Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-12-25

SUBJECT.
biologists and tho Biblo Agree-scrlpture
Confirms the Researches of Scientists.
Story of the Delugc and Sinking of the
Mountains.
| copyright. 1897. by American Press Asso-
| citation.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-The throngs
coming to Dr. Talmage's preaching
services Mt the First Presbyterian
church are all the time increasing and
far beyond the capacity of his church to
hold. In this sermon he discusses a sub
ject interesting to all-viz, '1The Geolo-
gy of the Bible; or, God Among the
Rocks. :" The text is II Samuel vi,
6, z: And when they came to Nachon's
threshing floor Uzzah put forth his hand
to the ark of God and took hold of it,
! for tho oxen shook it. And the anger Of
the Lord was kindled against Uzzah,
and God smote him there for his error,
and there he died by the ark of God"
A band of music is coming down the
road, comets blown, timbrels struck,
harps thrummed and cymbals clapped,
all led on by David, who was himself
musician. They are ahead of wagon
on which is the sacred box called the
ark The yoke of oxen drawing the
wagon imperiled it. Some critics say
that the oxen kicked being struck with
the drivers goad, but my knowledge of
oxen leads me say that if on hot day
they see shadow of a tree or wall they
are apt to suddenly shy off to get the
GOODNESS of the shadow think these
oxen so suddenly turned that the sacred
box seemed about to upset and be
thrown to the ground Uzzah rushed
forward and laid hold of the ark to keep
it upright, but he had no right to do so.
A special command had been given by
the Lord that no ono save the priest un-
der any circumstances should touch that
box. Nervous and excited and irrever
ent, Uzzah disobeyed when he took hold
! of the ark, and he died as a consequence.
In all ages, and never more SO than
in our own day, there are good people
all the time afraid that the Holy Bible,
which is the sacred ark of our time,
will DO upset, and they have been
long while afraid that science and es-
pecially geology, would overthrow it.
While wo arc not forbidden to touch the
holy book, and, on the contrary, arc
urged to fondle and study it, any one
who is afraid of the overthrow of the
book is greatly offending tho Lord with
his unbelief The oxen have not yet
been yoked which can upset that ark Of
the worlds salvation Written by the
Lord Almighty, he is going to protect
it until its mission is fulfilled and
there shall be no more need of Bible,
because all its prophecies will have
been fulfilled and the human race will
have exchanged worlds.
Perfect Accord.
A trumpet and violin are very diff
ferent instruments, but they may be
played in perfect accord. So the Bible
account of the creation of the world
and tho geological account are different
ono story written on parchment and
the other on tho rocks, and yet in per-
feet and eternal accord. The word
day, /" repeated in the first chapter of
Genesis, has thrown into paroxysms of
criticism many exegetes The Hebrew
word lyon" of the Bible means some
times what wo call day and some
times it means ages. 1t may mean "a
hours or 100, 100000 years. The Or
dCr Of creation as written in tho book
of Genesis is tho order Of creation dis
covered by biologists crowbar. So
many Uzzahs have been nervously rush
ing about for fear the strong oxen of
scientific discovery would upset the BIZ
bio that I went somewhat apprehensive-
ly to look into the matter, when /
found that the Bible and geology agree
in saying that first were built the rocks,
then the plants greened the earth, then
marine creatures were created, from
minnow to whale then the wings and
threats Of aerial choirs were colored
and tuned, and the quadrupeds began
to bleat and below and neigh. What is
all this fuss that has been filling the
church and the world concerning a
fight between Moses and Agassiz? There
is no fight at all. Butts not the geolos-
ical impression that the world was mil
lions of years building antagonistio to
the theory of one weeks creation in
Genesis? No.
A great house is to be built. A man
takes years to draw to the spot the fem
dation stone and the heavy timbers. The
house is about done, but it is not fin
ishcd for comfortable residence. Sud-
denly the owner calls in upholsterers,
plumbers, gas filters, paper hangers, and
in one week it is ready for occupancy.
Now, it requires no stretch of magma
ton to realize that God could have tax
Ell millions of years for the bringing
of the rocks and tho timbers of this
world together, yet only one week more
to make it inhabitable and to furnish it
for human residence Remember also
that all up and down the Bible the
language of the times was used-com-
mon parlance-and it was not always to
be taken literally Just as we say every
day that the world is round when it is
not round Itis spheroidal-nattened at
the poles and protuberant at the equa-
tor Professor Smell, with his chain of
triangles, and Professor Warm, with the
shortened pendulum of his clock, found
it was not round, but we do not become
critical CT any enc who says the world
is round. Let US deal as fairly with
NJ ses or Job as we do with each other.
Geology and Scripture.
But for years good people feared geol-
ogy, and without any imploratioa Oh
their part apprchcnded that the rocks
and mountains would fall Gil the;li un-
til Hugh Miller. the elder CT ST. join
Presbyterian church in Edinburgh and
parishioncr CT Or. Guthrie, calie forth
and told the world that there was no