54 THE NO A CHI AN FLOOD. 



pierced with little holes through which men saw in 

 starry shapes the fire of the ethereal region beyond it. 

 Persons with such ideas of space and physical science 

 might not readily have accepted on the moment the 

 Copernican system of astronomy. In the same way 

 persons with a narrow and limited view of the duration 

 of time may find a difficulty in receiving arguments 

 based on or implying the enormous extent of it, which 

 all sciences are now combining to demonstrate. But 

 this mental incapacity, the result of false education and 

 early prejudice, may be defied to resist any real investi- 

 gation of the facts or study of what has been written 

 upon them. Let any man of mature mind and average 

 intellect read through Sir John Lubbock's ' Prehistoric 

 Times,' Mr. Darwin's ' Origin of Species,' and Sir 

 Charles Lyell's 'Principles of Geology/ and retain if 

 he can the opinion that our globe was first peopled 

 about 6000 years ago, and subsequently all but de- 

 populated by an universal Flood. Let him see, indeed, 

 whether he can read Sir Charles Lyell's account of the 

 progress of opinion and controversy on these subjects 

 and refrain from blushing. He will recognize in that 

 account a turmoil and clamour of fools and philosophers, 

 of laymen and divines. He will have to set to the credit 

 of intelligent humanity and enlightened Christendom a 

 long tissue of pious frauds, Jesuitical defences, arguments 

 based on imaginary facts, and facts perverted by imagi- 

 nation, till he comes down to the present time and finds 

 a great multitude of all classes at length agreed in 

 affirming that life has endured on the globe with 



