: The theology Of the
'rcsent. and tho physical sciences ot the present,
lre Erc:tly N ADVANCE Of what they were then
vnc:her they have advanced at an cau;ti rate,
whether they hnve changed their relative posi-
IONS. cannot bo decided by jur; OF physicists, !
IF by any one class Of cutetnpo.aneo11s inyes,i-
'ators. II the world lasts eight centuries hunger
will Doubtless look back upon our theology (
nd our physics as exceedingly impcrfccr,-the
'hysics, pcrhnps rs II the tenth cen.ury. much
more 50 1hns the theology: Ent II fairly and
:andiuly lnves;gated @ il will tud truth in both,
IS perfect,-nor will ever be 50 to Il finite nlnl |
Eti1t this is only reason tor further sc"ktug; |
ertaiuly for not ncglectis that which concerns
nan highest interests, his most sacred duties.
he can know ou!y in part" such part ut
cast let him seek tn know. md in such seek
ng. whether in theology III physics. the ultt-
nate result will be 4 vcritication Of that pree-
ant sentence Of the snn of SiT..ch: " Gud sways |
locks to the workers OF iniquity."