THE WEEK OF SEVEN DAYS. 395 



seven ancient planets, will by some be regarded as objectionable, on 

 the ground that it appears to conflict with what appears to such per- 

 sons to be the literal interpretation of Holy Scripture. It may be 

 said that the sacred writer plainly informs us that God created the 

 universe, the planets included, in six days, and rested on the seventh, 

 and that the number of these days can, therefore, have no dependence 

 on the heavenly bodies which were created upon one of the days. 

 And I quite admit that this kind of difficulty is prima facie very 

 plausible ; I have felt it strongly myself ; I do not wonder that oth- 

 ers should feel it. But it may be observed that, when we speak of 

 the " literal interpretation " of this portion of Holy Scripture, we are 

 using language which, when examined, has no definite meaning. The 

 whole history of creation is necessarily supra-literal. " The Spirit of 

 God moved upon the face of the waters." "What literal meaning is 

 there here ? " God said, Let there be light, and there was light." How 

 can this grand description be taken liter ally f " God said, Let us 

 make man in our image, after our likeness." How can we assign to 

 such transcendental language any sense which can properly be called 

 literal? And so on throughout the whole creative history. Conse- 

 quently the literal theory must be simply and completely given up, as 

 in the very nature of things impossible ; and the question arises, What 

 shall we put in its place ? The answer seems to be, that such a picture 

 or sketch of the origin of things was accorded to the sacred writer, and 

 placed at the head of Holy Scripture, as was fitted to the comprehen- 

 sion of man, and fitted to introduce the subsequent portions of the 

 "Word of God. The tenacity with which a large number of persons 

 adhere to what they regard as the " literal meaning " of the first 

 chapter of Genesis, proves with what wonderful skill the chapter has 

 been written ; but when we come to consider what the literal meaning 

 of the phrase "literal meaning " is, we find that the words are in their 

 nature totally inapplicable to such a composition as that with which 

 we are dealing ; and having realized this fact, we may, perhaps, find 

 that there is another mode of interpretation which is more reasonable, 

 more free from difficulties, and which yet deprives the sacred narrative 

 of no particle of its meaning. To supply such a mode of interpreta- 

 tion is the purpose of this essay ; if any of those who read it find that 

 it has thrown light upon a dark subject, and assisted them to see their 

 way through a difficulty connected with Holy Scripture, my purpose 

 in writing it will have been abundantly accomplished.* — Contempo- 

 rary Kevieio. 



* Nothing that is here said contradicts the principle of St. Augustine's treatise, " De 

 Genesi ad Litteram." The literal meaning, in St. Augustine's sense, is in antithesis to the 

 spiritual or allegorical. I do not think that the great Christian philosopher would have 

 found fault with the views contained in this paper. 



