The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-19
THE LAST LECTURE
N TUE BISHOPS lRNTEN COURSE
Delivered Yssisrday-MAn the Direct Orsa'
tlOu of God-Unity Of the Human Race
Northumberland a Literal Mar,
native Science VI, Revelation.

In the sixth and last lecture OF his
course, delivered in the Cathedral
yesterday afternoon, Bishop Kain treated
the several subjects bearing on the origin
OF man, the unity Of the human race, and
the chief difficulties alleged against the
Bible records, The attendance was even
larger than usual.
The soul Of Adam, the Bishop argued,
was the immediate creation OF God; and
such, too, is every human soul. The errors
OF Pantheists and others were exposed,
and the Scripture proofs Of the Christian
doctrine expounded.
The Bishop then proceeded to defend
the literal Interpretation Of Genesis which
teaches that Adams body was formed
land the Bishop maintained directly and
Immediately by God out Of the slime Of
the earth. Whilst the opinion OF even o.
few Catholic scientists that Adams body
was not suddenly but gradually formed
out OF the pTe-existing matter otthe earth,
may possibly bs admitted, yet 1t Is con-
trary to what seems to be the clear state
ment OF Holy Writ, and the teachings OF
the great body OF Catholic theologians,
Allied to this opinion, yet very different
from 1t, Is the theory Of those extreme
evolutionists who consider the human
body as only the fully and most perfectly
developed body OF some lower animal.
This theory the Bishop Combated most
s|trenuously, citing q host OF trst.Class
scientists In refutRtiOn OF the arguments
advanced in is favor by Huxley and
Others.
SCIENCE INCAPABLE.
He denied the competence Of fclencs TO
Judge of the similarity Of liis-germs, which
may indeed appear under the most perfect
instruments 10 be absolutely alike, but
which are proved to he different in the
different beings thence developed. That
there are marked, nay, essential, differ
enCes in the organism Of man and every
other known animal, intidels themselves
are forced to admit and they have sought
in vain among all fossil remains for evil.
denCes OF the "missing-link" which
science demands to bridge the Chasm be-
tween mau and any other known species
OF animal.
Divine Revelation teaches that all men
are descended from Adam; hence all are
in need Of the Redemption through
Christ. This fundamental doctrine Of
christianity has been impugned by the
pTe-Adamites, who have taught that hui
man beings existed long before Adam and
Eve; and by the Co.Adalnites, who have
held the creation OF other human beings
at the same time that Adam was created.
After citing the sCfipfural proofs OF the
christian doctrine, the Bishop discussed
the difficulty Of aCcounting for the marked
differences both anatomical and linguistic
that exist between the various races Of
men, within the comparatively brief
period assigned by the Bible.
TuR FLOOD.
Are we, as christians, obliged, he asked,
to restrict this period to the time that has
elapsed since the Deluge2 In other words
are we obliged to believe that the waters
OF the deluge covered the whole earth and
destroyed the whole human family, except
those saved with Noah in the ArkP The
negative opinion, said the Bishop, has
been maintained by the most pious and
learned Catholic writer's, and especially in
q recent work called Ne Deluge Blbliqus
devant Ia Fol, etc., by the late Able
Motais, Professor Of s.. Scripture and He.
brew In the Grand Seminary at RenneB-
a work that has elected most favorable
notices from high ecclesiastical authority.
In this opinion therefore there can be
nothing inconsistent with the correct In.
depreciation oil Genesis, and 1t goes a long
way towards solving many Of the obiec.
tiOns which philologlsts especially have
adduCed. The difficulty alleged against
the possibility Of human beings having
passed in, olden times to this country and
distant islands was shown TO be ground.
less.
Then the Bishop passed to the Consid.
Grafton and solution OF various objections
based on the great antiquity Of the human
race as shown by history, astronomy, geol.
ogy, and the pretended intellectual pro.
gress Of men from age to age.
He dwelt at considerable length on the
objections adduced, from these several
sources, and produced incontrovertlble al.
guments to demonstrate their fallaCy. He
moreover referred to several learned works
in which these various questions are
The conclusion, said tho Bishop, which
our course Of lectures on the chief ques.
tons which agitate the scientific world
compels US to draw, H., that Divine revela.
ton has nothing to fear from the teaching
Of genuine science. Whatever truths
science may clearly demonstrate will be
and must be found TO be In admirable
harmony with Gods Holy Word.
womnn,a rnrsirn MIs,lon Work.