Remarks on Prof. Stuart's examination of Gen. I. 1 27 



water is suffered to fall through windows opened for the purpose, 

 means nothing more than the welkin or the clouds over our heads, 

 with the atmosphere, and must have been so understood by Moses, 

 and by those to whom the Pentateuch was first delivered ; and that a 

 representation of such a firmament, was the most direct and obvious 

 mode, when this history of the creation was written, of conveying a 

 notion of the atmosphere, without any additional idea ; that is, of 

 saying what was meant. It appears further, that the sun, moon, and 

 stars, placed in this firmament for the service of the earth, means 

 nothing, (and when first published, would convey no idea,) ineonsist- 

 ent with the fact, that all these bodies are at immense distances from 

 the earth, and most of them at distances inconceivable, and baffling 

 all calculation ; that the distinction between appearance and reality 

 in the phenomena of the heavens, was, in the time of Moses, gener- 

 ally understood ; and that when the earth and the sea are said to 

 bring forth their productions, this is optical ; and not inconsistent 

 with the present prevailing philosophy on this subject. 



It is worthy of remark, that the philological deductions of Prof. 

 Stuart, happen to be all in accordance with his own philosophy. 

 How this should occur, is not now a subject of inquiry ; it is sufficient 

 to mark the fact, that till he comes to geology, he has no collision 

 with modern science. When he has arrived at this point, his philo- 

 logy and his philosophy, both forbid him to go further. But this 

 opposition to the geologists, seems not to be warranted by bis own 

 principles. If his expositions of the first chapter of Genesis, which 

 have now been enumerated, are correct, the geologists have nothing 

 to fear ; to show which, was the second thing proposed in these re- 

 marks. 



According to the Mosaic history, the creation was accomplished 

 in successive periods. This, as the geologists affirm, is indicated, or, 



rather as they would probably say, proved, by the appearance of the 

 earth ; and some think it a matter of no little importance, that this 

 coincidence is established. Moses says, that these periods were 

 days ; and it is evident from the narrative, so evident from the com- 

 mon English version, that there seems to be little need of going back to 

 the Hebrew original to make it more so, that his literal meaning is, 

 days of twenty four hours. Some geologists wish to explain the lan- 

 guage of Moses so as to mean, not definite but indefinite periods; not 

 portions of time limited to twenty four hours, but long enough to admit 

 of such natural processes, as they say must have been carried on ; and 



