In the following table we present a few facts gathered from the museum of the geological storehouse. We might have increased them tenfold, but those adduced are sufficient for our purpose, which is to show that instead of science and revelation being contradictory, they are in perfect harmony. It is the same God who wrote Holy Scripture that made the stones, and believing this, how can there be a contradiction between His word and His works? Ten thousand geological or other facts in nature leave untouched the absolute perfection of the Word of God; yea, we invite thorough, searching, and minute inquiry into every department of physical science. Give us any number of carefully ascertained facts. These we will gladly accept, and rebuke the fears of those who hesitate to receive them. But on the other hand, conclusions and deductions may be taken for their real worth. The foundations on which Christianity rest, are too solidly laid to be in the least disturbed by the unhallowed theories and fancies of men, however pious or learned. The Christian has the truth, both in a written and personal form; first in the Holy Scriptures, a full, inspired, and completed revelation of the truth; need we say that there is abundant room for development in the apprehension of the truth, but certainly not in the truth itself. Again, Jesus said "I am the truth." He was that, and is that, in His own person. Can there be progress or development in the glorified Man in heaven? Certainly not; while surely there is abundant scope for growth and increase in the knowledge of Him "who is the same, yesterday, to-day and forever."
Igneous or Crystalline Rocks, produced by the action of fire, as Granite, Syenite, Porphry, Lava, We cannot penetrate beneath the fiery lava.
There could be no organic remains in this formation, as these unstratified rocks owe their origin to the intense heat which once and still prevails in the earth's center.
(„the First, Gneiss, consisting of particles of Granite and other igneous rock, deposited by water on solid Granite, and then hardened by intense heat. Second, Mica and Quartz in successional layers. layers. Third, great rocks of Slates, various colors, hardening as they ascend. These separate groups are many thousand feet in thickness.
No organic remains have been found in the first of these sedimentary or stratified rocks, as they have been mostly formed by water, produced by the gases consequent on the cooling down of the atmosphere, hence life could not have existed under these conditions.
Slate Rocks, etc. This forms the upper portion, that is, nearest the earth's surface, of that rocky series termed the "Cambrian Rocks," and which have been, especially in their lower part, exposed to the powerful action of the heat and fire in the earth's center. The Cambrian range is said to be from four to five miles in depth. [Cambria or Wales.]
The very few fossil remains-"the oldest monuments yet discovered of the creation of living v things "-indicate life in its lowest forms, as creatures devoid of sight, and partly animal and vegetable, as the Zoophyte; also sea worms, etc.
The Sandstone, Limestone, etc., are a distinct formation from the preceding, and are termed the "Silurian Rocks." The strata is more marked, the atmosphere being cooler; thus the sedimentary deposits were less disturbed in their action. Depth about 30,000 feet. [Siluria, anciently part of England and \Vales.]
Here the organic remains are numerous, and reveal an order of life considerably in advance of any found in the Cambrian rocks. In this formation most of the animals have eyes. The eyes of the Trilobite are beautifully structured, and show that light must have penetrated to the region where they lived. It is only, however, in the upper section, nearest the earth's surface, that a still higher order of life prevailed, and where vertebrate animals are found, as fish, &c.
This is sometimes spoken of as the "Old Red Sandstone" rock period. The sediment deposited has formed rocks often found 10,000 feet in depth. [Devonian, from Devonshire in England.]
The organic remains of fishes are of gigantic stature, and diversified in form and appearance. They are covered too with a hard bony substance, instead of scales. At the very bottom of this system we have the first indication of land vegetation.
Coal, Shale, Sandstone, Iron, and mountain Limestone. The beds of these various materials range from 700 feet to 3000, and probably in some places more. Coal is the product of decayed vegetable matter, and to produce the extensive coal measures abundant in all parts of the world, dense forests of immense extent must have existed. [So termed because the coal or carbon-producing period.]
