ANCIENT SKELETONS AND DARWINISM
DR. J. LEON WILLIAMS, of London, said to be an eminent authority on anthropology and geology, has a collection of fifteen skulls of “prehistoric man.” Dr. Williams affirms that the finding of these ancient skulls and other human bones does not disprove, in his opinion, the theory of evolution, but he thinks it eliminates Darwinism. Instead of man being a descendant of the ape, the doctor thinks that these skulls tend to confirm the belief that the anthropoid ape was an offshoot of man. These “prehistoric skulls and human bones” are usually found in the earth where excavations are made for various purposes. When these come into the hands of the scientist, he at once jumps to the conclusion that they must have been the bones of some man who lived hundreds of thousands — and possibly millions — of years ago. These bones very frequently show that they belong to a race that was far superior in size to the race now living upon the earth; and instead of proving evolution, they should convey the exactly opposite idea. Instead of the race developing upward, all of the evidence goes to show that it has been going downward. The Bible tells the simple story of the Flood. The Flood came upon the whole earth because of the wickedness of the generation that was living upon it at that time. Many of those who were destroyed by the Flood had enjoyed the privilege of associating with Adam himself, the great progenitor of the race. The Bible story is that when the Flood came, not only were the windows of heaven opened to pour out rain, but “the fountains of the great deep were broken up.” This expression concerning the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep would convey to the Bible reader the idea of terrific commotions in the earth itself. Great mountain ranges would be shot up by the forces that infinite power was using to bring about the destruction of that generation of wicked men. When the Flood commenced, the surface of the earth, through the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, was terribly torn to pieces. After the waters had covered the earth, and the work of destruction was completed, the divine record says: “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged.” When this wind passed over the earth, which was one vast ocean of water from pole to pole, there was evidently a divine purpose in it. Large quantities of trees and other forms of vegetation, together with the bodies of men and animals, would have been thrown together and covered deeply by the masses of earth that were loosened by the terrible commotions, not only at this time, but when the earth was broken up at the beginning of the Flood. The action of any great storm floods, such as we often have along the courses of large rivers, is to cover vast quantities of matter beneath the soil that is put in solution by the waters. And hence at the time of the Flood, great masses of both animal and vegetable matter were buried, in some instances hundreds of feet deep. There is nothing difficult about this. It was the natural thing. We may go into almost any coal-mine, and we will find traces all through it of trees and plants, showing that the coal was formed of tree and plant matter. In various parts of the earth, large quantities of bones may be found, where evidently animals have been huddled together and perished under some common fear; for among those bones may be found the remains of the ferocious carnivora, as well as those of the docile herb-eating creatures. All of the facts as we find them in the geological remains are easily explained on the Bible story of the Flood; but geology is ever speculating, and has never explained anything to the satisfaction of all its adherents. A little while ago, we were assured that Darwin had the thing just right, and we were laughed to scorn if we did not accept Darwin’s theories; but during the last few months, we have had no less an authority than the late Alfred Russell Wallace tell us that the theories of evolution would have to be modified, that they were shown to be clearly out of harmony with actual facts. And now comes Mr. Williams, reputed for his geological understanding, to tell us that Darwin’s theory can not be true. In view of all these human speculations, it is well, even in the face of ridicule, to stand firmly upon the solid foundation of the good old Book. Men will laugh at us for believing the story of the Flood, only to turn around and ask us to accept a human theory that is far more difficult to believe than anything the Bible tells, and that the evolutionist advocate has to admit is pure speculation. He advances his theory, so he tells us, to provoke thought, hoping thereby to reach a correct conclusion sometime. Science that is such in reality is worthy of all respect; but all theories that have a tendency to overthrow the Bible, even though they masquerade in the garb of science, are destined to an ignominious end. Upon this subject of believing the infallible Word in regard to the story of the Flood, the apostle Peter has some very striking utterances. His words are: “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are778now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3: 1-7.
The apostle, in these words, exhorts us to be mindful of the words which were spoken by the holy prophets, because there will be in the last days scoffers who will walk after their own lusts. Personal sins or personal ambitions, which often are one and the same thing, have great powers in keeping a man from seeing truth that lies across his path. These scoffers deride the promises of the coming Saviour, and the text says “they are willingly ignorant” of the fact that by the word of God “the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” The Revised Version says, “This they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God; by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water,” etc. It is very interesting to observe that the apostle Peter, nearly two thousand years ago, could explain so specifically the false teaching which the scientific men of this time would affirm with so much assurance. We can safely trust the divine Being who is able, through His prophetic word, to foretell these conditions so accurately. No one in all the history of the world has done more for true science than Sir Isaac Newton, and he was at the same time a profound student of the Bible and a devout believer in all of its sacred teachings. If more of the scientific men of this time would do as he did, and work in harmony with the Bible, they would not be so continuously under the necessity of reversing their theories.