CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 53, 6 March 1889, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

RLLIGION AND SCIENCE

(To tlia Editor.)

Siu, --In your i.--tuc of the 27th innt. there appeared two letters, in which tha writers attempted to rotate some of tho »u)teiuoms muitc by Mr GuHiver, M.A., in that noble sermon which ho prenohed ut St. I'aal's on Sunday lu*t, ill you kindly allow n\c B|inoe for a few reraurlvß in roply. Those who have any kno\vkidp;o of the subject inusl admit liiut tha whole history oi the scientific investigation of natural phenomena, from the days of Galileo Jown to tho present tiir.e, hua been one lony Btrutrylo between the discoverers ofseieutiuc truth and tho te-;L:hei"s of loliyioun error.

Intliui etfujjj^le the Church hasinvariably supported her opinions by the most bitter persecution, a persecution which made us free ÜBO ot* tho ciuaiiu, tho ruck, or slander as iho circumstances of tho times would admit.

As each successive victory has been gained by science the Church has* always retreated, changed front and declared that the iiiblo did nut contradict the truth of the fact which had just been demonstrated by science.

Mr Davison and Mr Maeausland both resort to change of front, which the Church adopted some years ago, viz., that the writer of i.he Mosaic account of thu creation iuteuded to convey the ldua thtiC an immense era elapsed between the gonso eonvuyed by tho lir?b tea words and the rest of the narrative. But this idea is opposed to cununou aonsa and to the ordinary method of marking the sequence of ovctnts used by all writers.

Fuucy a history oi' England v.'ritteu on fhis plan, in the beginning the English race existed, and Elizabeth bo^an to reifjrn : and than to < oiilinue and give a minute account ot her reign. But wituoub spandhi£ a;iy lnoro tiuio uu this point, i bey leave to ueU the two geiitlemou above mentioned how they prupobH bo iiitiurprtil the 16th verse of the Raime uliupter: " Ami Cod aiade two !;{rcat. lights ; the li{.jht to ruio iha day, und ihu \bttHc.v li^ht to ru!o the uight : lio mado the stars aUo.:"

Do they mean to aseorb that iho smi, moon, unit stars were made ut a period ninny millions oi' yeure ;iftcr the creation of the earth ?

A!r Maeaualand wants to know if Mr Gulliver could demonstrate that tho Bible teaehea that man has only existed cix thousand years upon tho earth. lam happy to give him the information he wants on that point at least. According to the genealogy which appears in the Gospel of St. Mattnew there wore forty-two generations between Abraham and Christ, and according to the genealogy given in the 3rd chap, of Luke there were twenty generations between Abraham and Adam.

Now allowing one hundred years as being the average duration of each generafcioa, this would give a period of six thousand two hundred years. After giving Mr I>3ao ausland this information perhaps he will allow me to suggest that a man who teaehea truth cannot bo under false colour:?. St. Paul says " Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good."—l am, ebc. Truth. Northcote, February 2Sfch, 1889.