12 Rejections on the Noachian Deluge, 



Deluge, which is described as having extinguished a full, if not 

 a crowded population: whereas no such Remains, or any other 

 evidences of Man's existence upon earth, prior to these Gravel 

 Floods, are any where found. 



If also, the Noachian and the Gravel Floods had been identic, 

 the Animal Bones buried in the Gravel ought, in all cases to 

 correspond exactly, with the present races of Animals, since these 

 last, are the descendants by procreation, of the very race, out of 

 which, according to Moses, Noah selected his pairs of Animals, 

 for again replenishing the £arth, after the Deluge: and it is 

 further observab'e. with respect to the Bones, which are some- 

 times found in Gravel (many of which Professor B. admits to 

 be different from those of any existing Animal) are generally so 

 found, in f^alleys and low Places, amongst Gravel which has 

 been removed, by far less and more local Floods, than the gene- 

 ral Gravel Floods above spoken of. 



These lesser Floods that buried Bones, seem with great pro- 

 bability to have happened, in the interval between the Creation 

 of Animals, (as related by Moses, allowing, with all sensible Com- 

 mentators, that notDays, literally, but long and indefinite Periods 

 were by him assigned, to the great and multitudinous work of 

 creating, the progenitors of the present Animals and Plants) and 

 the last and finishing tvork of the Creator, in placing Man upon 

 the Earth; which seems to have immediatelv preceded the ordain- 

 ing of those lews of Nature, as we call them, which have since 

 carried on the system of the Universe; but which laws, unassisted, 

 could no more have formed or constituted the universe, than the 

 laws of chemical and mechanical action, which now dispose of 

 and change the dead Body of an animal or a vegetable, could 

 have carried on its previous living functions, without the aid of , 



the principle of Life; a principle, which to us is at present, a | 



perfect mystery. ^ 



A Geologist, can now only see the chemical and mechanical 

 principles at work, in changing, in inconsiderable degrees, the 

 state of the superficial parts of the Strata: — by laborious observa- 

 tions and the collection of Facts, and through patient inductive 

 reasonings upon these, he may go backwards, and perceive the 

 indubitable marks of an epocb, when or beyond which, these 

 mere laws of nature, are as utterly incompetent to account for 

 the changes, which appear without doubt to have happened, to 

 the solid matter composing the Earth, as these laws now are, to 

 give existence and living functions to an animal or plant : this 

 grand epoch inGeological induction, appears to me, well to ac- 

 cord with the period of Man's creation, and to require from the 

 rational Geologist the acknowledgement, equally frank and ex- 

 plicit 



