ces upon the earth, I have never found any argument advanced which did not leave the mind in a bewildered and uncertain state; and in but too many of the theories of philosophy on these subjects, we find opinions broached by the very ablest men, so extraordinary, and so repulsive to our reason and common sense, that we are compelled at once to reject them, and not without losing, at the same time, some portion of that high respect, with which a sound philosophy ought always to inspire us.

In the course of these studies, I have never been able to exclude from my mind those lights and beacons held out, as it were, for our guidance, in tracing the more obscure portions of the history of the earth, by the inspired writings, of the truth of which, on other subjects, the unprejudiced mind can entertain not a shadow of doubt, strengthened as they are by the great and wonderful events which have been foretold in prophecy, and, subsequently, literally fulfilled in history. "The great problem of creation has been said to be, 'MATTER and MOTION given, to form a world;' and the presumption of man has often led him to attempt the solution of this absurd problem. At first, philosophers contented themselves with reasoning on the traditional or historical accounts they had received; but it is irksome to be shackled by authority, or for the learned to be content with the same degree of information on so important a subject as the most ignorant of the people. After having acquired, therefore, a smattering of knowledge, philosophy began to imagine that it could point out a much better way of forming the world, than that which had been transmitted by the consenting voice of antiquity.— Epicurus was most distinguished among the ancients in this work of reformation, and produced a theory on the principle of a fortuitous concourse of atoms, the extravagant absurdity of which has alone preserved it from oblivion. From his day to the present time, there has been a constant succession of systems and theories of the earth, which are now swallowed up by those of a chaotic geology, founded on chemistry; the speculations of which have been attended with many useful results, in so far as they proceed on the principles of induction; but when applied to solve the problem of creation, or the mode of first formations, will only serve, like the systems of their forerunners of antiquity, to demonstrate the ignorance and presumption of man." 99*

*Edinburgh Encyclopedia.

Unfortunately for the cause of truth, and of sound philosophy, the study of geology was begun, at no very distant period, in a school where the only history which could be consulted on such a subject was neglected and despised, on points incomparably more important than scientific inquiries. We cannot, therefore, feel surprise, that the philosophy of that period should have excluded from its view the concise but most important geological information given us in the first part of the Mosaical history.

Misled by the theories of the earth set forth by the continental philosophy and infidelity, theories so wild and absurd, that sober reason now looks upon them with contempt; many zealous and able men of our own country have been hurried away by the torrent, and have been induced to follow out their own researches, under the delusive and prejudiced impressions of their early studies.

Even some of the most learned divines, without any knowledge of geology, have considered themselves bound, in translating and explaining the sacred record, to submit to the dictates of philosophy, and by taking liberties with the original text, which would not be tolerated in translating any classic author, have thus unintentionally aided the cause of scepticism and unbelief. They have admitted a doubt upon a great and fundamental point, in which the inspired history, fairly translated, directly opposes them; viz. in conceding to the theories of philosophy the duration of the six days of the creation. As it was contrary to these theories to admit the perfect CREATION of all things, at the first, by an Almighty Power, it became necessary to search for such secondary causes, as would, by the mere laws of nuture, as they are called, have produced the primitive rocks, as we now find them.* These supposed causes were discovered in

* In the understanding which has, in a manner, been tacitly agreed upon in science, carefully to exclude every allusion to the Deity, in the contemplation of his works, we constantly find the unmeaning name of Nature introduced, even in pages where the admiration of HER works would make it appear impossible to avoid an acknowledgment of him from whom all things have arisen. In a posthumous treatise by Milton, we find the following just reflections on this subject. "Though there be not a few who deny the existence of God, for the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God,' (Psal. xiv.) yet the Deity has imprinted on the human mind so many unquestionable tokens of himself, and so many traces of him are found throughout the whole creation, that no one in his senses can long remain ig

chemistry; and as it was found by chemists that various substances, under certain circumstances, formed themselves into crystals, and, by geologists, that granite, and other primitive rocks, had a crystalline appearance and formation, it was assumed as a fact, assisted by the heathen notion of a chaos, that all matter once existed in a confused and imperfect mass, from which, in the course of some indefinitely long period of time, our globe, in all its crystalline beauty, must have formed itself. We are no where informed by this chaotic philosophy whence the material atoms, of which this imperfect compound was formed, were produced; how the liquid mass was held together before the laws of attraction and of gravity were ordained; or by what power the laws of nature, by which crystallization takes place, were first instituted.

By some philosophers of the French school, this theory of gradual perfection was extended even to animated beings. They considered that life, in its lowest shape, was first generated in this fermenting mass, and that the present variety and perfection, so remarkable in the animal world, gradually arose from those species of marine creatures called zoophytes, resembling, as their name denotes, the order of plants. It is not easy to determine the original ground-work for so extraordinary and impious a theory; but it probably arose, in some

norant of the truth. There are some who pretend that nature, or fate, is the supreme power; but the very name of nature implies that it must owe its birth to some prior agent; and fate can be nothing but a divine decree, emanating from some superior power."

