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RECEIVED TRADITION.

to have concluded that traditionary evidence, even amongst the pagans, could ascend only to a certain point, let the body of the earth, or the planet itself in short, be as old as it may.

"Thus, not only should we not be surprised to find, even in ancient times, many doubts, and contradictions respecting the Epochs of Cecrops, Deucalion, Cadmus, and Danaus; and not only would it be childish to attach the smallest importance to any opinion whatever, regarding the precise dates of Inachus or Ogyges; but if any thing ought to surprise us, it is this, that an infinitely more remote antiquity had not been assigned to those personages. · It is impossible that there has not been in this case some effect of the influence of received tradition, from which the inventors of fables were not able to free themselves '."

1 Theory of the Earth. The time of Inachus has been variously represented to be about eighteen centuries before Christ, and that of Ogyges some years after.

PART IV.

THE Baron Cuvier, in the section of his theory of the earth, which professes to give an account of preceding systems of geology, observes that "during a long time, two events or epochs only, the creation and the deluge, were admitted as comprehending the changes which have been operated upon the globe; and all the efforts of geology were directed to account for the present existing state of things, by imagining a certain original state, afterwards modified by the deluge, of which also, as to its causes, its operations, and its effects, each entertained his own theory."

This is all exceedingly true; nor would it be difficult to enumerate and classify the several investigations, to which the efforts of geology have subsequently been applied, in order to account for (if possible) the changes which "have been operated upon the globe." We know how much light has been supposed to have been thrown upon the subject of late years, by the Baron's own pursuit of the science of comparative anatomy; if light indeed, it may be called, for except as a fresh proof that the sea has changed its bed, I do not know that it has yet done much more than enable us to detect the existence, and destruction of many strange animals, in very strange places, and under very strange cir

118 SCIENCES CONNECTED WITH GEOLOGY.

increased variety of conjectures, than enabling us to draw any indisputable conclusions, beyond the facts themselves. The discoveries as far as they go, are unquestionably very curious, and very interesting, particularly to the skilful in comparative anatomy, enabled from a few detached fossil bones, to build up a complete animal which nobody living ever saw, and it is to be hoped never will; still certainly upon principles truly scientific. The general utility of such discoveries is not clear; their importance however, may not I suppose be questioned, after such a statement as follows. "The inquiries of the immortal Cuvier, into the remains of the organic creations of past successive ages have been of the greatest use to geology; and the science is indebted to him for first drawing attention to this essential study. A train of physical events has been made out included in many myriads of ages, whence we have obtained a better notion of the antiquity of the earth than before, as well as of the immensity of time, beyond what figures are capable of affording, whereby we trace back events far beyond the periods of written history." If this be essential to geology, and geology essential to the happiness and well being of man, not only here, but hereafter, its importance must be great indeed.

Other sciences besides comparative anatomy, have been at the same time in such a state of rapid advancement, that there is scarcely any saying what may not come, in time, to be new and important objects of geological inquiry. To take Mr. Lyell's own enumeration of the sciences already connected with geology. The geologist, he tells us, should be well versed in chemistry, natural philosophy, mineralogy, zoology, comparative anatomy, botany; in short in every science

EXPLODED SYSTEMS.

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In such a

relating to organic or inorganic nature. work as the present, however, we can only revert to the two original events, and epochs, alluded to, the creation and deluge, as connected with the changes operated upon the globe. Moses is the only accredited historian of both events; and Moses certainly existed and wrote, long before any geological examination of the earth had been attempted.

I have always thought that it amounts to no small proof of the credibility of the Mosaic history of the creation, that the author writes with a prudence and caution very little to be expected of a cosmogonist of so remote a period. In fact he writes of the creation historically, and not philosophically; his first four annunciations being simply, that "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; that the earth was without form and void; that darkness was upon the face of the deep; and, that God said let there be light, and there was light."

As historical facts, it is impossible that any person can contradict these assertions. They may be denied, but they cannot be contradicted; but what ancient philosopher could now obtain credit for his philosophical mode of building up a world, by a fortuitous concourse or jumble of atoms; by fanciful combinations of the dry and the humid, the hot and the cold; by the prolific virtues of the sun, eliciting living creatures from a viviparous slime? What credit do we now give to the philosophical reveries of the very persons whom Cuvier himself mentions, Burnet, Woodward, Scheuchzer, Whiston, Leibnitz, Demaillet, Buffon, Kepler, De Lamarck, Patrin, Oken, Steffens, Delametherie, Lamanon, MM. de Marschall, Ber

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WANT OF OCULAR PROOFS.

I will venture to say that no philosophical account of the beginning of things here, or of the changes that the earth has undergone, has ever yet acquired so great credit, as the historical relation of Moses, principally on this account, that he wrote historically of things that we must be contented, in a very great degree, to take upon trust. No man saw the creation1; and I may surely venture to say, that no man has ever seen the complete crumbling to pieces of former continents by the action of rivers and other causes at this moment in operation; no man has ever witnessed the scooping out of existing valleys, and the conveyance of their materials to the bottom of the ocean, there to be baked and consolidated under an enormous pressure, and formed into strata for future continents at some period in the lapse of "countless ages;" no geologist, I say, not Dr. Hutton, not Mr. Playfair, not Mr. Lyell, ever saw these things fully operated; in every case we are expected to take much upon trust, as though God could not possibly have produced what we see, otherwise than they conceive. Mr. Penn, fairly

1 Hoc animi demum Ratio discernere debet,

Nec possunt oculi naturam noscere rerum.

Reason alone this question can invade,

Eyes cannot see how nature's frame was made.

These lines would be admirable if reason could actually supply the loss or want of vision; but this we know, that in abundance of cases, it cannot do. Nothing can be more vain or presumptuous than to fancy that the human reason can penetrate the thick darkness with which the invisibilia of the commencement and end of things, is at present covered. There is one sense indeed in which " the invisible things of God" may be said to be "clearly seen, even his eternal power and Godhead," Rom. i. 20.; but as to what the Almighty, in virtue of these exalted attributes, actually has done, or finally will do for us, we must be content, for the present, to "walk by faith not by sight," by faith, not reason; though assuredly yet by a reasonable faith.

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