In this interesting period we have not only the ancient forests and vegetable world largely represented, but fish and shells; also fossil re-mains of various insects and reptiles.
New Red Sandstone, Rock Salt, etc. The sediment forming these rocks is on an average a 1000 feet in depth. [Permian, so called by the learned Murchison in 1841, because largely developed in Permia, an ancient kingdom, now part of the Russian Empire.]
Both the vegetation and animals are of a much higher order than in any previous era. The Sandstone reveals the footprints of large birds, which, treading on the soft sand, have in course of ages hardened, and thus left the witness of their presence in this period.
Clay, Sandstone, Marble, Fuller's Earth, etc. Beds of these materials are, as a rule, about 2000 feet in depth. [So denominated from the peculiar egg-like character of the stone. Oon an and Lithos egg, an a stone.
Here again there is a great advance in vegetation; trees of a large size, as the cypress, palm, etc., being abundant. This period is remarkable for the size, number, and variety of birds and reptiles, and as such, is distinctly characteristic of the period.
Chalk, Clay, Sand, Stone, etc. Some of these deposits are from 500 to 900 feet in thickness. [Cretaceous derives its name from the chalk so abundant here.]
Not many reptiles, but a great variety of marine productions, as corals, sponges, shells, plants, etc.
Coral Rocks, Sea Bottoms, Gravel, Mud deposit, Sands, etc., etc. Many of these sedimentary deposits are about 40 feet, others again as deep as 500 feet. [Tertiary signifies the third order or formation.]
Many of the remains refer to existing species, others represent animals, reptiles, birds, plants, and numerous marine productions, some extinct and others not.
What, then, is the clear conclusion from even a cursory examination of the facts revealed by the geologist? It seems certain to us, as it is to all who have devoted any attention to the subject, that those huge rocks, from 15 to 20 miles deep, formed of accumulated and countless millions of particles of matter, and arranged in successional layers of the most orderly character, must have occupied for their formation periods of time so vast as to defy human calculation. Many of these rocks must at a remote age have formed the bed of the ocean, and others dry land, covered with vegetation. Those sedimentary rocks tell us that the waters were filled with life, that fishes and numerous aquatic animals of gigantic size and curiously shaped, once swam there, that amphibious animals disported themselves, and birds extraordinary for size and kind, trod those ancient sands and left their footprints behind them. What marvels those rocks unfold! What silent yet eloquent witnesses they are to the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator! Can the mind grasp the length of time needful to deposit material so as to form and consolidate rocks miles deep? Once more examine those rocks: Do they not tell us of rich, luxuriant vegetation? Look at those tropical plants found in the coldest regions, telling us that light and heat were equally diffused throughout the primeval earth. The magnificent foliage and shrubs and trees, of which there are no existing species producible by the naturalist, almost transport us into those immense, grand, old forests and gardens which the eye of man never beheld and human foot never trod. The silence of those bye-gone ages was broken by the hiss of serpent and reptile of enormous length and singular form; those dense forests once reverberated with the joyous notes of birds, who flapped their mighty wings, and where stalked the giant animals of that creation. And all this turned into stone Has all this been accomplished in a day of 24 hours? To state the proposition is sufficient as a refutation. We are not now raising any question affecting divine power, nor would we indulge in the unhallowed thought that God is not free to create in any shape or in any moment of time, but we have clear and indubitable evidence in the organic remains before us, of fossils, bones, skins, flesh, skeletons, etc., that the creation disentombed by the geologist did not come as it is now from the Creator's hands. To any who would question the wisdom of a pre-Adamic creation, we would say, Have you ever reflected on the goodness of God in turning the primeval vegetable world into coal? Need we refer to the "carboniferous" era as so commercial daily life of man; and yet who can tell, or even form the least conception of the important changes which must have transpired, and the enormous time needed to perfect the state of things displayed in these rocks and fossils, the benefits of which we are now enjoying. Is there a page in the book of Holy Scripture, or a line in the volume of nature, informing us as to the antiquity of the globe? There is not. The first date recorded in the Word of God will be found in Gen. 5:33And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: (Genesis 5:3), "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years." The measures of time in the book of Genesis refer to the age of man, not to the earth at all; and hence it was an unhappy blunder of that otherwise able and accomplished chronologist, Archbishop Usher, to date the first verse of the Bible at 4004 B.C., for which there is not the slightest authority in the sacred text.
