Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-08-24

tlon. See the evil spirits of Lucian, Vo
tairc and Paine blindly leading into III
n valley of death the so called great M
wise of our day, champion giants wi
with smattering of human learning ha,
come out to defy the armies of the livin
God. See them! There is Strauss an
Renan. There is Darwin and Huxle,
There is Hackel and Tyndall and Herbe
Spencer.
Their subjects of attack are, the origi
of the race, the antiquity of the races, an
flowing on in its natural course is, tn
inspiration of Scripture and the whol
question of miracles, whether miracles &
all are possible.
Already the battle is begun. The Glib
raltar of truth does not move, but eve
and anon the enemy are moving anon.
themselves in bitter controversy, if not il
fratrcidal conflict. "A house divide,
against itself cannot stand" Scicntif
skepitclsm is so uncertain of anythin,
positive that, what was declared to b
science yesterday is laughed at to-day
while Darwin, Huxley and Tyndal differ
among themselves. Even from the ver,
centres of skeptical thought there comes
the loud and never ceasing human cry fo
safe place of anchorage. How can i
be otherwiseP This touches the spring:
of immortality, "The whole creation i.
groaning and travelling together in pain
until now The learned disquisitions o.
Tyndall and Herbert Spencer do not sat
isfy.
The latter gentleman, with the madnes,
of much learning, but with great deal
more OF self-assurance, has laid aside the
Bible to give to the world, us he atfirms,
the discoveries of science. The first
chapter of Genesis, according to Herbert
Spencer, reads as follows: THE solar
system in lis nascent state existed as an
indefinitely extended and nearly homoge-
neous medium. The earth was at first, Il
mass OF molten matter, homogeneous in
consistence, and from this state of indefi-
mite, incoherent homogeneity it has pro
gressed to its present state of definite, CO.
herent heterogeneity through continuous
dlfierentiations and ntegratons, and this
transformation of an indefinite, incoherent
homogeneity into definite heterogeneity
results in the metamorphosis of an indie.
terminate uniformity into q determinate
multiformity."
Let him who will substitute this for the
plain and grand account of the Bible.
Such scientific argument against the truth
is not to be feared 1t has, indeed, one
merit, and only one, of being voluminous
and high sounding, but to the common
mind it breaks with its own magnficence.
The giant that struts out to defy the
armies of Israel is great in size, but in
reason he is still-born. So untenable are
his positions, and so scathing are his crit
les that no one to-day realizes his utter
lack of logic more keenly than Her.
bert Spencer himself. Yet some still
profess to believe in the endless bombast
of his philosophy. Their credulity is in
deed great who are able to trace their
lineage through apes and monkeys and
monsters of the deep to wiggling worm
with long scientific name. Wise men
prefer to wait for the positive voice Of
science, and this voice when it is heard is
the same that said in the beginning, LET
there be light and there was light" In
ten years the school boy will write defeat
on every page that Herbert Spencer ever
wrotc.
But the left wing of this intidel army
has suffered more. Rationaism could not
exist to-day but for the pretended scientific
support it receives. 1t is the sick man
made convalescent. Its direct assault
upon the Christian faith must, hereafter,
be feeble, at the best Rationalism since
1885 has steadily lost ground in Germany,
and German thought leads the worll The
tide has turned The writings Of Strauss
and Baur, that once turned the popular
mind as rivers of water are turned, to-day
do not have a popular hold; while the
efforts Renan have proved a positive ben
eft to the Christian faith. This is the out
look as the day of God approaches in the
valley of Armageddon.
7, =, hoI
enemy when we have gained full knowl
edge of his strength. Let us now turn our
attention to our own strength, the Chris
tian faith. For centuries Christianity
stood upon the defensive, but in the latter
days it has become one of the aggressive
forces. Its work is before it and its day
is dawned.
The word of God which has been the
subject of special and bitter attack from
the days of CELSIUS, coming forth unstained
from every conflict, God is greatly to
honor in the future history of the church.
The word of the Lord is to silence all
the enemies of the Christian faith and
utterly destroy the influence of modern
infdeity, until the church putting on her
full strength. which is the strength of a
giant, shall go forth "fair as the moon,
clear as the sun and terrible as an army
with anners."
1t is said, " The elementary branches of
an English education ring the death knell
of the Hindoo Shastas. The dusky student
soon sees that on globe eight thousand
miles in diameter, there cannot be mount
ain 128,OCO miles high as these books
affirm; that, with the whole surface of the
earth mapped down and with the various
waters properly located and designated
there is no room for the seas, (the sea of
Curds and the sea of Honey of the Hindoo
mythology; nor that forest likely to be
found very soon, whose falling and decay
ing fruit produces river larger than the
Indus or Ganges, the perfume of which