The herald., 1895-12-09
YESTERDAY At THE CHURCHES
Bishop Montgomery's Sermon on
Science and UnbeIief
MOSES WAS NOT INSPIRED
Old Testament Inspiration the Subject
Of DR.. Thomson
Services Of the Universalist Church, Latter
Day Saints, Theosophical Society and
Other Religious Organizations

Bishop Montgomery spoke at the cathe-
dral Yesterday evening from the text:
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
My word shall not pass away, St. Luke,
q :33. The bishop said:
In speaking as | do, l use the words
"intidel and ''skeptic' or "unbcliev-
err simply in their literal sense to des-
ignate certain cass of opponents to
revealed religion. The educated and
cultured unbelievcr il far moro hurttul
than the crdinary infidel, because OF HIS
learning and because OF his more re-
spectfuI manner of treating opposing be
lieis. There has grown up in the last
half century a wonderful literature in ad
vocacy OF unbelief in one form or anoth-
er, a Literature more remarkable Tor It's
classic beauty than anything else ard
the importance of which, of course no
one can deny. Nor does any one attempt
to depreciatc the importance OF these
writings, in their treasures OF knowledge
in the physical sciences.
But the mistake of their laborious and
able representatives,, when unbelieyers,
is to center and absorb all things IN the
physical and material universe.
There is one simple principle from
which the Christian must never permit
himself to be driven, l. e., there can be
no conflict between true religion and true
science; what is religiously true cannot bs
scientifically false, and what is scientific
ally true cannot be religiously false, and
for .his reason God is the source of boeh.
God has made two manifestations OF
himself, and both of these manifssta-
tions are made to mans reason, one IN
tho natural physical order, the other IN
the moral order. Science, as usually I'M
derstood, has TO do witch the first, relig
ion with the second, and God is over
both. Therefore Whenever there IL an
apparent contradiction .betweon what is
assumed to be science and what is be-
lieved to be Ieiigiously true it is certain
that either what is assumed to be scion
titcally true Is not demonstrated to be true
or what is believed to be religiously true
is not the real meaning OF religion on
that point. The cause OF this confusion
comes from two sins OF the scientific I'M
believer. His first sin is that he often
assumes the scientific truth of a mere the
ory, and his second sin is that he claims
the right to interpret revelation science,
by the definition OF the word mean
knowledge, certainty. A mere theory is
not knowledge, IS not certainty, lis not
science.
Until a theory ceases to be theory and
passes into truth demonstrated it is not
Science. And one of the greatest wrongs
done to the human mind in this age Is
the attempt too often made in most
dognatic manner, to pnss OIL mere the
ory for fact. A famllIar.eNample Is that
of evolution. The theory of evolution in
the usual sense of that term is mere
theory, nothing more, undemonstrated.
and consequently not known to be sclen-
tIfcally true.
One of the ablest opponents OF ration
alistic opinion in this century, MIR.
Huxley, few years ago in the Romanes
lectures at Oxford gave the death blow
TO the vulgar theory of evolution when
he said: 1.-The ethical side of mans ma
ture could never have been produced by
any process of animal evolution" There
fore not only is the theory not Demon
strated but, according to Mr.. huxley. 1t
never can be demo Jstrated.
And yet many less informed give it
out in most dogmatic manner as con-
coded and demonstrated fact.
The second sin of the scientific unbe-
lever is to take upon himself the otiic of
interpreting holy scripture no less tnan
nature. And his tavorite pastlme is to
mako excursions into the book OF Cen
esis. He declare, his reading OF Gen
esls to be the correct meaning, and then
declares that that meaning is in con tiiCt
with his undem oDstrated scientific the
ory, and his demonstrated scientific
theory being true, Genesis is wrong.
There is the kernel of this whole confu-
sion. We deny to him any such o:ice as
that OF authorized interpreter of Coos
word. God has left an authorized inter
prefer OF it, sand until that interpreter
declares its meaning men may think
about it anything they like, but cannot
Justly claim that their view OF it is true.
Hero IS the vantage ground OF the
Christian, from which he must never per-
nit himself to be dlslodgcd by any spe-
cious reasoning, no matter how classical
the dress i'll which that reasoning is
clothed. There are many things in the
scientific world demonstrated to the GER
tt,,-z
are many dogmatlc declarations made
by the authorized interpreter OF God S
word, and it cannot be shown in one
single instance that any suca scientific
demonstration conflicts in one particle
with any sdch dogmatic declaration.
And when we reflect thet there arc two
agencies have been going along side by
side for at least 1900 years, and with no
conflict. We may safely predict, even
from the law of proba bilities, that no
such conflict will ever occur.
The Christian knows that they never
can conflict. Men come into conflict,
opinions clash-prInciples, truths, never.
Scientific truth, even as religious truth,
centers in God and comes from Him.
Therefore il Is that the authorized inter
prefer of Gods revealed word welcomes
and uses science as her helper ssd hand
maid. but she cannot consent thar mere
opinion, undemonstrated theories, shall
pass for science and be made basis of
negation of revealed truth.
Unity Church
a sermon on THE inspiration of tho
Old Testament, according to Christ"
was preached by the pastor of UNITY
church. J. 5. Thomson, yesterday morn
ing from the text, The law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ - John :l7