TESTIMONY OF THE ROCKS. 89 



As regards the other theologico-geological question, as it may be termed, 

 the age of our planet, Mr. Miller takes up, very decidedly, and expands 

 the theory suggested first by Chalmers, and adopted by Buckland, Cony- 

 beare, Sedgwick, and others, contending that the days of the Mosaic Record 

 are to be interpreted not of literal periods of time, of twenty-four hours 

 length, but of vastly prolonged measures of duration, extending, it 

 may be, to many millenaries each. In advocating this view our author, 

 as already intimated, goes farther than the illustrious Chalmers, in his 

 scheme for bringing into harmony the Mosaic narrative and the geologic 

 record. That scheme taught, as, possibly, most of our readers are aware, 

 that " between the first act of creation, which evoked out of the previous 

 nothing the matter of the heavens and earth, and the first act of the first 

 day's work recorded in Genesis, periods of vast duration may have inter- 

 vened ; but further, it insists that the days themselves were but natural 

 days of twenty-four hours each j and that ere they began, the earth, though 

 mayhap in the previous period a fair residence of life, had become void and 

 formless, and the sun, moon, and stars, though mayhap they had before 

 given light, had been, at least in relation to our planet, temporarily ex- 

 tinguished" — p. 117. This view, though he himself once also held it, our 

 author gives up, as but partially true, and he endeavours to show that 

 each of the Mosaic days was of the nature and length already described. 

 Most gladly would we enrich our pages with the reasons adduced in sup- 

 port of this view, but we must content ourselves with commending their 

 perusal, throughout, to our readers. We shall merely add, that, for our- 

 selves, we are strongly disposed to accept Hugh Miller's demonstration of 

 the harmony between Revelation and Fact on this point. These can never 

 disagree, and, in this case, instead of disparity he points at marvellous and 

 beautiful coincidence. Page after page in the past volume of geological 

 research is turned over, and imbedded in its rocks are seen the traces of 

 the great Creator's hand, to the same effect, and in precisely the same 

 order, as the Mosaic record indicates. 



We take leave of this remarkable volume, if not with all the anticipa- 

 tions realized which the well earned reputation of its author had inspired, 

 yet with deepened admiration for his wonderful ability and laborious re- 

 search, and still deeper regret at the awfully mysterious event, in God's 

 permissive providence, which has bereft the sister country of one of its 

 most justly loved and admired sons, and modern science of one oflts 

 brightest ornaments. 



