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“I Am The The Truth, and The Life." The Origin of Things as Revealed in Genesis. By DR. A. C. DIXON. ll.—Light and Life. Spontaneous generation is a thing unknown. Only life can produce life. God, the Author of life, introduces vegetable life during the second period of the world’s development. In the first period the law of evaporation is at work lifting the water above the earth, and dividing 4 ‘ the waters under the firma ment from the waters above the firmament.” This law of evaporation overcomes the law of gravitation only in the case of water, but vegetable life not only lifts water, but earth, and weaves both with light into fabrics of beauty in plant, tree and flower. Dur ing the fifth period, God introduces animal life, filling the water with fish and the air with fowl. Vegetable life could lift inert matter, but it gave no motion. Now comes the life that swims and flies. In the sixth period is introduced the life that re mains on the earth’s surface, walking and creeping. Man, in his physical nature, belongs to this class. With man, however, God introduces mental, moral and spiritual life, which He intends “shall have do minion” over all other life. The perfect product seems to appear first. God said. “Let the earth bring forth grass and herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself.” God does not say, “Let the earth bring forth the seed yielding grass, or the fruit yielding trees”; but by one creative act the perfect product is first made, and then repro duction is a natural process. This is economy of miracle. If the fruit had been created before the tree or the egg before the hen, every step in the pro cess of development would have required a miracle of divine intervention without the fostering care of motherhood. Germinal life never reproduces itself. Fruit does not bear fruit. Babies do not have ba bies. Acorns never yield acorns. Eggs never hatch eggs. Apples do not grow upon apples. Even in the lower order of animals that multiply by articu lation, it is only the mature product that reproduces itself. The Bible and science agree in teaching that only the mature product is capable of reproduc tion. We are plainly told that God created man in His own image, and the. fancies of scientists contradict the facts when they assert that primitive man was a savage. The weight of evidence sustains the scrip tural teaching’ that the savage is the wreck of primi tive man. Redemption is a work of restoration. It is interesting to note that the trend of all things in the first chapter of Genesis is from evening to morning. “The evening and the morning were the first day.” Every period ends with a morning. The first period closes with a morning of light; the sec ond ends with a morning of better order caused by the law of evaporation; the third period ends with a morning of vegetable life and beauty; the fourth • period ends with a morning of sunlight filling the sky by day, the moon and stars ruling the night; the fifth period ends with a morning of animal life in water and air; the sixth period ends with the morning of man’s creation in the image of God. Every period is brighter than the preceding one. It ; s God’s way to work from the evening to the morn ing. He delights in leading His people from the -aaMlfM|B!£ The Golden Age for May 17, 1906. shadows into the light. To all who are in harmony with God’s will and way it is always “day-break everywhere. ’ ’ A glance through these periods of development will still further reveal God’s methods of work. Light is His agent. The first word He speaks is, “Let there be light.” And the first thing He says to a darkened soul is, “Let there be light.” As through the periods of natural development, so light does its work through all periods of our spiritual development. There comes into the soul a law like that of evaporation which overcomes our dowmward gravitation and lifts upward. There comes from God the life that both lifts up and builds up in godly character, and the life that lifts up and builds up also makes us active and sends us about doing good. It is not written, “The evening and the morning were the seventh day,” because the seventh period has not yet ended. We are living in it, and God continues the work from the evening to the morning. This seventh period will close with the morning of Christ’s appearing in glory and before its bright ness all shadows shall flee away. Then will come the morning without an evening. The Chattanooga Convention. Over two thousand Baptists, messengers and vis itors, “took” Chattanooga last week. Such a gathering of the leaders of a great and powerful denomination of Christian workers would be notable anywhere, but especially so in Chattanooga, where so much of historic and scenic interest blend in their daily voice of local inspiration. Lookout Mountain, “The Battle Above the Clouds,” Joseph E. Johnston, Wm. T. Sherman, Chicamaugua, Missionary Ridge, the soldiers in Gray and the soldiers in Blue—these stirring mem ories were speaking to many a gray haired veteran who was there, while their sons and daughters about them heard again the oft told story of “* * * battles and sieges and glory’s red wreath.” It was only natural that speakers and hearers alike should respond to such an atmosphere of martial heroism. Brooks, of Texas. The first speech I heard was from President S. B. Brooks, of Baylor University, Waco, Texas. He spoke on the necessity of study as well as activity on the part of young people. His message was novel, original, striking, powerful! S. P. Brooks is a self-made man, growing to pow er in the atmosphere of Baylor University—then in the field bringing other students to drink in the blessing and the inspiration he had received—then several years in the faculty until his well-proven qualities of leadership placed him in the President’s chair, where he now walks with the stalwart step of a kingly life, leading a thousand students in the Lone Star Empire to Christian culture for the work of God. Poteat and Gambrell. Two giants in one night’s service—that is what a packed and overflowing audience saw and heard when President Poteat of Wake Forest, N. C., and Dr. J. B. Gambrell of Texas spoke on Thursday night. Wake Forest has away of growing great men— men who really startle, mold and bless the world, and in this great young president whom she has grown and fashioned for her own self she compla cently rejoices in the leadership of an intellectual colossus, the hidden springs of whose culture and power are touched by the Hand Divine. He talked of the ways and means of Christian Education and the problems of the Christian college until the subject shone with new and engaging splendor un der the masterly handling of a scientist, a scholar and a leader of consecrated common sense. Dr. Gambrell, grand and gray, came easily into his own in discussing the “Meaning of the Baptist College to Civic Life.” The readiness of his wit, the refreshing charm of his mannerism and the abounding plentitude of his “home-made” philosophy caught, held and stir red his audience. He straightened and strengthen ed the “backbone” of every man before him until every one with a mind to measure and a heart to feel was ready to invest more love, more money and more life in that strategic and saving agency, the denominational college. Speeches and Speeches. Addresses of welcome and the responses thereto are not always the best, but the convention this time had a “make ready” feast. Mayor Frierson, a “Blue-stocking Presbyterian,” introduced in words of wisdom and of grace, Dr. Luther Freeman, pastor of the First M. E. Church, who met the occasion, every inch of it, in his ad dress of welcome, and then the response—pardon me—but it was “out o’ sight.” Porter, a Canadian by birth and a Oklahoman by recent adoption, made it. Stephens for President. President Stephens of Missouri, was honored with the presidency again and he honored the office in turn. Not a preacher, but a wise business man who loves the Lord and His cause, from the state of that other Christian layman, Governor Jos. W. Folk. E. W. Stephens looks grand enough himself to be either Governor or President. Great Year for the Missionary Effort. Three hundred and fifteen thousand dollars for preaching the gospel in foreign lands and one hun dred and forty-five thousand for the work of the Home Mission Board! Everybody was happy and resolved that next year will be “better yet.” The faces of R. J. Willingham and B. D. Gray shone with a light that was not of earth—but beneath the light there was the lurking shadow out of which they cried, “0 God, it ought to have been more!” The great mass meeting in behalf of larger evan gelism had already received its tone, scope and spirit from the report and triumphant speech of Dr. L. G. Broughton on Friday night when he took hold of the convention at a late hour and swept it and melted and molded it as few men have ever done. And then on Sunday came Truett and Mc- Connell and Pickard and Hunt and Broughton again and Heaven, they say, bent down to kiss that wondrous hour. All things were thus ready and the resolutiof to put $25,000.00 a year in the work of evangeliza tion in the Southern States was passed. “The Entrance of Thy Words \Givetb Light."„ 3