animal. There is no instance recorded, where the creative fiat has been employed for such a purpose, nor does the language of Moses necessarily imply, that the sun and moon were not created at the time when God said, "let there be light." When we come to the fourth day's

work, we shall attempt to show, that the luminaries had a previous creation, but were first made to shine upon the earth on that day.

"And God divided the light from the darkness." V. 5. Whatever might have been the source whence this light proceeded, it is plain from this declaration, that it could not have been generally diffused around the earth, for had this been the case, it is impossible for us to apprehend, how it could have been divided from the darkness. On the contrary, the terms of the record lead to the belief, that at this time, the earth had commenced her diurnal revolutions, and the light emanating from a fixed point, was divided from the darkness by the first succession of day and night. This, indeed, is affirmed by what immediately follows. "And God called the light, day; the darkness he called night; and the evening and the morning were the first day."

Creation of the Firmament. “And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." V. 6.

Firmament. Heb. Expansion. The original word is Rakiah, which comes from a root, signifying to stretch out, or expand like a curtain. It also means, to make hard and firm by treading, stamping, or beating with a hammer.* But it appears to be the former signification only, which applies to the present case.

It is apparent that Moses intended to adapt his account of the creation, to unlettered common sense, and to describe natural events as they would have struck the eye of a common observer. Hence the firmament is called heaven, because it is over our heads, and for the same reason, the sun, moon and stars, in v. 15, are said to be placed in the firmament. Now heaven, as the word is here employed, means nothing more than the blue vault of the sky; and therefore is synonymous with firmament.

* Bush on Genesis.

Firmament is the atmosphere which we breathe, and which science has taught, reaches to the height of about forty-five miles from every part of the earth's surface. The stars are millions of miles beyond this firmament, but since they are seen through, they appear to the eye to be placed in it, and the Mosaic history is adapted to this illusion. This is one among many existing proofs, that the narrative of the creation was intended to describe natural phenomena as they meet the eye, rather than to give a system of physics to the minds of philosophers.

"And God made a firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament, from the waters which were above the firmament." V. 7.

By this act, the atmosphere was made to absorb a part of the waters which had previously covered the earth, and thus to elevate them above the surface. The quantity of moisture contained in the atmosphere, differs greatly in different countries, and at different times; but that it is capable of elevating large quantities of water, is sufficiently proved by the fall of dew and rain upon the earth. The atmosphere is incapable of absorbing any of the solid ingredients with which the water on the earth is mixed; a striking mark of design, for were the salt of the sea taken up with its waters, and thrown upon the earth, in the form of rain, not only almost the whole vegetable kingdom would be destroyed, but also, all terrene animals.

MOSAIC, AND NATURAL SYSTEMS OF PLANTS.

After the sea was formed, by the gathering of the waters into one place, and the dry land made to appear, the earth being thus prepared for the growth of vegetation, and the residence of organized beings, then "God said let the earth bring forth grass, and 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. V. 11.

Here we find a remarkable coincidence between the divisions of the vegetable kingdom, by Moses, and the most improved systems of natural botany, at the present day.

In the 11th verse, instead of grass, the Hebrew means tender, or budding grass,* or grass sprouts; thus appa

* Marginal reference.

rently intending to include all the small, or inferior plants with which the earth is clothed, and which to common observation, spring up without seeds, or are propagated by their roots. Many low plants, of the moss kind, also bear capsules, which appear like buds, though they produce no flowers, or visible seeds; and these in popular language, would come under the general denomination of grass.

The terms, therefore, warrant us in concluding, that in this division, the author intended to embrace generally, those plants which give verdure to the earth, but whose seeds were concealed, or not apparent, and thus to distinguish them from "the herb yielding seed," or those whose seeds form the most obvious part of the plant. If there is nothing unreasonable in this conclusion, then this division includes those tribes now known under the title of Cryptogamous, or flowerless plants.

In this division, there are neither flowers, nor apparent seeds; reproduction being effected by parts, termed sporules, as in the flags, ferns, mosses, &c.

