Evolutions of the Blind in Perfect Order — The Evolutionist Must Admit, "I Do Not Know" — Impressed upon Them
MUCH has been said, by evolutionists, against the doctrine of design in nature. The most persistent attacks have been made upon this plain and easily recognized law, but it stands as firm as ever. Everywhere one looks and studies in the field of nature, he finds clear indications of the purpose of design.
THE BUILDER'S MIND MUST DO IT
For evolutionists to say that it is a law of organized matter spontaneously to find the best combination for its preservation and growth, is to attribute to it an essential innate instinct, which implies foresight of the end, and an unconscious yet precise choice of the means. But such expressions as "foresight of the end," and "choice of the means," signify nothing unless they express mental qualities. This, however, is not saying that organisms necessarily have mind, though they do show the marks of mind.
For example: To build a boat practically necessitates that it be built on land, but planned for water. The water, however, does not build the boat, and has no opportunity to stimulate any adaptation of the boat to the water. The adaptation must be in the mind of the builder of the boat, and he plans and builds the boat so it will be adapted to the watery element. Now in nature we have many examples of a similar thing.
EYE AND EAR IN DARKNESS AND SILENCE
To illustrate: The eye is built in total darkness, and yet with perfect adaptation to all the laws of light. The laws of incidence and accidence, the law of refraction, the law of reflection, the law of projection,—the whole nature and quality of light,—are apprehended and met in the eye. Color absorption, inversion of images, vibration, diffusion, and the apprehension of size, solidity, and distance, are foreseen; and perfect provision is made for all, in the eye.
"THE EAR IS BUILT IN THE MIDST OF SILENCE"
The light does not do it. It has no opportunity whatever to stimulate in the growing eye an adaptation to its nature. But a power guides the eye as it is formed; and when completed, it is found to meet the requirements of light as perfectly as the die meets the counter-die.
Here is plainly the law of design. Here is clearly manifested foresight, purpose, adaptation of means to an end, with no possible and controlling means. A mind intervenes to bring about the adaptation of means to an end.
So the ear is built in the midst of silence. Yet it is adapted to sound; and when at last it is fully formed, all the qualities of sound vibration are met in the mechanical arrangements of the inner and the outer ear.
Likewise the lungs are built before a breath of air touches their tissues; yet when the new-born babe is at last placed in the environment of the atmosphere, with one gasp begin the inspirations and the expirations that are to continue while life lasts.
Shall we say of this that there is a blind automaton in the darkness and silence, whose only function is motion, and who, by continuing the motion, at length evolves everything that is perfectly adapted to the environment which he is afterward to reach — merely moving, yet always moving as the highest wisdom would direct? Blind indeed is one who can not see that the highest wisdom is directing.
THEY WOULD FALL INTO THE DITCH
Thus is manifested clearly the law of design. Think of a long procession of blind men, a blind man ahead, and a blind man behind, with his hands on the shoulder of the man in front — every one of them blind, from the leader to the last trailer in the procession. Yet they move on in perfect order, they turn here, they turn there, they deploy, they countermarch, they reverse, they go to the left hand and to the right hand. The most complicated maneuvers are executed, and all without disorder. Yet all are blind.
Ah, my friends, it is impossible! As Jesus said, if the blind lead the blind, they will all tumble into the ditch.
This is Christ's final word, and we accept it. If the blind atoms lead the blind atoms, the blind molecules and the blind atoms will all blindly fall into ruin. The very fact that every atom, every molecule, is marshaled in more orderly fashion than the soldiers in the best-drilled army, shows that there is a power of the highest wisdom in control.
EVOLUTION ADMITS IT
Evolution, in a way, admits this. It says that the organism is impressed; but it claims that that impression comes from the parent organism, that it is inherited. But whence came the first impression?
That could not be inherited. Evolution dodges this by saying, "We can not account for it," which is nothing more nor less than the doctrine of "I don't know."
Yet there must have been a first organism somewhere, else creation was eternal; and if there was a first organism somewhere, it, the first one, for the first time, must be impressed. And if the first one in some way could be impressed, then all the others in the same way could be impressed.
Evolutionists are right in saying that the laws of these organisms have their formation, growth, life, etc., impressed upon them; but that impress comes from the mind of the Creator, for in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This is the origin not only of the organism, but of its impressions.
And so, in our study of nature, we come back to the word of God, and to that first word given us in the first line of the book of Genesis, "In the beginning God." He is not only the beginning, but He is the end. He is the complete circle of creation. He upholds it by the word of His power. Heb. 1:3.
