Archaia. 481 



Instead of looking at the text in view of geological inductions 

 and facts, or looking at geology with an eye on the sacred text, 

 we have looked upon each by itself and interrogated each as to 

 its contents. The one we have subjected to scrutiny on the prin- 

 ciples of grammar and philology, the other on the principles of 

 scientific induction. It appears to us that much rubbish has been 

 accumulated upon the text from the region of the rocks ; and 

 much folly charged upon the rocks at the presumed instigation 

 of the text. To avoid confusion we have examined each by itself 

 as we would examine a witness in a criminal court, and having 

 got as clearly as possible the testimonies of each we have considered 

 their relative values, and whether they may not be capable of such 

 an adjustment as to constitute them one whole and harmonious 

 display of creative goodness, wisdom and power. 



It is impossible for us to go over in detail within the compass 

 of this review, the steps of this somewhat elaborate process. 

 All that we can do is to indicate briefly the results at which we 

 have arrived, and the points in regard to which we differ from 

 the conclusions of our author. 



Applying then our grammatical apparatus to the leading and 

 important words of the text, we conclude : — 1. That " the Heaven 11 

 (Jiashamayim) means the expanse (rakiah) bounded by the earth 

 and the blue empyrean upon which the eye seems to rest its upward 

 gaze. The idea of confining the created heaven to the atmosphere 

 of science, or limiting its upward boundary by the clouds is we 

 judge neither scientific nor grammatical. Science does not yet 

 know the limits of the atmosphere, and its latest conjecture is 

 that it is illimitable as space itself, — that the same atmos- 

 phere which circumambiates our globe enfolds with varying den- 

 sities the whole planetary system in its ample bosom. Further, 

 the clouds gave no definite limits to the atmosphere, their alti- 

 tudes must vary many thousands of feet. And what shall we 

 make of the firmament when the waters which it contains are so 

 comminuted that no clouds at all intervene between the earth 

 and the deep blue sky? The mistake of regarding the clouds 

 as the upward shore of the firmament arises from interpreting 

 the word " waters' 1 in the sixth verse as meaning clouds. Now 

 upon no grammatical principle of interpretation can this be admit- 

 ted. It does not appear from the narrative that the prophet 

 saw any clouds at all after the evaporation of the waters which 

 covered the surface of the yet unformed world. Not during the 



Canadian Nat. 6 Vol. IV. No. 6. 



