Savannah morning news., 1885-06-03
BErCHER ON EVOLUTION.
The Plymouth Pastor Says Science aud
KeIigion are Not Conflieting


Plymouth Church held large congre-
-ation sunday despite the lowering clouds
and threatening ram, when Henry Ward
Reacher began his second sermon in his
"Fvoluti0n Series," with the text from
tine third verse of the first chaper Of the
Gospel of st. John: "All things were
made by Him; and without Him was not
ANYTHING made that was made.'
The preacher said that it was the testi-
1nonv OF the Bible, both Jewish and Chris
tiap, that the whole world and the entire
universe are the creation of God. How
he made them, whether by the direct force
of creative will or by gradual changes, is
bynomeans so well agreed upon. The world
"a not q chance, not creative fermenta-
non. not the result of self-development.
If is the product of an intelligent being
and of a divine will. There are two
records of creative energy. One shows
how man was unfOded by the inspiration
of Gods nature. There is another record
i'm the physical globe of the divine thought
in the unfolding history of matter. One
is Gods thought in the evolution of ma
terial forces, the other Gods thought in
the evolution of the mind. 1t is the Old
Testament and the New in scientific
sense. The book of the world shows Gods
thought of the world in fitting it for the
babitation of man. All is written down
in Gods history of creation, in the silent
stones of the buried strata. 1t is the
record Of God, the Master Builder.
Scientific men are bringing to light this
history printed millions of centuries ago
on the rocks. No one should turn in
scOrn from the literature Of the rocks
written in the hand Of God all over the
earth. The ten commandments written
on stone are only paragraph in the books
of nature. Science is the translation Of
Gods revelation. There is as much or
more infidelity in regard to the history
science has unfolded as infdelity in re-
gard to the books. Both revelations are
Of God. They are both to be intelligently
understood, united and harmoniZed.
The men who decipher the hierOglyphics
of God ought to be hOnOred. Bigoted the
ologists. ignorant pietists and jealous
schurchmen rail at all adventurous sur
4 veyOrs of Gods handiwork. 1t is urged
that science is unripe; thatit will not do
to rest upon; that there will be time
enough to consider it when 1t becomes a
certainty. How is it with the books? Is
the record any more stable than the re-
cord of the rocks? Theology seems like
a broom with its infinite splinters.
Some men say they do not want to hear
anything about evolution. 1t is revOlu-
tiOnary; they don't want to hear what
will unsettle their faith. Such faith had
better be unsettled if the truth is going to
harm it. Some call evolution pseudo
science, and laugh to scorn the idea that
men descended from the monkey. The
descent of man from the anthrOpoid apes
is only a hypothesis, not yet proven. Mr..
Beecher said that he saw no present eX-
pectation of its being proven. 1t
stands as hypothesis preserved
by multitude Of probabilities. 1t
throws light upon many problems
IN history and in life gained in
no other way. He inclined, not to the
belief, but to the suppOstion that man is
n an analogy with the rest of Gods works.
N When and by what methods man left
Il behind has fellows and stood on the
Il spiritual ground that separates him from
the sbrHtes is unknown. 1t does not
change the destiny and moral grandeur Of
man to hold the evolution of the human
from the inferior race. This probable
theory throws a large light on the doc
II trines of theology, which need light for
their solution. He held the theory in
suspense and waited meanwhile for
light. Evolution does teach that the world
N was not created in six days. The whole
earth was an egg, germ, seed and has
gradually unfOlded. From the ether it
b gained solidity. Then came the condition
& Of the sun. 1t condensed and CONCEALED
Its vapOrs, and chemical changes and
grinding ice made a soil fit for vegetation.
Then plants developed to nearly their
present condition, and the first animal
was an aquatic invertebrate; then came
fishes and amphibians and finally the ear
lest mammals and birds, and last OF all
man, at the end Of the tertiary or the be-
ginning OF the seQuent period.
Evolution is the method of creation
taught by the scientific world; without it
all science would fall back into unrelated
atoms. 1t is held by such Christian men
as Prof. Dana; LecOnt, Presbyterian
elder; McCOsh, Presbyterian of the
Presbyterians; Asa Gray, an EpIscO-
palian; Miyart, q Roman Catholic; Wal
lace, a Christian Spiritualist, and by the
Bishop Of London. 1t will Oblige theology
to 0e reconstructed, but it will take away
no ground OF true religion. 1t
viii strip Saul's armor Off of David
and send him forth better prepared
to meet the giant. The change of the
Will multiply motives and facilities for
righteousness. 1t VIII leave all the forces
OF religion to rouse and inspire faith,
brighter and keener than before. The
XsWord OF the spirit will no longer be
sheaihed in false philosophy. 1t will OBJ
lterate the distinctions of natural and
revealed religion, for both are of God. It
"ul uutt " nan ILe Ilblng HBhts we
pust hail the signs Of the times and re-
pie those sciolists of the pulpit who
axe faces at evolution and reason from
Meludlce TO ignorance. Modern ignO-
nee has inserted much into the Bible
at does not belong there.
concluding, Mr.. Beecber said: ''The
untain TOP has been reached and the
missed land is in view. Great as has
n the past the future will be
ater These last years OF my life
cate to God, to the development Of
on grander scale. / believe in
! believe In Christ as the representa-
OF Divinity; believe IN the essential
hs OF morality and spirituality; | am
An lnhdel, an agnOstic, nor an atheist:
a lover of Christ as a representative
Unite love-"
A STRANGE CASE