We must, however, in justice admit, that, in the minds of many, the exclusion above alluded to has been acceded to with the very best intention, though this admission may be looked upon as a proof of that very tone in philosophy in general, which is so often opposed to the great truths of Revelation; for, in the obscurities under which many of the phenomena of creation are still viewed, and under the impression of such obscure and erroneous theories as have been put forth by philosophy, men of the soundest faith must have found themselves so constantly involved in contradiction to the records of inspiration, in the course of their scientific researches, that it would be found more advantageous to the cause of religion to accede to this entire exclusion, than to confound and shatter both, by such continual collision as must occur, till the views of creation become more enlightened, and complete concord is established between Revelation and the phenomena of the world around us. This desirable and inevitable concord is every day advancing with rapid strides; for, however the theories of philosophy may change, the Rock of Revelation stands for ever immovably fixed.

degree, from the erroneous conclusions from fossil remains, which have been the fertile cause of so much misconception during the last century. It has been remarked by geologists, that the only fossil remains of animated beings to be found in the earliest secondary rocks, are of this description of zoophytes; and it has therefore been concluded as a positive fact, that zoophytes were the first and most imperfect of animated beings, from which, by a living principle in nature, all other improvements have gradually sprung up. It may easily be imagined to what absurdities such theories must have led, and from them we may trace the systems of Lamarck, who held, amongst others, the following extraor dinary opinions. He considered that all the forms of animated beings, as they now exist, must have been gradually developed, as their wants and necessities demanded. For instance, the deer, and the antelope tribe, had not originally the delicate forms and nimble activity they now display; these qualities were produced by the necessity of flying from their enemies, and of seeking safety by rapid flight. The aquatic birds and beasts having webbed feet to assist them in swimming, had no such helps in their primitive condition, but by constant action and exertion of the toes, the membrane connecting them at length became extended. But one of the

most whimsical of these ideas, perhaps, relates to the unusual length of neck exhibited by the cameleopard, which is described as being originally much like other animals; but by the habit of feeding on branches of trees, it gradually assumed the form we now look upon with admiration. Such glaring absurdities as these have long ceased to find supporters; but it is no less certain that the idea of gradual creation, or production of successive species of animated beings, is still to be found in the principles of our modified philosophy; and that the tribe of zoophytes, or sea animals, resembling plants in their form, is still looked upon as the first link in the great animated chain. It will, therefore, not be considered unworthy of our attention, if we take a more extended view of the argument, and endeavour to show that such an arrangement in nature is not only derogatory in the highest degree from the Almighty power and wisdom, but completely at variance with a correct view of the animal kingdom. We find it correctly stated in the following extract from one of the most instructive and able works of our times, that the various tribes of zoophytes subsist upon the minute species of animal

cula, so abundant in the sea as well as in all the other waters of the earth, and which have been called infusoria, from the well known circumstance that scarcely any vegetable substance can be infused in pure water, without, in a short time, exhibiting, under the microscope, myriads of such wonders of the creative power and wisdom. "Zoophytes appear to feed principally on infusoria, (or sea animalcula,) and they required ONLY the existence of that class to prepare the sea for their creation. Their remains form the oldest fossil animals met with in the strata of the earth.”*

The latter part of this passage, from the pen of a learned professor, shows that its author directly pointed towards the above mentioned notion, grounded on French philosophy, although the case is not expressly stated in words; but, as in all similar doctrines of an unsound philosophy, this passage contains the antidote as well as the poison, for it fixes upon a class of animated beings as food for this first link of the animated chain, of all the wonders of creative wisdom, that which is, perhaps, best calculated to excite our most profound admiration.

That all created beings present to our admiring view a great chain of various parts, each link connected with its fellow by easy shades of similarity of structure, is a fact admitted by the most cursory student in this wonderful book. But what link of this chain is to be looked upon as less wonderful, or incomprehensible, in its origin, than another? And if, which it would be difficult to do, we can discover one more imperfect than another, for the performance of the great ends to which it is decreed, are we to fix upon this apparent imperfection as the first attempt and failure of the Almighty hand? The wonders displayed by the microscope ought for ever to obliterate from our minds any such impious and unworthy notions. That instrument exhibits to us the great fact, that if perfection of design, combined with what we consider difficulty in formation, is to be looked for in the creation, it is amongst the minutest of the insect tribe that we shall find displayed the most wonderful wisdom of the Creator. All that the most profound genius is capable of inventing, presents but a feeble image of the structure and actions of these minute creatures; and yet the tribe of zoophytes, as the most imperfect of created animals,

* Edinburgh Encyclopedia, vol. xviii. p. 843.

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