The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-03-08
Fourth Series).
MOSES AND SCIENCE NOT IN CON
FLIcT.
A Great catalolysmic Chance Must
Have Taken Place Before Mans
Advent on Earthly Scene.
(By John Marcus.)
SECOND PROPOSITION +:

ton, the earth had become void
vacant and unoccupied, despoiled OF
its life and its charms; unfurnished
stripped of its former rich vegetation
and magnificent and abounding ami
NAL population. This is precisely
what reason would led us to expect
The great climatal change which had
taken place from tropical heat to
arctic cold, encrusting vast regions OF
the globe in ice and snow and glaciers,
would necessarily kill out the yegeta-
| tion Of those regions, and destroy by
far the greater number of animal
species. And the general submerfence
that followed, sweeping down into the
milder latitudes, would go far toward
completing this general destruction of
plant and animal life. We can thus
surmise that the physical conditions
prevailing, as result of this intense
cold, would, in a short time anihilate
the then existing animal and vegetable
species.
1t is clear, then, that the second
verse of Genesis describes the earth as
ruin; but there is no hint of the time
which elapsed between creation and
this ruin. Age after age may have
rolled away, and it was probably dur
ing their course that the strata of the
earth's crust were gradually develop
ed. Hence we see that geological at
tacks upon the Scriptures are alto
gether wide of the mark, are a mere
beating of the air. Let me repeat,
there is room for any length of time
between the first and second verses
of the Bible. And again; since we
have no inspired account of the geo.
logical formations, we are at liberty
to believe that they were developed
just in the order in which we find
them.
Let it be observed, then, incidental
ly, and yet most Importantly, that
God has never, since the fall of man,
revealed anything to crafty mere
thirst for knowledge; but only such
matters as may sufficiently illustrate
His everlasting power and Godhead,
our own fallen condition with it's rem
edy of unfathomable love, and the
promise of speedy deliverance from
sin, complete restoration to Hik
favor, and never-ending life of per-
feet obedience and perfect joy
knowledge in this life is a gift
fraught with peril: for our great task
here is to learn the lesson of absolute
dependence upon God, and entire sub
mission to His will. His dealings with
us no ware to the end that He may
withdraw us from our own purpose
and hide pride from us" (Job 33:17).
But knowledge, unless it be accom-
panied by a mighty Outpouring of
grace, causes undue elation. 1t was
the vision of knowledge which filled
the breast of our first parent with i'm
pious aspirations, and made her listen
to the Tempter when he bade her hope
to be as God. And it is an ominous
fact, that, after the fall, the first in
ventors of the arts and sciences were
the descendants, not the believing
Seth, but of the deist and murderer
Cain. And Cain is the type of the
leaders of infidel science today, those
who are the despisers of God and
prayer. 1t is an absolute fact that un-
less men have special grace they can
not bear the slightest weight of power
upon their shoulders without losing
balance.
God does not forbid us to search so
far as we can into the laws of His uni
verse; but He utterly refuses to aid
or accelerate our studies by revela-
ton For the present the duties of
the race should be the moral renova-
ton of ourselves and our fellow-crea-
lures. Yet there is day coming, and
it is nigh at hand, when He will open
up the vast stores of His wisdom to
those who love and trust Him, and
then will He delight their souls with
the secrets of His creative power.
We see, then, that the Almighty
created the heavens and the earth per-
feet and beautiful in their beginning.
and at some subsequent period, how
far down the aisles Of the dim past
we cannot tell, the earth had passed
into state of utter desolation, and
became void of all life. The light of
the sun had been withdrawn; all the
moisture of the atmosphere had sunk
upon its surface; and the vast deep,
to which God had set bounds that
are never transgressed save when
wrath has gone forth from His, had
burst those limits; so that the ruined