Geological Record of Life. 151 



in such a furnace. Ages rolled on and this fiery 

 cloud gradually cooled. Rocks and metals, which 

 were thus far in a vaporous condition, came into 

 contact with the cold of surrounding space. " Void 

 and empty" as the planet itself was, it rolled in the 

 midst of space still more so. The vapors of rocks 

 and metals thus began to liquefy, and, like condens- 

 ing clouds, fell upon the earth in showers of molten 

 metal; and, if they rose again in vapors, they settled 

 again in a liquid state; until, by the continued loss 

 of heat, a thin crust of solidified metal and rock 

 formed on the surface of the burning mass. Radi- 

 ating heat as it continued to do into space, the 

 whole earth grew cooler every day. And the time 

 came when even the aqueous vapors of the planet 

 began to settle from their condition of steam into 

 that of liquid and seething water. And the roll- 

 ing waters began to form sedimentary deposits, 

 from the wearing of the rocks, as soon as they be 

 gan to roll. Continuous rains now prevailed, main- 

 taining a thick darkness, " a cloud as a garment, and 

 a mist as swaddling-bands/' over the face of the 

 waters, all above and around upon that boundless 

 ocean which knew no shores, and had none; until 

 the constant upheavals of the thin crust of the earth 

 gave it " bounds and a bar and doors," and there it 

 began to "break its swelling waves." The con- 

 tinuous rains from an unbroken belt of vapors 

 gradually ceasing, the vaporous clouds were broken. 

 The waters of the clouds above were separated from 



