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. 
a eer 
On the Cosmogony of Moses. Vi 
the gilded vessel goes,”"—** regardless of the sweeping whirl- 
wind’s sway,”—** that hush’d in grim repose expects his evening 
prey.”’ It will be said that this is the peculiar style of poetry: 
but is it possible to doubt that the former part of Genesis is a 
poetical composition? Have not the first chapters all the man- 
ner and decoration of the sacred poetry of the East,—not indeed 
of tle poetry of fiction, but of the poetry of elevated feeling, and 
of that style which sets forth great moral truths by means of 
striking images in a manner fitted to produce their full impres- 
sion? However, a parallel passage may easily be found in plain 
English prose. The following is from Sir Walter Raleigh: 
«© The Devil is now more laborious than ever, the long day of 
mankind drawing towards an evening.” I doubt not that I 
could find a hundred such examples if I had leisure to look for 
them, ‘“ ° 
Perhaps it may be thought more important in the present 
case to remark, that in the most ancient books of the Oriental 
nations which remain to our times, excepting only the writings 
of Moses, the metaphorical use of the word day is very com- 
mon; and, what is more to our purpose, the words which desig- 
nate the natural terminations and divisions of a day, as night or 
evening, and twilight or morning, are accurately specified, the 
metaphorical sense being still carried on. But before I proceed 
to adduce examples of this kind, I must obviate an objection 
that will immediately be made to any reference to such sources 
in the present question. It will be asked, What relation can 
the books of other Eastern nations have to the Hebrew Scrip- 
tures, which are the productions of inspired writers? ‘To this 
I answer, that the Oriental nations have exhibited from very re- 
mote times a general resemblance, a common character in their 
modes of thinking and acting; that the same conformity may be 
expected, and really exists, in their manner of expressing their 
thoughts, and in the style of their compositions ; and therefore 
that the writings preserved by one of these nations from distant 
ages may afford illustration with respect to the use of language 
among the others, But further, I am persuaded that some of 
the compositions I refer to, have a much nearer connexion with 
the early writings of the Hebrews than is universally appre- 
hended. 
Many biblical scholars have held the opinion that the early 
part of Genesis consists of records preserved from periods of 
yery remote antiquity, and adopted by Moses as furnishing an 
authentic sketch of the principal events which had happened in 
the world down to the time of Abraham, when the particular 
history of the Hebrews begins, and immediately assumes the 
character 
