Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-03-16
GEOLOGY and BIBLE
DR.. Jackson Shows the Harmony
Between Them.
DISEASES OF The BODY AND SOUL
The subject of Rev. Henry Dole Last
Eseniag-Res. Mia y. upper Dis-
courses On the Pro bleul of
GLarch and state.

Rev. Or. Jackson preached 3 sermon
at the Fountain Street Baptist Church,
last evening, on the substantial agree
ment of the eosmogsnies Of Moses and
OF science.
The text of the sermon was an
nounced as the forty-second verse of
the 10th Psalm: 80 shall l MAKE
answer unto my blasphemers, for my
trust is In Thy word"
One thing he desired, first of all. To
impress, that mems interpretations OF
scripture, are not necessarily scripture.
Ii is marvellous fact that amid the
conflicts tf religious ideas tha. modern
discover has stirred up, the old bible,
is still standing up in tie midst of our
civilization. aud is daily growing in in
iiuenee, and becoming brighter and
nobler each year.
Look Into Genesis.
The preacher then asked his hearers
TO take took into the first chapter OF
that far away past that men are so in
tently peerlng into. The old interpre-
tatlon OF this book made the days" of
creation literal days instead of indef-
mite periods, and that the world was
made in SIX literal days. But men be-
gan 10 deIve into the UNIV itten word
the rocks, and their testimony made il
certain that the world is more than 5000
years old, until now the accepted inter-
prctatlon ls that the days" of Genesis
are long periods. But are we not, by
tins CONCESSION. just trying to shield the
Bible because we are compelled TO do
SO? look INTO the writings of the
early fathers of Christianity Will answer
this. From the days OF Augustine
backwards, not one of the old fathers
called il a literal day. 1t was in the
subsequent days of darkness and literal
ism that that the creative day first be-
came day OF twenty-four hours, and
] know of not a Christian scholar of
this age who calls the day of Moses q
twenty -four-hour day. And when the
page of the rock and Of the Bible are
placed side by side, they agree. If you
read both, you will he surprised at the
similarity Of the story-the chaos, the
waters separating and falling into place,
the earth's crust, vegetable life and
then animal life reaching up towards
man.
You find the two records of the rocks
and of the Book agreeing on this speci-
tic order of creation.
Rude and Empty Theories.
The speaker then contrasted the rude
and empty theories of the creative pro-
cess held by the ancient Babylonians
and Phoenlclans with the grand and
majestic conceptions of Moses, to show
that Moses was inspired by the truth.
The more the light is thrown upon the
process of creation, the more does it
lead us 10 trust the bible story. He
then took up the origin and antiquity
of man, showing how the chronology
of Archbishop Usher has undergone
the same changes that have so modified
the theory OF the creative periods, and
gave many interesting proofs to show
that the world must be more than 600
wears old. He also showed how science
has made many errors IN It's
estimates, yet he conceded
that science IS right in the
man, IN giving TO the human family a
very high antiquity. His copclusion
was that, even ii man has been here
100 900 wears. II docs not radically
affect the truth of the record. Ii takes
from God none of lis honor, for still
the fact remains that man, rs TO his
physical nature was made from the
dust of the ground. Even though God
had put into the original star dust the
power and potency of the world as we
now see it, IT takes from God no honor
and deiracts not from the glory of the
man made IN the Divine image.
Breathing of the Eternal Spirit.
II is not the physical nature that
makes man, but the moment the crea-
ture takes moral ideas, then the man
has come, the breathing of the eternal
spirit upon the child of God. These
concessions of the modern pulpit are
no retreat from the truth which the
Bible has always held. The Bible is not
sclentic book, nor is II n geology. but
was written to teach simple truths in
simple language; but the mischief
comes of the habit men have of putting
Into the Bible what Is not there. The
sermon closed with peroration of fine
eloquence, IN which the Bible was CON-
pared to the ARK riding the angry
waters, but bringing at last those who
trust Il and cling TO II TO the haven
where they would be.