THE Presbyterian” (Philadelphia) recently printed a series of articles by prominent laymen in various walks of life in which their attitude and that of their class to the church is discussed. We quote a few paragraphs from the article written by a doctor:—
“I have very little sympathy,” he says, “with the idea that the church to-day must appeal to to-day’s foibles; that we must bring our preaching into line with modern science in order to appeal to the intellectuals. Recently I went into a bookstore in Chicago to get a new physiology. The one I have is five years old. There are a good many new conceptions of glands and nerves in five years. There will be more within the next five. A young college student said to me some time ago, ‘Don’t you think we have to make the Bible square with science?’ To which I replied, ‘Which science?’ The physics of the atom, the biology of the ant, or the swing of the Pleiades? and if we make it square with to-day’s science, what are we going to do with to-morrow’s?’ For if I live I will be back for another physiology maybe in less than five years.
I am not worried much about the conflict between science and the Bible; it may be because I know so many scientists and find them just as I find farmers: some with a humble, devout, faith and some with none. One of the greatest scientists connected with the Smithsonian Institution said in my presence:
‘Men think little of it when they see two merchants who are not Christians; they do not attribute it to the fact that it is because they are merchants; yet if they see two scientists who are not Christians, they immediately attribute it to the fact of something they know in science. Now, that has nothing to do with it. They are not Christians for the same reason the two merchants are not Christian—they have never been converted. That is all. It is not knowledge that converts; it is grace.’