which are supposed by some to have occurred previous to the creation or production of mankind, but subsequent to the earth's having assumed that perfect crystalline form we now discover in the primitive rocks. The demand for time is here again advanced by geologists, who support this theory of alternate revolutions; and as time is as nothing in eternity, they make whatever draughts they have occasion for upon this inexhaustible fund. It appears that history, as well as the consideration of the present course of things upon the earth, are equally considered as nothing in this philosophy. The minerals of the earth have been likened to coins stamped with unknown or difficult characters; and it is the business of the geologist, as of the antiquary, to decipher and arrange them in chronological order. But as it may safely be presumed that the antiquary would make little advance in his work, if he neglected to consult such histories as were within his reach, so we may come to the same conclusion with regard to the geologist. Ancient coins, minerals or fossils are all equally unintelligible, if we have no guide from history to lead us to an explanation of them.

In entering, then, upon our geological inquiries, it appears the more natural course to proceed upwards, from material things as they are now presented to our senses, to the First Great Cause, by which alone they could have been produced; and then, consulting such history as may be within our reach, to retrace our steps downwards, from the beginning of all things to the present time.* We may thus entertain a confident hope that all the appearances on the surface of the earth, upon which the theories of philosophy have been founded, may be accounted for by an attentive and unprejudiced, and above all, a docile consideration of the three great events recorded in history, viz. the creation of the earth; the formation of a bed for the primitive sea, with the natural causes acting within that sea for upwards of sixteen centuries; and, lastly, the deluge, with its crowd of corroborative witnesses,

* In the sixteenth century, the astronomer, John Kepler, of Wirtemburg, presented a work full of wild theory, to the great Tycho Brahe, who, after perusing it, returned it with the following advice:"First, lay a solid foundation for your views by actual observation; and then, by ascending from these, strive to reach the causes of things." The whole philosophy of Bacon was thus compressed, by anticipation, into one short sentence.

together with the subsequent action of natural causes from that time to the present day, or for upwards of four thousand years.

With regard to the character of Moses himself, and the books of Scripture which were written by him, under the guidance of inspiration, by which alone he could have pronounced the remarkable prophecies which were afterwards so strictly fulfilled, it would not be to my purpose in this place to enter into discussion. It is enough to say that he is acknowledged by all as the most ancient historian whose works have come down to our times; and that the frequent notice taken of him by ancient writers, would serve to confirm the truth of his own narrative, even if events foretold did not vouch for his veracity.

If the great events thus recorded in the inspired writings, with all their necessary consequences, were as studiously adopted as foundations to build upon, as they have hitherto been studiously set aside in geology, we should soon find in all classes, ardent students in this most interesting science. But when an ordinary mind, anxiously searching after truth, finds itself launched into a sea of clouds and thick darkness, without star or compass as a guide, it must either desperately proceed from doubt to infidelity, under the guidance of unassisted reason and philosophy, or must give up the subject in despair of ever reaching the desired object; happy if it escape the too common taint of unbelief on points incomparably more important than geology. For if the Sacred Scriptures are the unerring dictates of divine inspiration, which prophecy so fully determines, we must consider them as infallible in every point. If, on the contrary, we find at the very threshold a statement demonstrably FALSE, we should have the strongest possible ground for refusing our belief to the subsequent history.

"Infidels have always imagined, and believers have too generally conceded, that the Mosaic account of the early ages of the world is the weakest of the outworks of Christianity. But, on the contrary, we may be persuaded that the firmest ground which even a philosophical believer can take, is the Mosaic record."-Edin. Encyclop. Antediluvian.

It is in vain we look for this line of reasoning in the works of those who are generally considered the great leaders in science. Both parties into which geologists have ranged themselves, the supporters of the theories of fire and of water, are equally opposed to the simple and unadorned narrative of

the sacred historian; and both parties have, consequently, led themselves and their followers into an inextricable maze on the subject of primitive formations. It is, indeed, a melancholy proof, if any such were wanting, of the natural turpitude of the human mind, that notwithstanding the bright instances which have been and still are found in the opposite scale, so large a portion of those who search deepest into, and who ought, therefore, to be best acquainted with, the works of the Creator, have been so little inclined to give him the credit due to his omnipotence and wisdom, that philosophy and scepticism have been but too often and too justly looked upon as almost synonymous terms. What advances have been made in every branch of science and of arts since the days of Newton, and even since those of the great Linnæus! yet we do not always find a proportioned increase either in faith or in religious zeal. Any attempt to mix up science with religion has, indeed, been openly condemned by many able writers; yet the time, it is to be hoped, will come, when the Linnæan systems will be followed, as well in religion as in its union with the knowledge of the works of the Creator. The great and good Linnæus lost no opportunity of expatiating on the wisdom and goodness of the Almighty. In such expressions of admiration his breast seemed to glow with warmth, and he became truly eloquent.*

