The Penn's Grove record., 1893-09-15

our Christianity, perhaps they might make
some impression upon 1t, but they ara not
agreed. It is often said that We religionist.
are failing In our advocacy of Christianity
because we differ In u theology. tell You
ne do not differ inside the church in theol.
ogy half as much as they differ outside the
church in science. II they reject our rclig-
ion because we differ in some minor points.
We might lust az we'll reject science because
The scientists differ, but as far as | can tell
the war OF inhdel science against Christi
enitv il not so severe as it used to be, be-
cause these men are antagonists 10 each
other. and as far as / can tell 1t is going to
he a war between telescope am telescope,
Levden lar and Leyden jar, chemical appar-
atns and chemical apparatus. They DO not
agree on anything.
Do YOU supposethatthis Bible theory about
he origin OF life is going to be overthrow
nv men who nave different theories-50 DIFF
rerent theories--about the origin Of liief
And when Agassiz comes out n puts both
'eet on the doctrine of evolution and says in
regard to many scientists 81 notice thai
.hese Young naturalists are adopting as the
prizes in science things which have not passed
ander observation" Agassiz saw what We
all see-that there are men who ak very
wisely who know but very little. and that
lust as o as a young scientist finds out the
difference between the feelers OF n wasp and
,he horns of a beetle he begins to patronize
The Almighty and go about talkiag about
culture as though 1t were spelled c-G-l-c-h-a-r
-culchar!
II makes me sick to see these literary tops
going down the street with a COP Of Darwin
nnder one arm, and a case OF transhxed grass
boppers and butterflies under the other arm,
talking about the "Survival of the Fittest."
and Huxley's 'sProtoplasm," and tho "Nebu-
lar Hypothesis" and talking to us common
men a though we were fools Ifthey agreed
N their theories and came up with solid facts
against Christianity, I say perhaps they
night make some impression, but they do not
agree. Darwin charges upon Lamarck, Wal
ace upon Cope. Herschel even charged
D Ferguson. They do not agree about
the graduation OF the species they do not
agree about embryology. What do they
agree about2
Herschel wrote a whole chapter OF what he
sails itErrors In Astronomy" la Place says
that the moon was not put in the right place
that II II had been put four times the distance
from u world there would have been more
harmony in the universe. But Lionvilla
somes up just in time to prove that the Lord
was wise and put the moo In the right place.
How many colors woven into the light2
Seven, says Newton. Three, says David
Brewster. How high is the aurora boreslisi
Two and a half miles high, says Lias. One
hundred and sixty-ive miles, says Twinigi
How far is the sun from the earth? Seventy
six million miles, says Laeaille ? 1000, 00G
miles, says Humboldt 10000, 900 miles, say.
Henderson 104,0 DOC, 900 miles, says Mayer.
Only a little difference of 5000, 900 miles
These men say we do not agree in religion.
Do they agree in scienee2 Have they CONF
up with solid front to assault our glorious
Christianity
"Gentlemen of the jury, have you agreed
upon your verdict2" the court or the clerk
yays to the jury, having been out all night,
on coming in. "Have you agreed on your
verdict2' II they say yes, the verdict Is
taken and recorded. II they say, mo, we
nave not agreed" they are sent back to the
Jury room. II one juryman should say, ~
think the man is guilty of murder" and an
,ther juryman should say, 81 think he is
guilty Of m~anslaughter," and another jury
nan should say, 81 think he is guilty OF as
mult and battery with intent to kill, " tbs
Judge would lose his patience and say, "Go
back to your room now and make up a YER
iict. Agree on something"
Well, my friends, there has been a great
rial going on for centuries and for ages be-
tween Skepticism, the plaintiff, verses
Christianity, the defendant. The scientists
have been impaneled and sworn on the jury.
They havs been gone for centuries, some oil
hem, and they come back, and We say,
"Gentlemen OF the jury, have you agreed
upon a verdict?" They say, mo, We have
not agreed" Then we say, $50 back for a
few more centuries and then come in and see
verdict" Now, there is not the meanest
prisoner in the Tombs Court who would be
condemned by a jury that did not agree, and
yet you expsct us to our glorious
Christianity !or such n mis- SCRABBLE verdict is
these men have rendered.. they tle u59lvos
not having been able TO agree.
But my subject shall no longer be de-
fensive; II must be aggressive. must show
you that instead OF Christianity falling back
It is on the march, and that the coming relig-
ion of the world Is to be the religion OF the
It Is to take possession OF e~verything-oi all
laws, all manners, all customs, all cities, all
nations. 1t Is going to be SO mighty as o
pared with what 1t has been, so much more
mighty that Il will seem almost like a new
religion.
l. adopt this theory because Christianity
has gono on straight ahead Notwithstanding
all the bombardment, and inldelity has not
destroyed a church, or crippled a minister,
or rooted out one verse of the Bible, and now
heir ammunition seems to be pretty much
exhausted. They cannot get anything new
against Christianity, and II Christianity has
gone on under the bombardment of cen
turtles and still continues to advance, may We
not conclude that, as the powder and shot OF
the other side seem to be exhausted, Chris
tianity is going OF with more rapid stride2.
l find an encouraging fact in the thought
that the secular press in this day and the
pulpit seem harnessei In the came team for
the proclamation of the gospel. Tomorrow
there will not be a banker on Wall street or
State street or Third street who will not have
in his pocket or on his table t~reltises on
Christianity, calls to repentance and Scrip
lure passages, 20 or so OF them, in the re-
ports of the Christian churches OF this city
and other cities. Why, that thing would
have been impossible a few years ago. Now
on Monday morning and Monday evening
tue secular press spreads abroad more re-
iglou5 truth than all the tract societies oil
the country spread in the other six days
Blessed be the tract societies We hai!them,
and we hail these others.
say 1t would have been impossible a few
years ago.. Hundreds OF letters would have
come TO the secular newspaper Offices, say
ing, "stop my paper; We have religion on
sunday; don't give us n through the
week.. Stop my paper" But l have been
told that many OF the secular papers have
thelr largest circulation on Monday morning,
and the whole population of this county are
becoming sermon readers. Besides that
have you not noticed the papers pro;laimin!
themselves secular almost every week have
religious discussions in them?
&c back a few years when there was not a
decent paper in the United States that had
not q discussion on the doctrine OF eterha,
punishment. Small wits made merry, !
know, but there was not an Intelligent man
IN the United States that as a result OF TINT
controversy in regard to eternal punishinin nj
nid not ask himself the question, "What Il
TO be my eternal d~estinyT' And some year
ago when Tyndall offered his prayer gauge
there was not a secular paper in the Unilet
otates that did not discuss the question
docs dod ever answer prayer! May III
creature impress the Creator?"
Are not all these facts encouraging to ev'
cry Christian ant every philanthropisti
BESIDES, that, tho rising generation are he
my saturated with gospel truth as no othel
generation by this international series OF
~suhday-school lessons. Formerly the chill
uteh We're expected only to nibble at the ~
tte ihiantile Scripture stories, but now they
hte taken from Genesis to Revelation, tht
,ronges minds of the country explaining
the Lessons TO the teachers, and the teacher
explaining them to the classes. and we are
going 70 have In this country 5000, 900 youth
,orestaiied for Christianity. Hear it! Heal
besides that, you must have noticed, ifyou
nave talked on these great themes, that they
are nhuing out that while science il grand
In secular directions. they cannot give any