find to the firmament, and how is it to be understood? Ezek. 1. 22, 23; ch. 10. 1.

The firmament' seen in the vision of the prophet was probably not the visible vault of heaven, but a splendid transparent pavement or flooring of a sapphire or sky-colored hue, resting on the heads of the Cherubims, and supporting the throne of the Divine Majesty. * As the vision of John in the Apocalypse, ch. 4, has many features in common with that of Ezekiel, the sea of glass like unto crystal before the throne,' (or perhaps more properly under the throne,') is probably the very same with the firmament' of the O. T. Prophet, forming the platform of the throne and the glorious scenery connected with it. The germ of both visions is to be found Ex. 24, 10. 'And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire-stone, and the body of heaven in his clearness.' The body of heaven' is nothing else than the clear pure azure of the sky, as it appears upon looking upward in a fair day, and this is in effect the same with the Mosaic firmament. Waters which were under,' &c. rather waters which are under,'-waters which are above,' &c. How could the firmament be the first means of dividing the waters if a portion of them were already above, and a portion already below?

What name did God give to the firmament? ver. 8.

The correct interpretation of the term heaven,' or heavens,' depends of course upon that of firmament.' If this has been rightly explained, it will follow that the word heaven' does not in strict propriety, though in general usage it does, include the heavenly bodies. This is confirmed by 2 Pet. 3. 5-7. Whereby the world that then was perished;

* See "An Attempted Explication of Ezekiel's Vision," by the Author of this work.

but the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire,' &c. Here it will be noted that the world which then was' is opposed to the heavens and the earth which now are, as if they were commensurate terms; and as it was only the globe with its surrounding atmosphere which felt the effects of the deluge, so it is to be inferred that if a future physical destruction be here intended it will be of the same extent. Consequently 'heaven' is a term for the atmosphere. The phrases, 'hosts of heaven,' stars of heaven,' &c, do indeed frequently occur, but it is because the starry hosts are apparently placed in the superior regions of that which is really and truly heaven,' viz. the atmospheric fir

mament.

How was the dry land made to appear, what was it called, and what name was given to the collected waters? v. 9, 10.

There is a strong probability that the work described in these two verses pertained not to the third but to the second day, and that the proper rendering of the verb is 'had said' instead of said.' The historian being about to narrate the origin of the vegetable world, pauses a moment to state the manner in which a receptacle for it had been prepared, viz. by the closing part of the second day's work. Interpreted in this manner, the passage yields a clear, connected, and natural sense, and the expression God saw that it was good' occurs in reference to the second day as well as to each of the others; whereas by the common mode of interpretation commentators have universally been at a loss to account for the absence of this approbatory sentence in respect to the second day. Gathered." The Heb. term has usually the sense of expectation. Here perhaps it implies that the waters moved as by a kind of instinct to their appointed place. Compare with this the Psalmist's description of the same event: Ps. 104. 6-9, 'To

Ac

one place,' i. e. each to his respective place. The waters are not strictly speaking gathered into one place, but are distributed in numerous collections, denominated oceans, seas, lakes, &c, over the face of the earth. Earth.' Heb. Eretz;' supposed to be derived from Râzâh,' to have pleasure in, as Eben,' a stone, from Bânâh,' to build, implying that the earth' was originally a place of Dwine complacency and delight as the intended habitation of the creature man. cordingly it is said, Prov. 8, 29-31, When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth; Then I was by him as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and my delights were with the sons of men. 'This word as used by the sacred writers is often equivalent to land,' or 'country,' denoting merely a particular region or territory of the earth. Thus, Jer. 22. 29, O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord,' i. e. 'O land of Israel.' Luke 23. 44, There was darkness over all the earth;' i. e. either the whole land of Judea, or the Roman em-. pire. The correct interpretation of many important prophecies depends almost entirely upon the ascertainment of the true sense of this word.- Seas,' Heb. 'Yâmim,' from a word signifying tumultuous agitation and roaring. The term is therefore used in the symbolical diction of the prophets to denote a vast body of people in a state of restless commotion,, perhaps with a real though tacit allusion to the hea then portions of the globe in contradistinction from the civilized and Christian. See Rev. 17. 15; Jer.

·

51. 42.

Is the name 'Seas' given in the Scriptures both to larger and smaller collections of water? Compare Mat. 8. 32, with Luke, 8. 33. See also 2 Chron, 4. 2.

What was commanded and effected on the third day?

v. 11, 12.

'Grass.' Heb. tender budding grass,' or grass sprouts; such graminaceous productions as were propagated rather from the root than from the seed. Herb yielding seed.' Heb. 'herb seeding seed, or seed-sowing herb;' i. e. such wild or cultivated vegetables as propagated themselves by yielding, shedding, or scattering their seeds. The word herb embraces the whole department of the vegetable world between grasses and trees.- Fruit tree yielding fruit." Heb. making fruit.' See an important observation upon the use of the word 'make' in the sense of multiplication,' 'increase,' in the note on Gen. 12. 5. The whole vegetable system is in these verses for the convenience of narration divided into three classes. The original of tree' is properlywood.' So 'tree of life;' Vulg. lignum vitæ' instead of arbor vitæ.' What do the prophets represent by trees? As trees' by their height rise superior to the rest of the vegetable tribes they constitute a suitable emblem of persons of rank, eminence, and authority, The grass on the other hand is an emblem of the mass of the common people. See this interpretation confirmed Ezek. 17. 24; 31. 5; Is. 14. 8; Rev. 8. 7.

6

What was the work of the fourth day? v. 14. Does the language of Moses necessarily imply that the sun, moon, and stars, were first created on the fourth day?

Ang. It is admitted that the Scriptures generally describe the phenomena of the natural world as they appear rather than according to strict scientific truth. Thus the sun and moon are said to rise and set,-the stars to fall,-and the moon to be turned into blood. Consequently, if this history of the creation were designed to describe the effects of the six days' work as they would have appeared to a spectator had one been

present, a supposition rendered probable from its being said, Let the dry land appear, (Heb. ' be seen,') when as yet there was no eye to see it-then we may reasonably conclude that the sun was formed on the first day, and was in fact the cause of the vicissitude of the three first days and nights, But as the globe of the earth was during that time surrounded by a dense mass of mingled air and water, the rays of the sun would be intercepted; only a dim glimmering light, even in the day time, would appear; and the bodies of the heavenly luminaries would be entirely hidden, just as they now are in a very cloudy day, Let it be supposed then that on the fourth day the clouds, mists, and vapors were all cleared away, and the atmosphere made pure and serene; the sun of course would shine forth in all his splendor, and to the eye of an imaginary spectator would seem to have been just created; and so at night of the moon and stars. This effect of the Divine power according to the usual analogy of the Scriptures is described from its appearance, and the language employed,-let there be lights in the firmament,-and- he made two great lights and set them in the firmament-is to be interpreted on the principle above stated. They might then be said to be made,' because they then first began to be visible, and to perform the office for which they were designed. The original word for 'made' is not the same as that which is rendered create.' It is a term frequently employed to signify constituted, appointed, set for a particular purpose or use. Thus it is said that God made Joseph a father to Pharaoh'-made him lord of Egypt'-' made the Jordan a border between the tribes' -made David the head of the heathen;' and so in innumerable other instances. As therefore the rainbow was made or constituted a sign, though it might have existed before, so the sun, moon, and stars, may be said to have been made and set as lights in the firmament, on the fourth day, though actually called into existence on the first.