If, then, the voice of science urgently demand a vastly longer period for the formation of its numerous strata than that wrongly marked in our Bibles, and, further, that vegetation must have flourished, light and heat existed, and land animals at least lived under conditions not furnished by the present state of things since man was created, What is the natural conclusion? Why, that our thoughts, our previous habits of thinking and speaking, are wrong, not the Word of God, as the unsanctified lips of some have dared to utter. We do not say that the Word of God falls in with the results and facts of science, thus honoring the Word; it never borrows light, but adds a luster and glory to every subject it touches.
Our statement then is, that the first verse of the Bible is a separate and independent affirmation, and is not to be accepted as a summary of the succeeding verses describing the six days' work, and for this we will give Scripture proof presently. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Does the Word of God say that this "beginning" was 6000 years ago, and, if so, where? All that the first verse of Genesis asserts is, that in a certain undated "beginning" God created. When or how we are not informed. This original creation may have been 20,000 years ago, or a 100,000 if you choose. Matter, therefore, is not eternal, for it had a "beginning," and its creator was "God." The reader must not suppose that this interpretation is offered to save the credit of the Word of God; its statements are absolutely perfect, and it is well to know that many centuries before geology could be counted as a science, and before she ever presented a single difficulty, such early writers as Augustine, Basil, Origen, and others held that the first verse of Genesis and the six days of creation were entirely distinct. Now read verse 2, "And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." What a scene of waste, darkness, and desolation! Did God create it so? Is not perfection stamped upon the various works and ways of God? "His work is perfect." We can scarcely suppose any sober-minded Christian to hold that God created the earth in the ruined condition so graphically described by Moses, and which the eye of the seer beheld as an emblem of Israel's utter desolation (Jer. 4:2323I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. (Jeremiah 4:23)).
We believe this matter will be greatly simplified by careful attention to two inspired, therefore authoritative statements. First, Moses says, " In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Now, that this does not refer to the earth's condition as "without form and void" is evident from Isa. 45:1818For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18), "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens: God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it. He created it not in vain (or ‘void,' the same word as in Gen. 1:22And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)), He formed it to be inhabited."Hence in this second statement we are expressly told that God did not create the earth empty or "void," as described in the second verse of Genesis. The following rough plan may bring the order more clearly before the mind:—
1.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," filling the latter with animal and vegetable life, as "the book of stone" bears witness. When it was created, and how long it thus existed, Scripture does not inform us.
(Here follows a long and uncounted period of time.)
2.
"And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." How this terrible calamity happened, and how long the earth lay desolate and ruined, we know not, but Isaiah (45:18) expressly says God did not create it so.
(Here follows another lengthened measure of time.)
3.
"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The brooding of the Spirit of God over the awful desolation was certainly prior to the six days' work, but as surely introductory to it.
(Here follows another interval, but necessarily a brief one.)
4.
Third day of 24 hours- Gen. 1:53.
Seventh day of 24 hours (?)-we are not told.
See now, how perfectly this meets the demands of science for time and terms of life, unknown to man since he became a tenant on the earth; for between the two first verses of Genesis, you are welcome to measures of time as long as you choose, and to evolve principles and conditions of existence which could only apply to a pre-Adamic earth.
