The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-11
Sermon
Yesterday

Rev, Rydquist Of the First Lutheran
church last night preached to large
audience on the subject Of "Regenera'
ton He said in part:
In the animal world also there is
regeneration going on, The prlmeva
mastadon Of the American forests be
came extinct long ago. showing that q
bulky form however powerful has given
place to cunningness and speed. The
elephant of the tropical jungles Is be-
coming extinct for the same reason
There is the law of the survival of the
fttiest at work throughout the ages
differentiating and developing new
species. Thus the vegetable as well as
the animal world is altogether different
today from that of pimeval times, and
the development has not been degene'
ration into higher more more suitable
forms.
Is man unchangeable, or does he con-
form to this same law of regeneration
Some try to tell us that the ape Is oul
ancestor. There is no doubt but what a
man can degenerate SO low that such an
ancestory might be suspected and the
saying of one of the modern poets come
true, "There is only step between man
and the brute" But that step only j.
too great to be stepped even in theory
The descent of man can therefor not be
traced to the ape unless We do like
Darwin manufacture connecting link
which in the course of time has been lost
without leaving as much as a trace
behind it; not even petrified foot print
to prove that it did exist outside of the
mind of Professor Darwin. There is also
another fact that can not be explained
on the basis of natural development
only. and that is the great difference be-
tween the races; the differences of color
form, etc. In the comparatively short
period of time the human race has exist
ed these differences. could not arise from
natural causes only. Scientists who dc
not wish to recognize supernatural in
fluences upon man have tried to solve
the mystery by stating that we have not
all descended from a common stock, but
from two or three different pairs and
localities. But common sense asks this
question. which is easier to believe in
these hypothesis or in the plain truth
of a supernatural influence! The Bible
reveals to us what no science nor theories
of human knowledge can, that there ha'
been a creation of man. That this crea
tion was perfect; that the first man wa;
created in the image of the Creator
beautiful to behold, with heart and pas
sions pure and holy, intelligent, wise, anC
the crown and glory of creation. Para
disc was his home. In that beautiful
Garden of Eden he should develop at
infnitum. There were no bounds to hi
development. Life had no bounds, hi
virtues none. But evil came as an in
fuence from without and entered into al
his relations, brought degradation, mis-
ery and death to man. He had beer
warned. but he needed not the voice ol
God. He had strength to resist tempta
ton, but he chose to fall; he had to beal
the consequences. For centuries man la
bored beneath the burden of the curses
God was to him only the avenger. Cair
and his descendants wandered like fugi
tives from justice. The sons of Han
went out after the regeneration of tht
flood more degraded than their fellow
brethren. Slowly man learnt to kiss tht
chastizing hand of Providence and to ap
proach him in prayer for forgiveness and
blessing. Slowly the curses were chang
ed into blessings. Labor is no longer a
curse but blessing. The curse pro
nounced on the first woman is today