The "herb yielding seed," by the most obvious construction, applies to that division of plants now called Monocotyledonous, or such as produce seed, with a single cotyledon or seed lobe, as wheat, barley, and the grasses. In many of the useful plants of this class, the part most apparent, is the seed, as in the saccharum, (sugar cane,) sorghum, (broom corn,) oat, wheat, rye, millet, &c.; and hence, "seed-yielding plants" would be one of the most natural distinctions between these, and the cryptogamia, and smaller grasses, where the reproductive parts are either entirely concealed, or so small as to be apparent only by close inspection.

"The tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself," that is, in the fruit, is a description which clearly forms a third division of the vegetable kingdom. This division was undoubtedly intended to include the larger vegetables, or trees, properly so called, and the description applies with singular accuracy to many of the most common fruit-bearing plants, in most parts of the world. The apple, pear, peach, almond, grape, bread fruit, orange, chestnut, bean, pea, melon, and many other domestic, as well as wild plants, which from the most ancient times have been best known, and most esteemed, bear their seed within their. fruits, and are thus readily and naturally distinguished from wheat, barley and other plants of this kind, where the seed is apparent to the sight.

This division, therefore, corresponds to the present class in Natural Botany, called the Dicotyledonous, or plants whose seeds consist of two cotyledons, or seed lobes, and which class, besides those already mentioned, includes many of the largest and most important vegetables.

Thus we arrive at the surprising fact, that the three grand divisions of the vegetable kingdom, made by Moses not merely bear an analogy to the most improved Natural Systems of Botany, of the present day, but that the two systems, in their great outlines, are nearly identical, and it is worthy of notice, that the existence of this analogy is owing to the perfection to which natural botany has been brought, by the recent investigations of profound naturalists. Thus do philosophers, unawares, confirm the inspiration of the scriptures, for there is not the slightest probability that the system of Moses could have been founded on botanical knowledge then existing, and therefore could not have been derived from any human source.

We do not pretend that the descriptions of Moses are so definite as to include all the plants of each of the present classes, to the exclusion of all the others. But that his definitions apply to the most common and useful vegetables of each class, and are such as to form natural distinctions between these, which would be apparent to a common observer, it is thought we have made fully to appear, and thus to have shown that the progress of a human science towards perfection, has only served to approximate its great outlines more nearly to a system founded on an inspired knowledge of nature, and written 3000 years ago.

From this we may infer the impropriety of wresting the plain and obvious meaning of the Scriptures, so to make them agree with what we call scientific facts, and especially on subjects still in controversy, as are many of those belonging to geology. If we will but let the sacred writings stand until our sciences become perfect, we shall then see their coincidence, and if we do not, it will be in time to amend the Scriptures so as to make out the agreement, when it is clearly proved that science is right, and Scripture wrong. We refer here, particularly, to the translation of the days of creation, into indefinite periods, a subject which we shall examine in its proper place.

The discoveries of geology, with respect to the order in which fossil plants, shells and bones occur, show a con

sistency with scripture, little less extraordinary than that we have shown to exist between the Mosaic and modern botany.

In the order of creation, we have seen that plants of the lowest grades were first brought into existence, and that those of the more perfect kinds were formed afterwards. In the strata of the earth, the same corresponding order exists; the Cryptogamous plants being found deepest, and below those of the Monocotyledonous tribes; while above these, the Dicotyledonous species occur. We shall throw the details of these, and other coincidences into the form of a table, a few pages hence.

Sun and moon made to appear. The work of the fourth day consisted in setting the great lights, and also the stars, in the firmament.

"And 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." V. 16.

"And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth; and to rule over the day." V. 17, 18.

The original word for made, is not the same with that rendered create. The latter term signifies to re-form, or renovate, while the former more often implies, constituted, appointed, or set apart.*

The language does not, therefore, necessarily imply that the sun and moon were created on the fourth day, but only, we conceive, that they were made to appear and act as rulers over the day and the night, at that time. If we suppose, with others, that Moses stated the story of the creation, as it would have appeared to human eyes at the time, these luminaries would undoubtedly have looked like a new creation; when, in truth, they might have existed from the time when it was said, "Let there be light."

We infer this from the circumstance, that the newly formed earth must have been surrounded with dense vapors, since, until the third day, the atmosphere rested entirely, on a continuous ocean of water. The mist spoken of afterwards, shows that the newly formed earth, supplied

* Bush on Genesis.