The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-28
Egyptian heiroglyphics are crying out

Va AAd 1AN '0S ~
many passages Of the scriptures that /
can only slightly refer to them.
But you do not really believe hat
story of the deluge and the sinking of
h mountains under the wave? Tell
US something We can believe. Believe
that" say geology, for how do you ac-.
count for those seashells and seaweeds
and skeletons of sea animals found on
the top of some of the highest noun
tains?. If the waters did notSometimes
rise about the mountains. how did
those seashells and seaweeds and skel-
etons of sea animals get there? Did
you put them there:"
But, now, you do not really believe
that story about the storm of fire and
birthstone whelming Sodom and Gomor
rah, and enwrapping Lots wife in such
saline incrustations that she halted, a
sack OF salt? For the confirmation OF
that story the geologist goes to that re-
gf0n, and after trying in vain TO take
a swim in the lake, SO thick with salt
he cannot swim 1.-THE lake beneath
which Sodom and GOmorah lie buried,
one drop of the water so full Of sulphur
and birthstone that It stingS your
tongue, anu for hours you can not get
rid of the -nauseating drop-the scien-
fist then digging down n finding sui
phur on top of sulphur. birthstone on
top of birthstone, while all around
there are jets and crags and peaks OF
salt, and if one Of them cid not become
the sarcopl agus of Lots Wife, they
show how a human being might in
that tempest have been halted and
packed into a white monument that
would defy the ages.
But, now, you do not really believe
hat New Testament story about the
earthquake at lifetime Christ was cruc-
flied, do you? Geology digs down into
Mount Calvary and finds the rock rup-
tured and aslant, showing the work of
an especial earthquake for nat noun
tain, and an earthquake which did not
touch the surrounding region. Go and
look for yourself, and see there a dip
and cleavage of rocks as noWher else
on the planet, geology thus announcing
IN especial earthquake for the greatest
tragedy of all the centuries-the assas-
%sination of the Son of God.
CONFIRMED BY GEOLOGY.
But you do not really believe that
story of the BURNING of our world at
the last day? Geology digs dow and
finds that the world is already on fire
and that the center of this globe is in
candescent, molten, volcanic, a burning
cCdl, UuTIllllS out coward the surface,
and the internal fires have so far reach
ed the outside rim that I do not see
how the world is to- keep from com
plete confiagration until the prophecies
concerning it are fulfilled. The lava
poured forth from the mouths of We
suvius, Mount Etna and COtopaxi and
kilauea is only the reorganization from
an awful inflammation thousands Of
miles deep. There are mines in Penn
Sylvania and in several parts of the
world that have been on fire for many
years. These coal mines burning down
and the Internal fires of the earth burn
ing up, after awhile these two fires, the
descending and the ascending will
meet, and then will occur the universal
conflagration of which the Bible speaks
when it says, 1.-THE elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also, and
the works that are therein shall be
burned up"
Instead of disbelieving the Bible
story about the final confiagration,
since l have looked "a little into geol-
Ogy, finding that it's explorations are
all in the lin of confirmation of that
prophecy, I wonder how this old craft
Of a world can keep sailing on much
longer 1t is like a ship on fire at sea,
the fact that the matches are kept down
TIE Only reason lldl IL uOeS not become
one complete blaze-masts on fire, rat
Inns on fire, everything from cutwater
to taffrail on fire. After geology has
told us how near the internal fires have
already burned their way toward the
surface, it ought not to he a surprise
to us ait any time to hear the ringing
of thte fire bells of a universal conf1a-
grafton. Oh, 1 am so glad that geol-
ogy has been born! Astronomy is
grand because is tells us about other
worlds. But I must say that I am
more interested in our world than in
any other world. and geology tells us
all about what it was, it's cradle and
what will be it's grave. And his glo-
rious geology is proving itself more
and more the friend OF theology. Thank
Coo for the testimony Of the rocks, the
Ten Commandments announced among
the split rocks of Sinai, the greatest
sermon of Christ preached on the ba-
sa1tic rocks Of the noun of beati-
tudes, the Saviour dying on the rocks
Of GOlgotha and buried amid the lime
stone rocks of Joseph's sepulcher, the
last day to be ushered in with a rend-
ing of rocks and our blessed Lord sug-
gestively entitled THE ROck of Ages.
1 this day proclaim the banns of a mar
riage between geology and theology
lIc IuSScu IOOlu anu llle ld1TSSl
of brides. Let them join their hands
and whom rod hath Joined together
let not man put asunder."
NEVER YET UPSET.
If anything in the history or condi.
ton Of the earth seems for the time
contradictory OF anything in geology
you must remember that geology is al
the time correcting itself and more an6
more coming to harmonization with
the great book. In the last century the
French scientific association printed g
list of eighty theories OF geology which
had been adopted and ~afterward re.
jected. Lyell, the scientist, announced
fifty theories Of geology that had beer
believed in and afterward thrown over.
BOARD Meanwhile the story of thu
Bible has not changed at all, and ii
geology has cast III between 100 anG
200 theories which it once considered
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