Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-09-15

! under observation. AgasSiz saw what No
all see-that there are men who talk very
wisely who know but very little ani that
| Just as soon as a young scientist finds out the
difference between the feelers OF q wasp AMI
the horns OF a beetle he begins to patronize
the Almighty and 90 about talking about
culture as though 1t were spelled e-u-l-c-h-a-r
| -culchar
1t makes me sick TO see these literary tops
| going down the street with a copy OF Darwin
I under one arm, and case OF transflxed grass
hoppers and butterflies under the other arm.
talking about the Survival OF the Fittest,
and Huxleys "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, l say perhaps they
might make some impression, but they do not
agree. Darwin charges upon Lamarck, Wal
lace upon Cope. Herschel even charged
upon Ferguson. They do not agree about
the graduation OF the species they do not
agree about embryolosy. What do they
agree about?
Herschel wrote q whole chapter OF what he
calls errors In Astronomy" La Place says
that the moon was not put in the right place
that il il had been put four times the distance
| from our world there would have been more
harmony in the universe. But Lionville
|
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 borealisT
Two and half miles high, says Lias. One
| hundred and siXty-flye miles. says living!
How far is the sun from the earth! Seventy
six million miles, says Lacaille S2,OOO,O OO
miles. saws Humboldt 10000, 900 miles. says
Henderson 104 900, 600 miles, says Mayer;
Only a little difference Of 2S,GO0,OOO miles
These men say we do not agree in religion.
Do they agree in science? Have they come
up with solid front to assault our glorious
Christianity?
Gentlemen OF the jury have you agreed
upon your verdict?' the court or the clerk
saws TO the jury, having been out all night,
on coming in. Have you agreed on your
yerdictY II they say yes, the verdict IS
taken and recorded. If they say, mo, we
have not agreed they are sent back TO the
Jury room. II one juryman should say, Il
think the man is guilty OF murder ana an
other iuryman should say, Il think he IS
guilty OF manslaughter, and another jury
man should say, II think he is guilty OF as
sault and battery with intent to kill, the
Judge would lose his patience and say 10
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 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 a verdict They say, mo, we have
not agreed Then we say, go back Tor
few more centuries and then come in andsee
if YOU can agree, see If 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 nv subject shall no longer be de-
fepsive 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 10000 times intensified.
II IL TO take possession OF everything-of all
laws all manners all customs, all cities, all
nations. Ii is going to be so mighty as COM
pared with wnat it has been, 50 much moro
mighty that it will seem almost ike new
religion.
| adopt this theory because Christianity
has gone on straight ahead Notwithstanding
ali the bombardment. and infdelity has not
DESTROYED a 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 GEN.
turies 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 on with more rapid stride!
f,..4 IN, no fhpmUh4
that the secular press in this day and the
nnlpit seem harnessed in the same team for
the proclamation Of the 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 treatlses on
Christianity calls to repentance and Scrip
ture passages. 20 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 a few years ago. Now
on Monday morning and Monday evening
the secular press spreads abroad more re-
hgiOus 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.
l 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 / 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 q 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, but there was not an intelligent man
in the United States that as a result OF that
controversy in regard to eternal punishment !
did not ask himself the question, "What is
to be my eternal destiny" And some years
ago when Tyndal 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 tho |
creature impress the CreatOr?'
Are not all these facts encouraging to ev- |
cry Christian and every philanthropist? |
Besides, that, the rising generation are be- |
ing saturated with gospel truth as no other |
generation by this international series OF |
Sunday-school lessons. Formerly the chill |
dren were expected only TO nibble at the lit !
tie infantie Scripture stories. but now they |
are taken from Genesis 10 Revelation. the |
strongest minus OF the country eXplGlnlnS |
the lessons to the teachers, and the teachers |
explaining them to the classes. and we are |
going to have in this country 100000 youth |
forestaled for Christianity. Hear it Hear |
it,
Besides that. you must have noticed. ifyOu |
have talked on these great themes, that they |
are finding out that while science is grand |
in secular directions, they cannot give any |
comfort to a soul in trouble.
Talking with men on steamboats, and in /
rail cars. ] find they are coming back to the |
comfort OF the gospel They say, Somehow |
human science doesn't comfort me when | |
have any trouble, and must try something |
else" And they are trying the gospel.
Take your scientific consolation to the |
mother who has just lost her child. Apply |
the doctrine Of the survival OF the littest
Tell her that her child died because its life |
was not worth as much as the life of one that
lived. Try thatii you dare. GotO the dying |
man with your transcendental phraesOlOgy |
and tell him he ought to have confidence in |
the great ito be. and the everlasting 'now,"
and the eternal what is it?' and go on with |
your consolation and see II he is comforted. |
60 to that woman who has lost her hus-
band and tell her it was geological neces-
sity that that man passed out OF existence |