But in order to reconcile Scripture and geology, it has been sought to turn the separate days in which the heavens and the earth were made, into lengthened periods of time, and, as is well known, the late Mr. Hugh Miller, although not the author of this theory, was perhaps its most able and powerful exponent. But is not this trifling with the Word of God? Is not the interpretation forced and unnatural? Why should it be six times repeated, "the evening and the morning.. were the day," if we were thereby to understand lengthened measures of time? Besides, the interpretation when applied to the successive strata disclosed by the geologist does not satisfy. That a general correspondence may be traced between the geological periods and the six days' work would be generally admitted. Mr. Miller has himself satisfactorily established a likeness between the three great geological periods, and the third, fifth, and sixth days of Gen. 1, but that is all; absolute identity there is not, and we suspect Mr. M. must have felt the difficulty, as he did not attempt a formal proof of the whole. There are various facts which make this theory untenable, and many who received it are now, on more mature consideration, giving it up. It has been said that in "six days the Lord created heaven and earth," and hence there could have been no previous creation, as we have stated. But it may be replied that Scripture not once asserts a creation in six days: it is written, "in six days the Lord made heaven and earth" (Ex. 20:1111For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:11)). The word "create," strictly used, is applied to the production of things by the word or work of God, apart altogether from pre-existing materials or matter (Heb. 11:33Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3)), while the word "made" signifies to shape or form existing material: "these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created (Gen. 1:11In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)), in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens (Gen. 1:3-313And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:3‑31)). The distinction between "creating" and "making" is all-important in considering the mutual relations of geology and the Scripture account of creation. The Bible does not, of course, formally, teach science, yet, on whatever theme it speaks, absolute perfection of statement may be relied upon. One solitary fact has not yet been produced (although the treasures of creation have been eagerly ransacked for the unholy purpose) in opposition to any statement found in the Word of God.
Deeply interesting and morally instructive are the details of the six days' work, and the more carefully they are examined, it will be found that they throw light on numerous points, and amply confirm the fact of a pre-Adamic creation—of that world without a human inhabitant, and which had undergone various violent catastrophes ere it was prepared as a dwelling for man.
First Day.-"And God said, let there be light: and there was light." The sublimity of this passage lies in its grand simplicity. Many, besides the great heathen critic Longinus, have been struck with admiration at the perfectly magnificent utterance, and it has been repeatedly brought forward as one of the finest passages on record. Instantly the light broke in upon the dense and universal scene of darkness. Observe that it is not said the light was then created, but caused to be. There had been light previously, as the facts of geology clearly show. Would any pretend to say that God would create animals with eyes of exquisite workmanship and of keen vision, and yet no light existing; or that God would have created a darkened heaven and earth? Here then is light, independent of, and apart from the heavenly orbs, which were not made or set in heaven till the fourth day. When or where was it known that light could exist apart from the heavenly bodies? It is only of late years that science has demonstrated the fact, and thereby paid another tribute of homage to the unerring accuracy of the Mosaic account of creation. Light travels at the astonishing rate of about 195,000 miles in one second. Sound is a slow traveler compared to this, journeying at the rate of about 13 miles in one minute.
Second Day.-"And God said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." The obedience was instant and complete, and the expanse thereby formed between the waters was called "heaven," that is, the atmosphere which extends upwards to about 50 miles, and which is essential to the three kingdoms of nature—animal, vegetable, and mineral. You will observe that we have three heavens spoken of in Scripture. Paul was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:44How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (2 Corinthians 12:4)), which is spoken of as the immediate presence of God, and the region of the Divine glory, also the dwelling place of angels and saints; then the second heaven, or region of the sun, moon, and starry host (Job 38:31-3331Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? 32Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? 33Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? (Job 38:31‑33), etc.)—these heavens are referred to in Gen. 2:44These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, (Genesis 2:4), as created according to the interpretation given of the opening verse of the Bible; while here we have the third, or atmospheric heaven.
