492 Rough Notes on the controversy against Geologists. 



ed equally from its surface towards one centre only, in fact 

 towards the sun, the centre of the whole. Thus an im- 

 mense sphere, semi-fluid without^ vaporous and apparently 

 hollow within, would be the figure assumed, still retaining 

 the original motion, and revolving on its axis with immense 

 and increasing velocity, until, as a rapidly turning grind- 

 stone or fly-wheel throws off from its rim whatever is not 

 firmly attached to it, so, by the centrifugal force generated 

 by this rotatory motion^ superficial rings of the outer con- 

 densed matter would be successively separated from the 

 great mass, and, by attraction, would collapse together to one 

 part of the circumference of each ring, to form the several 

 planets ; with the exception of the ring pertaining to the 

 orbit of the more recently discovered four little planets near- 

 ly equidistant from the sun, which, by breaking into four 

 pieces, gave rise to them. The orbits of the several planets 

 are thus commensurate with the space occupied by the 

 spherical mass of the nebula at the time these were detach- 

 ed. The most remote planet was thrown off first and 

 brought into shape, the others in their order, the sun, was 

 formed last. Farther, the secondaries or satellites were 

 thus generated from their primaries, which had a similar 

 circular movement on their axes derived from a modification 

 of the original nebular motion, in a precisely similar manner, 

 with the exception of the ring of Saturn, which still remains 

 a ring. This particular view of the nebular hypothesis is 

 said to be supported by the reasoning of the higher mathe- 

 matics, based upon the velocities and times of revolution of 

 the several planets around the sun. 



Which ever of the two views be adopted, the result is a 

 remarkable one. The stumbling block of the sun not being 

 created till the fourth day, which has perplexed and bewil- 

 dered all Scriptural commentators on the account of crea- 

 tion in Genesis, is not merely at once naturally and satisfac- 

 torily removed, but is shewn to be a necessary consequence 



