Morning journal and courier., 1882-04-24
St. John Street MI, E. Church,

The Final Destruction of the Earth as Viewed by Rev. MT. Harris-The New Heaven and the New Earth. Last evening Rev. Mir. Harris, pastor of the St. John street M. E. church, commenced a series of sermons on 'The new heaven and the new earth" In his opening remarks the preacher said he should take Professor Proc tors theory typically in regard to the de- struction of the earth by fire, which is that a great comet will fall into the sun, causing such intense heat as to burn up the earth, which the learned professor says will occur about 1917, or thirty-fve years hence. He said he would like the ''Adveptists'' to hear his discourses, and if they had any questions to ask he would try and answer them before he finished his course of sermons.
 The preacher selected as the basis of his remarks the words found in 2d Peter, Sd chapter, 10th verse: But the day of the Lord will come as 8 thief in the night, etc. In his opening remarks the preacher said
 The opinion that the end of the world is to be effected by fire is an ancient one. Among the Jews there was belief that the world
 
 out of it would come one more beautiful Christ and his apostles taught the doctrine that the world would be destroyed by fire How it is to be destroyed is not known, but out of the ruins is to come "a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. D Let us look st the views of science in re- gard to this question. Men of science have looked upon the Christian believers as bigots I aG ~ their guide, while religionists have looked upon scientists as only infdels. Now both are in measure wrong. Science and relig- ion can and should harmonize. In regard to scientists and unbelievers at large, say when I see the stars shooting through space and when I look at our own earth moved and governed and swept around space, I confess to you that am awe struck when 1 consider the time when Jehovah shall say time shall be no more. Let none of my hearers say that there are some scientists who do not &C., cept theiopinions I may advance, as 1 expect this. Science has as yet discovered no law that will prevent the intense center heat of , the earth from pushing up to the surface. We are told that the crust of the earth is twenty two miles in thickness, and all beneath that is liquid fire. The diameter of the earth is eight thousand miles. The crust of the earth has been compared to the rind of an orange, but it may, I think, be better com pared to sheet of note paper. Now what does science say about the heat of the earth We know that as we go deep down in the earth the heat increases, and we know or believe from the vol canic eruptlons that the fires of the earth are very near the surface The interior If the earth, say scientists must be composed of some matter of great elasticity and they know no other agency that would cause this but heat, Gravity prevents the explosion from the inside outward and heat prevents the crust from falling inward. No matter where you descend into the earth, whether in the polar regions or elsewhere, you will find the same increasing heat. Science then in forms us that the heat of the earth by the suspension of gravity must destroy the earth. The coal or wood in your stove is burned by the oxygen in the air. So the food you eat is mixed with oxygen and passes through every fiber of the body Many chemical combinations will burn up rocks and chemis- try can burn up the earth. Let there be the slightest variation in the chemical combina ton of the earth and it would at once become @ sheet of flame. Science tells us that the center of the earth is mass of fire and should 1t come to the surface the