Third Day.-The work of the third day claims special attention. It will be observed in the course of the chapter that the Creator six times pronounced His work "good," and on the completion of the whole "very, good"; but be it noted that on the second day the word of approval is omitted, while on the "third " it occurs twice. Why is this? It will be observed that the formation of the expanse, while separating the "waters from the waters," still left the earth submerged and shapeless. Disorder still reigned supreme. Hence, when the third day dawned, God gathered the waters under heaven together. Oceans, seas, lakes, rivers were formed; and mountains, islands, continents, valleys, sprang out of the dry ground, thus completing the work of the second day, and which was then pronounced "good" (Gen. 1:1010And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:10)). Another distinction may here be pointed out. In the course of the first three days' work, the word "called" occurs five times (Gen. 1:5-105And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:5‑10)), while it is not again used throughout the chapter. Is this a trivial matter, not worth noting either by writer or reader? Nothing is unimportant which it has pleased God to communicate, and it would be well for the blessing and profit of our souls were we to scan, with microscopic minuteness, the blessed pages of inspiration. In those three days, therefore, the groundwork was laid in which the lite, beauty, and bountifulness of creation were to be displayed. Thus the "day," ruled by the glorious sun; the "night," by the silvery moon (Gen. 1:55And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5)); "heaven," the great distributor of light and heat, and the region where every swift and beauteous bird warbles its joyous notes (Gen. 1:88And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. (Genesis 1:8)); "earth," with its countless treasures hidden in its womb, and its surface clad with vegetation; and "sea," teeming with life, and fruitful in blessing to man and creation (Gen. 1:1010And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:10)), are each distinctly named and "called" by God. Thus the creative week is divided; the first half in laying the groundwork, the second half in furnishing and adorning it. That this is not an arbitrary distinction will be apparent from the following parallelism of the days and divisions of the week:-
Light to discern the darkness:
Light to dispel the darkness.
Fishes for the one and birds for the other.
Sphere for animals and man, and food for both.
In considering the third day's work, which is pretty fully related, we meet with another of the many undesigned proofs of a previous creation; for observe that the "earth" is not here said to be created, no more than it was said of the "light" (Gen. 1:33And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)). For ages the earth lay buried beneath the waters, awaiting the command of its Creator to arise from its watery tomb (2 Peter 3:55For 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: (2 Peter 3:5)): "Let the dry land appear" (Gen. 1:99And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. (Genesis 1:9)), and it was so. We cannot help here transcribing the beautiful verses of the Psalmist:—
The earth's circumference is about 25,000 miles, and her area about 197,000,000 square miles, including land and water, the latter covering about three-fourths of the whole, or 145,500,000 square miles. The revolution of the earth on its own axis every twenty-four hours gives us day and night, and its yearly journey round the sun is performed in 365 days and 6 hours: thus a year, and, of course, the change of seasons. We must again call the reader's attention to the double action of this day. It will be observed that the commencement of each day's work is prefaced by the fiat of command-"God SAID;" while on its completion we meet with the token of satisfaction—"God saw that it was good." On the third day both expressions occur, first, as to the appearing of the dry land, and secondly, the covering of the earth with vegetation and beauty. At the Divine command the three orders of vegetable life at once covered the dry, but bare and barren earth, commencing with the lowest scale of vegetable physiology (grass) and ascending to the highest (fruit trees). This was a wonderfully gracious act of creative power. We have not only beauty adorning the new earth, but food and sustenance for man and beast. The delicately tinted flowers filled the balmy air with their delightful aroma. The green herb in countless variety, as meat for beast, fowl, and creeping thing, sprang forth in maturity and perfection in their respective regions at the voice of the beneficent
Creator; while a rich and abundant supply of food for man was provided in the fruit trees and herbs having seed in themselves—the power to propagate—and, aided by means of Divine ordering (Gen. 3:2222And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (Genesis 3:22)), to branch out into almost endless variety. The inspired comment far exceeds in real sublimity and matchless simplicity anything ever penned by man. Is this not so?
