« 



t2Q 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 



the beginnings of civilization to a date 



difFere 



from that which has juft been 



) 



men 



Oti 



tioned, and infinitely with 



th 



limits of the 



ft recent of theepochas, marked by the phy 



fical revolutions of the dob 

 On the other hand, the 



authority of the Sa, 

 cred Books feems to be but little interefted ii 

 what regards the mere antiquity of the earth it 

 felf ; nor does it appear that their language is tc 



be 



derftood literally 



g the a^e of 



that body, any more than concerning its Jig 

 or its motion. The theory of Dr Button ftandi 

 here precifely on the fame footing with the fyf. 



of C 



fo 



fuppofe, that it was the purpofe of 

 furniQi a ftandard of geological, 



no reafon 



of aftronomical fc 



It 



IS 



hand 



that the Script 



are not 



any more than 

 dmitted, on all 



tended to 

 n matters 



refolve phyfical queftions, or to explain 



in no way related to the morality of human 



ad;ions 



d 



if, in confequence of this pri 

 pie, a confiderable latitude of interpretation \' 



ed. we fhould 



a 



moment 



bel 



that the earth is flat : that the fu 



moves round the earth 



d th 



th 



circura- 



is no 



th 



ference of a circle 

 its diameter. 



It is but reafonable, therefore, that we fhould 

 extend to the geologill the fame liberty of fpe- 



culation, 



h» 



