difcovery of the most important truths, Yet I am fill aware that, however probable any explication of this chapter of Genefis given or to be given may be, it will by fome be peremptorily rejected upon the old plea that, its language being adapted to the intelligence, or, in other words, to the vulgar prejudices of an ignorant people, we are not there to look for that exactness and precision required in philofophical difcuffions where that science was never meant to be inculcated. But I will venture to affert that the veracity of its author cannot be screened under the subterfuge of condefcenfion to vulgar errors. He announces facts as pofitive truths: thefe are not alterable in compliance with language or opinions: if they are true, they may as yet be unrefolved, but cannot be irrefolvable by the real laws of nature. Let us, by examining more minutely the text, fee how far the accusation of adopting without fcruple erroneous modes of expreffion is founded in truth. It will be at the fame time a further illuftration of the foregoing doctrine, and of its conformity to the Mofaical account. Where truth or the honour of God is not concerned, the false notions of nature which might have been entertained by the Jews are not indeed therein meant to be scientifically combated: but does Moses in any part of it expressly confirm the mistaken ideas of ignorance? Is he not on the contrary often in direct oppofition with vulgar prejudices? These two points will best be refolved by following the plain and literal words of Genefis according to the moft ufual English translation.

Both

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." are hereafter to be brought into form and order, and therefore these words must mean the rude elements of both. With respect to the terreftrial part they certainly do fo mean; for immediately after follows:

"And the earth was without form, and void." Ovid, not improperly perhaps, expreffes it-"rudis indigeftaque moles." The Latin word "vacua" in the Vulgate, and the English word "void," would perhaps, as fome interpreters and translations exprefs it, be better tranflated by "inert." "And darkness was upon the face of the deep." The Vulgate, I think, more properly calls it "abyss." The elements of light were either yet uncreated, or had not received the faculty of shining. "And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Other interpreters tranflate it "the breath of God ftirred up or agitated the waters. The spirit or breath of God (b), metaphorically taken for his power, is here adopted with peculiar propriety to exprefs the first impreffion of motion, which the whole fentence seems to imply. "Waters" is here made use of for the firft time, no doubt to shew that the abyss then became liquid.

"And God faid, Let there be light: and there was light." The light was now either first created, or more probably, fince the elements both of the earth and of the heavens were already in exiftence, first received the faculty of fhining. Inflammable matter, composed of a

large proportion of its elements, then only kindles into vifible fire and flame when, more difengaged from groffer particles, it has acquired a new acceleration of motion. Light was now first enabled to exert that full and free activity with which it was already endued by the breath of God, when depurated at this command from lifeless matter by local feparation, which we find effected at the fame inftant.

"And God divided (c) the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night and the evening and the morning were the firft day." The real and local feparation of thofe elements that have the faculty of fhining from those that are of themselves dark is here pointedly expreffed; and by that very separation it may be fairly implied that light then shone out for the first time. Here it must be observed that the text is in oppofition with common ideas. The matter of light, though not yet formed into funs or ftars, is feparated from dark matter. A night and a day are established, whilft, according to the fame author, the fun was not yet made, or at leaft did not fhine upon the earth. According to vulgar and even philofophical opinions, the sun is either the fource or caufe of light to the earth. It either did not then exift or did not fhine upon it, and yet a night and day are boldly afferted. Some philofophers, unwilling to fuppofe that the great and glorious body of the fun fhould not have a more carly date than this fpot of earth (an opinion, if the fun was at any time.

created,

created, unfounded on any valid reafon theological or philofophical), have indeed afferted that the fun already exifted, though obfcured by a thick atmosphere. Such an obfcure light could not have been faid to be good, that is to fay, perfect in its kind, which is certainly the meaning of "good" throughout this chapter. But if, as both the prefent literal words and the fequel imply, not the sun and stars in particular, but the great mass of light from whence they were afterwards made, was then locally feparated from the waters, and by its influence caufed the latter to turn upon its axis, then a night and day (though not ours, which we shall find hereafter to make a fecond establishment) are easily conceived to have perfectly taken place on the furface of the liquid abyss.

"And God faid, Let there be a firmament in the midft of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament; and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was fo. And God called the firmament heaven: and the evening and the morning were the second day.” The whole of this is unintelligible to vulgar understandings, and feems to have no lefs puzzled the learned. Let us first premise that the Latin word "firmamentum" in the Vulgate, which the English verfion has copied, a tranflation founded perhaps on the prejudices of the times, is not to be imputed to Mcfes as favouring them. That word certainly conveys to the vulgar the idea of a folid mafs: but the Hebrew word made ufe of 3S2

literally

literally means expanse or extension; and furely this is as philofophical a definition as can be given of the heavens, or of that immenfe space we see above us in which the heavenly bodies are placed. By waters," as we have already seen, is meant the whole liquid mass of the terrestrial abyfs; and it is of its feparation that it is here queftion, and not of the feparation of the feas from dry land, which is a fubsequent operation referved for the third day. The literal explanation will then be, that God then divided the great fluid mafs, and placed several parts of it in local feparation above the fluid globe of this earth in the expanse which he prepared for them. In other words, he then from the great fluid mass formed and locally feparated from each other the earth and all the other planets compofed of it, all of which continued as yet in a fluid ftate, and are therefore called "waters."

"And God faid, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was fo." This is a diftinct operation, and the work of the third day, and thence evidently fhews it to have been of a quite different nature from the work of the preceding day. A fimilar operation no doubt took place on all the other opaque planets; but Mofes confines himself entirely to this globe, as its distribution is the only one interefting to man.

"And God faid, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven,