St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-01-22

That story the geolOXlst goes to that
region, and after trying in vain to
take = swim in the lake, SO thick with
salt he can not swim 1.-THE lake be-
meath which Sodom and Gomorrah lie
buried-one drop OF water SO full Of
sulphur and birthstone that it stings
your tongue. and for hours you can
not get rid of the nausesting drop-the
scientist then digging down and find
ing sulphur on TOP of sulphur. brim-
stone on top of birthstone. while all
round there are jets and crags and
peaks Of salt, and if one OF them did
not become the sarcophagus of Lots
wife they show you how u human be-
ing might in that tempest have been
halted and packed into a white monu-
ment that would defy the ages.
But. now, you do not really be-
lieve that New Testament story
about the earthquake at the time Christ
was crucified, do you? Geology digs
down into Mount Calvary and finds the
rocks ruptured aud aslsnt, Showing
the work as an especial earthquake for
that mountain, and an earthquake
which did not touch the surrounding
region. Go aud look for yourself. and
see there q dip and Cleavage of rocks as
nowhere else on the planet Geology
thus announcing an especial earth
quake for the greatest tragedy of all
the centuries-the assination of the
Son of God.
But you do not really believe that
story of the burning of our world at
the last day? Geology digs down and
finds that the world is already on fire,
and that the cen ter of this globe is in
candescent, molten, volcanic, burn
ing coal, burning out toward the sur
face, and the internal fires have so far
reached the outside rim that l do not
see how the world is to keep from COM
plete confagration until the prophecies
concerning it are fulfilled. The lava
poured forth from the mouths of vesu-
vius, Mount Etnn and Cotopaxi, and
kilauea. is only the regurgitation 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 burning up. after awhile these
two fires, the descending and the rs
cending, will meet, and then will oc-
cur the universal confiagration of which
the Bible speaks, when it says:
tsThe elements shall melt with fersent
heat; the earth also, aud the works
that are therein shall be burned up"
Instead of disbelieving the Bible story
about the final conhagration, since
have looked little into geology, ind
ing that its explorations are all in the
line of confirmation of that prophecy,
l wonder how this old craft Of world
can keep sailing on much longer. 1t is
like a ship on fire at sea, the fact that
the matches are kept down the only
reason that it does not become one
complete blaze-masts on fire, ratlines
on fire, everything from cutwater to
taffsaii on fire. After geology has told
US how near the internal fires have al
ready burned their way toward the
surface, it ought not to be surprise to
us at any time to hear the ringing of
the tire bells of q universal conhagra-
ton. o. am SO glad that geology has
been born! Astronomy is grand. because
it tells us about other worlds; but l
must say that am more in tcrestsd in
our world than in any other world.
and geology tells us all about what it
was, its cradle, and what will be its
grave. And this glorious geology is
proving. itself more and more the
friend of theology. Thank God for
the testimony of the rocks; the Ten
Commandments announced among the
split rocks of Sinai; the greatest ser
mon Of Christ preached on the basal
tic rocks Of the Mount of Beatitudes;
the Saviour dying on the rocks Of Col
gotha, and buried amid the limestone
rocks of Joseph's sepulcher; the last
day to be usherei in with . rending of
rocks, and our blessed Lord sugges-
lively entitled the Rock of Ages"
l this day proclaim the banns of mar
riage between geology and theology,
the rugged bridegroom and the fairest
Of brides. Let them join their hands.
and ''whom God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder."
II anything in the history or condi-
ton of the earth seems for the time
contradictory of any thing in geology,
you must remember that geology is all
the time correcting itself, and more
and more coming to characterization
with the great book. In the last CEN
fury the French Semitic association"
printed list of 80 theories of geology
which had been adopted and afterward
rejected. Leyell. the scientist an
nounced so theories of geology that
had been believed in and afterward
thrown overheard. Meanwhile the
story of the Bible has not changed at
all, and if geology has cast out between
100 and 200 theories, which it once con-
sidered established, we can afford to
wait until the last theory of geology
Divine revelation shall
have been given up. Now. in
this discourse upon the geology Of the
Bible, or God among the Rocks, l
charge agitated and affrighted Uzzahs
to calm their pulses about the upset
ting of the Scripture. Let me see! For
several hundred years the oxen have
been jerking the ark this way and
that, and pulling it over rough places
trying to stick it in the mud Of deci-
sion, and kicking with all the power of
their hoofs against the sharp goads,
and trying to pull it in the cool shade,
away from the heats OF retribution
from a God .swho will by no means
clear the guilty" Yet, have You not
noticed that the book has never been up
set? The only changes made in it
were by its learned friends in the re-
vision of the Scriptures. The Book Of
Genesis has been Numbered against by
the mightiest batteries. yet you can not
to-day find in all the earth q copy
of the Bible which has not the fifty
chapters of the first copy Of the Book
Of Genesis ever printed. starting with
the words. I'm the beginning God,"
and closing with Joseph's coffin. Fierce
attack on the Book of Exodus has been
made because they said it was cruel to
drown Pharaoh, and the story of