"He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing amongst the branches. He watereth the hills from His chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth. And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted, where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house...O Lord, how manifold are Thy works, in wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches."—Psa. 104:10-2410He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills. 11They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. 12By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches. 13He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; 15And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. 16The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 17Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. 18The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. 19He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. 20Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. 21The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. 22The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. 23Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening. 24O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. (Psalm 104:10‑24).
We have nearly 300 plants, flowers, herbs, and trees named in Scripture, from the fig tree in Genesis till the tree of life in Revelation.
Fourth Day.-The work of the fourth day (Gen. 1:14-1914And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14‑19)) does not call for lengthened remarks. The celestial orbs were "made," not created, on this day, and set in heaven to light the earth and regulate her motions. We have light on the first day, and the atmosphere on the second, essential to the vegetation of the third; but if thereby it is shown that light was independent of the sun, and vegetation flourished without solar light and heat, it is equally plain, we judge, that on the fourth day the sun became the tabernacle and throne of light and heat, and further, that the permanence of the vegetable world was made dependent on the solar system and starry host. We conceive that the great point in the work of the fourth day is the adaptation of the celestial luminaries to the conditions of life and state of things on the earth, whether of the material or organic worlds. The incidental allusion to the stars (Gen. 1:1616And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16)) confirms our statement, that it is not the creation of the lights, but their place in heaven and their functions towards the earth which are expressed in these verses.
The sun is the great center of a vast system, and its distance from the earth is computed at 95,000,000 miles, and its diameter at about 890,000 miles. It revolves on its own axis every twenty-five days and ten hours. The pale and lovely moon is distant from us about 240,000 miles, and its diameter is about 2000 miles. Were a spectator standing at the equator, 5000 stars might be seen, but only on a clear moonlight night. Countless numbers are of course observable by the aid of powerful telescopes.
Fifth Day.- In the work of the fifth day we have the waters stocked with aquatic animals and the firmament with flying fowl. This we conceive is an advance on the preceding steps of creation, and manifests a forth-putting of Divine energy of a much higher kind than we have yet witnessed. Who but God could create life? Hence, for the first time in the course of the work, as detailed in the previous days, we have the word "created" (Gen. 1:2121And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21)). Neither the "moving creature" nor flying fowl were created out of the waters, as has been insisted upon from the reading of Gen. 1:2020And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. (Genesis 1:20). The region or sphere where each were to move and live is the thought in the passage, and this is confirmed in the case of the "fowl " from the marginal reading of the text, and from Gen. 2:1919And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. (Genesis 2:19), while the creatures inhabiting the waters are expressly said, in Gen. 1:2121And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21), to have been created by God.
Sixth Day.-The sixth day now dawns upon the world, when the last act of creative wisdom and power is to crown the whole. There is a twofold action on this day, as there was on the third. First, the creation of land animals and creatures (Gen. 1:24, 2524And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:24‑25)), prefaced as usual with the Divine word calling into existence, "God said," and closing with the Creator beholding His work and expressing His satisfaction therein, "God saw that it was good." Second, we have the creation of man, his place in the terrestrial sphere, then food for man and creature life generally. The three-fold order of land mammalia is given as follows:-
1. Cattle—as horses, sheep, oxen, and generally domestic animals.
2. Creeping things—as serpents, reptiles, and invertebrate creatures.
3. Beasts of the earth—as lions, and generally beasts of prey.
We have two creations of life on the fifth day, that of fishes and birds; and also two on the sixth day, that of land animals and man.
