The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-22
REV. DR.. BOGGS CLOSES
HIS DEFENSE OF DIR. WOOD.
ROWS POSITION,
Which Has Been CONDEMNED as I'm.
tenable by the Presbyterian
Church Of the South.
To ths EDITOR Of the Annual

science and the men of the Bible VIII
be driven if our good critic makes
out his position that the evolution
theory IN al It's forms, even Dr..
Woodrow, ia wholly incompaioie
with Chli ti9niy. have C ted the
words Of Darwin himself, showing
thlt he sGw no cona.cs between his
science snd the 6si erdc'e Of the
Apostles Creed, W ich is: 81 be-
lieva il Go1 the Father Almighty,
maker OF haven srd earth" That be
did MOI go further cannot be charged
to evolution, r I'll the world knows
thaf Charles Darwin came Of skepii-
cal family, his 'nther and grandfather
being euch before he WAS born.
Aud. beside, wen asked what
his faith as to Christ wss,
he did not suggest that hie scientific
views wera an insepaTable barrier TO
Christian faith, but that he doubled
snd had never investigated fully that
question of all questions S. Alas It
was fatal reg'et on bis part--an
irreparable mistske-but it would be
unreasonable to charge this neglect OF
his highest religious duty upon his
scientific opinion s, for hundreds are
doing the same thing and vet have no
convictions whatever about evolution.
Let us now 60 on to see what an
awkward dilemma the Church's eX-
pulsion OF D.. Woodrow Compels her
to assume with reference to history
her own history with reference TO past
controversies about scientific opinions.
AS illustrate. OF this lot Us take
two instances only, the Astronomical
Controversy" SO called, aud the Geo
logical Controversy" Ali the world
are supposed 10 know thSt the Bible
ContaiUs very many illusions to the
heavenly boi;es; end that down to
the age OF KoperriS and Calico sll
these alldsiOns in the sacred text were
interpreted more or less flom the view
point If tins Crack or "PtolGmaic
theory" OF es rOlomy. There was NJ
help for II, inasmueb ae sll interpreters
of Scripture were no. to be super
naturally INSPIRED. And go i. came
about ineritab'y ihat these current
ideas about the earth, the Sun and
moon and stsrs, became very close Y
associated with the sacred words Of
the Bible. TEero was no help for +,
humanity speaking. And, therefore,
when Kopernik, the pious priest OF
Denmark, and the pious | allan 81.
vsnt, Calico, attacked tho old tCience,
it eeemed 10 thousands OF well mean
ing, but badly informed, men tha~
they were attacking the last words Q f
the B bic; or ca it wss psssiona ely
expressed, "contradictinV the Holy
Ghost" by whom The Bible was in.
epir.d. Poo- Rope mia h only
lived to zee a pinned copy Of his i'm
mortal book after his physicians had
assured him that he certa My was dy-
iug. Then he had 1t secretly conveyed
to his chamber, held it in his armP,
KISSED il, prayed over it, and sent il
forth to revolutonZl TIE science of
the world. Calico Jared worse, aud
wee forced to abjure the truth as to the
works OF God, ia order TO maintain an
erroneous Interpretation Of his word
Centuries roll by and men begin to
decyph5r the mysieTi0ua writing in
the rocks, which trstf as to the VAST
antiquity Of the earth The half IN.
conscious OPTION Of men had
been that the earth was only
a few bouis oder than
the human race, ard that was sup
posed TO be- about 5000 years old Tuis
opinion hal, Ike toe false astronomy
OF Ptolemy, become associated with
the inspired text until men could not
separate between the two. Fiercs
disputes arose; out truth always Goa.
qusrs. Now all in'ell gent men ave
a few incorrigiblss) admit that the
earth is immensely old, ntedlting the
crea ion of man by eJns too vast to be
comprehended by any minda save
that One with whom a thousand
years are but as yesterday when 1t is
past.
Now observe this roint: The out
come Of these two famous contraver-
sies about science have left the great
confessions OF the church, ancient aud
modern, perfectly unchanged. Bat
certain popular notions have been for-
ever annihi ated, to the great benefit
of all concerned. And as 70 the words
OF the Bi'le, no hing has baen done 10
destroy faith in their truth snd divine
authority. Astronomers and geol.
ogists can, and do, receive than as
revelations from God. And the only
change of opinion among intelligent
Ohril tans 10 to see mora and more
clearly the fact that the Bible is silent,
that il reveals nothing whatever as to
the scientific questions, or theories,
which are embodied 10 astronomy or
in geology. God in givingN US the
hOok Jid MT inpprnorota ouu thaoru
ss to the truth or falsitv of the Greek
astronomy OF Ptolemy, nor the mod
ern astronomy of Kopernik and Cali
leo. 1t was mistake ever to have
thought 40. The Language of the
Bible is popular, or is phenomenal"
to uss a technical word, noe referring
to physical causes, which would be
scientific.
Now, this is the fundamental idea
in DR.. Woodrow's attempt to harm on-
liza the Bible with science. He holds
that Scripture, which is with him as
WITH all Pfesbyterians, the highest su-
thority on everything about which it
gives an opinion, is silent as to the
details which eater into the new the.
DRY of evolution. And herein many
OF us, who have no fixed decision as
to the scientific truth or error of eve
luton, agree with him. In so doing
we are moving in the exact direction
that history indies tes For it was eX.
actly in this way that a solution was
found for the older controversies, one
and all. And this feature, common
to DR.. Woodrow and to his illustrious
brethren, the tbsoligians and the
Christian scientists, will remain I'M
changed whatever else Of his or theirs
shall be amended.
Lastly, let me conclude with q
word as to the sad dilemma in which
the church will fad herself, though
she is prsi.ed by the APPEAL for it,
about her educated young people.
The church will find that hundreds
and thousands Of her choicest youth
Of either sex are being educated to
the opinion that evolution is truth
"a law of nature. The result is in
evitRble. Teachers may be forbidden
to say anytime in schools under
church control. Bat the text books
speak. All the best seem now to be
on that side. The periodicals of the
day TEEN with the new ideas. Young