Extinction, of Organic Beings. 463 



pagate and multiply itself, before the species destined to 

 prey upon it, would be called into existence. 



But it may simply be objected in this case, that had crea- 

 tion Jbeen thus gradual and progressive, the Mosaic record 

 must necessarily be incorrect, for it states, not that a few 

 genera or species, but whole classes of animals had their 

 peculiar and simultaneous periods of creation ; or in other 

 words, that on the third day " The earth brought forth 

 grass and herb, yielding seed after his kind, and the tree 

 yielding fruit whose seed was in itself after his kind ;" that 

 on the fifth day, the waters and the air together were stock- 

 ed with every species peculiar to themselves ; and on the 

 sixth, and last period, " the earth brought forth the living 

 creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast 

 of the earth after his kind ; and God saw that it was good." 



Here then we have two conflicting statements, or rather 

 be it said, a modern theory, endeavouring to overthrow an 

 ancient and insured record of events ; and either must we 

 believe that " Heaven and earth and all that in them is," 

 were created by an Almighty fiat on the several days, as 

 related by Moses, or we must reject his account, as narra- 

 ting what did not occur. 



I shall endeavour to show that these modern theories, 

 and not the Sacred Record, must be rejected. 



But if, in the meantime, for the sake of argument, we 

 allow that the six Mosaic days of creation were as many 

 periods of years, and that the different classes of animals 

 were being progressively called into existence during each 

 of those periods, we shall nevertheless overthrow the very 

 theory of progression which we are so anxious to establish ; 

 for we shall find that the vegetable kingdom would be 

 gradually increasing and diffusing itself over the earth, 

 without a check, not only throughout its own indefinite 

 and peculiar period of years, but also through the fourth 

 and fifth, with the exception of the slight check some 