We come now to the creation of man and his place of lordship and dignity in the beautifully-ordered scene. We have had light (Gen. 1:33And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)) thrown upon a ruined, dark, and watery waste. What a scene of desolation the light revealed! Next we had the waters divided and a beautiful expanse formed, but as yet untenanted (Gen. 1:77And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. (Genesis 1:7)). Then followed the appearing of the dry land: instantly, at the Divine word, she clad herself with beauty and vegetation (Gen. 1:9-129And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9‑12)). The sun then poured its golden beams upon the beauteous earth, and as she gently sinks in the west, the pale and silvery light of the moon—the queen of the night—aided by the brilliant starry host, illuminate the earth and heaven (Gen. 1:1616And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16)); then the waters are filled with life and heaven with flying bird (Gen. 1:20, 2120And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:20‑21)); lastly, the land is occupied with cattle, beasts, and moving creatures. What then? Is the work complete? As yet there was no intelligent, responsible creature morally competent to express the Creator in the vast and sinless scene. Where could you find amongst the various forms of organic life in heaven, earth, or sea, a being who could lead creation's praise, enter into the moral perfections displayed by God in His beauteous workmanship, represent Him therein, and be the vehicle of the Divine thoughts to the waiting creation. Now, however, God will work in the absoluteness of His sovereign will, and create man in His moral likeness, and to be His representative in power on the earth. This was truly a work worthy of the Creator, and surely it was fitting that thus a moral link should be established between the Creator and His work.
We need scarcely say that the creation of man on the sixth day is in perfect accord with the results of geological researches. We have upwards of 30,000 species of organic life displayed in the various strata, and not an instance on record of human remains being found save in the upper tertiary formation or "historical period," where, of course, existing species are plentiful. We are, of course, aware that certain cases have been triumphantly cited, in opposition to our statement, but we are equally aware that on careful investigation each instance so alleged has turned out a grievous mistake. One such case is fresh in our recollection. A distinguished savant made the startling assertion that a human skeleton had been found at the root of a tree 600 feet below the surface. The story was thoroughly sifted, and the result was that a skeleton had been found, not fossilized, mark you, but in "good preservation," at a depth of 16 feet. First, then, we have vegetable life, then fishes for the sea, and birds for the heaven, followed by land animals, and lastly man; and this is the order observable in the Scripture account of creation, centuries before the very name "geology" was coined. When will men learn that the temple of science can only be reverently trod by sanctified feet, and that in it the first lesson I must learn is, that God is always right, that His word is supreme as an authority on all questions affecting Christianity—our relationships to God, and also to science, our relationships to creation?
The following remarks by Mr. W. Kelly in his able and masterly lecture on "Creation" (Broom, Paternoster Square, London), are worth careful consideration:-"It is only when man is thus about to be made that God says, "Let us." Oh, can you not appreciate the spirit of such a word as this? Can you not admire the way in which God, as it were, sits in council on the creation of man? Can you not judge between the physiologist that would make an ape his projenitor, and the Bible that reveals God thus creating man in His own image? Which is the more noble? which is the more degrading? Of no other creature is it said, "Let us make," when it was a question of the earth, the sea, nay, of light itself—nothing of the sort. "Light be," said Elohim, "and light was." But as to the others: He wrought, but with no such preface as "Let us make." Here it is for the first and only time: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion." What can be farther from development? Such an idea is altogether foreign; and, indeed, the existence of different races and kinds has been engraved by God most legibly on the world of nature; for although man by his wicked ingenuity may cross the breed, as e.g., of animals that were put under his dominion, the result is always to induce sterility—the standing witness, on the one hand, against man's meddling; and, on the other, for the order in which God meant His creation to proceed. Thus is set before us succinctly, but plainly, the general course of creation."
After man had been settled on the earth as God's vicegerent—it's Lord and center under the Creator—the whole range and boundless extent of the vegetable world is given as a storehouse of food for man and beast; herbs having seed and fruit trees being for man, and the green herbs simply for all the rest of land creatures. "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made: and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made" Thus God put the broad stamp of approval upon His handiwork. He blessed and sanctified the day which declared the completion of His creative labor for the blessing of man.
"Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise Him in the heights. Praise ye Him all His angels: praise ye Him all His hosts. Praise ye Him sun and moon: praise Him all ye stars of light. Praise Him ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created." Psa. 148 Amen and Amen.