and their Relation to the modem Si/stem of Geology, 45 



superposition is never inverted, and, being countless in 

 number, her incalculable age is, of course, understood. But 

 the mind, in its eager pursuit after secondary causes (for- 

 getting the First Great Cause), is speedily lost and confounded 

 in a labyrinth of soaring conjectures and humiliating reflections; 

 and truly, then, " may the sober walks of science be said to 

 assume the features of romance." But, if we refer to the 

 sublime and consistent records of 'the inspired writer for 

 assistance, the daring phantasm of system vanishes into thin 

 air, under the profound declarations of the sacred page. 

 Moses, in speaking of the grand catastrophe whose impetuous 

 waters overwhelmed the primitive world and its inhabitants 

 (of which event we have such abundant evidence), declares 

 that " the windows of heaven were opened, and the fountains 

 of the great deep were broken up," and that " the high hills 

 under the whole heavens were covered ; " and he further 

 affirms that the great turmoil of waters " prevailed," or, in 

 other words, continued their impetuous course, for a space of 

 270 days around the nucleus of the revolving globe. Surely 

 such a mighty circumfluent mass would be quite sufficient to 

 produce, during the above period (under the energy and 

 guidance of Him whose " spirit moved upon the face of the 

 waters ; " who said, '* Let there be light, and there was light ; " 

 whose creative fiat willed all things into being), the whole 

 of the terrestrial formations, with the peculiarities ascribed to 

 each ; all the astounding phenomena which the philosopher 

 labours in vain to define ; all the magnificent framework of 

 the world, so greatly to be admired for the beauty and diver- 

 sity of its materials, and for the provident and orderly arrange- 

 ment of its structure. The Rev. Mr. Scutcliffe observes (in 

 his valuable geological essays), that " the Mosaic theory of 

 stratifying the earth, by the long-continued action of tre- 

 mendous tides, is the only one which can correct the contra- 

 dictory theories of geologists, and illustrate the phenomena of 

 the stratified earth." He also remarks, " that whatever earths 

 the impetuous tides of the deluge washed from one place, 

 they must, of necessity, deposit in another. This is an inva- 

 riable law of the ocean. Hence, one tide would bring gravel 

 and marine exuviae, already worn by the action of the billows 

 rolling on the shore ; another would bring sand, and another 

 clay. But though all alluvial strata were formed of the de- 

 tritus of the old earths, they would repeat the first formation, 

 by combination ; they would change into a variety of silica, 

 rocks, marls, and minerals ; while ©thers, falling on more 

 neutral earths, would remain in their primitive state. Thus, 

 also, the deeper strata of the earth would be laid on while the 



