21 
have said^ it is not necessary to onr present purpose to discuss^ 
as we are only concerned to show the credihilitij of the miracle_, 
the question of its actual occurrence being- beyond our imme- 
diate scope. Whatever interpretation we may put upon the 
passage^ our object is gained if we can show that the miracle 
may have occurred. 
16. Let us now hear some of the objections. It is said that 
the apparent standing still of the sun and moon must involve 
the supposition that the diurnal revolution of the earth came 
to a stop ; this^ again, involving, as a consequence, the jerking 
off of all its inhabitants, and of everything resting on its 
surface, on the well-known principle that whatever is in motion 
must continue to move in the same direction, and with the 
same velocity, until something interferes with that motion. 
In this case the attraction of the earth would cause a deviation 
from what would otherwise be rectilinear motion along the 
tangent to the parallel of latitude on which each thing or 
person had been situated, and would cause them to revolve 
round the earth in ellipses or other conic sections, instead of 
moving in a straight line. Since nothing of this kind took 
place, the story is not, they argue, to be believed. But surely 
if the phenomenon was effected by a cessation or diminution 
of the earth^s motion round its axis, the same power that 
caused this to take place could prevent such a consequence 
from ensuing as that which has been sketched out. The pre- 
vention of that consequence would not be at all a more won- 
derful exertion of power than stopping the earth^s revolution 
would be. But is it not rather presumptuous to pronounce 
that a miracle must have been wrought in a certain way, if at 
all ? How can we take upon us to say that the one in question 
could only have been effected by an interference with the 
eartlTs rotation. An increase in the refracting power of the 
atmosphere would cause the heavenly bodies to remain in 
sight for a much longer time than usual; and that, without 
any jerking off* of the inhabitants of the earth. Besides, it 
seems possible that the phenomenon may not have lasted so 
long as is generally supposed. It appears to have commenced 
after the defeat of the five kings by Joshua, and while Israel 
was in pursuit of them. It would therefore be sufficient that 
daylight should continue until the enemy was overtaken, 
which might not require a very long time. It is true that the 
narrative, as it appears in the authorized English version, 
states that the sun stood still in the midst 0 / heaven, and 
hasted not to go down about a ivhole dayd’ But this transla- 
tion does not seem to convey accurately the meaning of the 
original. It is stated in Doctor Adam darkens note on the 
