New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-29
DESIGN AND EVOLUTION.
HIGHER RELIGIOUS CONCEPTIONS IScULcATED BY
sCiENcE-MR. DEEcnER's SIXTH SERMON.

HIGHER RELIGIOUS CONCEPTIONS 1SCULcATED BY
sCiENCE-MR. DEEcnER's SIXTH SERMON.
Mr.. Becchcr announced yesterday morning
that wOnli preach twice In the morning In Ply
mouth Church before beginning his vacation. and would
complete his series OF sermons upon " Evolution and
Religion" which would then he printed in book form.
and In the fail he purposcd taking up Of the deeper
qucsons to the whole truth OF religion. The sermon
yesterday the sixth IN the series. Tho topic was
Design aud Evolution" lie said among other things
that philosophy OF God was set forth In tho Bible
any than science in nature. 1t de-
graded God in tho mind Of man TO
limit Him TO form. some descriptions
% Hin set forth In the Bible with sublime ndef
iiene.s. symbols and agures playing upon the mag-
nation were used. II grotcsque and prepOsterous
reduce them to pctures Personality however.
set forth In all s tiGss and moods The Scripture de-
vclopnient OF God conforncd to iuhuy and the un-
searrhlble Tho scientific mcthoi was in close analogy
to this. 10 WAS euing back toward tho true divine
mature. Science was relieving the w,rld OF tho Greek,
Roman aud ,chOOimeu'a views 81 God. Science dill not
Of prayer niraccs aud the It was without
just reason that troubled about these. The
rhesiic View, set forth by Haeckel. that tho world
needed Cod made matters harder To understand than
any other. Their was no reason TO beievc that the
come from 10 give System, progress and d.
recticn with organic symmetry to the world
aay more or what matter was than he did
or tcndrnclo, IN It simply inconccivable The law
az and effect fundamental To science and To
the OPP ration ~ the human mind. 10 easier to
ccVe gral Will than 10 conceive OF world that
originated and CONTROLLED itself Evolution seemed to
excude the idea Of design. but did not really. Many
men were aguOstcs because they could not know God.
That was what the Il bic taught God only knON abe
10 men who.e faculties vcrged upon the divine.
Special creation and adaptation of structure IN
animals and plants was remarkable. The
old theory that God made every
thing upon Instant and adapted all things To their
places specially. Bnt evolution showed that things
were ntted 10 their environments because all those un
lifted persisted so there tendency m the organic
world to bcitrrmcbt. Things bcitcret themselves or
persisted. I'll was the ounpwing though nmeasurabe
ags creation with this tendency for the bsst 10 sur
yive and transmit their qualities until yet better
succeeded. The vast universe moved In dctcrminate
Ines carrying the world up 10 more comp sxty 80 that
tho whole creation was kHitted together
In a suslime march onward and inward.
n all contained evidences Of grand design. Tue ere
of -ystc far greater designer than the one
Who n ted one thing To IL, place.
No doctrine TAUGHT by Christ moro effectively than
Gods care for men. II sceucc overthrow special prOyi
dences IL would mako great breach In the faith oil men.
ID made life much easier 10 believe In the innanence,
presence and Interference of the Divine mind IN the
rs of men. n the world vast machine left 10
run Itself II took away personal rest and trust Great
laws or forces uniform and through then Gods way
OF working But laws not interchangeable aud ire
sisfible and compelling In themselves. THIS Was an
Illusion nothing moro pliable flexible and useful
Than natural law. Oace obeycd a natural law became
mans servant. They constantly attracted and set
against each other. Law could be put against Law and
compromises effected.