The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-02
How Science Discovers God.

A French naturalist declares that il
there were no birds man would be starved
out in nine years; for in spite of all that
he could do the insects and slugs would
multiply go rapidly that they would de-
stroy all vegetation in that time. We owe
our very existence. therefore, to the birds
which in seeking their own living destroy
daily myriads OF these destructive Great,
ures and so make it possible for plants and
trees to live.
velous provisions by means OF which the
forces OF nature are adjusted so as to make
nossible the existence of an infinite va.
riety of plant and animal lie on our globe,
and more especially 20 fit the world for
mans habitation.
Every new discovery OF science brings
out more and more clearly the fact that
infinite wisdom has worked ont an inn.
n;tely complex and marvelously beautiful
system of machinery, il one may call 1t so.
in this world of ours. that every valve and
pulley and belt, every bolt and rod is ad-
Susted to the particular work assigned to
It, and that .!l work together for the ae-
complshment OF one great design.
Man cannot hope, however, to find out
the ultimate purpose Of the Architect OF
Nature by studying nature. We need to
look upon the Architects own plan to see
what His purpose is. That plan, which ls
spread before us in the Bible, is SO trans. trans.
cepdantly glorious that it is worth while
even for God to spend thousands Of years
in working it out.
All truth has its origin in the thoughts
Of God; therefore, any truth when fol'
lowed back to its source will necessarily
lead to God. II the researches OF science
seem for a time to lead men away from
God, it is only because q half seen truth
usually points in the wrong direction and
the true remedy for the evil is to pursue
the study which has led to false conciu-
sion under fuller knowledge on the sub
ject with which it deals corrects the false
impression derived from partial iniorma.
tior.
We find q very good illustration Of this
in book called "The Influence OF Christ
in Modern Life" by DR.. Newell Dwight
Hills, published by the Macmillan Com
pany. Dr.. Hills says:
"it is said that when Jacquard first ex.
hibited his loom to the wondering specta-
tors. and the streams OF water. by means
of the belt and fiy-wheel, started all the
spind,es upon their task OF embroidering
flowers and leaves upon the silk texture,
the onlookers were SO entranced with the
wonders of tho loom as utterly to forget
the inventor. The myriad spindles toilins
on without any help from without made
Jacquard seem supc:fuous. But soon the
mechanism needed repairing. and then the
spcctators came to feel there was no
greatness in the loom that was not first IN
Jacorard's mind.
"Thus for brief period this earthly
mechanism mature with its forces and
their laws) seemed to abolish God. But
aftcrward, with knowledge, reverence grew
until the time has now come when biolo-
rists. physicists, historians alike confess
that there is no theory OF evolution which
does not demand God to make it worka-
ble." =,
DR.. Hills 10 a particularly able as well
as aggressive exponent OF the school OF
theology which is in the ascendant at pres.
ent-the school which appeals to reason as
the supreme Judge of truth and accepts
tho teachings of revelation only as far as
they are considered reasonable. The ad-
herents of this school believe in God be-
cause they find Him in nature. and IN
Christ because He satisfies their ideals with
regard to the possibilities of human nature.
We'll. it is better to believe even so ttan
not to believe at all. But that sort oIWe-
lief will not satisfy the needs Of our spirit
ual nature. We need God concerning
whom we can have definite knowledge
through a direct revelation, which We can
feel to be authoritative and trustworthy
in itself and superior to and therefore quite
independent of any discoveries or impress
sions concerning Him which can be OBJ
taincd from the ratiocinations OF the hu-
man mind even in its highest Development.
New York Witness.