The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1881.

Temuka Leader, Issue 353, 12 February 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1881.

What is it all leading to 1 This is a question v.diich almost every Christian, or professing Christian, asks himself when he hears or reads of the latest new notion that takes possession of the scientists’ or religionists’mind. A time was when to announce one of the mildest theories now so unblusingly put on paper would have subjected the theorist to the pillory or the stake To fee deposed from his office of a clergyman, or to.be shunned by society if a professional man, would have been the very least pains or penalties he would have had to suffer. Now, however, the case is quite different. No sooner is the latest new notion given to the woild than all grades of men are ready to say “ Hail, good fellow ! ” and kiss him ; or take with greatest warmth to his bosom the latest fancy of a learned man, particularly if their new notion holds out to him any hope of escape from, or mitigation of, the just punishment which his conscience tells him that his crimes deserve. Some of the opponents of the Roman Catholic Church tells us as one reason why so many of the rich join that church, and cast their riches into her treasury, is because they can get her clergy to procure pardon for their sins, and so calm thenguilty conscience, but, if there was ever any ground for this statement, it is rapidly being taken from under their feet, by one learned professor or biblical scholar tellting them that there is no place of future punishment ; by another, that the words “ fire and brimstone ” are a mistranslation ; another tells us the woild had no beginning, and is, like the story of the cork leg, to go on in the same-way it is now doing for ever ; another, that conscience, continually accusing or approving, is the proper compass for steering the human vessel on the stormy waves of the present life, and, that over, there is no more to fear or face. The geologist shows you specimens of matter taken from strata thousands of feet below the surface of the earth, and tells you this proves that the world has been hundreds of thousands, nay, some say millions, of years in existence, instead of the miserable six thousand years or so which Catholics and Protestants alike have taught us is the world’s age. Astronomers, again, will tell ton of the disco.ery of thousands of new stars or planets, all worlds within themselves. Ihey will even point out cause and effect, as clear to (heir mind as is the case of rain and sunshine, which, we all know, stimulates vegetation, and brings to maturity the fruits of the earth. Again, another class of scientists make bold to assail the noblest work of God, and tells us that man was not created a perfect being by God, or had anything to do with his image. They tell us that man is the outcome of the law of progression, that his beginning may have been a fly, of the very smallest dimensions; certainly that he was once the monkey, and to prove this, stories of men with tails being found in certain parts of this earth have been circulated iu the hope of making the credulous believe it is true, and so give a better basis for their theory. Again, Spiritualism, another theory, is largely believed in. So far has men’s minds been warped by this new doctiine, tha they believe it possible for them to call back the spirits of their departed friends to converse with them at will. Last, hut far from least, sceptics make bold to assail the %vork of redemption itself. That work, on which hangs all the hopes of the Christian for a release from the trials and tears —the troubles and sorrows —of the present life. <iesus, the Saviour of mankind, they say, was only a gifted man of great discernment and penetration, full of amiable qualities, and because He pleased God by leading a holy life, He favored Him by giving him the power to do more mighty deeds than other men, but they say He was only a man. Now, all these whims and fancies are nothing more than the old prophets told us to look out for, and it is worthy of consideration how some of the warnings that they—and even the witnesses of Christ’s death and resurrection— gave, have been verified by the facts that are now before us, Takmg up the first of the theories that we have named—that of future punishment —it will be readily admitted that even theological professors have a difficulty in reconciling it with the character which the Almighty Feing who made and rules over 'nil bears as a loving God. It is possible that the gnawings of a guilty conscience, and the agony endured at seeing or knowing that others are enjoying a life of happiness, may be a greater torment - than even fire in its greatest fury. In this world there is "not wanting evidence that a spirit of envy is to its possessor a source of fearful torment, and it may be that the same envious disposition, freed from every restraint, may turn its victim into a a perfect demon. This may be the spirits in prison that our Saviour referred to when here on earth. Taking up the theory that the world had no beginning, it puzzles us to think it possible that any reasoning being, with his eyes open, could come to such a conclusion.' What does it lead to?’"Simply to this, that the Universe with its beauty and order, its nights and days, its seasons

tions, its millions ( f different motions, excelling a million times in its order and multitudinous rotations the most perfect mechanical contrivances, ever produced by the most skilful mechanic or artizan. No jarring, no breaking down of any part of the machinery, no going out of order in any particular. Day and night follow each other in regular succession. Now it may lie, for hundreds of thousand of years. The sun goes his rounds as regularly as of old, and the moon presents herself at the proper time treading in the old path, with no deviation whatever. The earth turns on its orbit, as it did when the command was given (o it to start upon its course, encircling its volume of flame which Job so graphically described some two thousand years ago. (’an it be that man alone is so blind as not to see that this great workshop, so full of intricate machinery, must have had a designer and a maker. The only excuse for holding such ideas must be a wilful blindness ; or to go back to our first theory noticed. Man, in his wickedness and depravity of heart, seeks every means of escaping from himself and his deserved punishment, hence his assailing the veiy creation itself. Taking up the theory of progression, it must be admitted that able professors, following up the studies of Dr Colenso, have apparently made out a good case. Nature comes to their help with numerous proofs of the fittest only continuing to exist, but if we take the case of the human animal, these theorists have not been able to show us any specimen of man in his mMiajvcl stage. Other animals can be crossed and improved, or at any ra’e strengthened and altered in form, but we have no evidence by these scientists that man has so altered. The Egyptian mummy of three thousand years standing show the same proportions, the same symmetry, the same form of feature as the Egyptian of the present day. Men of larger dimensions in bone and muscle have been found to have existed some few thousands of years ago, but the conformation is the same, the only difference being like that of the statute. It may be nine feet in height instead of the original, who it is wished to represent, being only six ; but the features of the one are the features of the other. So with man all over the known period of his existence —since lie first came from the hands of his Creator. Touching the last of the notions which now possess a portion of the civilised world, that of the work of redemption. To reduce the son of the Virgin Mary to the level of a human being. with all his passions and evil propensities, is to blot the work of salvation of sinners out of the map of man’s prospects beyond the grave; but what do these theorists build their fancies upon. Incredulity, They simply tell us they do not believe the Bible to be an inspired bonk, and consequently that all the story about a crucified Jesus is nonsense, or that, it is merely skillful writings of some one or more who had possibly lived at the time this man Jesus lived, and wrote His life ; but if you question them hard they will admit that no man, before or after, ever lived such a blameless life. With men who deny the authenticity of Hie Bible we have uo wish to argue. The wilfully blind will not allow themselves to see. Sufficient to every true Christrian is the experience that he has within himself that the Son of Mary was more than man, and the voice from Heaven, “This is my beloved Son,” is to them all sufficient. They are satisfied that this voice was heard, and that to them is enough. With the Almighty the work of redemption, in the way it was carried out, was not only possible but simple, for to Him all things are possible. The thinking part within us tells ua that this great work was possible and necessary. We have briefly touched on the popular theories of the day, and come back to the question, “ What does it all lead to?” We confess we are unable to answer Hie question. Some say the great Creator is letting man into more knowledge, bit by bit, as lie is able to stand it. Others that the world is going back. Our opinion is that all this is simply a fulfilling of prophecy—“ That there must be a falling away before the time of the Millenium, or peace on eailh begins.” This is in our opinion what it all leads to.