Evening star., 1926-04-10
BY REV. HUGH r. STEVENSON

IN the beginning God is the sub
lime truth presented at the commence
ment of the Messages Of Genesis
that will be the basis Of our studies
during the coming quarter AT the
opening of the portico Of the Bible we
arc brought face to face with the great
revelation concerning God the creator
OF matter. life and spirit. Eaturalists
tell us that there is Il slender thread
of fiber attaching itself to even the
outermost leaves of every tree anc
passing down through the twig
branch. limb and trunk until it finds
place for itself in the network OF
roots buried i'll the ground, from
which the whole tree draws its life
that. indeed, the sum of these myriad
or nbers makes up the wood of the
tree II is this truth concerning God
that has impressed itself upon Juda
ism, Mohammendanisrn and Christian
ity. The sublime conception of the
unity of God. the creator and con
troller of men. nations and the world
IS the basis of their faith and the
source of the influence eXerted 10y
these religions upon their adherents
and the worlds history.
Genesis. the book Of beginnings. is
not only the seed plot" OF the Bible
accounts that we have concerning the
commencement Of history. botany
astronomy, biology. zoology and geol
ogH. The Scriptures have been given
to us not to teach science. but religion
In the Messages of Genesis" we will
ind science that agrees with the rec
ords craven on the rocks and written
in the heavens. There is no conflict
between the Bible and the works of
God. There is always the danger of
men misinterpreting the Scriptures
and the story Of nature that confirms
Gods word in its teaching.
Orr has pointed out that 'the in
terest of religion on the doctrine of
the creation is that ii is our guarantee
for the dependence Of all things on
God: that there is nothing independent
of Him that might thwart or defeat
His purpose" Science is interested
in it because it reveals God as the
author of never changing laws and
casualty, which are the foundations
of all science
Creation of Matter.
In the dignified statement of the
golden text we find the sublime
statement that grips men by its sim.
plicity-"In the beginning God ere
ated the heavens and the earth" II
reaches back to a dateless period, when
without telling the method. informs
us that back of all material things is
God, the Creator. Science can give nc
answer concerning the origin of mat
ter. 1t could not have come into being
by chance or accident. No other salts
factory answer can explain the exist
ence of matter. Search the stories OF
the various faiths and nations and ii
will not be possible to find any theory
of the origin of the universe that will
compare in purity with the cosmogony
of the opening chapter of Genesis. No
description of the character of God Is
attempted, although the Hebrew
word "Elohim.'' that is used 50 times
i'll this section and translated God,
suggests the embodiment of all might.
We have from Johns Gospel which
we have just studied, fuller concep-
ton of the meaning of the teachings
of Genesis concerning the mode OF
creation. for we there learn how ''in
the beginning was the Word" and
that all 'things were made by Him.
This helps us to see that in the coun.
ell of God that when He "spake "
and it was so, because our Lord was
carrying out the thought of the
that characterized the creation is re.
vealed in 1.-The symmetry and order
of the universe, with the wonderful
adaptation of life to envirunment, and
with the traces of development. prog
ress and purpose running through the
whole record of creation"
This wonderful chapter was not
written from a scientific point of view.
Science was not known when Moses
penned, under divine revelation. the
record of creation. While far from
being as complete as modern science
would seek to make 1t, yet the accu-
racy of the statements and the details
of its progressiveness has impressed
many of the leading scientists. who
have pointed out the harmonies be-
tween the records of Genesis and the
theories of modern scientists. 1t has
been pointed out in reference to "the
primeval chaos, the separation of the
waters above from the waters beneath,
the emergence of the land, the begin
ming of vegetation there, the shining
out of the sun as the dense mists
cleared" have all been confirmed by
modern science
The formation of light, sky, vegeta-
tion and the establishraent of our
days. nights and seasons, through
the formation of the heavenly bodies.
were all preliminary to the creation
of life. Here, again, the word create
is used in reference to the appearance
of life in the world. Science can't
tell whence life came from any more
than it can tell whence came matter.
In fact Lord Kelvin, an eminent
scientist, states that Scientific
thought is compelled to accept the
idea of Creative Power" Our God
created the lower forms of life that
we see in the seas. sky and through
out the world. In introducing this
life into the world. He blessed it and
gave to 1t a mission that reveals how
He was slowly, steadily, but surely
preparing for the climax of His crea-
tive work through the creation of
man.
Creation of Man.
Before attempting the crowning
feature of creation there was a
council of "Elohim.' when the prop
osition to make man in our image"
was decided. There is no reference
to such procedure in a connection
with all the previous creative works
of God. Three different steps are
recorded in our lesson concerning the
creation of man. He formed man
out Of the dust. The Hebrew word
''yatsar." translated formed. implies
that He fashioned man like a potter
would mold his clay. One can find