Job, in which the friend of Job, reasoning with him, says, "Hast though remarked the old way which wicked men have trodden; who were cut down out of time; whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;" which passage the Greek interpreters render yet more decidedly, "their foundations are become an overflowing flood," and Michaelis interprets it, "A flood OBLITERATED their foundations."

In the very curious and interesting work, called the book of Enoch, referred to by St. Jude, v. 14, which had long been looked upon as lost, but which was at length discovered in the Ethiopic language by Bruce, in Abyssinia, who brought home three manuscript copies of it, one of which was presented to the Royal Library at Paris, a second, to the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and the third, retained by himself; we find a very remarkable corroborative testimony to the above view of the subject of the deluge. In quoting, from this apocryphal book, it is not necessary, in this place, to enter into the question of its actually being, what its title professes it to be, a prophetic work of the antediluvian Enoch. This point has been clearly settled by Dr. Laurence, to whom we are indebted for an English translation of the copy in the

extended with much effect; for he seems, in this part of his general epistle to the new Christian church, prophetically to describe some of the opinions now held by modern philosophy.

"This second Epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which (Epistles) I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance : "That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first, that there shall come, in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts:

"And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that, by the word of God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the waters, and in the waters:

Whereby" (viz. by the word of God,)" the world that then was, being overflowed with waters, perished.

"But the heavens, and the earth, which now are, by the same word (of God) are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is, with the Lord, as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."-Second Epistle of Peter, iii. 1, &c.

This short passage contains lessons in philosophy, as well as in morality, which we should do well most seriously to consider.

Bodleian Library. But, although, in the opinion of the learned-translator, this original Hebrew, or Chaldee work, was composed subsequent to the Babylonish captivity, it must be admitted to be a very interesting and curious piece of antiquity, though not worthy of a place among the canonical books of Scripture.

The passage I am about to quote, however, will serve to show the prevailing opinion on the subject of the deluge in the times of the author of it, and is quite consistent with the passage in St. Peter's Epistle, and with the above passage in the book of Job.

In the 82d chapter of the book of Enoch, and the 5th verse, we find the writer pròphetically describing the destruction of the "earth, that then was," in the following manner:

"And falling to the earth, I saw likewise the earth ABSORBED BY A GREAT ABYSS, and mountains suspended over mountains, hills were sinking upon hills, lofty trees were gliding off from their trunks, and were in the act of being projected, and of

SINKING INTO THE ABYSS.

"Being alarmed at these things, my voice faltered. I cried and said, THE EARTH IS DESTROYED! Then, my grandfather, Malalel, raised me up, and said to me, Why dost thou thus cry out, my son? And wherefore dost thou thus lament?

"I related to him the whole vision which I had seen. He said to me, confirmed is that which thou has seen, my son:

"And potent the vision of thy dream respecting every secret sin of the earth. ITS SUBSTANCE SHALL SINK INTO THE ABYSS, and a great destruction take place.

"Now, my son, rise up; and beseech the Lord of Glory, (for thou are faithful,) that a remnant may be left upon the earth, and that he would not wholly destroy it. My son, all this calamity upon earth comes down from heaven, upon earth shall there be a great destruction."

In another part of the book, purporting to be Noah's vision of the deluge, we find the following, to the same effect: "On account of their impiety have their innumerable judgments been consummated before me. Respecting the moons have they inquired, and they have known that the EARTH WILL PERISH, with those who dwell upon it, and that to these there will be no place of refuge for ever."-Chap. lxiv. v. 9.

These passages, from such authorities, decidedly show, that the destruction of "the earth that THEN WAS," formed a part of the effects of that awful judgment; and the phenomena presented to our view over the whole "earth that Now is,"

establish the truth of the historical record in a manner the most conclusive. We have thus given us most important data on which to form a judgment of the mode by which this great event was brought about; but, as the mere laws of nature will be found utterly incompetent to it; and as the deluge was evidently an operation as completely preternatural, as either the creation itself, or the gathering together of the waters of the ocean, we must come to the same conclusion with regard to it which we have already done with regard to these events, viz. that it was in the power of God alone to bring it about.

