CHAPTER III. 



THE FLOOD AND THE BUILDING OF THE ARK — THE ARGUMENTS OF INFIDELITt 



AGAINST A UNIVERSAL DELUGE THE MATERIAL OF WHICH THE ARK WAS 



BUILT — ITS CAPACITY, DIMENSIONS, AND FORM — ITS PROPORTIONS COPIED IN 

 MODERN OCEAN STEAMERS. 



The earliest mention of the sea made in history occurs in the 

 first chapter of Genesis. During the period of chaos, and before 

 the creation of light, darkness was upon the face of the deep, 

 and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

 Upon the third day the waters under the heavens were gathered 

 together in one place and were called Seas ; the dry land appeared 

 and was called Earth. The waters were commanded to bring 

 forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life; and, upon 

 the creation of man in the image of God, dominion was given him 

 over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and every creeping 

 thing that creepeth upon the earth. 



In the year of the world 1556 — according to the generally 



accepted computation — Gocl determined to destroy man and all 



creeping things and the fowls of the air, for He said, "It 



repenteth me that I have made them." Noah alone found 



grace in the eyes of the Lord, and was instructed to build him 



an ark of gopher-wood three hundred cubits in length, fifty in 



breadth, and thirty in height. It was to consist of three stories, 



divided into rooms, to contain one door and one window, and 



was to be smeared within and without with pitch. Noah was 



engaged one hundred years in constructing the ark, — from the 



age of five hundred to that of six hundred years, — and when it 



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