390 Science and the Bible'. [April,
It
will be seen from the confession of our faith, more than once given,
that we regard the two revelations as holding distinct positions ; in
harmony, it is true, both having the same Author, but yet different in
scope and purpose. The past and present constitute the subject of one;
the present and future, of the other ; and that future an eternity ;
that eternity, the life-time of the soul ; and that soul capable of
piercing eternity with its gaze, and reaching upward to realms of
happiness only through the light of this second revelation.
The
revelation in nature was first opened to man, while he was still
bearing the image of his Maker. With that image bright, like heaven's
own orb, he could read of love
chooses
to be mo'dcst,—should so dare to put itself face to face with the
Scriptures ; not in the attitude of a manly, though impious,
antagonism, but in the far more insulting spirit of petulant rivalship."
"
Face to face with the author of the ' Six Days' " is here made
equivalent with " face to face with the Scriptures." Is this good
arithmetic 1
The
'• World-Problem" is remarkable for its personal abuse of " Professor
Dana;" not only his opinions or writings, which were legitimate
subjects of criticism, and opinions called Professor Dana's, but not
his, which are still better game though not as legitimate, but also his
personal character. Two additional examples will suffice to illustrate
this quality in the work.
"
The professed orthodoxy of his [Professor Dana's] literary position
would lead him to speak well of the Bible, and to be rhetorical about '
the harmonies ;' but he is sometimes off his guard," etc. ib. p. 152.
After mentioning, inaccurately, the relations of Geology to the Mosaic narrative, laid down by Professor Dana, he adds :—
"
This scanty act of homage once rendered to the Spiritual Power, very
much as the Italian Machiavelli makes his appeasing bow to the
Conclave, science breathes freer and passes on." p. 239.
The
above is part of a running fire kept up through the volume about "
pious" Professor Dana. After the first shock at finding one's honesty
and general character assailed had passed, an indifference followed,
mingled with a disposition to stand and wonder if all this could have
come from the author of " The Six Days of Creation." We could have
wished, however, that he had spared Professor Silliman, who is wantonly
made the subject of a sneer about pious freethinkers, on page 174.
Perhaps he would say that he refers only to his science ;—strange
words, if so. We quote :—
"
There are parts of the world, there are schools of thinking where faith
in any objective or supernatural revelation has in the main already
died out. They are able schools, too, most scientific thinkers, as good
thinkers as can be found among us, but where do they find the
supernatural ? As far as science is concerned, or their rank in
science, these foreign free-thinking naturalists ought to be, at least,
as pious as Professor Silliman or Professor Dana."