Many disputes have arisen, and theories been formed, among philosophers, respecting the mode by which a deluge might have been brought about by natural causes; but, like the theories of first formations, they lead the mind, at every step, into obscurity and contradiction. Some have supposed the earth to be hollow, and to contain water, which, issuing out by some incomprehensible means, deluged the earth, and again retired to its hidden abode. Others have supposed that by a great earthquake, a heaving up of the superincumbent mass of one portion of the earth might have raised the waters of the ocean, so as to form one vast wave on the surface, which swept over the remaining parts of the earth. In supporting this theory it is truly stated, that during partial earthquakes, an agitation of the sea, somewhat similar, takes place, the effects of which have often been most destructive in low countries. But this theory implies one sweeping convulsion which could have lasted but a short time, and been but partial in its effects; whereas, both history, supported by the traditions of the most obscure nations, and physical facts, tend to convince us that the deluge must have lasted some considerable time, and been universal in its destructive effects.

As to the theory of the cavous nature of the globe, in order to contain water for the purpose of one particular deluge of a few months duration, we have, amongst other powerful objections, this especial one; that such an arrangement would be in contradiction to all the general laws of the Creator, in the study of which we perceive an economy of means, if I may use the expression, which is most remarkable. The means employed for any end are never greater than are absolutely necessary to attain that end; and thence the just balance which we so much admire throughout the creation. When the mandate was issued, on the third day of the creation, "Let the waters be gathered together unto one place, and

let the dry land appear," which "gathering together of the
waters God called sea,' we have not a vestige of ground
for supposing that there was any superabundance in the primi-
tive creation of water; nor that any portion of it was, as it
were, locked up from common use, and reserved for one
especial occasion. Besides this objection of the reason, we
have also one fact: for when we come to measure the depths
of the sea, and the quantity of water existing on our whole
planet, by the great and only true scale before mentioned;*
and when we find its medium depths, all over the earth, not
to exceed, comparatively, a thin coat of varnish on a common
artificial globe; we shall at once perceive how utterly un-
necessary it would be to demand so great a quantity of water
as a hollow earth would contain, for the sole purpose of ef-
fecting so diminutive an end.† No. The ends of the Al-
mighty are brought about by much more simple means; and
when we are informed by the inspired record, that not only
the inhabitants of the first "dry land," but also that "dry
land" itself was to be destroyed, we can, without any strain
upon our reason, and in perfect accordance with surrounding
physical facts, imagine the same great Being by whose power
the waters were at first gathered together, issuing his second
mandate for the execution of this terrible decree, and saying,
"Let the level of the dry land be lowered, and let the founda-
tions of the great deep be broken up: and it was so." #

But if we insist on discovering or inventing a mode by which
the Almighty caused this destructive interchange of sea and
land to take place, we shall find ourselves in the same inex-
tricable difficulties as when endeavouring to account for the
mode of first formations by secondary causes. We must make
our reason bend to the inscrutable ways of the Omnipotent,
and submit, with whatever rebellious reluctance, to the great
truth every where impressed upon us, that "the ways of God
are not as our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts." All
our reasoning must end in this point, that the deluge, like
the creation, was a preternatural event, which could by no
means be brought about but by preternatural means; and con-
sequently, that we should in vain search for a cause in the
mere laws of nature.

* Chapter i, page 37, note.

t Would not a hollow glass globe, of one foot in diameter, contain infinitely more water than would be necessary slightly to moisten its exterior surface?

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a

until the

were drink up from off the earth! 8.
8.7.

CHAPTER VII.

Mosaic Account of the Deluge.-The Mountains of Ararat.—
Origin of that remarkable Name.-Effects during the De-
luge.-Action of the Tides and the Currents during the De-
luge. Their Effects upon Organic Bodies.-Diluvial Strata.
-Abatement of the Waters.-Renewal of the Face of the
Earth.

Having thus, by a variety of evidence, convinced ourselves
that a universal deluge took place upon our earth, from which
but one family of human beings was saved by the mercy of
the Almighty;* and that, in this deluge, not only the antedi-
luvian race, but the antediluvian earth or dry land on which
they dwelt, was destroyed, we can be at no great distance
from the truth, if we suppose, though it is no where stated
in direct terms, that the deluge was effected by the inter-
change of level between the former sea and land; or, in other
words, that either the bed of the former sea was gradually
elevated, or "broken up," or that the first land was gradually
depressed beneath the level of the waters; or, perhaps, by a
combination of both; in either of which cases, the effects
would be exactly such as are described in the Mosaic record,

* The preservation of one family, at the deluge, may be looked upon as one of the most remarkable instances of divine wisdom and providence: for there could have been no greater difficulty to the Almighty power, in forming, in this instance, an entirely new creation, than in doing so in the beginning of the world. But if all mankind had perished, a new race could not have been so deeply impressed with the terror of this great event, as we now find the most distant nations are: and if we had only historical evidence of its having happened, unsupported by tradition and facts, the recital would be found to make but a slight impression upon our minds.

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