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they differ now. I think Mr. Howard’s theory is that these differences were 
stamped by the Creator upon the progenitors of these particular races. 
(Mr. Howard. — That is, the differences arose suddenly, as happens among 
the inferior animals.) Precisely so ; that probably at the dispersion of Babel, 
just as there was a change of languages by the act of the Creator, there was 
in like manner a change of race characteristics. This is quite a new idea to me, 
and certainly not unattractive at first ; but it is pure hypothesis, and I do 
not know whether we can find in Scripture any indication of the kind ; and 
the way in which man is mentioned as proceeding from one pair, and again 
from Noah, seems to be inconsistent with such a sudden change, though I by 
no means undertake to deny its possibility. A more common way of account- 
ing for varieties of race is that these changes took place rapidly, from climatic 
and other influences — much more rapidly than they do now ; and in this way, 
by supposing an increased rapidity, we might get all these changes within 
the years allowed. But could all these marked differences have been en- 
gendered so quickly ? No doubt, if we assume that God was pleased, by the 
fiat of His creative will, to make such changes at once, this might get rid 
of one argument in favour of the great antiquity of man ; but there is an 
obstacle in the way ; the varieties are not merely three or four ; but if 
we look over the globe we find that they are very numerous. If we adopt 
tin's hypothesis, we also practically, almost, make mankind not to have 
proceeded from one pair ; for there would be a new creative act to disperse 
and divide the whole human race into different subdivisions. It is more 
difficult to accept any one hypothesis of this sort without evidence for it, than 
to suppose that there has been a mistake in regard to the computation of 
years in our chronology. And if we once allow the chronology to be wrong 
we may enlarge the time to whatever extent may be necessary. If dif- 
ferences of race were the only things that indicated great antiquity, such a 
theory as this of Mr. Howard’s would come with greater force ; but there is 
much more than this in various directions. I do not appeal to the geological 
argument, which can yet scarcely be neglected ; but I appeal to the testimony 
of history. An impartial consideration of the Egyptian records leads to the 
conclusion that a people who, so many years back as the time of Menes, were 
possessed of all the arts of civilization and government, and everything 
that marks an advanced state of civilization, could not have risen to such a 
position without a long period of development. From our own experience, 
we know that it must have required many years to arrive at such a con- 
dition ; and this furnishes strong reasons for believing that there must have 
been a much greater number of years in the world’s history than is popu- 
larly supposed to be the case. 
Rev. H. S. Warleigh. — W ill you allow a country member to say a few 
words ? First of all, 1 must avow my belief in the general deductions of 
Egyptologists, and I must consider that there was a civilized race in Egypt 
long before the era of Adam. But while I believe this, I am obliged to 
believe also in the truth of the Bible, from its very beginning to its very end ; 
for I take it to be a revelation from God, the truth of which we ought not, 