"Awake, upon the earth," exclaims he, "I have contemplated an immense, eternal, all-powerful, and omniscient God! I have seen him, and fallen prostrate in astonishment at his very shadow. I have sought out his steps in the midst of his creatures, even amongst the most imperceptible. What power! what wisdom! what inexpressible perfection! I have observed the animals nourished by vegetables; these, again, by earthly bodies; the earth rolling in its unalterable orb round the sun, the burning source of its life; the sun itself, turning on its axis, with the planets that surround it, forming, with the other stars, indefinite in number, an immense and boundless system. All is ruled by the Incomprehensible Prime Mover, the Being of Beings, as Aristotle has called him, the Cause of Causes, the Eternal Architect of his magnificent work."

*This great naturalist and philosopher inscribed over the door of his lecture room at Upsal:

"Innocui vivite, Numen adest."

Even the heathen philosophers have set us an example on these great and important points, which the most humble Christians must acknowledge with admiration. "Do you call him Fatality? you are not wrong," says Seneca, "as every thing depends upon him. Do you prefer him under the name of Nature? you are right; all things are born from him. If you name him Providence, you are equally right; for by his orders and councils the world displays its wonders. He is all eye, all ear, all soul, all life; and human intellect is incapable of comprehending his immensity." "That Being," says the same heathen, "that Cause of Causes, without whom nothing exists, who has constructed and organized all things; who is every where present, and yet escapes our view; has veiled his August Majesty in a retreat so holy and impenetrable, that it is in thought alone that we can reach it.

In a beautiful hymn of Cleanthes, as preserved by Stobæus, we find the following sublime address to the Deity, under the title of Jupiter:

"O God, from whom all gifts descend, who sitteth in thick darkness, dispel all ignorance from the mind of man; deign to enlighten his soul, draw it to that eternal reason which serves as thy guide and support in the government of the world; so that, honoured with a portion of this light, we may, in our turn, be able to honour thee, by celebrating thy great works unceasingly in a hymn. This is the proper duty of man. For surely nothing can be more delightful to the inhabitants of the earth, than to celebrate that Divine Reason which presides over the world."

To such magnificent acknowledgments of a true God, by those whom we call heathens, we may add the beautiful creed of the great Pliny: "We must believe," says he, "that there exists an Eternal, Infinite, and Uncreated Divinity."

The light of day, however, begins to dawn upon this philosophic night; and there are many whose eyes begin to be opened, by the very excesses of hypothesis which have been promulgated by their scientific leaders. The great end of the study of geology ought to be, a moral, rather than a scientific one; the numerous practical and economical uses to be derived from it, should be, comparatively, subordinate, and .would be fully gained in the course of the inquiry. The study carried on upon this principle in the present day, when science has made such rapid advances, as to have, as it were, shed a new light upon our benighted minds, would have the

effect of settling our fluctuating opinions, which may have been shaken by the suggestions of a false philosophy. Let but a small portion of the brilliant talent be displayed on the science, viewed in this light, that has been expended and lost in hypothetical reasoning for the last half century, and we may confidently trust, that the coalition thus formed between science and religion, will bid defiance to the utmost efforts of infidelity and scepticism.*

* It may be said of this, and of all other philosophical inquiries, as has been eloquently observed with regard to christianity: "It is delightful to have every doubt removed, by the positive proof of its truth; to feel that conviction of its certainty which infidelity can never impart to her votaries; and to perceive that assurance of the faith which is as superior in the hope which it communicates, as in the certainty on which it rests, to the cheerless and disquieting doubts of the unbelieving mind. Instead of being a mere prejudice of education, which may be easily shaken, belief, thus founded on reason, becomes fixed and immovable; and all the scoffing of the scorner, and speculations of the infidel, lie as lightly on the mind, or pass as imperceptibly over it, and make as little impression there, as the spray upon a rock.”—Keith's Evid. of Proph. p. 4.