ORIGIN OF THE ANIMATED TRIBES. 81 



hire, it may readily be allowed that there would be a 

 strong objection to the reception of any opposite hypothe- 

 sis. But the fact is, however startling the present an 

 nouncement of it mav be, that the first chapter of the Mo- 

 saic record is not only not in harmony with the ordinary 

 ideas of mankind respecting cosmical and organic crea- 

 tion, but is opposed to them, and only in accordance with 

 the views here taken. When we carefully peruse it with 

 awakened minds, we find that all the procedure is repre- 

 sented primarily and pre-eminently as flowing from com- 

 mands and expressions of will, not from direct acts. Let 

 there be Light — let there be a firmament — let the dry land 

 appear — let the earth bring forth grass, the herb, the tree 

 — let the waters bring forth the moving creature that hath 

 life — let the earth bring forth the living creature after his 

 kind — these are the terms in which the principal acts are 

 described. The additional expressions — God made the 

 firmament — God made the beast of the earth, &c, occur 

 subordinately, and only in a few instances ; they do not 

 necessarily convey a different idea of the mode of crea- 

 tion, and indeed only appear as alternative phrases, in the 

 usual duplicative manner of Eastern narrative. Keeping 

 this in view, the words used in a subsequent place, " God 

 formed man in his own image," cannot well be understood 

 as implying any more than what was implied before, name- 

 ly, that man was produced in consequence of an expression 

 of the Divine will to that effect. Thus the scriptural ob- 

 jection quickly vanishes, and the prevalent ideas about 

 the organic creation appear only as a mistaken inference 

 from the text, formed at a time when man's ignorance 

 prevented him from drawing therefrom a just conclusion. 

 At the same time, I freely own that I do not think it right 

 to adduce the Mosaic record, either in objection to, or 

 support of any natural hypothesis, and this for many rea- 

 sons, but particularly for this, that there is not the least 

 appearance of an intention in that book to give philoso- 

 phically exact views of nature. 



To a reasonable mind the Divine attributes must ap- 

 pear, not diminished or reduced in any way, by supposing 

 a creation by law, but infinitely exalted. It is the nar- 

 rowest of all views of the Deity, and characteristic of an 

 humble class of intellects, to suppose him acting constant- 

 ly in particular ways for particular occasions. It, for one 

 thing, greatly detracts from his foresight, the most unde- 



