The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-11

| To harmonic the philosophy of John
| Tyndall with the story Of the creation as
told in Genesis was the talk which Rev.
| DIR. Bristol undertook in his sermon last
night at the Metropolitan NJ E. Church
| The sermon was the last OF the series OF
comparisons between the men of the Bible
| and of modern times. His subject was
| Moses and Tyndall" The address was
mastery one. and was closely listened
| TO by large congregation. While the
narrow minded might have called some
| portions of it heterodox, the pastor was
nevertheless logical. forceful. and elo-
| quent in his comparisons. deductions. and
conclusions.
Notwithstanding .hat the spectacle of
Methodist clergyman from his pulpit de-
livering a eulogy of John Tyndall So
called atheist. infidel and agnostic. was
somewhat unsusuaI. yet DR.. Bristol was
able 10 do this without giving any Of
fence. Moses and Tyndall. he said, were
co-workers, seeking TO fathom and solve
the mystery of existence, they were
knowledged that science cannot explain
origin any more than the Bible, but he
has given us necessity for new revela-
ton; he has done religion good by forcing
us to give the Bible q more rational inter-
probation. There is no conflict, the
speaker declared between science and re-
lision, the conflict is between men No
man is an atheist because he is a scien-
fist.
Among other things DR.. Bristol said:
The more scientific an age becomes the
closer will be its walk with God Nature
interprets the divine mind or, in the Ian
guage of Aristotle, is transcript of the
ideas which are in the mind of the first
being, and science is an Interpretation of
nature He who makes us understand q
flower, srystal. ray of light, a grain of
life is brother teacher with him who ex-
plains for us passage of holy writ. Why
speak Of the Holy Bible and not of holy
nature. Is there not divinity in the stars
as well as in the psalms of God? Has
not the mutest and minutest atom an
evangel Of omniscience as necessary to be
learned as any rising from the lips of the
mightiest chanting angel of the skies?
Why, except that we are unbelleving and
even atheistic in a measure do We close
our ears to the ten thousand times ten
thousand voices that would tell us greater
things of GOO than we have ever known?
Look through the microscope. look
through the telescope, and find a
greater standard by which to measure the
power and wisdom of GCd Listen listen
and catch the murmur of the outer in
finite and begin to worship the Creator of
majestical universe When Jenny Lind
first saw Niagara she fell upon her knees
in alteration of the Creator. When
Dot hoo hot
the hypothenuse OF right angle triangle
Is equal TO the sum Of its two sides he rose
from his study, went 10 the altar and in
a devout spirit sacrificed an OK.
why should not every new discovery,
every new revelation of the marvellous
structure of the universe fill us with
more profound reverence for its Crea tor?
And why should not worship grow with
science?
I'VE live in a larger universe since
Galeleo gave us the telescope and Newton
found the law of gravity. We have in
habited a more beautiful earth since Lin
neus walked among the flowers and Audi
bon dwelt with the birds of the forests.
Every form OF animal existence has taken
on new importance since Darwin began
to investigate. Every ray of light. every
sound, every snowflake. every glacier.
every crystal. every mote that floats in
the air has become a revelation since
John Tyndall began to think.
"Tyndall. more than any other one man.
represented the scientific spirit of the
nineteenth century. He was the apostle
of verifcation. He knew and acknowl-
edged the limits of science. He was too
scientific TO claim that science could solve
all the problems OF existence. He was
called an infidel because he questioned the
physical utility of prayer, though he did
not deny it place and potency In the
spiritual realm. He was called an atheist
because he accepted evolution, though he
did not claim that evolution accounted for
first cause With Paul he said: Prove all
things He was the philosophical disciple
of Fichte, Carlyle, and Emerson.
John Tyndall was our ideal OF an all
around man of science. He was a student,
not only OF one phase of nature. but of all
phases He had little use for the little
clergy. but he counted among his best
friends those broad-minded men Of the
ministry who recognize the right of every
man to do his own thinking ] make no
attempt TO prove him an orthodox Chris
tian. but / cannot make him out an athe-
ist He antagonized the narrow interpre-
tation of the word not the word itself.
We must remember that words and ter
rninOIogy have undergone vast change
since the time of Moses. Meanings of
words have changed. and modes OF express
sion nave changed 1yndall disputed the
Goodyear age of the world. but Bishop
Usher said that Moses did not say So So
Tyndall's controversy is with Usher and
not with Moses.
Because of its antiquity the book of
Genesis should command respect Il has
a scientific style. even IL IL is not scien-
tific Its story OF the creation is not
mixed with allegory as are those of some
other versions. Ii is the earliest record
of the theory of existence. 1t sImplihes
the mystery of the worlds beginning.
There can be no other cause for the uni
verse but an infinite mind. IL is more
scientific to say that an infinite mind
created some thing than to say that moth
ing created something.
John TyndaH proved the necessity
for revelation on the subject of the
worlds origin by proving that science
and philosophy could not penetrate the
mystery lying back Of phenomena. Eyolu-
ton is but the method OF the worlds gen.
ess. What was the cause? Tyndall in
sisted that that was inscrutable TO science.
Moses takes up the problem where scient-
lists leave IL and with an inspired wisdom
utters the grandest truth OF science, phil
osphy. and religion. In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth
Shall not these great minds shake
hands across the centuries? And is not
the world Indebted to both OF these stu
dents Of nature and life7
Let us be broad Drained enough TO well
come all that science has 10 teach and all
that religion has TO teach, and find room