that as there is nothing in the Bible which arbitrarily limits the existence of the matter of this world to the space of six or seven thousand years, so there is a great deal, both in nature and revelation, which would induce a contrary persuasion. If, therefore, it be true, that modern geologists have discovered fossil bones, such as must have belonged to species or genera of animals now nowhere existing, either on the earth or in the sea; if the destruction of these genera or species cannot be accounted for by the general Deluge, or any other catastrophe to which our globe in its present state has been subject; and if it be equally true that there are towards the surface of the earth, strata, which could not have been so disposed, except by some watery mass resting upon them for a longer period than the duration of Noah's flood; the facts may be satisfactorily accounted for, without, in the most remote degree, invalídating the truth of the Mosaic history. That history, as far as it comes down, pretends to give no account of other worlds, to which ours may have but succeeded. It is the history of the present earth, and of its primeval inhabitants; and we have the authority of one of the most scientific and ingenious geologists,* of either ancient or modern times, that the human race cannot be more ancient than it is represented to be in the writings of the Hebrew Lawgiver. With that history we now proceed.

The Mosaic account of the cosmogony, or, to speak more correctly, of the reduction of chaos into order, though given in words as few and as simple as could be employed, constitutes one of the most sublime pieces of composition in any language. Almighty God, it appears, having for wise purposes determined that the important change should take place gradually and slowly, devoted six periods of time, or, as Scripture expresses it, six entire days to the great work of creation. During the first of these, he called into being "light," that most subtle and penetrating of all corporeal substances, which is known to force its way into all others; and having seen that it was good, he collected its scattered rays into masses, thus dividing, to use the language of the inspired Historian, "light from darkness,” and producing the succession of day and night. Hitherto darkness, the deepest and most profound, had reigned over the entire system, which lay in a confused heap, and was

* Cuvier, in his Essay on the Theory of the Earth.

overwhelmed with a weight of waters; but the Spirit of God no sooner began to brood upon the surface of the deep, than its vivifying influence was felt, and the germs or seeds of future life and vegetation were every where produced. Nor was the effect of the "moving of the Spirit of God on the face of the deep," however we may interpret the phrase, confined wholly to this. The several parts of our world, now recognised as the Sun, Jupiter, the Georgium Sidus, &c. &c., seem to have flown off at once into the positions which they at present relatively occupy towards each other, where they underwent each a process adapted to its own peculiar wants, and to the important part which it was to play in the general arrangement of the whole. Thus, though Moses neither gives, nor can give, any details whatever of the more minute changes which occurred in other planets, there is no room to doubt that all were keeping pace with the earth during the week of creation; and that, at its close, not only was our globe rendered fit to receive the inhabitants destined to occupy it, but the rest were, in a similar degree, brought to the highest state of perfection of which they were capable.

The next thing that Almighty God commanded was, that the waters, which as yet universally overspread the face of chaos, should separate, so that the firmament, or terrestrial atmosphere, might appear. This was instantly done, one portion ascending up into ether, where it hung suspended, whilst another fell down over the entire surface of the globe; and the firmament or expanse left void by. their separation, was called by the name of heaven. On the second day, therefore, was the delightful element of air distinguished from the chaos, and the globe appeared detached, and, as it were, held apart from the other more solid portions of the solar system. The third day again was devoted to the disjunction of the elements of earth and water, giving to the sea its bounds, and stocking the continents with vegetation. No sooner was the word spoken, than mountains reared their heads on high, causing the waters which had hitherto overflowed the entire compass of the globe, to subside into channels hollowed out for them, whilst trees, grasses, herbs, and plants of every kind, and applicable to all purposes, sprang up and clothed the sur face of the ground with the most exquisite verdure. This, it will be seen, was necessary, in order to prepare the earth for the reception of those living inhabitants which God de

signed to possess it; but previous to their creation, other matters behoved to be permanently arranged; and to the adjustment of these the fourth day was set apart.

