The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-27


church in science. If they reject our relig-
ion because we differ in some minor points.
we might Just as we'll reject science because
| the scientists differ, but as far as can tell
the war of infldel science against Christi
| anity is not so severe as 1t used to be. be-
cause these men are antagonlstlc to each
| other, and as far as I can tell 1t is going to
be a war between telescope and telescope,
Leyden jar and Leyden jar, chemical appar-
atus and chemical apparatus. They do not
agree on anything.
Do you supposethat this Bible theory about
the origin Of life is going to be orerthrown
by men who have different theorles-50 dif-
ferent theories-about the origin Of life?
And when Agassiz comes out and puts both
feet on the doctrine OF evolution and says In
regard to many scientists: 81 notice thai
these young naturalists are adopting as the
ories in science things which have not passed
under observation" Agassiz saw what we
all see-that there are men who talk very
wisely who know but very little. and that
Just as soon as a young scientist finds out tho
difference between the feelers OF n wasp and
the horns of beetle he begins to patronize
the Almighty and 60 about talking about
culture as though it were spelled c-u-l-c-h-a-r
-culchar!
1t makes me sick to see these literary fops
going down the street with copy OF Darwin
hoppers and butterflies under the other arm,
talking about the Survival Of the Fittest,"
and Huxley's "Protoplasm," and tho "Nebu-
lar Hypothesis" and talking to US common
men as though we were fools! Ifthey agreed
in their theories and came up with solid facts
against Christianity, I say perhaps they
might make some impression, but they do not
agree. Darwin charges upon Lamarck, Wal
lace upon Cope. Herschel even charged
do
the gradation OF the species they do not
agree about embryology. What do they
agree about? -
Herschel wrote whole chapter Of what he
calls Errors In Astronomy" La Place says
that the moon was not put In the right place {;
that if it had been put four times the distance
from our world there would have been more
harmony in the universe. But Lionville
comes up Just in time to prove that the Lord
was wise and put the moon in the right place.
How many colors woven into the light?
Seven. SAYS Newton. Three, says David
Brewster. How high Is the aurora borealis?
Two and half miles high, says Lias. One
hundred and sixty-fve miles, says Twinig3
How far Is the sun from the earth? Seventy
six million miles, says Lacaille 81, OOO, 900
miles, says Humboldt 1000, 900 miles, says
Henderson; $4,000, 900 miles, says Mayer;
Only little difference OF 100000 miles
These men say we do not agree In religion.
Do they agree in science2 Have they come
up with solid front to assault our glorious
Christianity?
Gentlemen OF the jury, have you agreed
upon your verdict2" the court or the clerk
says to the jury, having been out oil night,
on coming in. ''Have you agreed on your
verdict?" II they say yes, the verdict Is
taken and recorded. II they say, "No, we
have not agreed" they are sent back to the
Jury room. II one juryman should say, 81
think the man is guilty Of murder" and an
guilty OF manslaughter, and another jury
man should say, ST think he is guilty Of as
sault and battery with intent to kill, the
Judge would lose his patience and say, "Go
back to your room now and make up YER
dict. Agree on something"
Well, nv friends, there has been a great
trial 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 have been gone for centuries, some OF
them. and they come back: and we say,
Gentlemen Of the jury, have you agreed
upon verdict2" They say, s'No, we have
not agreed" Then we say, go back for
few more centuries and then come in andsee
il YOU can agree, see II you can render some
verdict" Now, there is not the meanest
prisoner in the Tombs Court who would be
condemned by jury that did not agree, and
vet you expect us to renounce our glorious
Christianity for such a miserable verdict as
these men have rendered, they themselves
not having been able to agree.
But nav subject shall no longer be de-
fensive it must be aggressive. must show
YOU that instead OF Christianity falling back
il is on the march, and that the coming relig-
ion OF the world is to be the religion OF the
Lord Jesus Christ 10 900 times intensified.
It Is to take possession OF everything-of all
laws. all manners, all customs, all cities, all
nations. 1t Is going to be 80 mighty as COM
pared with what it has been, so much more
mighty that it will seem almost like new
religion.
I adopt this theory because Christianity
has gone on straight ahead Notwithstanding
all the bombardment, and infdelity has not
DESTROYED church, or crippled minister,
or rooted out one verse OF the Bible, and now
their ammunition seems to be pretty much
exhausted. They cannot get anything new
against Christianity, and il Christianity has
gone on under the bombardment OF CEN
turies and still continues to advance, may we
not conclude that, Us the powder and shot OF
the other side seem to be exhausted, Chris
tianity is going on with more rapid stride?
I lind an encouraging fact in the thought
that the secular press in this day and the
pulpit seem harnessed in the same team for
the proclamation Of tho gospel. Tomorrow
there will not be banker on Wall street or
State street or Third street who will not have
in his pocket or on his table treatises on
Christianity, calls to repentance and Scrip
ture passages, 90 or 80 OF them, In the re-
ports OF the Christian churches OF this city
and other cities Why, that thing would
have been impossible few years ago. Now
mo-
the secular press spreads abrond more re-
ligious truth than all the tract societies Of
the country spread in the other six days.
Blessed be the tract societies We hail them,
and We hail these others.
say it would have been impossible 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 any through the
week. Stop my paper" But l have been
told that many OF the secular papers have
their largest circulation on Monday morning,
and the whole population Of this country are
becoming sermon readers. Besides that,
have you not noticed the papers proclaiming
themselves secular almost every week have
religious discussions in them?
Go back few years when there was not
| decent paper in the United States that had
not discussion on the doctrine OF eternal
| punishment. Small wits made merry, l
know, hut there was not an intelligent man
in the United States that as result OF that
controversy in regard to eternal punishment
did not ask himself the question, "What is
| to be my eternal destiny2" And some years
ago when Tyndali offered his prayer gauge
there was not a secular paper in the United
| States that did not discuss the question !:
Does God ever answer prayer! May the
creature impress the Creator?
| Are not all these facts encouraging to ev-