Up to the present moment, the light which shed its influence over this and the other planets, seems not to have proceeded, as now, from one common source; but each planet was supplied from an aurora-like meteor, which was made to revolve within a given space round itself. We have the less hesitation in advancing this notion because the discoveries of modern science distinctly prove, that the sun, though undeniably the dispenser of light to the whole of his system, is not, in any sense of the word, the source of that light. "Philosophers," says Dr. Thomas Thomson,*"long supposed that this immense globe of matter (the sun) was undergoing a violent combustion, and to this cause they ascribed the immense quantity of light and heat which are constantly separating from it; but the late very curious and important observations of Dr. Herschel leave scarcely any room for doubting that this opinion is erroneous. From these observations, it follows, that the sun is a solid opaque globe, similar to the earth or other planets, and surrounded with an atmosphere of great density and extent. In this atmosphere there floats two regions of clouds; the lowermost of the two is opaque, and similar to the clouds which are formed in our atmosphere; but the higher region of clouds is luminous, and emits the immense quantity of light to which the splendour of the sun is owing. It appears, too, that these luminous clouds are subject to various changes, both in quantity and lustre. Hence, Dr. Herschel draws as a consequence, that the quantity of heat and light emitted by the sun varies in different seasons, and he supposes that this is one of the chief sources of the differences between the temperature of different years." That the region of luminous clouds spoken of here is composed of the several meteors which, up to the fourth day in the cosmogony, had served each its separate purpose, we see no reason to doubt; indeed, the terms in which the appointment of the sun and moon to their offices is expressed in the Book of Genesis, appear to us distinctly to prove the fact.

Perhaps there is no translation of equal magnitude, from a dead to a living language, which exhibits errors so few in

*See his System of Chemistry, Vol. I.

number, or so unimportant in their consequences, as our authorised version of the Bible; yet even that great work, admirably executed though it be, is not in every particular perfect. The account given there, for example, of the division of night from day, and the final arrangement of the heavenly bodies as parts of our solar system, is not so accurate as it might be, and has, we believe, in more than one instance, excited uneasy feelings in the mere English reader. Thus, after having been informed, at verses 3, 4, and 5, of the first chapter of Genesis, that the creation of light took place on the first day of the cosmogony, we are told, in verses, 14, 15, and 16, that God, on the fourth day, said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of Heaven, &c. :" and that "God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and that he made the stars also." There unquestionably seems to be a contradiction here; for if light was formed on the first day, it could not be formed on the fourth day also; whilst the discoveries of modern science altogether preclude the notion, that either the sun or the moon is, in any sense of the expression, a light.

The truth, however, is, that the original Hebrew falls into no such mistakes as those incurred by our translators. The words employed by Moses, at verses 3 and 14 of this chapter, are totally different the one from the other; the former only expressing the matter of light, the latter signify. ing simply an instrument by which light is supported or dispensed; and hence the difficulty of reconciling Scripture with itself, and with the discoveries of modern science, attaches only to the English translation. Light existed from the first day, though divided, as has been shown, and shed in portions, as it were, over each globe in our system; whereas on the fourth, a centre for these scattered rays was established, and they were made to roll or collect themselves around it. Thus, the sun became a great light-bearer, or light-dispenser, immediately and directly; whereas the moon, though an opaque body, acted a similar part towards this earth by reflection. With respect again to the phrase, "and he made the stars also," it is to be observed, that the words, "he made," are avowedly interpolations. They have no business whatever where they are, for the sacred historian is not now speaking of the creation of the stars at all; he is merely stating, in the figurative language of

that God made the moon the ruler or queen of the

e adjustment of inanimate matter being thus finished, proceeded on the fifth day, to call into existence creatures endowed with vitality, and continuing to pursue the order which he had already adopted, he began with those kinds which may be said to rank lowest in the scale of animated nature. The waters were commanded to bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. The command was instantly obeyed. Fishes of every kind, from the great monarch of the waters, to the minute animalcule which the naked eye fails to detect, rose into being at the word of the Father of the Universe, whilst the air became peopled with all manner of flying creatures, from the lordly eagle down to the delicate wren. Upon these, Almighty God poured forth his blessing, desiring them to be fruitful and multiply; thus providing, as it were, against the numerous dangers to which their peculiar mode of generation is exposed. This done, and all things having been pronounced good, he ceased from his work, "and the evening and the morning were the fifth day."

There remained now but one other period of time in which to complete the great task which Almighty God had set to himself. The sixth day no sooner came, than the earth received a command similar to that which had, on the day previous, been bestowed upon the sea; it was directed to bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so." In this threefold distribution, it is worthy of remark, that every distinct animal genus which exists upon the earth, man alone excepted, is, by the idiom of the Hebrew tongue, included. Under the head of cattle are comprehended all tame and domestic creatures designed for the use and benefit of man; as oxen, sheep, horses, &c. The term beast is applied to all wild animals, such as lions, bears, wolves, which live apart from human society; whilst creeping things are particularized to denote reptiles of every de scription, from the huge boa constrictor down to the grub. Thus were all things put in order: the earth covered with plants, the waters stored with fishes, the air replenished with fowl, and the land peopled with irrational animals whilst the sun and the moon executing their destined offices in the system, were towards the globe for signs and for sea

;